The problem that many people have, however, is not so much that they can't cook, but they don't know how they can get their little one involved in an activity that can be complicated or particularly dangerous with the different sharp utensils and hot oven, for instance.
Fortunately, it just takes a little planning and preparation to ensure that you can cook with your children in a safe and straightforward way.
- First of all, you need to think of something easy to make.
Baking apple and blueberry pies packed into filo pastry might sound appetising, but it's likely to be too complex for your children.
Think of something like rock cakes or scones where it's simply a matter of putting all of the ingredients into a bowl, mixing them together and placing the mixture onto a tray.
A Victoria sponge is another great example and whilst a little more complicated than rock cakes, it's ideal for slightly older children, as they can then ice and decorate the top of the cake once cooked. - It's recommended that you invest in some suitable baking equipment for your children to use, as whilst your glass bowl might be suitable for you to bake with, it's not going to be ideal for young child.
Don't forget a suitable highchair or other baby product to give your child a safe and secure platform to work on, as your child is going to want to be at the same level as you whilst cooking and it's going to be easier to give them access to the worktop than it is for them to do everything at their own level on, for instance, a small, child's table. - The final point you need to remember is that you have to allow your child to get involved.
It can be tempting to make them just sit and watch you as it's less messy, but that's what cooking with children is all about.
They're going to get a little untidy and covered in mixture, so just have fun with it - they'll appreciate it, will have fun and what's the worst that's going to happen if they get a little bit of mixture on their clothes?