Turn off the television. That’s the first rule of the weekend cooking ritual. Getting the entire family into the kitchen to cooks the weekend meal is an expression of the essential ‘quality time’ that every relationship expert recommends. It is a must in households where weekday chores and office work leave little time to create any shared experiences.
For, shared experiences help bond the family together, and, if the activity in question is cooking together, there is bound to be healthier eating too. As the US based Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states, making mealtime a family time has tangible benefits. They quote research to show that family that cooks meals promote healthier eating, reminding members to return to the basics of healthful eating. Cooking and eating at home is a surefire way of developing healthy eaters.
So, even if you feel you could whip up a meal faster if you cook by yourself, take a break and indulge every member of the family in the chores; it will prove to be a blessing. To begin, designate a day of the week, or better still the weekend, for the cookery bonding session. Weekends are ideal, as you could switch between breakfast, lunch and dinner, depending on everyone’s convenience.
Plan ahead
What to cook and even not to cook should be the first step on the agenda. This could be a point of discussion with the family and the consensus arrived at should be followed to the T. Only when you follow through with the menu chosen will you be able to establish the seriousness of the business at hand. Do not stick to just one main dish; get all the adults and children in the house to come up with a suggestion or two before finalising the menu. And, if it is a weekend do, why not go all the way with a three-course meal…? A starter, main course and a dessert! Try and put all of them together in your kitchen. Draw a shopping list a day or two ahead and keep things ready for the weekend so that the family cooks together.
Try new recipe
To make the cooking session more engaging, pick a new recipe and keep the element of interest high for everyone, including you, the head chef. Kitchen experiments can be more interesting than any in the science lab. And if you are involved in it as a family, you bet, you have a recipe for bonding. If cooking is not your forte, pick a recipe that is easy to put together with fewer ingredients to ensure that it s fail-proof. But if you are gung-ho about trying elaborate recipes and even modifying it to suit your family’s taste, go on; get everyone involved in picking up a recipe for the cooking session. It could be as much fun as choosing a television programme to watch on a weekend.
Delegate tasks
Of course, you will be tasked with the main chef’s role, but not necessarily for all the dishes planned. Depending on the ages of the children, you could have them prepare, say a salad or knead the flour for the bread, that is, if you plan to make everything from scratch. Ensure that every member of the family is in the kitchen (if you have a smaller kitchen, you could spread over to the dining area for cutting and mixing chores) from the start to the finish. And the task is not finished until the stove is cleaned, the cooking utensils washed and the kitchen floor free of any sign of cooking.
Eat together
Cooking a meal together should culminate with eating it together to make the experience truly special. Eating together will present the most beautiful setup to talk about things that are not related to everyday chores and tasks. The dining table is a perfect setting to discuss things that are of importance to every member of the family. As one expert commented, “The conversations families have while eating together have a huge impact, as you share experiences and ideas, and pass along family values. Pick topics that are positive and allow everyone to talk. Even toddlers…”
