Kids in the Kitchen

Posted on May 15, 2017

by April S

What are some of your fondest childhood memories? I remember cooking with my mom on Sunday afternoons like it was yesterday. It was a family affair – bringing us all together and we had a lot of fun in the process. As a result, I still have a love of cooking and baking that continues to this day.

We live in a fast-paced world and it’s often difficult to find the time to fit in fun family activities, but everyone has to eat – right? So, why not make it a priority to cook or bake together on a regular basis? Teach your children skills that will last a lifetime and have fun experimenting with new culinary creations.

Cooking with Kids

Cookbooks / Easy Recipes for Aspiring Chefs

The Young Chef: Recipes and Techniques for Kids Who Love to Cook by The Culinary Institute of America, Mark Ainsworth
Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Purples - DK Children's Cookbook
The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for the Geek in All of Us by Rosanna Pansino
Sesame Street let's cook! / Susan McQuillan, RD
Complete children's cookbook : [delicious step-by-step recipes for young cooks] - DK

The Young Chef: Recipes and Techniques for Kids Who Love to Cook by The Culinary Institute of America, Mark Ainsworth

Aspiring chefs turn to The Culinary Institute of America for top-tier training—and now younger cooks can too. Coauthored by chef-instructor (and parent) Mark Ainsworth, this book is for kids ages ten to fourteen who love to cook or who want to learn how, from the perspective of the nation’s best culinary college. It begins with techniques—from key cooking methods to staying safe in the kitchen to how food fuels your body—then augments those lessons with more than one hundred recipes for dishes that kids (and their families and friends) will love.

These recipes are easy enough that beginners can try them with confidence, but are loaded with insider tips, fun facts, kitchen vocab, and other teaching moments so that more adventurous junior cooks can use them as a springboard to take their skills to the next level, express their culinary creativity, and have fun in the kitchen!

Eat Your Greens, Reds, Yellows, and Purples – DK Children’s Cookbook

Gather your ingredients and get busy in the kitchen creating tasty, healthy meals with your kids. With delicious and simple vegetarian recipes, this healthy cookbook makes fruits and vegetables fun and delicious while teaching kids the benefits of eating healthy.

The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook: Sweet Treats for the Geek in All of Us by Rosanna Pansino

A reference for bakers of all experience levels shares a variety of fun, photographed projects that draw their inspiration from video games, science fiction, math, comics and other nerdy things, including such recipes as Apple Pi Pie, the Chocolate Chip Smart Cookie, Volcano Cake, Dinosaur Fossil Cake, Moon Phase Macaroons and the Periodic Table of Cupcakes.

Sesame Street Let’s Cook! by Susan McQuillan, RD

Sesame Street has been entertaining and educating young children and their parents for 45 years with its irresistible, brightly colored “monsters.” In recent years, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and the gang have appeared with chefs and on TV to teach kids about healthy eating. Studies have even shown that Elmo helps kids like broccoli. In April 2014, Michelle Obama announced a national “Eat Brighter” campaign that will feature Sesame Street characters on food labels.

Complete Children’s Cookbook: Delicious Step-By-Step Recipes for Young Cooks by DK

Delicious dishes kids will really want to make. More than 150 fabulous recipes, divided into nine themed chapters will have you and your child in the kitchen and cooking in no time. And with beautiful full-color photography, simple instructions, and a focus on safety, each one makes an ideal cook-together project that will have children excited to try the new flavors in the dishes they helped make. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and feature a picture for every step, so children can see clearly just what to do as they build basic cooking skills, safe kitchen practices, and adventurous palates.

Mommy & Me Start Cooking by home economist, Denise Smart
National Geographic Kids Cookbook: A Year-Round Fun Food Adventure by Barton Seaver
Everyday Kitchen for Kids: 100 Amazing Savory and Sweet Recipes Children Can Really Make by Jennifer Low
You can cook : a step-by-step cookbook for kids by annabel karmel
American girl around the world cookbook : delicious dishes from across the globe

Mommy & Me Start Cooking by home economist, Denise Smart

Full of fun activities such as experiencing food with all five senses, designing dishes, and performing kitchen experiments, plus an introduction to measurements associated with cooking, this is the perfect cookbook for children who want to join their parents in the kitchen. Readers will learn about staple ingredients such as eggs, flour, and chocolate. They will find out what is inside an egg, where vegetables grow, how flour is made, and more.

National Geographic Kids Cookbook: A Year-Round Fun Food Adventure by Barton Seaver

For each month of the year discover recipes for fun, new dishes and twists on old favorites, weird-but-true food facts, profiles on “foodie ” people, plus activities and challenges you can do by yourself or with friends. This title is also available in eBook.

