The best kitchen kit for kids who love cooking

We’ve picked products we think you’ll love and may earn commission from links on this page. Read about why you can trust BBC Good Food reviews. This page was updated in June 2020.

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 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