Forget the Mess, Kids
Who Cook Can Develop a Lifelong Love of Good Food
(ARA) - Culinary professionals from The Art Institutes say that
cooking with kids can be fun for the whole family with a few simple
safety rules and basic organization. The payoff? Encouraging children
to enjoy cooking can help nurture a lifelong love of good food
and eating well.
For Chef Director Bill Niemer of The Art Institutes
International Minnesota, having children in the kitchen can be
a fun experience for all involved with a little careful planning.
"If you're working with young children under
five, give them simple jobs such as using cookie cutters or decorating
a plate with garnishes like herbs or flowers they can gather in
a garden, " he explains. For older children, Niemer says
most can use small paring knives close to the size of their hands
to cut simple shapes from vegetables or fruits.
No matter what a child's age, close supervision
is the most important safety consideration. That, and "teaching
a child respect for the heat of an oven or a stove. Any child
that needs to stand on a stool to use an oven shouldn't be using
one," says Niemer. The chef recommends that adults make sure
to use the right size pots and pans to avoid splatter, and to
keep handles pointed toward the back of the stove.
When Chef Niemer and his daughter are in the
kitchen together, they enjoy preparing a tasty beef stew. Besides
helping her appreciate good food and cooking techniques, the chef
sees other benefits for his daughter, "I have her do all
the measuring. It's a great way to reinforce math skills,"
he adds.
For her "Cooking with Kids" class at
The Art Institute of Phoenix, Chef Jennifer Mraz teaches her students,
ranging in age from seven to nine, important kitchen basics that
-- with practice -- they will continue to use as adults. As in
any professional cooking school, Chef Mraz tells her students
that good food starts with good safety and sanitary habits. Students
are taught the importance of washing hands thoroughly with soap
and warm water before beginning to cook and keeping work areas
clean by washing down surfaces with a sponge and warm water, before
and after cooking.
Kids are natural cooks and they have energy to
spare, says Chef Mraz, but they like to be kept busy in the kitchen,
not just watching. "No matter how well organized you are,
kitchens get messy when children cook, but that's part of the
fun," she says. "Encourage them to stop and clean up
as they go along, clean cooking surfaces, and put ingredients
away once they've been used."
When Chef Instructor Steven Pilat at The Art
Institute of Dallas teaches a cooking course to children from
economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, many of whom dine frequently
at fast-food restaurants, he likes to start his classes by teaching
nutrition, and keeping the lessons fun. "We play nutrition
bingo using black or pinto beans to mark the spaces, and quiz
kids about the food pyramid," he says. "They learn they
need to eat grains and vegetables several times a day and save
the sugars for special treats."
Since many of the chef's students make their
own snacks when they return from school, Chef Pilat tries to encourage
the children to think about what healthy snacks are all about.
"I introduce foods like fresh fruits and granola," he
says. "We give the kids a bag of groceries to take home and
prepare the recipes that we do in class. That way, they can share
what they've learned with their families."
As Chef Mraz explains, "Everyone likes to
eat, it's a common interest we all have. When children are invited
into the kitchen as active participants and they see how much
fun cooking can be, they are learning wonderful lessons about
eating well that will serve them all their lives."
Recipes
Apple Volcanoes from Chef
Jennifer Mraz, The Art Institute of Phoenix
(serves two)
- 2 apples
- 2 large marshmallows
- cup peanut butter
- cup chocolate chips
- cup chopped nuts
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
Wash apples. Remove stem and core out apple with
spoon, enlarging the hole slightly. Press marshmallows in center
of cored apple to fill the bottom. Spoon peanut butter into apple
to fill to the top. Spread peanut butter over top of apple. Sprinkle
with chocolate chips and coconut.
Yogurt Parfaits from Chef Steve
Pilat, The Art Institute of Dallas
(serves one)
- 1 8oz. container of vanilla yogurt
- cup fruit (any kind, chopped)
- cup low-fat granola
Place layer of yogurt on the bottom of a bowl
or cup. Cover yogurt with a layer of fruit and then a layer of
granola. Keep layering until all the ingredients are used. Serve
immediately or place in the freezer to make a frozen yogurt snack.
Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com,
e-mail: info@aracontent.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information contact Jeff Durosko, The
Art Institutes, 412/562-0900 ext. 232.
The Art Institutes system of 22 educational institutions
is located nationwide, providing an important source of design,
media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The Art Institutes
system of schools has provided career-oriented education programs
for over 35 years with more than 125,000 graduates. For more information
visit The Art Institutes website at www.artinstitutes.edu/nz
