I am not a baker. There. I said it. I mean, I love to cook. I love the creative aspect of it. Baking, is another story. I think the biggest difference between baking and cooking is baking requires more food science in a sense and cooking has a larger margin of error. At least that is the case with the recipes I play around with. This is why I like to begin with baking with my kids over cooking. Let explain my definition of baking. Usually with baking, I am talking about desserts and sweet dishes whereas cooking would be your savory and main dish type of dishes. When it comes to homeschooling, baking is the perfect introduction to the kitchen because math and measurements are key. Once they master the basics, they can let their creativity run wild.
This has been the case in our homeschool. First, I began with the basics and now my older kids are better in the kitchen than I am. True story! If we have company, I usually call upon them for their secret sauce or secret ingredient dishes that they have come up with over the years. Ranging from Mexican to Indian-style food, my kids are amazing in the kitchen—primarily because I let them begin when they were young.
STEP ONE: Boxed Mixes
First introduce your six or seven year old to boxed mixes. Teach them how to read the ingredients. I'm talking super simple here; brownies, cornbread, pudding, and cakes. Even if you make food from scratch generally, step outside of the box by using a box. Let them learn how to follow a simple box recipe.
STEP TWO: Cookbook Recipes
Once your homeschooler has learned how to follow the instructions on a boxed dessert, introduce cookbooks or online recipes. Teach them how to double or triple the recipes depending on how many people you are serving.
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STEP THREE: Interested-Based Recipes
Now that your kids are comfortable in the kitchen. Let them create what they want. If there is a certain recipe that they have been itching to try, let them try. The sky is the limit. Even if it something you would never think of, this is homeschooling so you can be as creative as you want! Think ice-cream, baked pretzels, cotton candy, or anything they can dream of.
BONUS: Find a recipe that correlates with what you are learning about in another subject.
I love cooking and baking! It's so important for kids to be in the kitchen from an early age and learning how to make things for themselves. I watch a lot of cooking and baking competition shows on Food Network, and wish I were even half as good as these people.
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