Kiddos in the Kitchen

For Brent Jackson, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 6 years old, cooking is a part of his independence as an adult. This is the story of his relationship with cooking and his advice for parents who want to teach their kids to cook.

Kiddos in the Kitchen is up for a Signal Award Listeners Choice Award. Please cast your vote before Dec. 22. Vote here: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2022/limited-series-specials/general/family-child-raising

Autumn Michaelis, mother of five and author of the new cookbook Whole Food for Your Family, shares a story of kitchen magic.

Here's an easy kitchen activity that anyone can do — seasoned pretzels. Less than 25 minutes in the kitchen plus baking time is all it takes. No special kitchen gadgets required.

Before you can teach your kids anything in the kitchen, you need them to be paying attention. Screens off, toys away, brains focused. Learn how Autumn Michaelis, founder of the blog WholeFoodFor7 and author of the new cookbook, Whole Food for Your Family, keeps her five boys engaged in the kitchen — and why it matters.

Laura Fuentes, founder of MOMables.com, shares her thoughts on the kitchen tasks kids should learn — and at what age. Author of five cookbooks and mom of three, Laura wants to help parents who want to learn to cook, feed their families and teach their kids. Plus, meet our latest Cooking Kiddo, Rhea Dhingra, from Toronto, Canada.

Alison Settle, executive chef at Barn8 at Hermitage Farm in Kentucky, shares what she's learned about different personalities in the kitchen — and how she prepares to cook with her 5-year-old son, Arlo. Plus, what's one kitchen gadget she says you don't ever need? And meet our latest Cooking Kiddo, William White.

Let's go back to Banana Bread Day 2021 and our special Small Plate episode. Follow along as we bake banana bread with a 6-year-old.

Cooking is an art that leans into science. Time in the kitchen is an opportunity to teach a life skill and do some fun experiments, too. Today, Phoebe von Reis shares her insights on fermentation and how to make this kitchen activity an interesting one for the whole family. Plus, she gives her take on what makes a perfect sourdough.

As parents, we can pass down recipes and teach kitchen skills. But perhaps nothing is more important than sharing a love of cooking and time in the kitchen — than the example we set. Martin Diez, a pastry chef with the global chocolate giant Barry Callebaut, shares how he and his wife are doing just that. Plus, learn what a ragu is and the kitchen gadget one chef says could take your cooking to new heights.

Holiday baking is a treasured time for some parents — a dreaded one for others. But professional chef and baker Jackie Bruchez knows holiday baking with kids isn't about the perfect cookie. It's about creating memories. And she's here to help make it fun and doable for all of us. PLUS, meet our first featured cooking kiddo, Chef Ayo Brazier.

Food safety is important. After all, no one likes salmonella. But as parents, we don't always feel confident we know what's important to teach our kids. So, today, food safety expert Lisa Yakas weighs in. Then, four chefs share the dishes they think everyone should know how to cook before they leave home.

Let's talk about the basics. What are the keys to a successful evening in the kitchen? Hint: It's not fresh ingredients or the perfect recipe. Chef, kids cooking class instructor and owner of Palate Culinary Services Debbie McGiffin shares her advice. This is what she teaches her young students on the first day of cooking camp.

Welcome to Season 3 of the Kiddos in the Kitchen podcast! Get a sneak peek of what's in store for the new season.

In “Mommy Summer School,” we're doing projects to help encourage experimentation and inspire empowerment in the kitchen. The Fruit Soda project was something we learned about from a magazine launching this fall. Get ready to have fun with your kiddos making a soda you won't mind them drinking.

In “Mommy Summer School,” we're doing projects to help encourage experimentation and inspire empowerment in the kitchen. The Chicken Marinade project was so successful we've done it more than once. Get ready to have fun with your kiddos making an original chicken marinade recipe.

In “Mommy Summer School,” we're doing projects to help encourage experimentation and inspire empowerment in the kitchen. And the Popsicle Project was a winner. Get inspired to spend an afternoon with your kiddos making totally original and totally fun popsicles.

