Do you cook or bake with your children? My youngest loves to be in the kitchen and would pick up a spatula or knife (kids version) whenever she finds a chance. Ever since she was three, we’ve done several dishes and desserts, from basic cookie baking to vegetable cutting. My son, on the other hand, never wanted to set a foot into the kitchen, but always volunteered whenever he sees his little sister in there. He just never wanted to miss the fun.
To finish a dish and coordinate both children without hurting themselves can be challenging, so to prevent any unwanted damages, we have added quite a few gadgets for both of our little chefs. Although not all of these are absolute needs, they can be helpful to minimize damages or arguments.
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When my daughter was three, we started with those Montessori knives, which are great for beginners due to their wide handles and dull blades. The blades are also long enough to give that long stroke of cutting. However, they can be quite challenging to cut through carrots or cucumbers, so you will need to cut those into thinner pieces ahead of time. Another downside to these nylon knives is that after using them a couple of times, you start to notice little threads of nylon coming out of the blades. This isn’t great if they get mixed with the food and accidentally eaten.
As soon as my daughter turned 5 and became more aware of keeping her fingers out of harm’s way, we switched to Twinny Kids Chef Knives. These are much sharper, though still not as sharp as regular adult knives. They come with a sheath that can be used as a finger guard and food stabilizer, which I thought was great because my daughter always had trouble stabilizing the food or staying close to the knife. However, despite my opinion, my daughter didn’t like the sheath and still preferred to hold the food herself. As long as she watches her fingers, I’m fine with whatever makes her comfortable.
2. Cutting Board
We’ve experimented with a few kids’ plastic cutting boards, but they tend to be either too small or too lightweight, causing them to move around too much during use. Often times, I would pull out my own regular cutting boards to use before the kids give up because of the frustration.
Currently, we’re using Royal Craft Wood cutting boards, which come in a set of three different sizes. I typically use the largest one for my daily cooking needs and reserve the smallest for cutting fruits. The middle-sized is reserved exclusively for my daughter’s use. It measures about 12″ by 8″, making it the perfect size for her to handle. It’s ideal for placing one pre-cut strip-sized carrot or cabbage.
In the photo above, you can see the proportions of her hands against the board; she’s 5 years old now.
3. Baking Silicon Spatula
For baking, I highly recommend having a variety of spatulas for different purposes. It’s essential to have tools that allow you to scoop, mix, and spread both large and small amounts of batter or cake.
When purchasing spatulas, consider buying a set that includes different types and sizes and have the kids taking turns using the right one. For instance, if a small scoop spatula is needed, have one child use it while the other use the large scoop and rotate. This way, you save the money and storage from getting one complete set for each child, and they also can learn to share the tools. If you are buying just one set with one of each kind and size, the kiddos can take turns whereas the other one takes the substitute size.
4. Measuring Cups & Spoons
Measuring cups and spoons are absolutely essential when baking with the children. Before having the kids, I used to rely on regular dinner spoons and Pyrex glass measuring cup for all baking. But with the little ones, we must do this the right way.
In our kitchen, we have OXO stainless steel measuring spoons and measuring cups with magetic snaps. These are incredibly handy, especially when dealing with multiple kids fighting to grab hold of the tools before I’ve even had a chance to tell them what we need. By assigning each child their set of spoons and cups based on their given tasks, we are minimizing the chaos. Once we are done baking and the tools washed, just snap them back together as a set and store neatly in the drawer. When we used to have those plastic ones with binder rings, it was an extra step for me to took those apart and put them back.
5. Baking Scale
While most recipes typically use measurements like cups and tablespoons, there are occasions where ingredients are specified in grams and ounces. Converting these to cups and teaspoons can sometimes result in awkward measurements like 1.35 cups, which can be confusing, especially for young kids. Therefore, we got a scale and have my children learn to measure and adjust the ingredients accordingly.
6. Smaller Whipping Whisk
If you’re doing the baking yourself, I highly recommend trying out this 3-pack of whisks, which includes sizes of 11 inches, 9 inches, and 8.5 inches. The 8.5-inch and 9-inch whisks are perfect for the kids, while the 11-inch one is ideal for your own use.
