Top 10 Gadgets for Kids

Getty ImagesWhy encourage even the smallest children to move into the kitchen? Because they can help you get dinner on the table, says Sandra K. Nissenberg, the Chicago author of "The Everything Kids Cookbook." And as she says "helping out at an early age, means helping out at a later age," we asked childhood cooking experts for their top 10 kid-friendly culinary tools -- gadgets that will convince your offspring that cooking can be fun, and give you access to a mini cooking crew.

1. The George Foreman Grill
"It might sound shocking" that a chef would suggest using a George Foreman Grill, but Richard Ruben says he thinks of it more "as a sandwich press." Most people have one of these sitting around, and older children can assemble and press hot sandwiches for a quick weeknight family meal while their parents tackle the sides, he says. You could also use a waffle iron or a real press, if you have one, Ruben says.

2. A Plastic Knife
For young children between the ages of 3 and 7, parents "should really get a plastic knife," says Richard Ruben, a chef-instructor at New York City's Institute of Culinary Education. Kids can learn how to handle the tool while doing prep work for you, including slicing soft foods like boiled potatoes, chicken breasts, tomatoes, avocados, green peppers and greens. You could buy a special "lettuce knife" or child-centric design, but "sturdy plastic will serve you just as well," he says.

3. A Colorful Spoon
Really young children "need something to call their own; they need something to feel special about," says Sandra K. Nissenberg, the Chicago-based author of "The Everything Kids Cookbook." If they have their own set of utensils -- spoons, spatulas, a cutting board – they'll be more likely to use them. You could opt for something decorated by Disney, she says, or just let them pick their favorite color. Also try starting with one tool and then add to the collection over time.

4. Scissors
Capable home cooks use kitchen shears to snip fresh herbs or green onions, and kids of all ages can do the same thing, says Ennis Bashir, who teaches at the Young Chefs Academy franchise in Duluth, Ga. "We just give them a little scissors," he says. At the Academy, which is owned by his wife, Donna Tisdale, they'll also quarter soft vegetables or even onions that the kids can then easily "dice."

5. Vegetable and Garlic Choppers
Super-safe, plastic-enclosed vegetable dicers with handles are available at Williams-Sonoma, says Kim Rushing, the general manager of the Kids Cooking Company in Dallas. "We call them 'alligator choppers,'" she says. "The kids love to feed the hungry alligator and are able to chop safely by themselves."

6. Vegetable Peelers
By age 4, kids can use vegetable peelers to peel carrots or make zucchini ribbons, Richard Ruben says. Just give them the straight traditional kind as the Y-shaped ones so popular with chefs are harder to hold, he adds. Chef'n also makes a covered blade "tunnel peeler" that you roll in the palm of your hand, Ennis Bashir says. Very young children can "roll away and safely peel vegetables," Bashir says.

7. Measuring Cups and Spoons
Real chefs always use "mise-en-place," the French term meaning measuring out your ingredients beforehand. That's a perfect task for any child old enough to grip a cup, says kids cookbook author Sandra K. Nissenberg, and there are plenty of wide-handled, easy grip models out there; some even pop out and fold flat for storage.

8. A Salad Spinner
Washing salad greens may be tedious for adults, but it can be fun for kids, says Sandra K. Nissenberg, especially when they get to use a salad spinner to dry them off. They get to play with water, "and they love that," she says. If you don't have a salad spinner, kids can just wash the leaves in the sink and shake them out in a colander or lay them out on clean dry cloths.

9. Immersion Blender
An immersion or stick blender is "an inexpensive fun gadget" for 15- to 16-year-olds who have reached an age where they can safely do anything an adult can, says Richard Ruben. Boil or steam a few vegetables and your kids can blend up an easy soup, or they can puree tomatoes into sauce. "Just don't lift it above the water line," counsels Ruben or that sauce will splatter everywhere.

10. Pasta Machine
Kids as young as 3 can use a pasta machine to roll and cut their own spaghetti, Ennis Bashir of Georgia's Young Chefs Academy says. And while making fresh pasta doesn't make your weeknight dinner faster and easier, a weekend session will help teach your kids that cooking can be fun, priming them for the next time.