At home, your young cook can work independently, but will need you nearby to answer questions.
Now that he is familiar with basic cooking, he is ready to take on the scary stuff--knives and fire! Caution is a good thing for parents here, but fear is no use at all.
Your peace of mind and your child's success are ensured when you work together and follow serious safety guidelines.
SKILLS TO LEARN
Chopping, dicing, and mincing; working at the stove top
SAFETY RULES
•No using knives, the stove, or appliances without adult supervision.
•When working at the stove, roll up your sleeves and tie back your hair.
•Use a potholder and turn pot handles away from you.
•Stir heating ingredients with a wooden spoon and never rest a utensil in the pot.
•Before removing a pot from the heat, clear a spot on the counter and turn off the stove.
•Never work at a stove or with appliances if your hands are wet.
KITCHEN PROJECTS
Chopping, dicing and mincing
For most recipes, a small, sharp paring knife will do. Remind your child to grip the handle firmly, to tuck under the fingers of his "holding hand," and to keep this hand at least one inch away from the blade (eyes on the knife!).
Demonstrate the main cutting methods--chopping, dicing, and mincing--in that order. For soft fruits and cheese, show your child how to use a serrated knife with a sawing motion. Salads are great for teaching cutting techniques.
Stove-top Cooking
A rule in some families is that a child must be tall enough to see into a pot before he or she can solo at the range. Feeling comfortable at the stove requires patience (working with low settings and lots of stirring) and plenty of practice with a parent nearby. Review each safety rule with your Sous Chef--explaining the reason behind it.
Making Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches
This lunchtime favorite offers practice for cutting and working at the stove top.
Butter
2 slices whole wheat or white bread
Small tomato, cut into four thin slices
Cheddar cheese, cut into four thin slices
Have your child butter one side of each bread slice. After placing a medium-size skillet on the stove, he should melt a small pat of butter over low heat.
Demonstrate how to assemble the sandwich, buttered sides facing out, and use a spatula to place it into the waiting pan.
When the cheese has started to melt, the Sous Chef can carefully flip it over. When the sandwich is a golden brown on both sides, he should turn off the heat and remove it from the pan.
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
Making quesadillas, scrambling eggs, pan-frying hamburgers and hot dogs, chopping vegetables, heating soups, making Jell-O and fruit salad, helping chop, cut, and mince ingredients for quiches, sauces, and soups
