If you have your kids with you this week because they are on winter break, this is a good time to spend time with them in the kitchen.
I love teaching children to cook. They are usually eager learners, ever curious, and when they get to eat what they made, they feel so proud of themselves. That excitement in them makes the mess on the counter and floor all worth it!
The first thing I always try to teach is table manners, but it is a challenge! Kids like to eat with their fingers; after all, that is how they started to eat! They were praised the first time they were able to pick up Cheerios and put them in their mouth.
Make sure they know where the napkin goes … on their lap and not tucked under their chin like a bib.
Chewing with their mouths closed is one that commonly needs reminding. If you have ever been in a school cafeteria during lunchtime, you will certainly understand the importance of knowing how to teach manners.
One thing I always talked to my boys about during mealtime was slowing down and savoring their food. They always ate like they were in a rush, but in reality, I think the younger ones were afraid their food was going to get taken from their plate if they didn’t hurry and stuff their mouths.
I taught the boys in cooking classes to stand up and pull the chair out for a girl when she enters the dining room. I told them I wanted to be proud when they said they were from Hawaii!
Knife safety is very important and assures no bleeding fingers. I always tell my kids not to show the knife their fingers, but instead, hide them so only knuckles show.
Washing hands before and after prepping cannot be stressed enough. I think the kids of today have gotten that since COVID.
Cooking with young kids teaches them that everything we do involves math so that is why we need to understand what is taught in school.
My 5-year-old granddaughter Artemis is so proud that she can break raw eggs into a bowl without much shells. She can stir the eggs with a fork and then place them in a hot frying pan and stir them to make scrambled eggs.
At the age of 5, kids should be able to bring their dishes to the sink and scrape the plates, then rinse them.
My 8-year-old grandson Quentin now makes pancakes on weekends. He has been cooking his own eggs for several years now.
The Japanese style of scrambled eggs is a soft-scramble. This recipe is from Kikkoman.
Japanese- Style Soft Scrambled Eggs
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 sheet nori
Beat the eggs in a bowl, and mix in the sugar.
Heat the oil in a fry pan over high heat. Pour the eggs and immediately begin to mix (if the child is proficient with chopsticks, mix with chopsticks in a figure 8 motion) so that air enters and they become fluffy. While still loose, turn off the heat and place on a plate. Tear the roasted seaweed into little pieces and pour on some soy sauce. Once well absorbed, place on the eggs and serve.
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The other night the grandchildren and I made pizza. I had to start the dough ahead of time to allow for the dough to rise.
Pizza
This recipe from NYT Cooking yields two 12-inch pizzas.
153 grams (or 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon) 00 flour
153 grams (or 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons) all-purpose flour
8 grams (or 1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
2 grams (or 3/4 teaspoon) active dry yeast
4 grams (or 1 teaspoon) extra-virgin olive oil
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt (If you do not have 00 flour, use all-purpose only. The 00 flour has less protein so your crust will be more tender.)
In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (or a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast, and olive oil, then pour it into the flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily-floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 for 4 hours at room temperature, or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you begin the next step.
Place each dough ball on the heavily-floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares. (We made a pizza in a 9×13-inch baking sheet, and we needed the entire dough to cover the pan.) Top and bake.
Pizza Sauce
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoon ground oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground paprika
Mix ingredients together, heat to blend flavors, generously spread on unbaked pizza crust.
Place sauce, toppings of your choice, Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella cheeses to cover the pizza. Place in oven preheated to 450 degrees and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the pizza is golden brown.
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Hawaii Community College’s Culinary Program’s Cafeteria and da ‘Ohana Corner Cafe Restaurant. Check out their website at: http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/cafeteria.