Who doesn’t need some help in the kitchen when it comes time to prepare dinner for the entire family? Sandra K. Nissenberg of “The Everything Kids Cookbook” says, “helping out at an early age, means helping out at a later age.” Encouraging kids to get in the kitchen at a young age means they will also enjoy the process at a later age. Let’s take a look at 5 kid-friendly gadgets that will lure your kids in to the kitchen, giving you your own culinary crew.
1. A Knife
You heard right. Why not present your little chef with their very own knife, or set of knives, for that matter. Curious Chef makes a set of blunt, serrated, nylon knives, perfect for the little hands of children. These knives are ergonomically designed to fit their hands and are rounded on the ends so skin is protected. The kids will learn how to wield these tools while helping you with the prep work. Let them have a go at soft foods, like boiled potatoes, tomatoes, avocados and even cooked chicken breasts.
2. Vegetable Choppers
Plastic, enclosed multi choppers are tons of fun for kids. Because the vegetables are safely enclosed in the bucket, kids can chop away without worrying about their hands. Kim Rushing of the Kids Cooking Company refers to the dicers as ‘alligator choppers,’ because who doesn’t love to feed hungry alligators?
3. Vegetable Peelers
Remember making carrot and cucumber ribbons as a child? By age 4, kids should be able to properly use a vegetable peeler to clean up those pesky veggies. If you need to make a decision, the traditional straight peelers are easier for kids to hold and use rather than the Y-shaped ones. Also, check out Chef’n; they make a tunnel peeler, which lets kids roll the vegetables in the palm of their hands and peels them using a covered blade.
