If you’ve got a little one in your household who has been inspired by “MasterChef Junior,” here are a few tips to get you started cooking with them.

Set aside enough time – expect everything to take longer than it usually would normally, especially with younger children.

Plan ahead – select an appropriate recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment on hand.

Expect a little mess – put a plastic tablecloth under their work area.  Clean up together afterwards as part of the lesson.

Stress safety and sanitation – teach kids to tie hair back, roll up long sleeves, and wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing their ABCs. Remind them about finger licking, hair touching, and nose wiping.

Establish good manners around food tasting – If you like what you taste; let everyone know. If not, zip up your lips.

Learning opportunities – talk to them about ingredients and their origins, cooking processes and techniques. Cooking can be a great way to learn about science, geography and even math.

Don’t strive for perfection –  Explain that learning to cook takes practice and they may not get it right the first time.

Keep it fun! If you’re not in the mood, or the kiddo is not up to it, do it another time.  Children will learn to love cooking if you relax and have fun with them in the kitchen.

Here’s a recipe that would be fun to make with the budding MasterChef in your life.