Giveaways and Reviews

Ben’s Beginners: Let’s Get Cooking!

Ben's Beginners

Kids love helping out in the kitchen and I’m proud to say that I’ve been making a concerted effort to bring my kids into the kitchen more to do just that. Yes, they make a mess, and yes it makes everything take longer – but there’s no denying how proud kids are when they feel they’ve contributed to the family meal like a big kid.  To that end, Uncle Ben’s Canada has just launched an awesome contest called Let’s Get Kids Cooking!

Simply cook a meal using Uncle Ben’s rice products with your 5-12 year old, capture them sharing their enthusiasm on video with your phone, camera, etc. (criteria here), and upload it for your chance to win $30,000 CDN!

The $30,000 grand prize is shared at $10,000 for the winner and $20,000 to the winner’s child’s school for Healthy Lifestyle Initiatives!  What an awesome way to help out the community too!

There’s also 4 Secondary Prizes consisting of $1000 CDN!  Just for cooking with your kids and uploading a video sharing their joy in the kitchen?!  I’m in!

Ben's Beginners giveaway

I was sent this amazing package full of Uncle Ben’s Bistro products (Uncle Ben’s® Bistro Express®, Creamy Cheddar rice and Quinoa and brown rice) and kitchen essentials to help get the kids cooking with me!  The best part, I have one to give away to my readers as well!

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One of my Canadian readers is going to WIN an Uncle Ben’s prize package like the one above valued at $120!  To enter to win, just use the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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  • I love getting my little one in the kitchen helping with cooking. They love to mix and spread things. 😀

  • I think it’s important for kids to be involved in cooking, they learn how to prepare meals, cook healthy meals and learn safety..

  • My 3 year old loves to help me bake. My 18 month old wants to help too now. Sometimes it’s inconvenient but I’m glad they want to help.5

  • It is important to get kids in the kitchen young. Boys as well as girls need to know how to cook and it is also a math lesson. teach that cooking is fun

  • can’t wait to get my daughter involved in cooking (she’s only 9 months). I think it’s so important to get kids interested in healthy foods

  • Love the idea of kids inthe kitchen helping and learnign to cook.. great idea.. and its important for kids to learn how things are prepared

  • I love it! I started cooking with my son when he was just over a year old. He’s now 3.5 and he loves to cook with me everyday!

  • I think it’s very important for kids to be in the kitchen – some of my fondest childhood memories are of spending time in the kitchen with my mother “helping” her.

  • Knowing how make health foods and letting them prepare there favorite things get the kids involved in cooking

  • They love doing pancakes with me…I just have to check them cause they like eating flour …Ewwwwww 😉

  • I started cooking at a really young age and it has helped me a lot. I think all kids should have that same chance!

  • I have had My Son with me in the Kitchen now for years, he is now 7 years old and can Make Cupcakes & Butter cream icing Himself( Minus some help with the oven), But he can measure & Follow a recipe. This Kit would be PERFECT for him! & He would be estatic to recieve one! My 2 year old Baby Girl, Already likes to help mix, Watch whatever is in the oven( I turn the little light on in there for her) & Her fav Job Licking the Beaters of Icing 🙂

  • i think its important for kids to be in the kitchen.. it also helps that both my girls love to help out and one is 2!!

  • I think it’s important. I have my son help because having him see what’s being prepared and by him allows him to attempt to try new things.

  • My youngest (2) is the BIGGEST help in the kitchen! He’s always helping me bake goodies. He’d love this!

  • It is a great idea getting kids involved in the preparation of making meals, an important skill to have

  • When my son was little, we used to get together and he would help me make cookies and also fix his breaky in the mornings. Now today he is 42 and it has taught him to help his kids and his wife to help prepare foods in his kitchen. We would have sooo much fun and when he comes home to mum’s he still helps me in the kitchen. IT’s a fun and wonderful time to experience. Now my grandies help and learn to make lots of things in grams kitchen!!!

  • Both my kids have been cooking with me since they were 1 and 2 years old (they are 7 and 8 now). They can both measure and crack eggs now and basically make something on their own except I do any chopping or anything to do with heat. They love it and they love eating what they make.

  • I think it’s a wonderful skill to teach kids early on, and it will likely help them to be more conscious about what is in pre-packaged, take-out, and fast food.

