When baking, any suggestions for keeping children from sticking their fingers in the batter?

Question

Talking about salmonella and food poisoning from raw eggs hasn't helped.

Answer 1

Cut them off? lol

Answer 2

Um... idk I ate that stuff my whole life and have been fine.  

Answer 3

Not meaning to be smart, but how old are the children?  Are they mixing the cake themselves? If they are helping, they are old enough to understand your concern.  If they are running in and wanting to eat raw batter, hold the bowl up above their little hands and say no, no, and get them something more appropriate. Other than that, I'm just not sure.

Answer 4

Bake something really nasty but isnt harmful, and that should teach them a lesson they'll never forget.

Answer 5

The most effective method would be to smack their hands with a wooden spoon.... and then make sure you give them the beaters and utensils used in it after you are done... that should curb their desire to stick their hands in the batter.. but not to eat it.

Answer 6

chances are they aren't going to get sick from what little batter they can rake onto their fingers. I have never gotten sick nor have my children. If you just don't want them doing it don't tell them you are cooking a cake and as soon as you are through with the bowl wash it. Problem solved.

Answer 7

Put a drop of Tobasco sauce on each finger.. They will only l**k each one once!

Answer 8

tell them there are brussels sprouts in it

Answer 9

Did you know you can buy eggs that are already pasteurized?  That way, if you're really worried about salmonella, you'll know your batter is safe.  I grew up tasting the batter while I cooked and my 2 year old does the same (wants to taste it after each ingredient goes in, to see how it changes...I think she's going to be a baker like me).  It's really rare to get salmonella from home baking.  I worry about all sorts of things for my kids, but that's one thing that's never worried me.

I don't like my kids sticking their fingers in the batter because I don't always bake just for my family, and I don't want grubby little fingers in my baking.  I make the kids scrub their hands if they want to come in the kitchen.

I do let my 6 year old bake about once a week.  She mostly bakes from mixes at this point because she can't read the cookbook, but it's still great experience for her.

Answer 10

My toddlers always sat on the counter while I was making cookies and

always stuck their fingers in the bowl when they thought I wasn't looking. That was as much fun as the making and the eating. That's what kids do.

Answer 11

Oh my word!  Are you kidding?????

LET THEM

All our parents ( and their parents and their parents and their parents ) survived childhood and I'm sure they ate raw cookie dough.  For heaven's sake, let them be kids.   c**p, when was the last time you heard someone dying from eating cookie dough

EDIT

I still say you're crazy.  Let them be kids.  Eating raw dough is a right of passage...............well, sorta, I still eat raw dough and I'm 43.

Answer 12

Give them their own bowl of batter to l**k.  They won't get salmonella from the eggs.

Answer 13

First of all, the kids won't get salmonella from the eggs in the batter.  I suppose it's possible but if it was a certainty my three boys wouldn't have made it to 30.  

I used to whack them on the hand with whatever spoon I was using at the time.  Stupid me....whacking those boys always left dough or batter on their hands which was what they were after in the first place.

Answer 14

Give them some vanilla extract to taste.  They will think twice about randomly tasting something.  Or make a batter with 1/4C baking soda in it.  

But the raw eggs prob won't hurt them. The odds are very low for that.  

Answer 15

my mother smacked my knuckles with a big wooden spoon.  

Answer 16

I agree with Blue Sea's comment.

Let your kids be kids. Kids these days can't be having fun anymore. Most can only play 'by appointment'. They have to wear helmets and knee pads to simply ride their bikes. Even in school they don't even use red markers anymore in case some kid get offended and starts to cry Parents have taken all the fun out of being a kid. Let them do something crazy, let them get hurt, let them cry, LET THEM LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES! Just let them be who they are. Give me a break!

So give them some d**n batter and don't worry about it. If they get sick, they will have learned something by doing it, won't they?  

Answer 17

There's a better chance of you winning the lottery twice in a row and being struck by lighting in the same day than there is of you getting salmonella from raw eggs.

One little fingerful isn't going to hurt.

But if you really don't want them doing it, then set up a punishment, such as after 2 warnings, time out. Or not getting to eat the brownies or cakes or whatever it is you're cooking.

Answer 18

I understand why you'd be concerned, but the chances of an egg containing salmonella poisoning is 1 out of 20,000.

Now, if it's them being rude while you're trying to bake that you're concerned about, tell them they won't get to eat any of the baked goods if they do that.

But, in general, they probably can't really grasp the consequences of "salmonella" and "food poisoning" at their age, so if you don't want them to eat the batter, take away things they understand, such as privileges. TV, toys, having friends over, etc. until they learn. It's the same deal with kids running out into the road. You can't really explain death and danger in a way they'll truly understand, but you can put them in time out.