Chef Gusteau in Ratatouille says, “Anybody can cook”, and your little ones were born to be master chefs.

Engaging your children to work with you in the kitchen will hopefully nurture a lifelong healthy love affair with food. We are connected and sustained by what we ingest that the more your kids know and take ownership of the better.

Jessi Walter, Founder and Owner of Tastebuds (formerly Cupcake Kids), which offers cooking parties and full range cooking classes for kids and great tips for parents, believes that “cooking together is an amazing experience waiting to happen.”

Here are Jessi’s ingredients for a fun cooking adventure with your little chefs:

Don’t Mind the Mess: Cooking is a messy endeavor so embrace it. There’s nothing quite like a child’s delight in having the freedom to play around the kitchen and make their own experiments. Minimize spills by having them work over the sink, cooking bowls or lay down a splat mat for them.

Clean Up: Best part of the mess, is cleaning it up. Have your kids join the clean up crew. Toddlers actually love sponge time, paper towels, sweeping and putting things in the trash for you. Assign them tasks and watch them take responsibility.

Sous Chefs: Children are great helpers, so designate them your Sous Chefs. If you have multiple children, divvy up the chores or take shifts, perhaps on their favorite food night. Delegate control over the salad spinner, ripping lettuce, and crumbling crackers (for crumbs). The more specific tasks you have in mind for them the better. Give them a plastic knife and cutting board, demonstrate how they should watch their fingers when cutting soft fruits (bananas, strawberries, cucumbers), vegetables (garlic, squash), cheeses and herbs and let them do it. Let them grate cheese, ginger and garlic. Put them in charge of mixing and give them their own tools. Steer clear of onions, lemons and peppers as they might tear up, touch their eyes or have a cut. This will keep them engaged while you keep up with the “adult” side of the recipe. Get kids chef’s gear here: http://www.tastebudscook.com/products.html

Sense Encounter: Cooking is a wonderful sensory exercise using all five senses. Have your children listen to the sounds the food make when cooking, boil, chopping, crisping, feel the texture of the different foods, see the different colors and how they may change, taste the different flavors and smell the aroma of each food item. Try making fresh pizza with your kids and have them roll out the dough, put the sauce, cheese and oil on (sneak in some garlic and herbs into the sauce and oil) and have them smell each part, place it in the oven and show them through the window how it cooks.

Teachable Moments: Cooking is a great way for kids to learn, particularly about colors, math, measurements, sequencing, spatial relations, the life cycle and what foods are good for healing. Teach them how to use the measuring cups and spoons. Baking is great for this. If out of the box, there’s usually pictures of the ingredients so ask them to figure out how many and how much. Your children will pick up on sequencing items for their favorite recipes and have them answer, “What comes next?” Ask them how many meatballs can fit into the pan. If you are using carrots, ask which other foods are orange or what non-foods are orange. Ask them if they know what carrots help them to do? It’s great for the eyes. Here’s a quick guide for food and their healing properties: http://www.kisswebpage.com/healingfoods/

Saftey: A good sous chef knows what’s the head chef’s responsibility. Parents should always be in charge of the oven(s), sharp knives, hot items, can openers, mixing appliances, food processors and the kids not use without direct supervision. Also, wash hands before, during and after handling food.

No Thank You Bite. If you have a picky eater in the family, train them to take a “no, thank you bite.” Jessi firmly believes in this as “it’s okay to say no but you have to try it first as your taste buds change over time.” The one bite rule will go a long way. Eventually they may come to love vegetables. Your child’s little taste buds are super sensitive. The sensitivity of their taste buds are no match for adults, ours seem dulled and need to remember the true taste of food.

With a little elbow grease and a pinch of love, your little ones will be master chefs in no time!

ABOUT TASTEBUDS: Taste Buds (formerly known as Cupcake Kids!) was founded by Jessi Walter in 2007. What began as a few holiday baking classes and cupcake making birthday parties quickly evolved into a diverse line of cooking events focusing on many foods and cuisines (and not just cupcakes!). An ever-growing variety of hands-on cooking classes for kids, moms and families including classes, camps, birthday parties, schoolfield trips and more, the company was renamed Taste Buds in 2010. Our culinary adventures combine a well-balanced mix of engaging recipes, both savory and sweet – from lasagna to cheddar crackers to guacamole.

Kids enjoy cooking in a fully equipped pint-sized kitchen studio designed and built exclusively for young chefs in the historic Flour District on 27th Street or we’ll bring the culinary adventure to you. Taste Buds has been proclaimed the Best Kids Cooking Class by New York Magazine and has been featured as the must try activity by CBS, NBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Hamptons.