Tips on Serving Vegetables to Kids

Serving vegetables to kids is always a tricky proposition. Kids just don't like the flavor of a lot of cooked vegetables and they seem to dislike a lot of textures. It helps to keep that in mind when cooking vegetables for kids.

Kids also avoid bitter flavors that adults like. This is why a lot of vegetables are disliked: They tend towards the bitter side of the tongue. Thus keep the leafy stuff raw and you should be okay. This is why watercress and boiled turnips should be highly avoided.

Cooked vegetables should also be kept as crunchy as possible. Steam them rather boil, and avoid mushy vegetables. If necessary, a good cheese sauce can hide a lot of problems.

Kids enjoy sour tastes, but not at dinner. This means that salads are fine, but avoid oil dressings, such as vinaigrettes as they rely on vinegar for the taste. Blue cheese dressing also gets an added sour boost from the cheese. Ranch and Italian dressings are thus better for kids.

Raw, crunchy vegetables are usually the best way to go, with a preference towards the sweeter vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, and celery).