The best kitchen kit for kids who love cooking
Make life easier for your junior cook by investing in the right tools to keep them safe, happy and inspired... they'll be cooking you dinner before you know it.
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If you have a budding little chef in the making, a few choice purchases will help them on their culinary adventure. These inexpensive buys will make life easier when children are developing their new kitchen skills. For more inspiration, see our collection of the best dishes to cook with kids, plus find more gadgets and useful products in our reviews section, including the best foodie gifts for children, kids cooking set ideas and kids' baking sets.
The best kit to buy for children
A sturdy box grater
Lots of ingredients you’d normally chop can be grated, but a child needs a box grater they can hold with one hand and push against with the other. Choose one that has both coarse and fine sides, so they can grate ingredients that need to be finely chopped as well, such as garlic or ginger.
We recommend:
Masterclass box grater with measurements – available from Harts of Stur (£10.96)
Pastry brush
If you have kids, you should never have to butter a tin or baste a chicken. This is a task they completely understand from experience with painting.
We recommend:
Beech-wood pastry brush – available from John Lewis (£3)
KitchenCraft Colourworks silicone mini pastry brush – available from Amazon (£4.95)
Plastic bowls
You can never have enough prep bowls. Good-value and lightweight versions are not too heavy for little arms, and it doesn’t matter if they get dropped or battered about a bit.
We recommend:
Joseph Joseph nest of bowls and measuring spoons
Step stool
A little step up can give small kids the boost they need to really get hands-on with cooking. No more peering up at the kitchen worktop on tiptoes.
We recommend:
TROGEN kid's stool – available from Ikea (£15)
Measuring jug
It can be tricky for kids to coordinate doing a controlled pour with reading measurements or quantities. So, a jug you can read whilst peering into is a great option.
We recommend:
OXO Good Grips angled measuring jug
Child-friendly utensils
Sturdy and flexible tools built specially for little hands. Even when not cooking with kids, tiny kitchen utensils can come in handy – think flipping drop scones and scraping the last bits of chocolate spread from the jar.
We recommend:
Kids' baking essentials set – available from Lakeland (£11.99)
Round-ended fruit knife or butter knife
A slightly serrated knife can be used to cut through softer ingredients, such as mushrooms, cucumbers or strawberries – this gets your child used to the chopping action.
We recommend:
Victorinox tomato knife – available from Amazon (£5.99)
Chef tools
Adapted chef tools for kids work great for chopping and peeling, and they're designed with an additional barrier to sharp edges so little fingers are protected.
We recommend:
Opinel Le Petit Chef complete set
A well-fitting apron
In an adult apron, they’ll spend more time wriggling than cooking. The right-sized apron instils a sense of pride and professionalism.
We recommend:
Messy Me wipe-clean apron for kids – available from Amazon (£12)
Digital scales
Children today are more familiar with electronic gadgets, which are easier to read rather than a needle on a dial on a pair of traditional scales.
We recommend:
Jean Patrique digital kitchen scales – available from Amazon (£12.99)
More on kids' cooking
The best kids' cooking recipes
Cooking projects for kids
Recipes for teenagers
This review was last updated in June 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
