Kids' Cooking Safety Tips

Inviting a child to share experiences in the kitchen requires constant supervision and guidance at any age. Here are a few cooking safety tips to help you both enjoy the experience.

Setting Ground Rules
Before entering the kitchen, ask your child to identify all of the dangers in a kitchen. What is sharp? What is hot? Does your child know that getting an electrical appliance wet can be extremely dangerous? Once you feel that all of the dangers have been clearly defined, set the rules. The child should know that until given explicit permission, he should never begin a project in the kitchen without your approval. When he is involved in a project, he must always keep his mind on what he is doing. There should be no horseplay with siblings, talking on the phone or getting sidetracked by a television show.

Introduction to Kitchen Equipment
There is no set age that a child is ready to do anything. Children progress at different rates for different things. The best bet in the kitchen is to start with projects that are easy to make and do not require the oven, stove, knives or electrical appliances. No-bake cookies or instant pudding recipes are perfect starter projects.

• Introduce bigger jobs one at a time. After your child is comfortable in the kitchen, you could include the electric mixer. When this is mastered, add something else.
• For younger children, use all plastic or stainless-steel utensils. Trade in your favorite Pyrex measuring cup and mixing bowl for a nice set of plastic measuring cups and stainless steel bowl or, better yet, give your child her own collection. Hands get very slippery in the kitchen, especially when the chef is nervous or unsure.
• Electric hand mixers can be hard to handle and dangerous for curious little fingers. To allow your child the independence to mix a recipe, start him off with a handheld eggbeater.
• When it comes time for cutting, consider an enclosed manual chopper rather than a knife. The chopper makes the job safer, cleaner and, in most cases, faster and easier. An adult should do any cutting with sharp knives.

The Stove: A Big Responsibility
Graduating to the stove is a huge responsibility and should not to be taken lightly. In a nationwide survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census, stoves, ovens and ranges were reportedly involved in an estimated 2.3 million incidents of fire. Grease or foods were said to have ignited in 80% of the cases; other fires were attributed to ignition of nearby items such as dishtowels, potholders and curtains. Allowing children to take on this responsibility requires a good deal of supervision.

• The first step in allowing a first-timer near the stove is to be sure she is aware of any dangers and mishaps that could arise. Does she know that the burner stays hot even after the pan has been removed? That a burn can occur from steam? Does she know what happens when water hits hot oil?
• Next, make sure that all pot handles are facing toward the stove, not into the kitchen. This is a good habit for not only curious toddlers but anyone who is moving about in the kitchen.
• Never wear loose-fitting clothing near the stove that could drape over the burner. Never use the front and the back burner at the same time. A novice should never reach over one hot burner to attend to another.

"No-No" No Matter What
Never use dangerous equipment like a deep fryer with a child. Children should not even be present in the kitchen when one is plugged in. If you do have a deep fryer or are going to purchase one, consider the newer models with locking lids and let the kids know this is one appliance that is hands off.

Though all children should learn to cook at some point in their lives, the kitchen is not the place to learn by your mistakes. Even older children need some supervision. Respect their independence, but remain close by to answer any questions or to watch for dangerous mistakes. Eventually you may just have the next Julia Child inviting you over for dinner with the grandchildren.