CULVER — Cooking with children can be a rewarding and delicious experience for all involved.  Starting children with age-appropriate recipes will insure success and satisfaction for everyone.  Picky eaters are more likely to try unfamiliar foods when they have had a hand in the preparation.  Taste of Home magazine recognizes the importance of developing young chefs’ skills and now includes a special feature entitled “Kids in the Kitchen.” The recipes are simple and enjoyable to make.  With a little experience, some child cooks can make entire recipes by themselves.

Taste of Home Cooking School is joining the world’s largest food magazine in this effort and will present a yummy recipe that kids can prepare with minimal assistance.  A young volunteer will be selected from the audience to assist culinary specialist Dana Elliott on stage.  Don’t let your child miss out on this opportunity, make plans now to attend the cooking demonstration on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Culver Academies’ Eppley Auditorium in Culver.
“We are really excited about this new addition to our program,” says Sandy Bloom, executive director of the Cooking School.  “My grandsons are always very proud of their culinary creations.  We have so much fun making funny face sandwiches.  Their exuberant imaginations make endless sandwich possibilities.  I’m sure you will find cooking with your children or grandchildren equally rewarding,” says Sandy.
Here are a few simple guidelines to make your cooking experience safe and fun.
1. Invite your child to help plan a meal or pick a recipe.  Make a list of ingredients and have your child find them in the kitchen or go shopping with you for them.  They will feel a sense of control and accomplishment when allowed to make these choices.
2. Create a safe cooking environment.  Make sure everyone washes their hands, grown-ups, too.  Set up a child-height work area or provide a stepstool if you know they can balance.  Use wooden or plastic utensils and set clear rules about using the stove.  
3. Always supervise the cooking process.  If you need to leave the kitchen, take the kids with you.
4. Make setup and cleanup part of the experience.  Sometimes children enjoy using a mop or dustpan as much as they enjoy cooking.
Cooking with kids offers practical applications of lessons learned in school.  Reading the recipe directions will teach children how to sequence and follow directions in order.  Counting and measuring will build math skills, especially when they are working on the concept of fractions.  Best of all, they will expand their culinary horizons by trying new tastes and textures.  Nothing is better than seeing a child beam with pride while exclaiming, “I made it all by myself!”
Join other parents and grandparents at the Taste of Home Cooking School for more helpful hints to help create successful child cooks.  Each attendee will receive the Taste of Home Brand Name Cookbook that includes over 100 recipes plus the 10 delicious recipes featured on stage.  Those in attendance will also receive a gift bag with national food company literature and coupons.  The program is being sponsored by (Media).  Tickets are (ticket price) and are available at these locations (name locations).  Additional details about the event can be found on the Cooking School Web site at www.tasteofhomeschools.com.  Come learn how to bring out the best in your budding young chef.