Culinary expert Colleen Miner joins
TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham to share tips about teaching children the basics of cooking.
- When introducing children to working in the kitchen, the first thing to do is make sure they have the proper equipment.
- Children need a stable work surface. Don't just pull a kitchen chair up to the counter, though. Either bring in a little table or buy a stable stepping platform for them to stand on.
- The next thing they need is an apron. Half of the fun for them is to be in the kitchen, just like a grownup. To that end, take an old shirt and make them an apron, just like the ones grownup cooks use.
- Make sure they understand the importance of washing their hands.
- Another safety issue is clean work surfaces. Institute a color-coded system for cutting boards so that children know which boards are used only for meats and which ones are used for vegetables. The same rule applies to colanders.
- Now that they have a safe surface and are protected from the mess, it's time to decide on the equipment that's OK for children should use. If a child is old enough, teach them the proper way to chop food.
- Each child is different, so it's up to the individual parent to decide when a child is ready to begin using a knife. At some point, children need to learn how to use a knife safely, and demonstrating safe knife-handling techniques is the parent's responsibility.
- An easy and relatively safe starting exercise is to let a child chop mushrooms with a butter knife. This is a good way to learn some of the basics of chopping.
- When introducing a child to sharper knives, make sure they start with smaller knives that fit inside their smaller hands.
- Make sure to teach children the difference between a wet measure and a dry measure. They will be very helpful when it's time for them to help make a meal--they can handle all the measuring.
- Let children help put together the dinner salad. This is a task that all the children can work on together. The older ones can cut the veggies, and the younger ones can tear the lettuce, wash it in a salad spinner and help toss the salad and dressing.
- A classic green-bean casserole is a good starter recipe. Basically all that's involved is opening the can and stirring. Let a child add all the ingredients to a baking dish and mix. Help them put the dish in and pull it out of the oven.
Green-Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream-of-mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
4 cups cooked cut green beans
black pepper to taste
1-1/3 cup French fried onion pieces
Preparation:
Add all ingredients except the onions to a casserole dish and mix well. Sprinkle the onions on top and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and onions are crispy.
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