KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: Whip up some fun

Getting children involved in the cooking process offers a variety of benefits

By JOHN PRZYBYS
Las Vegas Review Journal

For most parents, fixing the evening meal is a task best taken care of as quickly -- and with as few distractions -- as possible.

But, just for fun, when you fire up the stove to prepare this evening's dinner, how about inviting a guest to help out?

Your son or daughter.

Fact is, most kids take to the kitchen like field greens to a light vinaigrette. And, chefs say, introducing a child to the kitchen can offer a variety of benefits to both child and parent.

Kayla Falco, 10, always has been interested in watching, and helping, her mom cook at home.

Then, two years ago, Kayla took her first formal cooking class -- in gingerbread house construction -- at Creative Cooking School of Las Vegas. And, in December, she added to her culinary knowledge with a course in basic cooking techniques at the school.

What's the appeal of preparing dishes for family members? In large part, Kayla answers, it's the satisfaction of hearing them "say how good it is and how good it looks."

Duncan Rickford, 15, already is something of kitchen veteran, too.

Before taking his first class at Creative Cooking School when he was 14, Duncan's culinary background was mostly in the Boy Scouts where, he jokes, "I've gone from lowly dishwasher to being deemed the one who gets to burn the French toast to the one overseeing the burning of the French toast."

Duncan now has graduated to the school's adult courses and, by now, finds organizing a dinner party no major challenge.

Jill Mora, chef-instructor and chair of the Community College of Southern Nevada's resorts and gaming department, says teaching kids to be comfortable in the kitchen makes sense in all sorts of ways.

First, Mora says, cooking is "so much a part of who we are. You have to eat to live, so cooking is a very natural thing to do in the home."

And, at the very least, she adds, "if you learn to cook, you can feed yourself. The fact is, we all eat, and if you can learn even basic cooking techniques -- how to scramble an egg -- you won't starve to death."

Cooking also can help children to develop a full range of academic, planning, goal-setting and organizational skills.

"You're talking about math skills," Mora says. "You're teaching them about starting a project and finishing it."

Also, Mora continues, cooking "allows you to talk to your kids about where food comes from. How many people do you know who have actually seen cows?"

Through cooking, parents can teach children about other cultures or their own heritage, Mora says. "If you're of, say, German heritage, you can put together a German meal."

But, more than anything, Mora says, cooking represents "a really good way for parents to spend time with kids."

"Everything anymore is so fast-paced. You're hauling kids off to soccer and ballet and all that stuff," Mora says. "This is something you actually do with a child, as opposed to watching them do it."

Learning how to prepare and serve a dish can give a child a sense of accomplishment.

"You see (children) succeed at something that's very rewarding," Mora says. "Its not a sport. Not all of us can be ballplayers or this or that, whereas everybody can (learn to) cook."

Learning how to cook is a painless but effective way for children to learn about nutrition.

For example, Karen Falco has noticed that, since taking her basic cooking class, daughter Kayla now "weighs out foods. She knows how many calories different items have. She'll take out a bag of potato chips and count out, `That's X amount of calories.' "

Finally, Mora says, "you can learn a lot about your kids when you're watching them cook. You can see the patience, the frustration level, and you can develop their ability to be patient."

Chef Anthony Sinsay, who teaches a number of children's classes at Creative Cooking School, has noticed that children tend to be avid cooking students. They're naturally creative, he says, and are willing to experiment with food in a way their parents might not be.

"Kids look at something and say, `That's cool. I want to try that, but what if I change it and make it more to my liking?' " Sinsay says.

"What I stress to my students more than anything is that recipes are a guideline, that they are not set in stone, and kids see that right away. They're so creative."

Classes such as Sinsay's are a great way to introduce kids to cooking. Sinsay notes that while adult classes tend to be specialized, kids' classes tend to focus more on such fundamental issues as safety, sanitation and basic food preparation techniques.

Then, Sinsay continues, "we'll teach them a few recipes that they'll probably go home and try with parents and not necessarily do themselves. But they try something the family can do together, and it gives them kind of a basis for what cooking is."

Kayla Falco recalls that, in her basics class, "we did breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we made some smoothies I made for my family. And, for dinner, we made chicken Parmesan."

Sinsay says students in his children's classes must be at least 8 years old. But, he adds, younger kids can be introduced to cooking by parents in the family kitchen.

Mora agrees, noting that even a 3- or 4-year-old can handle such simple tasks as mixing cake batter, applying icing to a cake or scrambling an egg.

The trick, Mora says, is for parents to take the lead, "asking kids, `Would you like to help mom cook dinner?' or `Would you like to help dad put together a picnic lunch?' "

Sinsay suggests assigning children a few age-suitable tasks at first. Then, he said, "gradually and slowly build them up."

Similarly, begin with simple dishes or dishes the child already is familiar with. For instance, Sinsay has found that kids "love to play with dough. Anything with flour and that's kind of messy, they love to do."

Given that, he says, "kids really love pizza and that's very simple to do once you get the recipe down."

Pizza also lends itself to the experimentation and customization kids love. So, Sinsay says, try anything from a traditional pizza with a child's favorite toppings to a fruit-laden dessert pizza.

Similarly, homemade pasta is easy and fun to make, and, Sinsay says, can become the basis of anything from homemade macaroni and cheese to "fettucine Alfredo (and) pasta dishes that are very kid-friendly."

Trying out such variations on everyday basics offers kids "a chance to broaden their palates," Sinsay explains, and to "explore new flavors and explore their creativity."

Based on his own experience in children's classes, Rickford offers parents a key bit of advice: "Make sure you have plenty of patience for mistakes, and also make sure you have plenty of paper towels. That's important."

"One more thing," he adds. "If they do something wrong, let them correct it. Don't just jump in and say, `It's wrong' or they'll never learn."

But always keep in mind the most important reason you're cooking with your child.

Cooking, Mora says, "can allow you to teach a broad range of things. But, ultimately, the reason I think you should cook with your kids is, you want to spend some time with them and find out who they are."

Besides, Mora adds, "if, as a family, you and your daughter or son go into the kitchen and cook and serve a meal to your family, it's just fun."