Invert sugar, corn syrup, cherry puree concentrate, glycerin, sugar, modified corn starch, sodium alginate, malic acid, citric acid, methylcellulose, dicalcium phosphate, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, red 40.
Do you know what those ingredients are? The filling of a Kellogg’s Nutri-grain Cereal Bar. DOES. NOT. Sound appetizing to me. And that’s just the filling. There are about forty other ingredients listed for the bar itself. Ewwww.
An ingredient list like the one above was enough to spur Aparna Pande into action. She knew she could never feed something like that to her kids, especially because her twins had been diagnosed with food allergies and she had to become aware of every ingredient she was giving them—looking at lists like that troubled her.
Aparna, a former employee of Disney and Mattel, wanted to raise kids’ (and parents’) awareness of what they’re putting in their bodies, and to interest kids in food—good food. She was also determined to get picky eaters to try new things.
So about a month and a half ago, KIDSTIR was born. Aparna and an experienced creative team, including an advisory board of a doctor, dietitian, and an educator, created Kidstir cooking kits to connect kids with food, teaching them to make smart, healthy choices through enticing recipes and easy-to-learn food prep techniques.
The kits are a program that builds on itself. Sold by subscription, the boxes are sent monthly (similar to Kiwi Crate craft kits). While it may seem a little pricey at $19.95 a month, when I really thought about it, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash at paying $20 for an hour-long cooking class, and that’s what you’re getting—educational instruction via recipe cards that can be collected in a three-ring cookbook binder with categorized tabs. The binder is included in Welcome Kit and can be personalized with your child’s name (you can write it in the large circle), see below.
I adore the surprise element of these kits. They’re delivered by post and you really never know what day they’ll arrive or what they’ll contain. You can usually depend on the recipes being seasonal and topical though.
My kids get very few letters these days (just electronic mail!) so to receive a monthly delivery is exciting, it gives them something to look forward to.
The first Kidstir installment we received contained cards with recipes for homemade goldfish crackers, granola bars, and fresh dips. There were also cards with games and educational activities. Every month, some type of cooking tool and/or ingredient is included, too. Our kit had scissors for snipping herbs, honey for the bars, and fish cookie cutters.
My daughter, Camilla, went straight to work on the fish crackers. The dough was a cinch to make and it rolled out very well (which is not always true of cracker dough). While the recipe said it would make about 3 dozen, we yielded about 13+ dozen. The kits are ideal for 5- to 10-year-old kids, but I would not hesitate to use them with children as young as three.
Camilla did comment that it took a while to cut all the fish, but the recipe says that you can save the dough for later. If your kids get weary, roll out the rest another day. One main goal of the kits is quality time spent together in the kitchen, and that’s certainly what we got!
These kits are great for grandparents to gift, especially ones who like to cook. It’s the perfect project for them to complete with grandkids. The content of the recipe cards is sophisticated yet accessible and goes beyond the basics like cheddar and introduces kids to cheeses like Stilton, Havarti, and Gruyère. When my husband took a bite of our crackers he said they were good enough serve at a dinner party (for adults!).
Another plus: the website is easy to navigate and tries to keep the experience stress free. If you’re disappointed with your kit for any reason, Aparna guarantees they’ll cancel your subscription immediately.
Kidstir also has a DIY area on their site where kids (or adults) can find more recipes, how-to videos and other fun content like downloadable cupcake flags.
Now you can give a Kidstir recipe a trial run. They’ve generously agreed to let me share their how-to for homemade crackers. If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can use a small can or even a bottle cap. Give them a whirl, see what you think, and then head over to Kidstir for more inspiration.
Enjoy the holiday weekend (and if you’re having a party, you may just want to serve these)!
For more recipes, check out my blog at sweet-home.com and follow me on Pinterest and Instagram.
Kidstir Fish Cheddar Crackers
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 cup all-purpose flour (or white wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons milk
1. Put the cheese, butter, flour and salt in a food processor. Press the button and mix it up! Mix until it looks sandy.
2. Pour the milk through the top of the food processor. Mix for 2 minutes or until the dough balls up. Gather any crumbs, then form into a big ball.
3. Flatten the ball on a piece of plastic wrap. Cover with more plastic wrap. Roll it out with a rolling pin. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to 3 days.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the chilled dough to1/4-inch thickness. If it’s too hard, let if soften a bit. Cut it with fish cutters. Use up all the dough or chill and cut another day.
5. Place the fish on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. The tiniest fish will bake the fastest. Eat right away.
(Kidstir offers options for those without a food processor too!)
Don’t have a food processor? Try this.
Ask a grown up to mix the dough with an electric mixer in steps 1 and 2. For best results, use the mixer’s paddle attachment. Be sure to mix the cheese, flour, butter, and salt until it’s sandy before adding the milk.
