[Romeo Void]

I've tried and TRIED but having them in the kitchen with me does my head in and I usually end up waving my hands around like a crazed Italian mama and ordering them OUT! I'm still relatively new to cooking so it's often a case of me trying to feel my way, and with them underfoot I usually end up stuffing something up...like this last weekend I used plain instead of self raising flour in the banana bread. And oh my god the MESS! And the fingers in EVERYTHING.

If your children help you out how do you handle this? Do you only have one at a time, is that what I'm doing wrong? Do you just put up with dough on the floor, the walls...the cat? I have DD aged 6 and DS aged 4.

[dae-gu]

I definately try to have only one at a time, lol.

[~sydblue~]

My first reply was along the lines of "Well you have to knock them out and marinate them until tender, then slow cook."

[MissButtercup]

I have a 6yo and 3yo so understand where your coming from. Have you tried just letting them decorate cup cakes, biscuits etc... after their baked? Might be a good starting point.

I am a bit of a neat freak so to start with the mess drove me crazy but after seeing the smiles on their faces from enjoying helping out I relaxed a little and just let them go crazy. After all, the walls, floors and even the cat can be washed and those happy moments are priceless

This post has been edited by MissButtercup: 04/02/2013, 08:26 PM

[Chicky whicky]

I give them a chopping board, a butter knife, and whatever vegetable I am cooking and let hem go for it. But the baking? That takes up a lot of my patience.

[Therese]

My first reply was along the lines of "Well you have to knock them out and marinate them until tender, then slow cook."

[Fluster]

I'm currently teaching 11 year old DS to bake and cook. I start well in advance and prepare myself for the mess. We made lamingtons yesterday. It looked like it snowed.

[with the goo goo...]

Hah. Once I went to a parenting workshop with ideas on activities you can do with kids, one of which being cooking. The speaker made the point that for some people, cooking with kids is just not their thing and you shouldn't feel bad if that is you.

However, I think perhaps your lack of familiarity with cooking is the problem. Perhaps you should practice a couple of simple recipes such that you feel completely in control when you make them. That means you can bark instructions at each stage allowing less opportunity for distraction and painting the cat with batter.

I think it probably is a better idea just to have one in at a time as well.

I'm currently teaching 11 year old DS to bake and cook. I start well in advance and prepare myself for the mess. We made lamingtons yesterday. It looked like it snowed.

I attempted lamingtons once with a similar outcome.

This post has been edited by with the goo goose: 04/02/2013, 08:34 PM

[lizzzard]

I have a DD6 and DS4 as well. They love "helping" me cook but it usually drives me mad as well. My favourite recipe to make with them is mars bar slice though - I let them grease the tray (I give it an extra go-over), measure the ingredients and mix the rice bubbles into the chocolate mixture, Then the help me pat it into the pan and that's it. Oh, and they get to 'try' the mix from the bowl They love the end product and its not tooo painful

[Romeo Void]

My first reply was along the lines of "Well you have to knock them out and marinate them until tender, then slow cook."

I think my son would be a little 'gamey' .

I have a 6yo and 3yo so understand where your coming from. Have you tried just letting them decorate cup cakes, biscuits etc... after their baked? Might be a good starting point.

I am a bit of a neat freak so to start with the mess drove me crazy but after seeing the smiles on their faces from enjoying helping out I relaxed a little and just let them go crazy. After all, the walls, floors and even the cat can be washed and those happy moments are priceless

Oh man if I let them near frosting that would be the end. It's WW3 in my house when deciding who gets to lick which egg beater! I'm thinking I'll start taking them on one at a time, divide and conquer and all that.