LITTLE CHEF'S SET

A cooking set for children

The time spent between parents and their children is essential in children’s development. Yet stay at home, single or full time working parents tend to get busy, making it harder for them to spend quality time with their children. Among all the activities parents and children can perform together, a necessity in life is nourishment. Integrating children into the food preparation process is a great opportunity to spend time together while contributing something for the whole family to enjoy.
The Little Chef’s Set has four parts: a “Benchula” (a bench scraper/spatula), a Cooking Board, a Colander and a Mixing Bowl.
It will be made through injection molding Polypropylene, a nontoxic recyclable plastic and insert molding rubber at the bottom of the bowl to prevent slippage.
With the Little Chef’s Set, safety, education and fun can be found in the kitchen by both parents and children.

In order to know more about the subject, I looked for answers through interviews and online forums. I also did research on the cooking abilities of children at different ages followed by human factors on children hands and trend studies on existing child friendly cooking tools.
I explored different designs and forms and tested their size considering human factor specifications for children ages 5 and up. My explorations lead me to a refined design.

The Benchula
Replaces a Chef’s knife in the hands of a child.
Useful for cutting soft foods such as bread or cookie dough, bananas, boiled eggs, brownies and more.
Works as a spatula to scrape bowls more effectively with its rounded edge and can toss or mix different foods.

The Cooking Board
Fits on the colander and holds the Benchula.
Once turned over, it becomes a cooking surface useful for preparing ingredients or cutting food.

The colander
Allows children to rinse and drain different foods which reinforces the importance of cleanliness.
Its handles make it easy for persons of all ages to pick it up.

The Bowl
The transparent surface makes it easier to observe the food preparation process.
A rubber lining at the bottom of the bowl helps to prevent slippage when in use.