I’ve experimented with letting my daughter use the larger whisk, and it turned out to be a messy experience. She struggled to mix anything without spilling half of the liquid. She’s much better off using smaller sizes that are suitable for her smaller hands.
7. Timer & Mittens
Timer and mittens can be purchased at Dollar Tree or any retail stores. Make sure you get a couple because the kids will likely want to set their own timers and touch the hot trays, even if they are not allowed to pick them up.
When it comes to timers, I recommend purchasing the ones with magnets on the back. This makes it easy to pop them on the outside of the oven door or the fridge, keeping them within reach in the kitchen. Once the kids ran off with those, they could stash them anywhere in the house or among their endless piles of toys. So, it’s important to establish a designated spot in the kitchen, otherwise you will need to keep buying new ones.
8. Extra Large Pastry Mat
If you’re anything like me and prefer not to place food directly on the kitchen countertop, then you absolutely need to try out this pastry mat. Before discovering these mats, I used to layer the counter with one or two sheets of plastic wrap, which often resulted in creases on the cookie dough. However, once I found these mats, it was a game-changer!
I ended up getting two, one for each of my kids, and they’ve been fantastic. Not only are they easy to clean, but their non-slip design means they stay firmly in place during use. Plus, they’re huge with the size of 36″x24″! They’re not just perfect for cookie baking; we’ve also used them for tasks like preparing dumpling meat filling, shaping gnocchi, decorating cookies, and sushi making. With these mats, there’s no need to worry about ingredients spilling over, and the kids love having a large, dedicated work area to see their creations come to life.
9. Kids Food Gloves
This isn’t necessary if your kids don’t handle any sorts of meat or seafood. However, it does come in handy for eating fried chicken and switching to using spoons or forks for mashed potatoes or soup. We also pack these for breakfast on the way to school; we all know kids run off to play as soon as they get there, so there’s no point in asking them to wash their hands.
My kids have a habit of touching their faces or anywhere on their bodies in the kitchen, and it’s very easy to transfer bacteria or Salmonella, which can make them very sick. With gloves, they can easily take them off on the spot if they absolutely have to touch their faces, hair, or ears. Along with the adult gloves, we always keep these in the kitchen.
10. Baking Wood Rolling Pin
In our kitchen, we have both a rotatable and a French rolling pin, each serving a different purpose. The rotatable one is ideal for baking with large sheets of dough that need to be rolled out flat, especially when the kids might struggle to roll evenly with the French pin. However, when it comes to making dumpling wraps, the French rolling pin is much easier to use. Its simplicity and weight distribution make it perfect for achieving the thin, even consistency required for dumpling dough. Having both options allows us to tackle various baking and cooking tasks with ease and precision.
11. Kids Favorite Recipe Books
It’s just not the same for the young ones to read recipes off of a laptop or cell phone. They love using their recipe books with their favorite characters. With an actual recipe, the kids can see the pages and become familiar with the format of a recipe and the abbreviations of words like “teaspoon” (tsp) and “grams” (g).
When my daughter got her hands on the Disney Princess Cookbook, she started putting post-its on all the pages of food that she likes. Even though she doesn’t recognize the majority of the words, she really enjoys “pretending” to read it step by step. It’s a delightful way for her to engage with cooking and reading, all while having fun making dishes her favorite characters like.
Optional Tools With Possible Substitutes
Other than the above, there are also several tools that are completely optional in my opinion.
Measuring bowls – It can be quite convenient to have a couple of unbreakable bowls specifically for the kids. However, instead of spending extra money, I’ve found that using the kids’ plastic bowls and plates we already have works perfectly. Not only are they unbreakable, but we also have plenty of them on hand, making them a practical and cost-effective choice.
Aprons – You’ve got to admit, the moment you decide to let your kids help in the kitchen, you envision them wearing their own adorable aprons, complete with mini chef hats and whisks in hand. It’s an image filled with sparkles and soothing piano music playing in the background. But in reality, after that initial excitement, we found that my daughter only wore the apron and chef hat once. Since then, she wears whatever she wants, often opting for a full-on princess gown complete with necklace and earrings. We’ve even resorted to putting numerous hair clips in place to keep her short baby hairs out of her face as she dives into the flour and ingredients. So there you have it—sometimes the kitchen turns into a magical realm where princesses reign supreme, and that’s perfectly fine with us.