  • My son likes adding ingredients into the meals or help stirring. When they feel a part of making the meal they are sometimes more willing to try the meal.

    silverneon2000 at yahoo dot com

  • I think its great to get kids cooking in the kitchen at a young age it teaches them so much. My 17month ol nephew oles helping bake he gets to pour and help measure and stir oh and of course taste test lol, it teaches them that ovens are hot and to not touch I would love to win this prize and share with my family!!!

  • i think its so important to get them involven in the kitchen

    starting simple like helping pour their own cereal to putting the flour in for cake mix….its fantastic and something ive always done with my boys

  • My daughter loves helping in the kitchen, but always gets frustrated because all the untensils are big for her to use. lol This basket looks like it’d be great for kids’ small hands witht he smaller utensils in it. Great idea!

  • I think it is important for kids to be involved and learn how to cook, learn measurements, techniques, etc that will help them when they get older. My oldest son loves to cook.

  • I think this basket of goodies is awesome. My daughter would be trilled to have her own stuff to work with when she helps mommy in the kitchen 🙂

  • I involve my 18 month old grandson in everything I do in the kitchen. He loves to hold the hand mixer while it beats up stuff in the bowl, he even love to put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. He knows the stove and oven are hot when we are cooking . I believe in getting kids involved from as early age as possible , they see it as fun not a chore. I see it as precious time spent with my grandson and I’m happy to teach him all he needs to know in the kitchen 🙂

  • We enjoy cooking in the kitchen together, but Miss R isn’t one of the 99% of kids more inclined to eat something if she helps make it.

  • I think it is so important for kids to get in to the kitchen from an early age! Teach them safety in the kitchen as well as how to have fun with it!
    I love cooking with my girls (age 6 and 14)

  • I have had my son in the kitchen helping me since he was a little over one. He is almost 4 now and he knows our kitchen like the back of his hand. My mom taught me how to coo when I was young and I plan on doing the same thing!

  • I think it would be messy at first. But better a little mess and gaining some cooking knowledge than a whole lifetime of them either asking you to cook food or racking up a massive credit balance due to eating out a lot.

  • My son is only two, and we already have a great time cooking together. He has his own apron and wears it with pride!

  • My 5 year old niece has been cooking with her mom for a few years now. She loves helping in the kitchen. I would love to get something like this for her.

  • We love getting the kids help with preparing food. It gives them a sense of responsibility and they seem to want/are excited to eat what they make.

  • Cooking with my kid is important for me , i think is so wonderful to teach cooking 😉

  • Love having my boys cook in the kitchen with me -they are so curious and eager to help…they are so proud when we eat what they helped make!

  • I think it’s a great thing. Some of my favorite memories are cooking with my mother as a child.

  • My daughter just loves helping in the kitchen. And I love having her help. Who cares if it takes longer or is a bit messier?!?!

  • I think its great to have kids help in the kitchen. All my children enjoy helping in the kitchen even my youngest who is 2..

  • i think cooking with the kids while painfully slow and messy is fun quality time that teaches them life lessons. ie: how to prepare a meal instead of running to the nearest restaruant.

  • My kids love to help in the kitchen! They get so upset when they find out I’ve made somthing without them.

  • My sons who are 3&1/2 and 2 love being in the kitchen . . I’m always tripping over their stools as they help me baking.!

  • I think having your children cooking in the kitchen with you, builds a healthy relationship and teaches them to make proper food choices as they grow! My daughter would love this!

  • I am all for kids cooking from a young age! Too many people move out on their own and have no clue what to do. I cooked with my mom starting when I was about 2 (within reason) and am now very comfortable in the kitchen. I also work at a daycare and when we get the kids helping us and then they get to taste and enjoy what they made, they are much more willing to eat the food and watching how proud they are is amazing!

  • I wasn’t involved with much cooking and it took me awhile to learn. I think it’s great to get kids involved early!

  • I have a granddaughter that I will enjoy cooking with when she is old enough! This prize would be great to win !

  • My daughter loves rice she wants it four times a week, so does her Dad!! We enjoy cooking and trying new recipes.

  • Mine love to help. They are at a ‘let me do it’ age and I try. We work ‘math’ into it by counting and measuring. I just wish they had the same desire to eat that they do to cook.

