Tips for Cooking with your kids from Chef Molly
Sweet potatoes, ipomoea batatas, are actually roots of a vine in the Morning Glory family. They are native to the tropics, first found in Peruvian records from 750 B.C.. Although frequently referred to as yams, they are a separate plant family altogether.
The original name batatas became patata in Spanish, patae in French, and potato in English.
- Get your children interested by involving them in the planning process. Choose recipes, make shopping lists, and go shopping together.
- Make your kitchen kid friendly. Bring in a stool or chair so that the cooking area can be reached by your children; use non breakable measuring cups and bowls; have cooking utensils that are easy for them to manipulate, like a plastic serrated knife, small whisk, spatula, and spoon.
- Read the recipe together. This will give you an opportunity to reinforce math and measurements, and organize all of your ingredients and tools.
- Work through the recipe together step by step. This will reinforce the importance of following directions in order and will allow your children to ask questions along the way.
- Have fun and get your hands dirty. Avoid getting upset if the recipe doesn't go exactly as planned, have fun with it, the important thing is that your cooking together. Let your children get their hands dirty by doing tasks like kneading dough, etc.
Sweet potatoes, ipomoea batatas, are actually roots of a vine in the Morning Glory family. They are native to the tropics, first found in Peruvian records from 750 B.C.. Although frequently referred to as yams, they are a separate plant family altogether.
The original name batatas became patata in Spanish, patae in French, and potato in English.
