Holiday Gift Ideas for Culinary Kids

Originally published in boldly flavored newspapers on December 6, 2007

Without a doubt, hustling and bustling is as much a part of the holiday tradition as is hall decking and Christmas caroling. My wife and I managed to do our share of shopping last weekend hitting both the toy and department stores as well as a few other stops along the way. We managed to get most of the shopping done for our own kids and knocked out a few items for other loved ones on our list.

This will be our seventh Christmas season as parents and it has been interesting to watch our children’s wish lists change from year to year. The first couple of years they came to the holidays with no expectations and got more enjoyment from frolicking in discarded ribbons and paper than in the present itself. About year three, it seems they had a few ideas about what they wanted to see under the tree. From there the demands got more specific and the list grew longer.

As adults, we often have our own ideas about what the kids in our lives need for Christmas. I can vividly remember asking for a bike when I was about 10. I either wanted a 10-speed or a motocross bike but I ended up with neither. For some reason my parents decided I needed a 3-speed. This is perhaps the lamest bike in all bicycledom. I didn’t ride my bike much those next three years.

A couple of Christmases ago, when my oldest son was four, he had been expressing an interest in cooking so I decided to look for an Easy-Bake Oven. I recalled my days as a boy and remembered that my sister had one of these. The oven gets its heat from a light bulb and it comes with some brownie mixes. As I began my search, I quickly realized that the toymakers expect only girls to use these ovens, unless of course, boys don’t mind pink appliances with flowers and heart decals.

I quickly gave up on the idea and in hindsight I’m glad I did. As a result we had to get creative about getting our kids more involved in the real kitchen, making real brownies. Even the smallest of helpers can stir the batter, and of course, lick the spoon. Now, both our boys spend lots of time with us in the kitchen and as they’ve gotten older they've been able to take on bigger tasks. For holidays and birthdays we’ve managed to find some other culinary-related gifts to nurture their interest in cooking. The kitchen is a great place for both boys and girls. If you too have a child in your life, consider some of these hands-on gifts this holiday season:

Pint-Sized Aprons - both of our boys have aprons that are just their size. On our last family pizza night they still managed to get flour all over themselves but the aprons added to the pizzeria ambience. These can be found at most kitchenware stores where you can often find sets with matching adult and kid sizes.

Cookie Cutters - We’ve got two big boxes of cookie cutters at our house and they include some related to each child’s interests - racecars, dinosaurs, and more. CookieCutters.com has over 700 from which to choose. At just a buck or two apiece you can create your own set. We use our cutters for way more than just cookies - brontosaurus biscuits or doggy bone-shaped PB&J sandwiches are very cool.

Kid’s Learning Tower - Putting kids on a kitchen chair is what most of us end up doing to help them reach the countertop but that’s probably not the safest idea. Williams-Sonoma makes a super-safe Kid’s Learning Tower especially designed for helping in the kitchen. It’s available here from Williams Sonoma.

Gastronomic Reading - Yum Yum Dim Sum is a favorite book of my youngest son. Dim Sum are Chinese appetizers and this cardboard book is perfect for the culinary curious. This is one of several books in the World Snacks series by Amy Wilson Sanger. Her other titles cover sushi, Italian and Jewish foods, as well as soul food and more. Link to all of them here.