Christian Shepperd is very particular about his scrambled eggs. "I want them to be perfect — not too dry but a little runny and soft," the Tucson 10-year-old explained.
He closely supervises anyone who might be cooking his breakfast. Or he cooks it himself.
He also has strong opinions about what constitutes a perfect pancake — chocolate chip and banana are a particular favorite.
Small wonder, then, that Christian plans to wield the spatula this Sunday morning, when the three Shepperd offspring produce their traditional breakfast in bed to honor Mom Rebecca Shepperd on Mother's Day.
Forget serving Mom the burnt toast and half-spilled glass of orange juice.
Veterans of kids in the kitchen say that children as young as 3 or 4 years old can begin to really help prepare meals, as long as they have the support of at least one parent.
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For Mother's Day, slightly older children could be whipping out smoothies, assembling a quiche from pre-sliced ingredients, or hulling and slicing strawberries to serve with whipped cream.
Like many busy families, the Shepperds tend to make do with weeknight dinners. Dad Tyler flies for Southwest Airlines and is in the air a lot; all three children study a musical instrument and play one sport at any given time; the whole family is involved with their church. An occasional quick bite out isn't unusual.
But weekends are a different story. Rebecca Shepperd keeps up her family's tradition of a big Saturday morning breakfast. Christian has picked up a lot of his cooking skills from watching Rebecca's father at the stove, whether his granddad is making waffles at home or flipping pancakes for charity.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Rebecca Shepperd was making a batch of banana bread. Six-year-old Isabelle scooped flour, cracked eggs into the batter and sprayed the baking pans with a no-stick spray. Thirteen-year-old Paige detailed her guacamole recipe while Christian explained how to roast crescent rolls over a campfire.
By the time children approach their teens, they can be cooking simple meals on their own, rather than simply nuking frozen breakfasts and dinners in the microwave.
"I find that if children from a very young age are allowed to participate, even in the smallest way, they take ownership of what they create, and it becomes a source of pride," said Judith Baigent, owner of Culinary Concepts cooking school. Baigent has been teaching children to cook for a quarter of a century.
"And," she added, "they're much more likely to eat the food."
"I got my first chef's knife when I was 10. It was a birthday present," said Jason Jonilonis, executive sous chef at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
He recalls learning to make cashew chicken when he was 7 — his parents both worked and attended night school in pursuit of advanced degrees, and young Jason took over a lot of the cooking — and taking his first restaurant job when he was just 13.
Now Jonilonis' teenage son works in a bagel shop, and almost-10-year-old Téa — who has her own miniature chef's jacket — sometimes helps her dad cater events.
At home, they might find themselves whipping up a batch of chicken and dumplings — complete with liberal sprinklings of flour everywhere.
"I like to have fun with the kids in the kitchen," Jonilonis said. "It can be a dangerous place, but it's also a place you should be able to congregate, you should be able to do your daily activities. You should be able to snack, talk. It should be the center of the house."
Téa's Quiche
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Chopped ingredients can be bought already cut up
* 6 whole eggs
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1/4 cup minced onions
* 1/4 cup chopped bacon or ham
* 1 teaspoon smoked Sea Salt
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
* 4 ounces (1 cup lightly packed) shredded Swiss or sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1/4 cup blanched spinach
* 1 premade pie crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the piecrust)
Place the pie crust in a deep, 9-inch pie dish. Pour the egg mixture into the crust and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.
Jason and Téa Jonilonis, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
Christian's Scrambled Eggs
Serves 5
* 8 to 10 eggs (preferably free-range eggs from a farmers market)
* 1/4 cup milk
* Cooking spray
* 2 tablespoons butter
* Salt and pepper to taste
Break eggs into a shaker. Add milk. Fasten lid securely and shake until well-blended. (If you don't have a shaker, you can whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl.)
Put a 10-inch skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray, then add butter. Allow butter to melt.
When butter has melted, pour the eggs into the pan, then add salt and pepper to taste. Christian begins stirring his eggs immediately, but you might let yours sit for no more than two minutes, until curds just start to form.
Stir with a spatula until eggs are starting to set but still look a little undercooked and runny. Immediately remove from heat – eggs will finish cooking in the pan. Stir until done.
Serve immediately.
Christian Shepperd
safety first
Tips for kids in the kitchen:
• Always wash hands with soap and water before starting to cook.
• Teach children to respect knives, and proper techniques for slicing and chopping.
• Move ingredients and containers down to child's-eye level or give a child a secure stool to stand on — children should not be reaching over their heads to add ingredients or stir something.
• Fasten hair out of the way, and make sure children are wearing closed-toe shoes.
• Teach children to use a fire extinguisher and to smother (not throw water at) a grease fire — and to leave the house and call 911 if a fire is out of control.
• Tyler and Rebecca Shepperd found a natural progression from the safest cooking methods — toaster and microwave, through oven, before finally letting their kids cook on burners.
• Kids make messes. Cleaning up as you go will be easier, and safer for everyone.
• Never leave young children to cook unsupervised.