Recipes that even kids can make

Have you ever watched reality cooking shows like Junior MasterChef, Man vs Child or Kids Baking Championship? It’s quite incredible what an 11 year old can cook! I mean braised beef cheek ravioli with puréed asparagus and fennel gratin?! Hell’s bells. These kids mean business.

As much as it astonishes and impresses me, I am also thrilled that children cooking food from scratch is being highlighted and celebrated. We’ve written about teaching your child about food before and how important it is for them to be well-informed about nutritional choices – especially with the rise of life-threatening diseases like diabetes.

Now, we don’t all have mini Mario Batali’s running around but it’s still fun to get the young ones in the kitchen and let THEM do the cooking for a change! There are so many things they can learn in the process like:

– Developing an appreciation and respect for real ingredients.
– Increasing their maths skills – by following a recipe and learning the measurements.
– Acknowledging that putting a meal on the table takes work and effort – which results in a sense of gratitude towards whoever usually does the cooking.
– Learning about safety in the kitchen where potential dangers like sharp knives, high heat and slippery surfaces are plenty.
– The value of preparation (peeling, skinning, boiling water, greasing cake tins).
– Patience (that cake won’t cook in 5 seconds!).

We’ve rounded up a few fun child-friendly recipes that will make your little one want to ditch the iPad and get cooking in kitchen! Remember though – there should always be an adult supervising at all times!

1. Rooibos tea and ricotta mousse