The Best Cooking Tools for Kids

In the past two years, four members of our small team at Serious Eats have become parents. As we've welcomed these little nuggets into our community, we've been thinking a lot more about how to instill a passion for food and cooking in them at a young age. From culinary toys for tiny tots to kid-safe knives, there are so many tools out there to get children of all ages into the kitchen. We talked to each other, plus a few experts, about the best tools to cultivate a love of cooking in young Serious Eaters. Here's what we found.

Kids Kitchen Learning Tower

By far the best thing Kenji has for his daughter, Alicia, is her helper stool, which is like a step stool with a little fence around the top that allows her to be at counter height safely. While Kenji built his own, you can grab one ready-made, like this learning tower on Amazon.

Melissa & Doug Cutting Food

While Kenji's cooking, he’ll often set Alicia up on her helper stool, armed with a small cutting board and wooden knife from Melissa and Doug. He says, “The knife is not sharp enough to cut her but is sharp enough to let her get through things like cucumbers or cheese.”

Kids Cutting Board

Jessi Walter Brelsford, founder of Taste Buds Kitchen, uses fruit-themed cutting boards to get kids excited about knife skills. Because of their non-slip edges, this board makes it simple for kids to focus on knife safety (even if the knives don’t exactly have blades yet).

K ids Nylon Knife Set

Speaking of knives, Jessi uses these plastic knives from Curious Chef. They have a plastic serrated edge that can cut most foods. They’re also dishwasher-safe.

Kids Cut-Resistant Gloves

As your little cooks get a bit older, you can start to introduce some real-deal kitchen equipment. If you're bringing knives into the kitchen, get a pair of small cut-resistant gloves to keep novice hands clear of any blades.

Opinel Knife Set

For a more grownup knife set, try this one by Opinel. It has rings attached to the knife and peeler, so your kids can learn how to hold and use the tools properly while protecting themselves from sharp edges.

We have a lot more recommendations right this way!