Reading Time: 3 minutes

cooking with kidsA couple of weeks ago, my son and I attempted homemade ravioli. I say attempted not because they didn’t taste good. (They tasted great!) I say this because in the midst of chaos–some foreseen, some not-so-much–we didn’t really seal the little ravioli pillows correctly. So ricotta leaked out into the water. Never fear: Every single one of the little guys was still eaten up, and since perfect ravioli wasn’t the goal, I’d consider it a smashing (smashed?) success.

I’ve been pulling kids up on the counter next to me (and sometimes sitting them in the bowl of the sink) for a little over a decade now. Initially, it was a strategy of containment. If I am cooking, I know where you and your fast little feet are, and what those little hands are dumping. But cooking has been a way that my kids and I create rich quality time together.

Near the end of the day, we are creating something nourishing together, learning a life skill, chatting about whatever, laughing, and sealing the memories with taste and sound and sight and  smell and touch. Somehow the mundane, to me, seems to take on a little magic.

(Wondering if cooking is even worth the effort, since your kids inhale it in about 3.2 seconds? You might like this post, Why Cook? The Eternal Aspects of Food [er, Beyond Twinkies]).

Even more fun, we ascend in our skills together–from Parmesan popcorn or chocolate chip cookies when they were little, to maybe making some simple fondue and easy truffles for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

Still Whipping Up More Than Food

cook cooking kids

My 13-year-old is the one who would like to go to culinary school. (The kid is serious. He made my parents Eggs Benedict while they were visiting.)

So in a season of life when he’s trotting off to football or taking drum lessons, we still have this: Our fragrant moments in the kitchen, grinning at the taste of a sauce or joking when things go horribly wrong. Now he’s able to make dinner for his chore, or whip up a killer quiche for breakfast. Here’s a pic of him last fall, proud of his chicken pot pie.

So I was pleased as punch to hear from Megan at Kitchen Cabinet Kings, asking if they could share their infographic to help you cook safely with your kids and keep making great memories of your own. (They’ve got even more safety tips here. You never like to hear, “Sorry, Mom! I forgot to turn the burner off!”)

Keep cooking up memories.

 

PRINT IT HERE.

kitchen safety checklist cooking

 

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