Making Applesauce

In my opinion, kids are pretty much never to young to start cooking with you.  O's been helping me with stirring pots and adding ingredients for about 2 months now (since he was 13ish months).  

Every year we go to an Apple Festival and leave with boxes and boxes of apples and I make a big batch of applesauce.  This year I had some help.  

                                                      

First, I showed him the big pot, which I placed on the floor and I made sure he watched me pick up an apple and then put it in the pot.  He took the cue and started walking back and forth, selecting apples and dropping in the pot.

                                                     

We have an electric stove, which I despise for cooking but is nice and flat for O to sit on to help me.  I know some people may not be comfortable with this but he is a calm little guy who doesn't squirm much or make sudden movements.  You can do this part on the floor or at the table/in the highchair.  

I cut the apples and made a big pile.  I showed him how to pick a slice and put it in the pot.  

Then I handed him a spoon and he stirred the apples in the water.  (This is not a necessary step to making applesauce but he loves stirring)

I didn't get any pictures of it, but after the apples cooked.  O watched as I moved the apples from the pot to the food processor and then I showed him how to push the button to turn it on.  He got the first taste right out of the processor and loved it!  

I often have O help me stir when I am cooking.  I will also come up with tasks for him to do such as adding cut potatoes to a pot, scooping oatmeal or rice, and dumping a bag of pasta into a pot of water. 

Here he is adding fruits to the blender for his smoothie.