Understanding the cuisines of various cultures gives us a window into the world as well as a greater repertoire to draw from when we cook. In this month’s episode — the Season 2 finale — Chef Clifton Lyles of Revolution Foods is back to talk about introducing kids to foods from around the world. Then, Dr. Natalie Muth shares a helpful tip about sweets.

What happens when we help kids understand where foods come from? Is it possible they’ll be motivated to make choices that are healthier for their bodies and for the planet? That’s what Meagan Fishell, founder of The Healthy Kid Project, hopes. Later in the episode, we’re joined by Clifton Lyles, Executive Chef and Vice President of Product Development for Revolution Foods, with a simple way to prepare asparagus.

The pandemic has changed everything in our lives, including how a lot of us view cooking at home and eating with our families. In this episode, we’re talking to Theresa McCluskey, a full-time working mom of four, about how the pandemic has affected her cooking. Then, registered dietitian nutritionist Malina Malkani is back to talk about baby-led weaning and how this approach to feeding a baby can change family mealtimes.

Follow along as we bake banana bread with a 6-year-old in this fun bonus episode.

How does a professional chef teach his own kiddos to cook? With calm and ease in the kitchen. Executive chef Phillip Baxman shares how he stays calm and his thoughts on safety when cooking with his kids. Then, dietitian Dr. Lauri Wright returns to share a fun kids’ kitchen activity: Slumber Party Oats.

Why won’t my kid try new foods? Why must they say “yucky!” all the time? Frustrated with a picky eater? It’s time to change all that. New year, new family food habits. Allison Rinehart of Lil’ Pinkies Up offers several tips for encouraging kids to try new foods — and improving table manners too. Then, Edel Denha, a Michigan mom, shares her family’s food journey.

Cooking is a sensory experience, and sometimes, kids are able to let go and explore more instinctively than adults. Meghan Stott, a mom and teacher for the blind and visually impaired in Washington state, shares what she’s learned from her own daughter — and how they navigate the kitchen with a visual impairment. Then, Hassanatou Barry, owner of The Babysitter Guru, offers a few tips for baking with kids this holiday season.

In this Small Plate bonus episode, registered dietitian Dr. Lauri Wright shares how to make buckeye candies — and her family’s time-honored tradition of spending time in the kitchen on Thanksgiving weekend.

What parent doesn’t want their kid to eat more vegetables — and to stop being so picky about food? Well, today, we’re talking with two people (both moms) who have some thoughts. First, Kim Bise of NaturalDeets.com shares how she’s gotten her own kids to eat more vegetables as her family has embraced a clean eating lifestyle. Then, Dr. Heather Koza discusses her tips and tricks for dealing with picky eaters.

Dr. Lauri Wright, chair of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department at the University of North Florida and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explains how the pandemic is affecting food access. Then, Mari Suzuki, author of the cookbook Kitchen Wizard Flexipes, shares how to save time in the kitchen and stretch your grocery budget, too.

Parents ask Natalie Muth, MD, what the best thing is they can do for their child. As a pediatrician and dietitian, she says: Eating family meals together. Dr. Muth, author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ book Family Fit Plan: A 30-day Wellness Transformation, explains how we can make home cooking easier and healthier. Then, Allison Rinehart, a cooking instructor who helps parents expand the horizons of picky eaters, shares creative approaches to those things kids love to hate — veggies!

How do we make cooking simpler and more accessible for families? That’s what our conversations are all about. Hear some of the voices joining us for Season 2, including cookbook author Mari Suzuki, pediatrician and dietitian Dr. Natalie Muth, executive chef Phillip Baxman, babysitting guru Hassanatou Barry, and mom and blogger Kim Bise. Welcome to Season 2 of Kiddos in the Kitchen!

In the Season 1 finale of Kiddos in the Kitchen, Margie Saidel, the Vice President of Nutrition Sustainability at Chartwells K12, a contract food service management company, shares advice for getting kids interested in food and cooking. Then, Dr. Lisa Sheehan-Smith and her students, Carmen Bell and Diana Romanach, from Middle Tennessee State University share what they’ve learned about engaging kids and getting more confident in the kitchen.