  • My kiddo has been helping me in the kitchen since he was 12 months old! He loves it and it has SO many benefits 🙂

  • I involve my son in cooking with me because it’s valuable time we get to spend together but also because I am appalled by the number of teenage and older “kids” who don’t know how to cook. They no nothing when it comes to being in the kitchen. I think it’s something they should know. Survival!

  • When my kids were small I always had them helping out in the kitchen especially with baking. Kids love spending one on one time with you & they love food so it’s a great combo. My son grew up to be fearless in the kitchen & prepares the best gourmet meals without a recipe. My daughter loves to bake, especially bread & buns etc.

  • My daughter loves to bake with me, but truth be told I think she does more eating than baking! lol

  • I love that my kids help m in the kitchen. My toddler is learning and having fun and my teenager can prepare a meal if I am not home!

  • I think it’s so important to get kids involved in the kitchen. Eventually they need to become independent.

  • My kids love to help in the kitchen! My biggest challenge is when both want to help, but I can really only use one helper. However, they are not allowed around boiling water or an in use frying pan (anything stove top).

  • My oldest just turned 3 so she helps unload the dishwasher and wash fruit. She loves helping. I’m looking forward to her helping more as she gets older.

  • It’s a good way to get them involved and learning about healthy eating. They take pride in the food that they’ve helped make, and are more likely to eat it!

  • It’s great to get my son involved in the kitchen and he is happy to help (at times). Don’t want to raise a boy who cannot cook!!
    Thanks.

  • I’ve been having my son help me bake and cook, if I don’t teach him who will? It’s fun to work together making something and then he’s proud that he helped out.

  • Teach your children from small how to be safe in the kitchen and the basic rules of cooking, it will stay with them for the rest of there life !

  • My kids grew up cooking with me in the kitchen and they loved it! Now I cook with my grandkids and they are thrilled to create something they can eat!

  • My kids are still very young right now but I think when they get older, it would be great to involve in the kitchen to cooking with me. I think it will be a fun activity to do with them and also I think if they know how to prepare some kind of food, they will be interested to eat them all

  • My kids have aprons and my son has a chef’s hat — super fun for them to look the part while they help out in the kitchen. Thanks for the giveaway.

  • Getting my kids involved in the kitchen and cooking has given them a life long passion for it hopefully. I think it is a really good way to spend quality time with my children and not only cook a meal but also a time to chit chat and find out about their day.

  • I love getting my 2 year old to help bake! I get her to hold the measuring cups while i pour whatever in

  • I think its important to get kids cooking with you. It teaches them kitchen skills and gets them interested in cooking/baking. I’m so glad my mom took the time to cook and bake with me as a child!

  • My son is just getting to the age where I can allow him to help me in the kitchen and I cant wait. He really like to help out where he can and when he helps to make the food he is much more likely to eat it without a fuss lol.

  • I think it is a great idea to involve them and allow them to be creative with ingredients. I think baking is a great place to start – they can add the ingredients and enjoy the cookies after!

  • i think it’s great to have kids helping out in the kitchen – they learn about foods, nutrition, kitchen safety etc, all while having the opportunity to be creative and enjoy seeing their efforts manifest into a great meal.

  • Having your kids helping in the kitchen is great… they learn about food, nutrition, how to make certain homemade meals…. I find myself making meals that i watched my mom make when I was a kid!

  • My girls and I love to cook and bake together! I learned from my Grandma and it inspired a passion for cooking in me and I hope to do the same for my kids!

  • no kids at home but when my niece and nephew come they love to help with the things they like to eat and to make things for others

  • I like to make healthy desserts with my son — apple crisp, muffins, banana bread. He always wants to help cook when he likes the finished product.

  • I have noticed when I get my kids involved in the kitchen, even if it’s just to mix ingredients, they enjoy eating their food more!

  • My son has been helping me since he was little. It teaches him the skills he will need to carry him over into adult life And we have fun!!

  • I haven’t done a lot of cooking yet with my daughter but I hope to start to soon. Sometimes I find her a little distracting in the kitchen when I’m in a rush.

  • I think kids should start helping and learning their way around the kitchen at an early age. They would appreciate it more and the lessons will stay with them.

  • My boys would help to stir things and now I am looking forward to cooking with my new grandbabies!

