Recipes: Cooking For Young Chefs

PITTSBURGH. Dustin Gardner has mentored many young chefs for 16 years while he was head chef at the upscale Mediterranean restaurant Casbah in Shadyside, Pennsylvania. But we can say with confidence that the hearts of young chefs are drawn to its dimensions most of all. girls

Gardner and his wife Lindsey have been cooking with 3-year-old Ellie since she learned to crawl onto a stool at the kitchen table.

This means that at that time the young woman was celebrating her first birthday.

He knows what you're thinking. the child of two chefs certainly has a natural interest in cooking.

"That's what we do as a family," she says, "so we wanted him to be a part of it."

But the truth is, you don't have to be a pro to have fun with the kids in the kitchen, Gardner says, and experts agree. Even something as simple as making cake mix or helping mom or dad tear up lettuce for a salad will give them a sense of accomplishment. It will also lay the foundation for a healthy diet for life and help build a positive relationship with food.

“Like anything else, if kids are involved, they will want to do it,” Lindsey notes.

However, you need to be patient with the process, dress the kids in clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and put up with some (inevitable) messy moments.

For example, when Ellie helped her mom knead the dough for chocolate chip cookies last Monday, the flour ended up on the table instead of in the bowl when she filled and smoothed the measuring cup with a table scraper. . The couple should also carefully pinch off a few pieces of the eggshell with their fingertips, as the child is still learning to crack the egg successfully without getting small pieces of the shell on the yolk and white.

“Kids have good instincts,” says Lindsey, who worked as a pastry chef in Pennsylvania before pursuing a career in social media and web design.

They can also learn in the simplest ways, whether it's pouring sugar into a measuring cup, washing vegetables in the sink, dusting icing sugar on cookies, or mixing chopped greens with yogurt or sour cream. Just respect the age (i.e. no sharp blades and hot ovens for toddlers), start small and use a few familiar ingredients.

While a three-year-old shouldn't be cutting onions, they can spread sauce or grated cheese on pizza, add vegetables to a salad, mix room temperature ingredients, or help make a puree. . Elementary school kids will enjoy wrapping hard-boiled eggs, custard, cocktail hot dogs in a pig blanket, or, developing knife skills, slicing cucumbers or tomatoes for salad.

Since her small hands are not yet strong enough to use a child-safe knife on her own, Ellie has learned to cut a piece of bread and other soft objects with a plastic knife, with her bare hands turned to her mother, who leads her from behind.

There is a good reason for your children to help you in the kitchen.

Working in the kitchen helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, and allows children to practice their counting skills in a fun way by counting different ingredients.

Reading recipes out loud together can also help expand your child's vocabulary, and learning to follow a set of instructions will certainly come in handy at school.

Allowing your child to choose the hand that is on the plate, gently encouraging them to at least try new ingredients that an unfamiliar recipe might bring, will also help them eat better. happier and less cautious because they will have positive experiences with all kinds of food.

Try dishes from other parts of the world, such as tacos or Asian stir-fry, and you will also develop cultural awareness.

Perhaps most importantly, sharing a kitchen is a great way for parents and children to spend meaningful time together, creating memories and traditions that will last a lifetime. As Dustin Gardner says, “One of the best things about making 1/8 with Ellie 3/8 is how fun it is to see the people who mean the most to me share that passion.”

The New Year is a good time to set goals. Make cooking with kids one of them. Here are some tips to help make it easier:

- Start small, maybe very small, depending on your child's age and ability, and take your time. Everything may take longer than you expect.

- Children are likely to mix up the recipe here and there, and small hands will not always find all the ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup. So accept that there may be food waste along the way, Lindsey says. Repair the damage by placing a plastic cloth or kitchen towel on the floor under the workbench.

– Small children will do their best if they are on the counter at the right height. Invest in a ladder with adjustable height and safety railing.

- Think about safety. Nothing sharp or sharp.

“Kids have notoriously short attention spans and you don’t want to turn your back on them even for a second and leave them to their fate to get into trouble. So prepare your recipe and read it so that all ingredients and equipment are used. You don't want to be rummaging through your silverware drawer for measuring spoons while your child is elbow-deep in a sack of flour.

– Standard kitchen tools are often too heavy, large or dangerous for little fingers. Consider a range of functional, kid-friendly cooking and baking tools that actually fit in a teenager's hand. The Uncommon Goods Small Kitchen Knife Set for ages 7+ includes a 4" stainless steel knife and vegetable peeler, as well as a finger guard to help cut food and teach proper finger placement.

- Relax and enjoy. Create happy memories in the kitchen and you will promote healthy eating habits. Positive experiences can also make them more adventurous eaters.

What if you need age-appropriate ideas? There are several cookbooks, including Daniel Tiger's recently released The Official Cookbook, based on the popular PBS children's TV show. Suitable for kids ages 4 and up, it contains 45 easy-to-follow recipes for sweet and savory treats for kids, plus kitchen safety, handwashing, and a food allergy guide.

Good Housekeeping "1,2,3 Cook! My First Cookbook" is another great place for young cooks, featuring 50 easy-to-follow recipes aimed directly at kids. Experimental Kitchen Avatars provide helpful tips and explanations, as well as an illustrated guide to kitchen utensils and general cooking techniques such as beating eggs, frosting cookies, and measuring dry ingredients.

STEALING A PIG IN BLANKETS

2 packages of frozen crescents from the dough for 8 pcs.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, plus more for dipping

1 cocktail franc 12 ounces

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Baking line with parchment paper.

Open the dough tubes and cut the dough on a cutting board. Brush the dough with mustard using a pastry brush. Wash the pastry brush and set aside.

Cut each triangle in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter to make 2 thinner triangles.

Place a shake on the wide end of each triangle of dough, then roll it into the dough.

On the prepared sheet, arrange the pigs in two concentric circles, making sure the dough touches both circles.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water, brush the pastry with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the cumin seeds.

Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Serve with extra mustard for dipping.

Make 32.

TIGER DADDY'S SPECIAL HOME HOT CHOCOLATE

2 1/2 cups whole milk

3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Whipped cream and sprinkles or marshmallows for serving

Pour milk into a saucepan and add chocolate.

Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the milk is warm (but not boiling) and the chocolate has melted.

Pour hot chocolate into glasses, garnish with whipped cream and sprinkle with marshmallows for extra flavor.

Prepare 4 small glasses.

CHOCOLATE ALLE CUPS

12 ounces softened butter

1 cup sugar

2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

Two packs of 3 1/2 oz vanilla pudding

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Beat eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Mix flour, baking soda, pudding mix and salt until well combined.

Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Spread by round spoons on baking sheets lined with baking sheet or greased with parchment paper.

Bake in preheated oven for 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 4 dozen small cookies.