WANT YOUR KIDS TO LOVE COOKING? START WITH THESE 5 EASY SKILLS

There’s no better way to raise lifelong food lovers than to get them in the kitchen early. Cooking is more than just about feeding yourself; it’s also about developing coordination, intuition, and confidence. And beyond all of the practical knowledge kids can gain in the kitchen, learning to cook should also be fun!

If you don’t know where to start, you’re in luck. Our brand new cookbook, The How-To Cookbook For Young Foodies, is officially out now—and it has everything kids need to learn their way around a kitchen. We cover all the essential cooking techniques, from basic chopping to creative cake decorating. And to sweeten the deal, the book also comes with 75 fun, kid-friendly recipes to practice each skill.

We’re giving you a sneak peek into some of the techniques in each chapter of The How-To Cookbook For Young Foodies. Want to see more? Pick up a copy and start having fun in the kitchen!

Pureeing

Whether you're making smooth soups, creamy dips, or sweet smoothies, you should know how to puree. The term itself is derived from the French word for "mash." The goal is to transform solid ingredients into a smooth paste or liquid—and depending on the recipe, you'll adjust your technique accordingly.

Thin, liquidy foods like soup or smoothies should be pureed in a blender. Thicker foods like dips or mashes should be placed in a food processor. But no matter what appliance you're using, you'll want to abide by a few essential rules. First, make sure that you secure the lid completely before turning the machine on (we don't want any messy splatters!). For the same reason, it's also smart to start on the lowest level on your machine and then gradually increase the speed.

Frying Eggs

There's no better way to start the day than with a good breakfast, which likely involves eggs in some form. There are so many different ways to cook eggs, but one of the easiest methods to learn is frying them. Here's how to do it.

First, you want to crack the eggs into a bowl—not over the pan—to protect yourself from any potential burns or stray shells. Then, heat a nonstick pan on the stove over medium heat with some butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, you can carefully add your cracked egg.

If you leave it alone for about 3 minutes, you'll end up with a perfect sunny side up egg. If you prefer your eggs over easy, flip them after 2 minutes and let them cook on the other side for another 30 seconds. Hate runny yolks? Cook your egg on one side for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes to get an over-hard egg.

Whisking

Whisking is an essential skill for a wide range of cooking projects, from homemade salad dressings to whipped cream. Not only does whisking combine different types of ingredients, it also incorporates air into your food.

You should always opt for a larger bowl for whipping ingredients to prevent them from flying out. Since whisking is a pretty intense motion, you want to stabilize the bowl by holding it with one hand or even wrapping the bottom with a dish towel. From there, you take your whisk and move it in quick, continuous, side-by-side motions.

Creaming

Creaming isn't too different from standard whisking. But since it requires much more elbow grease, it's best done with an electric hand or stand mixer. While whisking can be done for any ingredient, creaming specifically refers to combining butter and sugar until it's smooth and fluffy. It's the starting point of several different baking recipes—so if you have a sweet tooth, you shouldn't skip this skill.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add your sugar and softened butter. The butter temperature can make or break this step; it won't fully combine if it's too cold. Then you want to use your hand or stand mixer on medium high speed for a good amount of time (think 5-8 minutes), until it's smooth, fluffy, and pale in color.

Piping

The cherry on top of any baking project is getting creative with decorating. You can always use a butter knife or spatula to spread frosting over the top of a cake, but piping is an easy way to add some decorative flair to your desserts. Here's how to pipe like a pro:

Use kitchen shears to cut the corner of a plastic piping bag, then place your preferred piping tip through the hole. Then, fold the top 3 inches of your piping bang down to form a cuff and place the bag in a drinking glass (this keeps it stable). From there, you can use a rubber spatula to transfer your frosting into the piping bag.

Once your piping bag is full, unfold the cuff and twist the top of the bag tightly so it's sealed and there are no pockets of air in the bag. Then, carefully squeeze the bag from the top to push the frosting out of the tip.

2025-04-21T14:45:50Z