Teaching my Kids to Master the Kitchen.

Maddie has recently developed a love for being in the kitchen. Now that she can read and knows basic math reading recipes is becoming easier and easier. She is quickly becoming efficient in the kitchen and mastering new skills everyday.

One of the things I have learned over the years is which ingredients I can substitute with another ingredient. When I find my pantry has run out of something I can quickly grab another like ingredient to replace it. This is a skill I want to teach my kids as well. It is handy in times when pennies need to be pinched tighter or they simply want to create a different flavor.

One of the recipes Maddie’s working to master is pancakes. This morning she discovered we are almost out of milk. Not wanting to use the milk we had in her pancakes she wondered what else she could use. Yogurt is a fabulous substitute that adds not only taste but, also makes pancakes or waffles light and airy. She ended up using half yogurt and half water and her pancakes came out delicious!

Her pancake recipe also called for sugar. She has watched me enough in the past to know I frequently change which sugar I use in recipes. Her recipe called for white sugar, she asked me if brown sugar would work just as well. I assured her it would and again she learned there is more than one way to make pancakes!

There are also times my kids make a batch of brownies, cookies, muffins, or other tasty treats. Once they are finished whipping all the ingredients they find the pan they are looking for is dirty, missing, or we don’t have the size they need. Learning the art of knowing which pan, pie plate, or baking sheet they can use instead is again a money saving and time-saving lesson.

The kitchen is an amazing place for learning to happen. It teaches math, reading, following directions and learning what happens when the directions are not followed. It teaches confidence when the tasty treats turn out. It encourages relationships as the kids and I work together.

Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. This is also true in teaching the man how to fry and cook his fish. Teaching two skills in one.

My kids are well on their way to becoming masters in the kitchen and I’m going to savor every precious conversation the moments in the kitchen bring.