The Art of Nurturing Your Child’s Love of Food and Cooking

And how to entice them into the kitchen so you can create nostalgic memories together

Khusro Jaleel
One Table, One World

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Photo by Brandless on Unsplash

On a cold, wintry evening several years ago, my son said to me “Dad, what’s for dessert?” Oops! I was caught off-guard. I hadn’t given it any thought. Not to fret, though. This happens to me all the time and I always turn it into a fun and educational game with him; it doesn’t matter if it’s the main meal, dessert or breakfast!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them. Sharp and tangy Braeburn apples sitting on the countertop. I knew I had sugar, cinnamon, and butter somewhere in the house. Boom! I was in business. Bonus points for the double cream I found in the fridge later.

So what do you think I did next? Did I make the dessert for him? No, of course not, where’s the fun in that!

Instead, I said to him — “hey, I could use your help to make dessert. Do you think you can help me?” Before I could finish that sentence, he was standing right next to me.

This, my friends, is how you gently and lovingly encourage, seduce, cajole, coax, use whatever word you want to use, but you know what I’m getting at — this is how you get your kids interested in cooking. This is how you make them drop that stupid tablet or…

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Khusro Jaleel
One Table, One World

Techie who loves to cook. Advocate of home cooked meals. Father. Dabbles in poetry, guitar, nutrition and many other things!