Baby Chefs

With Mother's Day around the corner  a lot of little ones will want to make her something special. The question is are they old enough to cook or bake ? When can they put on the apron and wield that spatula? Is the age or a child's maturity that decides?

Surprisingly you can put a two or three year old to work in the kitchen. Mind you, it's just simple safe, stuff but it's a start. They can help you squeeze lemons and spin the salad spinner. Those tiny  hands can also aid in picking leaves off of herbs and gently mashing squash and potatoes.At the ages of four and five, their motor skills are more defined and they can focus better on tasks.The problem is they could either be advanced , doing what older kids can do or lagging, doing the simple kitchen chores a toddler can do. My advice is gauge their enthusiasm. They may be more interested in playing  so don't push them . If they're enthusiastic , then see what they're good at and give them that job to do. What can those six and seven year olds do? At this point, children's motor skills are becoming more refined so they can take on more detailed work. They can help with grating and peeling but express that there could be accidents, namely scraped or cut fingers . Dicing and mincing are ok as long as the food is a soft textured one like strawberries. They can also slice and scoop avocados and grease pans before baking. They can also zest, using a microplane grater along with rinsing canned beans

As the baby chef's become tween chefs, you can increase their tasks and responsibilities. At this point they can help in reading the recipe and teaching the younger ones their  former duties.it is up to the parent to decide if the young cook can use the stove. The best bet is breaking him or her in on the toaster oven  using an easy recipe like English muffin pizzas. These older ones can also use a pizza cutter too, either cutting into Mom's homemade or pizza parlor pies. Tweens can also be allowed to use a can opener as well as filling muffin tins with batter, scraping it from the bowls and using a mixer. Young chefs can also pound chicken, skewer food and make sandwiches and wraps. Knives are allowed but only small paring ones or ones with serrated edges. Twelve year olds can start making pancakes and scrambled eggs. They can also try their hands at microwave bacon too. Frying it may be a little too dangerous, especially with spattering fat. No matter what age they are, keep a supervisory eye on them. As for barbecuing, wait until they're fourteen or fifteen before they start pouring lighter fluid and flipping burgers.

Nothing beats a kid made Mother's Day meal. Just make sure dad or even mom is there to watch and even lend a hand. The result will be moms brimming with pride over their baby chef's first cooked meal.