Teaching kids how to cook

I like to cook. Very much. But not every night. And I’m really more of a baker, in truth (I lurve to bake). While I do like to cook, nightly dinners kind of undo me after about… a week. Inconvenient considering I have around 3,120 weeks of cooking to take care of for my family and/or husband in this lifetime.

Yikes.

You can imagine, then, how much I am loving my ayi-experience here in Beijing, especially as our ayi cooks very well and does it five times a week. It’s really, really nice, even though her gastronomic repertoire sits at around 15 different dishes. I don’t even care that we repeat-eat. I just love not having to cook it myself, that much. Nonetheless, I am, in a way, looking forward to getting back to Australia and just having to cook for my family. Like they say – if you have to do something, you just shut up and do it, right?

I’m trying to bolster myself for it by collecting luscious recipe books, gorgeous kitchen appliances and other culinary do-dads, which I just love (thank you, Pantry Magic in Sanlitun Lu). I’m tempting myself already with a variety of scrumptious recipes that look so good, it’s hard not to launch into them here in Beijing – but I really want to savour them and make them last for home… the heart grows fonder for what you can’t have, no? So imagine the culinary joy our family will enjoy for at least the first few… weeks… when we return home.

I also love putting on an apron and making an event of cooking, and showing my kids how much fun it can be when you throw yourself into it. For those who can get over the sticky floor, the sunken cakes, burnt fishcakes and red food colouring stains on the kitchen bench, there is much fun to be found in showing kids how to cook. And it’s such a valuable life skill. Secretly, I’m hoping to instil such a love of cooking in my kids, they will want to take over the nightly dinner chore by age 11. Here’s hoping.

Yesterday, I received the annual kids issue of Donna Hay magazine (www.donnahay.com.au), the editorial published by a renowned Aussie chef who has made something of a Martha-Stewart-esque institution of herself (but without the “Martha-ness”) Downunder. Donna’s gorgeous magazines and recipes have always inspired me to rapidly don an apron, and in this issue, she’s published a great section Just For Kids (no adults allowed!) that teaches them the basics of cooking (eg: what does “browning” mean?), introduces them to all those fandangled utensils, and gives them easy-peasy-lemon-squeazy recipes to try out for themselves. And the recipes look delectable (ok, I did take a peek at this kids-only section, shameful me).

When my daughter Ella saw the section, she was agog. “Can I cook dinner, can I, can I, huh?” I looked at my almost-eight-year-old for only a few moments before answering with an earnest “Yes. Yes you can.”

So we’ve just got back from hunting supplies at Jenny Lou’s, and tonight Ella will don the apron I made for her last year (yes, we two also like to sew, Martha eat your heart out) and Riley will don his apron, as sous chef, and I will don mine as supervising culinary director. And Ella will cook us dinner.

I’m, like, SO excited.

Tonight’s menu will feature mini pita bread pizzas topped with ham and pineapple and scattered with torn basil leaves (you must always tear, never chop). She will then toss a green salad with cherry tomatoes, tumbled slickly with French dressing. And for dessert, it’s Berried Treasure Pots – or berry crumble. And she is going to do everything, even carefully slice the tomatoes. Can she do it? Yes she can. Watch this space for the appetising results.

Sigh. This dinner is a watershed moment for my daughter.

And for me! (Yippee!!!)

Tania McCartney