Raddish Overview

Does this cooking education service help occupy bored children?

Subscriptions have introduced convenience into pretty much every area of our lives. Dog food, prescription glasses, wine, vitamins - there are door-delivery services for all of these and more.

There are also subscriptions for busy parents who want to entertain their kids at home without developing their own extracurricular syllabus.

Raddish Kids is a cooking subscription for kids who like to get hands-on in the kitchen. We were curious about this service, so one of our testers tried it out with their kids to see if it would actually interest children enough (and be low-hassle enough for parents) to justify the cost.

Here are our overall thoughts about Raddish Kids.

What's included in the subscription

When you subscribe to Raddish, your kids receive a themed kit every month. Inside each one, you'll find a collection of information and tools including three recipes, a grocery list, an activity guide, a monthly collectible, and at least one reusable kitchen tool. Our tester received tongs and a cooking apron, which were essential tools for their kit's recipes.

Basically, you get everything except the ingredients. This means that you'll have to make a special trip to the store after you receive the delivery or you'll have to grab all the ingredients on your next usual supermarket run. Even though this subscription delivers the recipes and supplies to your door, it won't necessarily help you cut down on errands.

What ages is Raddish geared toward?

While Raddish Kids is intended for kids ages four and older, with some recipes and activities are better suited for certain ages than others. Our tester, for example, has kids ages six and nine. This seems to be the sweet spot for Raddish, as our tester pointed out that the activities could be too advanced for kids younger than six and sometimes too juvenile for kids 10 and older.

What are the themes?

Raddish picks new cultures and cuisines every month, so your kids can look forward to exploring flavors from around the world with each kit. In fact, the subscription service prides itself on the element of surprise, which is why each kit will never repeat. The kit our tester tried was called "Swedish Eats," and this month's theme is "Made in Morocco."

While you're not necessarily able to customize kits, you can access the company's "Bonus Bites" page for modifications. This offers alternate recipes or substitutions to accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free diets.

Utensil and accessory quality

According to our tester, the overall quality of kit items was consistent. The apron and tongs were worthy of regular use going forward and were comparable to regular kitchen utensils. Even the recipe cards can hold up to frequent use and handling, and since they're laminated, they can withstand some kitchen-related mess and moisture.

Are the recipes complicated?

The recipes are theme-centric, and typically include a main dish, side dish, and dessert. In our tester's kit, the kids received recipes for Swedish meatballs, cinnamon rolls, and pancakes. The cinnamon rolls emerged as a standout success. Another perk is the cultural context that arrives with each themed box - which our tester says was something that majorly appealed to their kids.

Our tester characterized the recipes as generally easy to follow. It can take up to a couple hours to get through preparation and cooking, so it's a good idea to block off some time to use your Raddish kit. Of course, this doesn't count actually going grocery shopping for ingredients - but there's a Raddish grocery list card to help make that a bit easier.

Another point worth mentioning (based on our tester's experience) is that younger kids require considerable parental supervision to complete recipes. Older kids, however, successfully follow recipes with minimal supervision, especially if they're experienced in the kitchen.

Pros

Raddish Kids is hands-on and fun, not to mention a great alternative to screen time. The kits are accessible and recipes are easy-to-read due to simple, straightforward directions and kid-friendly materials. One of the top perks of Raddish is that their kits never repeat, so kids are learning about new cultures as they develop their cooking skills. Raddish's online content is also well-rounded, as it features everything from cooking videos to musical playlists.

Cons

While it's definitely a kid-friendly, all-ages activity, the kits aren't driven by age or majorly segmented by skill level - which can result in occasional engagement challenges. Kits are geared toward families; however, if you'd like a cooking tool or accessory for each sibling, you'll need to dish out an extra $15 per piece.

The Bottom line

Raddish Kids has a simple model without any surprises (the bad kind). The real value of Raddish Kids, though, comes from a multi-faceted approach incorporating culture, tactile learning, and experiential education. According to our tester's assessment, it's worth a try - even for just one month - as an organized approach to helping your kid discover and develop their culinary talents.