  • I love when my little ones help me cook, but they’re still pretty small with touchy grabby hands, still have to grasp that the stove is hot hot hot, though they love to help and insist, so I give them little jobs!

  • I’m still contemplating when is a good time to start… I want my kids to learn(my mom never let me in the kitchen), but I hate mess and not sure that I will have enough patience to handle it.

  • I love getting the kids involved in the kitchen they like to add ingredients and stir its great to see them excited about cooking.

  • I grew up with my mom teaching me to cook/bake from early on and I hope I can be as great a teacher to my kids as she was to me!

  • My kids love helping me bake especially, but my son likes cooking. Anything from measuring to adding ingredients and they’re up for it.

  • sometimes I just don’t want the kids in the kitchen but after I say yes, we always have a great time and I know the kids love it.

  • i think it would be a great idea. my newly aquired step-daughter cant cook, or bake. and is moving out on her own next year

  • I love getting kids cooking in the kitchen. My youngest loves cooking she took some of her christmas money and bought 4 cookbooks with it. my oldest is just starting to try cooking I wrote out recipe booklets for them with their and my fav recipes in it and so far she has cooked a few out of them and her friends have enjoyed the food.

  • My kids help me in the kitchen sometimes, yes they make messes and yes it takes longer to cook but they have so much fun in the end and it exposes them to cooking.

  • My boys love to help in the kitchen and are very proud when they make something that we’ll eat for supper. I think they are foodies!!

  • I like to have my grandchildren help in the kitchen. I think it is good for them to see the work that goes into preparing a nice meal and it also makes them feel important to be a part of it.

  • I would love to win this for my 13 y.o. Emily! She is now expressing alot of interest in cooking and it would be great for her!

  • i love getting the kids cooking. they have such great ideas and it helps them to be able to be better cooks for when they are older

  • my 2 young neices and nephew could use this . We have to teach them early how to cook so they can be more responsible in adulthood.

  • I think it is great to get kids cooking early. Not only is it fun it is an opportunity to teach them about making good food decisions for themselves.

  • in our house we do it everyday! i have a dayhome the kids help everyday with snacks, and lunch preparation

  • My three older girls are always helping me in the kitchen. I keep telling my oldest that math is necessary and when I have her figure out amounts for doubling a recipe, she belives me

  • When my kids were growing up they all had to help in the kitchen, specially when I had to go back to work. I think it is a good thing for boys and girls to know how to cook.

  • both my children help in the kitchen, the oldest getting started on how to use the stove properly and the youngest learning how to use a toaster. They want to help, and it’s a great life skill to have!

  • I think kids should help out as soon as they are safely able to. Both my kids still love helping out in the kitchen

  • My kids are currently too little to help me in the kitchen but I do look forward to one day having them beside me baking cookies and cupcakes. Great bonding time and super cute

  • Cooking in the kitchen is so important in our family. It is a great way to bond with your child. It is also a great tool to help getting them to eat properly. It is als an important tool they will be able to take into adulthood and hopefully have fond memories of their mom and the fun we had cooking.

  • I think it is great to get kids cooking in the kitchen with you..my son always used to help me when he was little,,make cookies,pizza,etc..but now that hes a teenager,,he wants nothing to do with it..lol..

  • Early lessons for kids in the kitchen will provide them important life skills and it’s also rewarding and fun to cook and bake something delicious to eat.

  • it never hurts for kids to learn to find their way around the kitchen and help; definitely will help down the road when on their own

  • I have already started cooking with my 9 year old and she absolutely loves it. What can I cook tonight is a regular question in my house. When it is her brothers turn (he is 13 and I want him to be proficient in the kitchen when he moves out so he makes supper on my late nights) my 9 year old asks why she can’t do it too. I still like to supervise her a bit more. YES GET YOUR KIDS COOKING! That is one skill they will use for the REST of their LIVES!

  • The kids and I actually put together a family cookbook of all their favorite recipes. We had a lot of fun doing it and we love cooking together on the weekends.

  • My daughter always enjoys cooking with mommy and more so with daddy! She helps cracks eggs for breakfast and does an amazing job!!

  • I think its great to get children busy in the kitchen…It’s becoming a lost talent these days. Some of my fondest memories are in the ktichen with my mother. A great way to value nutrition in them young too.

