Kids and cooking

[Zan]

The one thing with the TMX is I wonder how many basic skills my kids will learn (they are nearly 9, 7 and 3) and how they will cope in the real (non tmx world) when they leave home.
Do you tell your kids how to do things without a tmx when you cook?
Mine are pretty pathetic (the soul is there, but not the strength or perseverence, lol)
They also struggle with the tmx in two ways - closing the lid (not sure if ours is particularly hard as the consultant mentioned it on delivery or they are just wimpy) and also height - how do your kids use it and see over, I can only just when it's on the bench.

[zebraa]

Mine will get given TMX when they leave home

Mine are 4.5 and 2.5 and I do scones and muffins in a mixing bowl with them at least twice a week. They also help with salads etc. They help kneading bread and making pasta. As they get older they will do more and I will make sure they do non-TMX stuff too. I think they will be fine.

[faffa_70]

Mine stand on a sturdy stool to help me in the kitchen and love it.

I look at it as they probably won't have the basics of cooking, but then again they probably won't leave home with out a TMX (I am probably going to have to bribe all 5 with one just to get them to leave  )

I'm not to worried about it as I take it as just moving with the times and I at least know that they will have been taught how to eat healthily in the TMX 

[Meagan]

I guess the biggest thing is that they know what food/meals are supposed to be made with. Rather than microwaving a packet.
I see I am not the only crazy one awake at 11.57 pm Faffa!!!!

[Nik2WIN]

I think the best thing we can do for our children is to give them a palate that's educated to appreciate fresh, wholesome foods.  If we do that, when they leave home, they will find a way to cook decent food with or without a TMX.

I have 3 boys (2-8) and can't abide a helpless man so the 2 oldest already have to do a fair bit for themselves and they are all very willing to help me in the kitchen.

I couldn't cook when I left home but following a recipe isn't rocket science and I'm sure if the will is there they can do it.

Nik

Sorry, its late (for me) here and I've just got my children in to bed, if I don't make sense its because my brain is imploding

[faffa_70]

I see I am not the only crazy one awake at 11.57 pm Faffa!!!!

ha ha - the things you do - and then up at 3.30 with DS4 having an asthma attack and then again at 6am (which is my normal waking time anyway!)

[Nay-nay]

I feel more at ease leaving mine (9&12) in the kitchen on their own cooking then if I had no TMX. They follow the recipe and everything actually turns out perfect.  They actually know more about what foods are made up with than most adults - I did a demo once and no one knew what ingredients made custard! Someone actually said custard powder! 

[cookie1]

Gee that's a bit scarey Nay-Nay.

[earth mumma]

Zan.  I have 3 boys 7, 11 and 13.  I too am trying to help them be independant people who can look after themselves when the time comes.  All of my boys can cook in the TM, but my 13ds does home economics at school where they learn to cook in the traditional way.  I also cook without the TM at times and they do help with that.  Recently my TM was away for 2wks being repaired, so my 11ds cooked his porriage on the stove top and burnt himself - something that hasn't happened with the TM.  My 11ds also took the TM to school one day for a project on Asia and cooked his class a chicken curry (which was a huge hit), as the school doesn't have a kitchen for cooking in, he couldn't have done it without our TM.  I have already said that buying a car is their responsibility, but I will buy them a TM when they leave home.     You never know by the time they are ready to leave home a new model will be out and they can have your old one or you can buy one second hand.

[petit4s]

I like the way you think, earth mumma! that would be the perfect way to get hold of a new tmx when it comes out, because I don't suppose they will need replacing anytime soon.

[Zan]

Good points everyone. At least my kids love good healthy food. dd1 could always go raw food diet anyway, lol (she is mostly a salad eater and fairly vegie). And it's a long way away and either they can have a tmx or relearn to cook but at least with a very good grounding.

So can everyone else's kids open/close the lid on their tmx? Mine are quite wimpy but they really struggle with it. Without that issue they could have porridge every morning without me getting up, lol.

[earth mumma]

Hmm - in answer to the lid question, maybe if they stood on a chair and they were up higher it might give them better leaverage to lock the lid into place.  Is it the inital lock that's the issue or is it the second locking in, which without this the TM dial wont turn.  I am thinking if I was having to reach my arms up to close the lid I might struggle too.  Another thing I have noticed is that all TM are slightly individual.  And when they are very new the lid is much tigher than when you have been using it for a while.  Yours will probably become easier as time goes by.  If you are have ongoing issues with it being too tight it might be worthwhile talking to your consultant about it.

[Zan]

It's the second locking, and they are already standing up high.
It's not got easier over the 4 + months I've had it so don't think it will loosen up much more.

[judydawn]

I noticed with the new bowl I received yesterday that it is a very firm fit and much harder to close/lock the lid into place than my original bowl.  Whether the old bowl was like that in the beginning though is something I can't remember as it was 2 years ago now.

[virgo9]

Having only had my TMX for about 6 weeks, I haven't left the kids alone with it, and have put the lid on for them. But they definitely need a stool to stand on to see in the bowl, especially when weighing in ingredients, as when they touch the bowl, the scales are altered. My 5yr old DS wants me to buy him one now because 'it can make anything'  . There are a few families in his PP class who have one, plus the teacher assistant, and there are discussions about who has one and what they cook in them. Very cute 
I love the fact that they want to help more in the kitchen now we have the TMX (and from also watching Junior Masterchef) and will teach them the 'other ways' of cooking things as they get older.