[newhere420]

Surely that depends on the age of the child, what you're cooking, and the size/accessibility of your kitchen?

Personally, I live with a kitchen that can't reasonably fit more than one person, and all the counters are inaccessible to children.

[codingdave]

Yes, of course, tiny children are limited in how much they can participate. But not as much as you might think at first glance. We built platforms for them to stand on, so as soon as they were on their feet, they could access the counters. And we could slide the platforms away when we were working with anything that might harm them. As they grow up, simple footstools work, then eventually they are tall enough to work with you just as an adult would.

Likewise, when they are tiny, you don't really give them knives or anything. But they can see what is going on, you can talk to them. They learn quickly. My kids have been making their own lunches since they were 6, starting with simple thigns like sandwiches or nachos. My 10 year old frequently cooks breakfast for the family -- eggs, pancakes, waffles, etc. My 8 year old does simpler things - grilled cheese, mostly.

Give kids a chance - they may surprise you.

As far as working in small spaces where people do not fit, that does sound like more of a challenge. But parenting is full of problem-solving opportunities.

[newhere420]

I am glad you have found a way to incorporate your children into your lives in this way. And I would hope many parents attempt to do the same thing. When growing up, I cooked from a young age (about 7) simply because both of my parents worked two jobs, so if I didn't cook, I wouldn't get fed.

But I think many people lose perspective on this. There are a large number of people who, once they have finished their long hours at work, finished their >1hr commute home, washed the clothes, taken the kids to their activities, picked them up from school, cleaned the house, helped with the homework, etc. find that they do not have time to dedicate to cooking. Often, these are poorer people, they may live a long distance from a good supermarket, and simply buying fresh groceries is a challenge.

Knowing people in this situation personally, they feel extremely guilty and regretful over the fact they can't make their kids nutritious home cooked meals every day. People not in that situation often don't realise that buying a freezer full of frozen meals and a cupboard full of tinned pasta/beans is often more cost effective than trying to plan buying fresh food such that it doesn't spoil - given the inherent variability in how long fresh food tends to last. And arguably, more importantly to individuals with cashflow issues, is the stability. When you buy that frozen Mac & Cheese dinner, you know that $1 is going to feed your child for an evening. And that meal is going to cost the same next week, and the week after. It's simpler to budget that way. If you buy locally sourced, organic head of lettuce at the farmers market - it might last two days, it might last two weeks - there's not really any way of knowing.

I know many people who take great pleasure in cooking with the family at the weekend, but don't have time in the week. So from Monday to Friday, they live from prepackaged frozen food, takeouts. Innovation in this space would be welcome - but simply telling people to "make time" to cook isn't going to change anything. Making Mon-Fri cheaper and healthier might make room for higher quality food at the weekend, though.