Everyday Kitchen for Kids: 100 Amazing Savory and Sweet Recipes Children Can Really Make by Jennifer Low

Everyday Kitchen for Kids makes every kind of recipe possible for when kids feel like cooking. The re-engineered cooking methods in the recipes help kids make amazing dishes they couldn’t make otherwise. And with Everyday Kitchen for Kids, it’s safety first all the way. None of the methods call for sharp knives, stovetop cooking or small motorized appliances. All the recipes are kid tested and approved, and accompanied by a full-colour photograph. Whether your children choose to make a savory snack or a sweet treat, with this book you’ll soon be saying to them, Wow! You made this?

You Can Cook by Annabel Karmel

A cookbook for children that teaches basic skills and techniques and features healthy recipes that encourage children to choose ingredients and flavor combinations while they learn about nutrition and kitchen hygiene.

American Girl Around the World Cookbook : Delicious Dishes from Across the Globe by Williams Sonoma

Collects more than forty easy-to-follow international recipes for young chefs, including such dishes as Swedish meatballs, souvlaki, tortilla soup, chicken tikka masala, and sticky toffee pudding.

Cooking With Kids – eBooks

Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!) by Deanna F. Cook
The Cooking with Kids Cookbook by Lynn Walters and Jane Stacey
The Everything Kids' Cookbook From Mac 'N Cheese to Double Chocolate Chip Cookies: 90 Recipes to Have Some Finger-Lickin' Fun by Sandra K Nissenberg
Taste of Home Kid-Approved Cookbook: 300+ Family Tested Fun Foods by Taste of Home
Bake It in a Cup! Simple Meals and Sweets Kids Can Bake in Silicone Cups by Julia Myall

Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make (and Eat!) by Deanna F. Cook

The kids are taking over the kitchen! Deanna F. Cook presents more than 50 recipes designed for the cooking abilities and tastes of children ages 6 to 12. Basic cooking techniques are explained in kid-friendly language, and recipes include favorites like applesauce, French toast, popcorn chicken, pizza, and more. Full of fresh, healthy ingredients and featuring imaginative presentations like egg mice, fruit flowers, and mashed potato clouds, Cooking Class brings inspiration and confidence to the chefs of the future.

The Cooking with Kids Cookbook by Lynn Walters and Jane Stacey

For over twenty years the nonprofit organization Cooking with Kids has educated thousands of children to make healthy eating choices through hands-on learning with fresh, affordable foods from diverse cultures. Written for families to use together, this cookbook includes kid-tested dishes, along with tips for engaging children in the kitchen and in the garden. This book will show parents and caregivers that kids will enjoy a broad array of foods when they chop, measure, mix, and-of course-eat with pleasure.

The Everything Kids’ Cookbook by Sandra K Nissenberg

Kids love helping Mom and Dad in the kitchen and whipping up meals for family and friends. This fun cookbook teaches kids the basics about cooking, kitchen safety, and nutrition, while offering a variety of recipes. With 30 delicious food-themed puzzles, kids will have fun both in and out of the kitchen. Written by a certified dietician, this creative cookbook gives kids the know-how and tools they need to become young chefs in the making!

Taste of Home Kid-Approved Cookbook: 300+ Family Tested Fun Foods by Taste of Home

For the first time, over 300 beloved kid-friendly recipes from the real home cooks at Taste of Home are gathered into one beautifully photographed volume. More than a cookbook for kids, and not just a collection of recipes that kids will love, Taste of Home Kid Approved Cookbook offers fun, achievable ways to bring families together and celebrate childhood fun!

Bake It in a Cup! Simple Meals and Sweets Kids Can Bake in Silicone Cups by Julia Myall

The cookbook kids love! With twenty-five simple recipes, kids will build on basic baking skills to whip up mouthwatering recipes and comfort food favorites, like calzones, tamales, casseroles, fruit cobbler, madeleines, and more.


Cooking with Kids: Tips and Tricks

Kids in the Kitchen – Allrecipes How to get started, important guidelines to follow and kid-friendly recipes.

On Cooking with Kids – Epicurious Learn why it’s important to cook with your children, how to create a kid-friendly kitchen and explore tips for cooking with kids.

5 Great Reasons to Cook with Your Kids – Healthy Children Positive experiences involving food prep can help build confidence, create opportunities to learn and engage kids in fun ways.

The Benefits of Cooking with Children – Live Strong Build self-confidence, math and science skills, use imagination and create opportunities for rich sensory experiences.

Recipes to Cook with Kids – Parenting Includes delicious and nutritious kid-friendly dishes.

Cooking with Kids – PBS Learn more about how cooking with kids can lead to a truly engaging learning experience between kids and parents.

More Great Online Resources

Kids CookingBBC Good Food

Cooking with KidsCWK Foundation

Kids in the KitchenEpicurious

Cooking with KidsFood Network

Kids in the KitchenNutrition.gov


Featured Image Credit: Cooking Together (Nestle via flickr)

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