  • It’s great to start getting the kiddoes involved while they will think it is fun to help Mom and Dad with the cooking. If you wait until they are older they may not be that enthusiastic…lol. Let them choose a recipe they would like to eat.

  • My kids do help me out in the kitchen, they love it, and it can make them more interested in family dinners!

  • Please Enter Me In Your Giveaway.
    It Would Be Great To Win The Uncle Ben’s prize package.
    In Response To Your Requirement To
    Leave you a comment sharing my thoughts on getting kid’s cooking with me in the kitchen!
    I Think Kids Should Be Taught How To Cook For Themselves While They Are Young.
    Nowadays It’s Just Putting Things In The Microwave.
    I Know I Enjoyed Helping My Mom Bake Cookies And Cakes When I Was Younger.
    Thank You For Having This Giveaway!!!!!!!!!

  • I think the sooner you get them started with helping around the house the better. This kitchen set is awesome!

  • Sara used to love being in the kitchen with me and helping any way that she could…now she is turning 25…what happened??

  • My mother taught me to bake and cook when I was 9 – aptly so I am teaching my son to cook. Not only does it teach him to be self-sufficient it also boost his ego and pride to know that he has accomplished this amazing feast. One thing I must stress is Safety First – pots on the stove – turn the handles towards the wall, watch for splattering grease and final result a HUGE SMILE of success. Rewards are ten-fold.

  • Kids should learn to cook early, If they find it fun they will not consider it a chore later when you ask them to help. (and you worry about them less when they leave home to know that they will not starve because they don’t know how to turn on a stove)

  • One thing is to get kids enthusiastic about cooking by getting them to help cook something that they really want to eat!

  • I think its great to have the kids cook in the kitchen with me.. to an extent. (dangerous things left for the adults) They learn through us.

  • I think it’s great to let kids help in the kitchen.I’ve been letting my grandkids help,and the oldest one who is 12 can cook very good now.

  • It’s a great idea for them to learn how to cook at an early age. Especially healthy cooking

  • my older son (9) really benefits from helping me cook sometimes, he’s more inclined to actually eat the food if he has helped stir in the seasonings or add the ingredients

  • I remember helping my mom bake home-made cookies, make home-made bread, help with turkey dinner, washing dishes, and lots more. I look at my 8 year old niece and she is nothing like me when I was her age. I could make myself Kraft Dinner at her age(with big sister as supervisor. I would also make her tea too lol)! I think teaching your kids in the kitchen teaches them simple, yet valuable life skills: how to cook, know cooking and food safety, organization, cleaning and it teaches them they can be independent. Set limits as well. At age 8, I was allowed to make myself KD because I was trusted that I could make it and not get hurt or make a mess. I was NOT allowed to make french fries because I was told it was dangerous. My mom actually scared me so bad with a french fry story, that I was terrified to make them(My aunt burned down their apartment, supposedly). I didn’t start making french fries on my own till into my 20’s lol. I make the best fries now, though lol.

  • I love it!!! My Mom wasn’t much for it so I am making up for all that lost time!! And all those cookies!! 🙂

  • I think it is wonderful… gets them involved and they learn to love it and really enjoy their creations.

  • Our teenagers get involved in the kitchen . My teenage son loves to make just about anything in a frying pan & My daughter is our baker. It’s very important to keep them involved not only with preparing the meals but also shopping for the groceries. It’s to educate our children with healthy food choices at a young age. Over the years I’ve learned the more the kids are involved & the more fun you make it the kids will want to be involved. 🙂

  • They love it because it makes them feel grown up. Recently, I did a cupcake party gift box in pink for my niece, with oven mitt, spatulas, ingredients etc. The look on her face! You would have thought, I had given her a new bike.

  • I want to win, because my daughter is at that stage where you want her to start hanging around the kitchen to watch and learn. She is nearly ready to start cooking things like hot dogs and other things. This would be an amazing way to help get that started.

  • My son loves helping me out in the kitchen! I even got him his own easy bake oven so he could make some things of his own.

  • It is an essential life skill for kids to learn cooking with you in the kitchen! If you can let they have some free reign, even better. Try “Ratio” by Michael Ruhlman as a starting point for excellent learning in the kitchen for youngsters.