In our house, cooking together is a big deal. Our kids will pass on television time to hang out at the counter with us and cook. We have encouraged it since they were little and many parents cringe as they watch the kids crack eggs, cut vegetables, stir risottos, and just generally participate in ever step of the process. Over the course of past year, there are a couple of kitchen items which – believe it or not – have brought us together in the kitchen for some quality family fun.
The first is the cookie dough scoop. That’s right — a cookie dough scoop. I used to dread the two-spoon “putting the dough on the pan” process that inevitably comes at the end of every session of making cookie dough with the kids. I, personally, never liked doing it. And now they wanted to help and my my dislike of the process was compounded because I had to clean up their mess, too. I used to hope they’d tire of making cookies by the time we were reading to spoon dough so I could pan the cookie dough in peace. Or, I even used to actually come up some lame excuse as to why they couldn’t help anymore. THEN – the scoop made a glorious entry into our house and we now have stress-free, kid-friendly cookie making sessions from start to finish. It’s not messy, it’s perfect for small hands, and the cookies all come out the same size so they cook evenly. Huzzah!
The second is a set of four mini pizza pans I got as a birthday gift last year. There is nothing better than having all four of us in the kitchen prepping toppings, rolling dough, layering on oodles of cheese, and each one of us feeling as if we have created our own little masterpiece as we slide it in the oven to bake. The pans are also great when we have company for dinner because other kids enjoy joining in the fun to make their own pizzas. The set of pans we have are made by Chicago Metallic and I purchased them at Williams-Sonoma. They are tough to find now but if you are able, it is well worth it.
If you are looking for a great way to involve your kids in family cooking, I hope these two suggestions get you there! Enjoy.
