Cooking with Kids: About This Site

About This Site

You may not realize it, but the original book this site is based on was four books in one—what a bargain it was (and this site is)!

One part is for kids and kitchen novices (including some parents!) who want to walk through the basics in a cooking tutorial. Then, when you're ready to eat, children and parents can jump into cooking with a section full of recipes to please the whole family—but the easy-to-follow instructions are specially written with kids in mind. In another part of the site, parents can discover tried and true techniques for modern-day family management, including meal planning, shopping, and nutrition guides. And the final part is a collection of five poster families—everyone can enjoy meeting some of the contributing kids, moms, and dads in family profiles and photographs.

Conventions Used in This Site

While using this site, keep these few points in mind:

Temperatures in these recipes are always based on the Fahrenheit scale. So you can assume that when a recipe calls for an oven temperature of 350 degrees, it means 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 350 degrees F.
Preparation and cooking times at the beginning of each recipe are based on a single adult making the recipe. If kids are joining in, the recipe may take more or less time to make.
If you're unfamiliar with a term or ingredient, click to the cooking tutorial in Part III.
The many contributors to this book e-mailed me from all over the world, but to respect their privacy, I've included only their first names and the towns where they live.
Whenever a tip or message comes from one of the contributing families, you know it because it's either set off in quotes (") or comes with a "Good Advice icon" (Browse ahead to the Icons Used in This Site section.)

Olive Oil

For more explanation of the conventions used within this book's recipes, read About These Recipes before you begin cooking.

Don't Make Assumptions

In creating recipes that kids can follow, I've had to give up a lot of assumptions that I normally make when writing for adults. However, try to keep these points in mind when cooking using recipes from this site:

The recipes are broken into more steps than in most cookbooks—but that doesn't mean they're longer to make or more complicated. On the contrary, I've tried to make the recipes simpler for kids to follow by separating each action into its own step.
Don't leave kids unattended in the kitchen. Always be there to supervise your children when they're cooking! The kitchen can be a dangerous place and your kid's well-being comes first. Every recipe in this book assumes that you as a parent are right there next to your kid, watching out for potential mishaps and coaching your child along the way.
Never assume that children know how to handle a knife or when something is "safe" or "not safe." Chapter 8 covers the essential safety ground-rules—parents and kids should review these together.
Never assume that because you've told your child something once, that he or she remembers it. Sounds simple, but it helps to repeatedly remind kids of safety measures and other cooking tips.
Follow your own common sense—you must decide what skills your kid is ready for. Even though general guidelines are outlined in this book, every child is different and your role as a parent is to set up guidelines that work specifically for your special child.