Little chefs

A 3-year-old with a kitchen knife may seem like a nightmare scenario, but the other morning I had the pleasure of watching a group of 3- to 5-year-olds as they measured, carved and giggled their way through their first cooking lesson. Why teach little children to cook? We asked this of personal chef Carlin Breinig. She's found that children who help out in the kitchen appear to grow up to be healthier eaters. She offers parents tips on how to make kitchen time with your little chef safe as well as fun.

1) Keep it simple. Chef Breinig suggests making meals that are somewhat familiar to your child. If your preschooler likes chicken fingers, for instance, make your own, but bake them instead of frying them.

2) Reading, writing and 'rithmatic. Even though preschools generally can't read, this doesn't mean they can't follow verbal directions from the recipe. You can introduce them to different measuring devices - like measuring spoons and cups - and slip in a mini math lesson.

3) Don't be a cut up. It's tricky, but you can teach a child how to safely wield a knife. For example: if you have boneless chicken breasts to cut, have a right-handed child curl up her left hand almost like a claw (so that the fingers and thumb are tucked away) then place this hand on the chicken. Next have her take the knife handle in her right hand and with her hand under yours, guide the knife to cut the chicken. Never leave a child with a knife unattended.

4) Hand washing. This is a great opportunity to talk to a child about hand washing and cross contamination of cooking surfaces and utensils. If you're preparing meat and vegetables, you can explain the importance of keeping the raw meat away from the veggies, and that hands, knives and cutting surfaces must be washed after touching meat.

And as an added bonus, Chef Breinig has found that kids who learn to cook are less likely to be picky eaters. Their exposure to a variety of foods, spices and ingredients not only gives them more knowledge about food, but helps them develop a sense of mastery and pride as they create their meals. They might not like everything, but they seem to be more willing to try dishes if they’ve had a hand in creating them. Lots of praise by their adult cooking partner is also a key ingredient.

Health Minute airs daily on HLN from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET weekdays