Did you learn to cook in the kitchen with your mother (or father)? I am so glad that mine not only taught me, but explained why she did things a certain way.

I try to do the same with my children and they often surprise me with their skills and knowledge. My teens bake and can make some dishes that they especially like, including pizza and avocado salad. My 8-year-old enjoys flipping pancakes. And I avoid making challah if no one is around to help.

Of course, kids don’t wake up one day knowing how to cook. Small children start by watching, then learn to stir, count, measure, and pour. They learn cleanup and safety rules. My little one cracked eggs and separated the yolk from the white when she was three. We have had our share of accidents and spills, but those happen to adults too.

Sometimes you just want to cook without interruption. Those are the times to plan your cooking session, or at least the more complicated parts, for when your kids are asleep or someone else is watching them.

If you have children, how have you gotten your children involved in cooking? What memories do you have of cooking as a child?

The feed hasn’t been updating for the last two weeks, so readers who get posts by email or RSS reader may have missed some posts or gotten all of them at once.. This post is a test to make sure everything is working again. If so I’ll post a roundup tomorrow.