Junior Masterchef is once again on our screens. For some reason, I find this version of Masterchef far more confronting than the adult series. While I am not bothered at all by adults preparing gourmet meals and intricate desserts, I find an 11-year-old who can debone a quail and temper their own chocolate vaguely intimidating, probably because they leave me with far less excuse for my own mediocre cooking skills.

I enjoy cooking and my kids love to help in the kitchen. At 7, 10 and 12, I think that they are reasonably competent for their age. The older two can crack eggs, use sharp knives without needing to be supervised and follow a basic recipe reasonably well. They enjoy helping to cook dinner and love it when I let them prepare the whole meal themselves. My younger son still prefers to simply help me to bake cakes, slices and biscuits.

Recently my 10-year-old daughter decided to make dessert for the family and was very impressed with the berry jelly cups she served us all with ice-cream after dinner. She had made the jelly herself (juice, sugar and gelatine) and added blueberries and strawberries. When we had finished, she asked us all to give her a score out of 10, a la Masterchef.

The joy she received from preparing this simple dish got me thinking about the double-edged sword that is Masterchef. On one hand, it is encouraging children and families to cook with fresh ingredients and try new tastes and recipes, which is a great thing. On the other, is it perhaps giving us unrealistic expectations about what we (and our children) should be able to achieve in the kitchen and turning the whole experience of cooking into a competition?

I love cooking with my kids. Last Christmas they each got a cookbook as a gift and we have enjoyed trying out some new recipes and tastes. My daughter is planning a meal with a school friend at the moment. They will go shopping for ingredients and prepare an entree, main and dessert for both families to share at the end of the day. It is lovely to see their excitement at taking over the kitchen, but I confess I’m pleased that their menu includes dishes like homemade French onion dip and similar simple recipes rather than gourmet fare. I’m not quite ready to invest in lobster or truffles no matter how confident some of the Junior Masterchef contestants seem with such luxury ingredients.

Do you think Masterchef and Junior Masterchef have inspired your kids to be more active in the kitchen? What kinds of foods do they like to prepare?

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