In this Small Plate bonus episode, we hear from people from around the country sharing kitchen memories that stayed with them over time — and how they’re making memories in their kitchens today.

Co-owner of the Big Bottom Market in Guerneville, California, and author of the cookbook Biscuit, Michael Volpatt shares his experience growing up in a food family and how his early life experiences affected him. Then, Phillip Baxman, the executive chef of the Westin in Cincinnati, Ohio, teaches us how to properly hold and use a knife.

Happy Earth Day! In this bonus episode, Earthy B’s Rebecca Kimber shares her thoughts on sustainability and the circular economy — and how we can all be just a little bit more environmentally minded in the kitchen. 

Jenny Tschiesche, a nutritionist in England, shares her tips for healthy, creative meal planning and safe cooking while we’re sheltering in place during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Rani Polak, MD, a physician and classically trained chef, shares the idea of culinary medicine — how our food choices impact our health in profound way. And, he says, the healthiest, most nourishing food is the food you cook yourself. (Science says so!) In this episode, Dr. Polak also shares some ideas on getting kids to eat their vegetables and a fun easy vegetable spring roll recipe you can do with your kiddos at home.

Chef Del Sroufe is an accomplished chef and cookbook author, who has worked in vegan and vegetarian kitchens, developing plant-based recipes, for more than 30 years. He stresses the importance of whole foods, and shares his thoughts on working with kids in the kitchen — and just how valuable it is. Then, Kim Bise, a mom and food blog writer, has a challenge for parents: Spend 15 minutes or less each day getting your kids into the kitchen. She shows us just how easy it can be.

Not enough time to cook and do all the other things on your to-do list? Andrea Anthony gets it. The owner of the Lobster Roll in New York and star of Eat, Drink and Bake with Andrea is a mother and grandmother. And she has a number of strategies for making the most of your time in the kitchen. Then, Margie Saidel from Chartwells K-12 shares a few ideas on how to make kitchen time more fun for our kiddos.

Melanie Potock, author of Adventures in Veggieland, helps parents work with their little picky eaters. But she stresses that our main job is about joy. In this bonus episode, she shares a joyfully sweet kitchen story of her own.

It’s the holidays, and that means cookies! It can also mean a messy kitchen and some stress as you strive for an idyllic baking experience with your kiddos. Wendy McGowan, a professional cake and cookie decorator, is here to help make it go more smoothly — from how to set appropriate expectations, to what to look for in a sugar cookie recipe, and even how to make less mess.

Thanksgiving is a special holiday, especially if you love family and food. In this bonus episode, we share thoughts on Thanksgiving cooking from Toria Frederick of The Step Stool Chef as well as a funny story about turkey from Margie Saidel, a registered dietitian and VP of Nutrition and Sustainability at Chartwells K12.

We might think a parent’s main responsibility in the kitchen is to offer healthy foods. But Melanie Potock, a certified speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding children, offers a different view. Our job is more fundamental than that — our job is joy. And if you’re too tense or distracted to find the joy, our next guest has some strategies you might appreciate. Amisha Klawonn, of the Centered Mama, offers various techniques to help you be more centered and present.

In this episode, registered dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Malina Malkani shares her thoughts on the importance of helping kids develop a healthier relationship with food — and how parents can make a difference. (Spoiler alert: Part of it involves bringing kiddos into the kitchen.) We also talk about the value of family meals — in all their forms. And in our second segment, Melanie Potock, a certified speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding children, gives us her top strategies to proactively tackle picky eating.

In this episode, Toria and Julian Frederick of the Step Stool Chef share what it’s like when the kiddo is the head chef (and the parent is the sous chef). We also talk about the role that cooking plays in building independent, self-sufficient kids. And in our second segment, Wendy McGowan, a baker and baking instructor in Gilbert, Ariz., tells us the proper way to crack an egg, how to check that it’s safe and how to remove the bits of shell that inevitably get in the bowl.

In this episode, Kiddos in the Kitchen host Stephanie Conner shares her personal story with cooking with her son and how that experience has led her to this podcast. But first, she’ll share what you can expect from this podcast each month.