Kitchen Helper: A Toddler’s Take on Cooking with Mommy

One of my favorite things to do is help Mommy in the kitchen. Cooking with Mommy is a lot of fun. She tells me that I’m a very good helper, and that makes me feel very useful. It’s a great feeling, and it motivates me to help out some more. I know Mommy appreciates my help and my company.

I like to help with the dishwasher. I’m good at taking dishes and cutlery out of the machine and stacking them on the floor. I’m great at splashing around in the residual water that ends up on the open door of the dishwasher. Sometimes I even help load the machine by tossing some of my toys in there.

Once we have the dishwasher loaded and the kitchen tidy, Mommy and I get cooking. The first step is to rummage around in the refrigerator. That’s where the food comes from and we can’t cook without food. The moment Mommy opens the refrigerator door, I run over and get to work.

Mommy goes for the chicken, and I grab a box of some sort. I shake the box for a moment, but it’s not as satisfying as I hoped, so I toss the box on the floor. Mommy searches in the pantry while I continue working in the refrigerator. We work side by side to get the job done.

Taste Testing

I spot a cucumber. I love cucumbers! I grab it and take a bite. The cucumber is surprisingly tough and covered in a strange plastic film. Not as tasty as I remember cucumbers to be. Very disappointing. I guess it’s just not cooked yet, so I toss it aside and move on to something else.

I see cheese, and I suddenly get a craving for the stuff. I try to grab it, but it’s in some sort of plastic compartment that I can’t get open. I give up on the cheese and go for the egg carton instead. I pull with all my might and wrestle the egg carton from its place. That’s when Mommy intervenes by grabbing the carton, and she puts it back in place.

Mommy gives me a look and asks me to close the fridge. I hesitate and consider my options. If I close the fridge, I won’t have access to all the goodies inside. If I don’t close the fridge, Mommy will do it, and I still won’t be able to get at the stuff inside, on top of not having the satisfaction of closing the fridge. I back up, get a good hold of the door, and slam it shut. That felt good!

Next, Mommy searches around in the drawers and cupboards. She pulls out a cutting board, roasting pan, small pot, knife, brush, and wooden spoon. I get the small pot and wooden spoon while Mommy occupies herself with the rest of the items.

Music Break

While Mommy washes and chops, I bang the pot with the wooden spoon. I get pretty good sound out of that thing. I begin to wonder what other sounds I can make. I use the spoon on the tile floor, then the oven door, followed by Mommy’s leg. The oven door made the best sound, so I go back to banging on that for a while.

I enjoy the sounds I’m making, but it feels like something is missing, so I begin to sing. I don’t let my lack of words stop me from singing. I don’t see why it should. Singing is making music with your mouth, and you don’t need words for that. After a moment Mommy joins in with some mouth music of her own, and we sing together while I keep the beat with the wooden spoon.

Once I get bored with singing, I toss the wooden spoon and come over to see what Mommy is doing. There’s a lot of chopping going on, and I demand a taste. Mommy tells me that she is chopping potatoes and that raw potatoes are not tasty. She reaches into the cupboard, pulls out a baby biscuit, and offers me that instead. I take the biscuit and sit on the floor to enjoy it while I watch Mommy continue with her chopping.

The Finishing Touches

By the time my biscuit is gone, Mommy is done chopping. She arranges the potatoes around the chicken in the roasting pan while I watch. Then she asks me to stand clear while Mommy opens the oven and puts the roasting pan in. As soon as the door is closed, I rush over to peek through the window.

It’s dark in there, and I can’t see a thing. I complain to Mommy, and she turns on the light. I look through the window again, and sure enough, the roasting pan is indeed in there. I watch it while Mommy washes her hands. It’s not doing anything, and I quickly lose focus.

Mommy picks up the cucumber I had tasted and gives it a rinse. Mommy pulls out a clean cutting board and a peeler. I know the cucumber is about to be made tasty, so I hurry over and demand a piece. Mommy makes me wait while she peels the cucumber and chops off a manageable chunk, which she cuts into quarters. She hands it to me, and I give it a taste. That’s a good cucumber!

I ask for another piece and munch away on that while Mommy keeps slicing. Then I ask for several more pieces, and I keep crunching while Mommy chops up other vegetables. By the time Mommy is done, I have eaten a quarter of the cucumber. It was a big cucumber.

The Rewards of Cooking with Mommy

Mommy puts the vegetables aside for later, and she tells me that it’s time for a break. I’m pretty full and a bit tired, so I follow Mommy into the living room and climb onto the couch next to Mommy. We read stories for a little while and then have some playtime. Soon it’s dinner time, and we eat the meal that Mommy and I prepared. It’s a satisfying feeling to watch people enjoy the meal you made.

Tomorrow I’ll be cooking with Mommy again. I can’t wait to see what yummy things we’ll make. Maybe we’ll come up with a brand-new recipe!