Dinnertime is often the one time of day when parents have a chance to eat with their children, Polk says.

Helping children to learn how to cook for themselves can help children develop confidence and self-reliance as well as healthy eating habits and a greater appreciation for a wide range of foods.

Cooking also can help children improve skills they use in their everyday lives, especially in school — organizational and mathematical skills, for example, as well as attention to detail and accuracy.

Polk suggests parents look for three things when they choose recipes children can help prepare: dishes children already enjoy eating; recipes that use the child's skill level (stirring, mixing and pushing blender and microwave buttons for young children; using knives and cooking stovetop for older children); and recipes that appeal to children's sense of fun.

Some ideas for teaching children to cook:

• Cooking together is a chance to educate children about healthful ingredients. Begin early to talk about the difference in nutritional content between various foods and to talk about making choices. "We could use cream in this recipe, or we could use buttermilk. Which do you think would be better for us? Let's look it up."

• Go online together to look up ingredients at sites such as epicurious.com (which has a food dictionary) and, for nutrition contents of foods, go to www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search, a federal Department of Agriculture site that allows you to search for ingredients and get a complete nutritional breakdown for both fresh and processed foods.

• Emphasize the importance of a varied diet by having a weekly "something new" dinner, where you try a different fruit, vegetable, grain or bean or a healthful product. Another option: Eat your way through the alphabet, a different letter each week from A (apple) to Z (zucchini), with an emphasis on what's fresh and good.

• Play "chef" with young children. Buy or make paper chef's hats and long white aprons for them. Pretend they're the new chef in town and you're giving them a tour of the kitchen. Ask them to guess what different implements are for. Have them taste different ingredients to see if they "approve."

• Let children choose what to cook from a pre-screened list.

• Divide tasks up into age-appropriate levels. Very young children can help gather utensils and ingredients. Older children can read recipes and handle chores that involve knives and heat.

• Do as the professionals do and prep ahead. This means reading the recipe through carefully, gathering all ingredients and tools, measuring all ingredients and placing them in the order in which they will be needed. This teaches organization.

• Talk about what to do first, what to do next.

• Involve children in tasting dishes as seasonings are added.

• Involve children in "clean as you go" and other steps that can be done during cooking or baking times. Make sure the family gives credit to the "helpers" for the important role they played in preparing a dish or a meal.

• Make helping with dinner an everyday event to get young people used to the idea that we are all responsible for feeding ourselves and cleaning up afterward.

• An upside to teaching children to cook is getting some help with the evening meal so you don't have to fall back on fast food. It takes a little weekend work and planning, however. Sketch out some menus and shop once a week. Then leave a note each day outlining some tasks kids can start before you get home from work.

• Remember to share: Don't hog all the fun and decision-making for yourself. As children grow more experienced, let them decide on the menu, make the salad from scratch or manage the cooking chores while you do chores they usually have to do.