You’ve probably heard that there is no need to use child-safe kitchen knives when you’re cooking. You’ve probably heard that it’s best to use a fork to serve your baby his or her spaghetti. And you may have even heard that when you have a newborn, it’s best to avoid using sharp utensils at all. Well, now you know the truth.
When I first started cooking with my kids, I went through every available safety scissors, cutting board, and other kitchen tool in my house in search of the perfect child-friendly utensil. I found nothing. So I started searching the web for ideas, and I found the following. If you have kids in your house, I have a feeling that you have dealt with the same situation and I bet you will find these helpful. I know I did.
Safety scissors are a great tool for helping kids learn to cook, but are these kitchen tools really safe? And are they really the best choice to get kids cooking safely? We’ll answer those questions by taking a look at some of the tools that are available. There are several different types of safety scissors in the market, including those that are built to be used with food. These are designed with a non-slip grip and a sharp, easy to cut edge.
To encourage youngsters cooking, use safety scissors like these in the kitchen.
Holden and I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. Holden used to stand by my side at the kitchen sink and break eggs, mix with a whisk, or tear greens for a salad before his younger brother Milo entered our family. Unfortunately, I must admit that most evenings I now place the two of them in front of a 25-minute child program while I rush to get supper ready. So, a few weeks ago, I was a great candidate for this lesson.
Cooking with Holden and Shayna at Eat Real Fest
Holden cooked on stage as part of the children’s culinary demo at the Oakland Eat Real Festival, an excellent event aiming at helping people “bring the food back into fast.” Under the supervision of Shayna Marmar, he assisted in the preparation of “Scissor salsa salad” with three other youngsters.
Shayna is a from-scratch cooking teacher-extraordinaire. She started Honeypie Cooking & Events in Oakland to bring fresh, seasonal, and delicious foods back into our kitchens.
Salad with Scissors, created entirely by children
Shayna encouraged the kids to consume as many fresh, healthy meals as possible as she guided them through the food preparation process. She urged us to engage our children more in the preparation of their meals while we sat on hay bales. Many parents who said their children detested vegetables have witnessed their youngsters enjoy salad for the first time.
After the event, I contacted her to see if she had any advice for Rookie Moms who want to do more cooking with their kids, and she advised us to pull out the safety scissors:
While safety scissors are not often thought of as a culinary tool, they are ideal for assisting children of all ages in cutting a variety of fruits and vegetables. Keep a pair in your kitchen drawer designated for cooking, and your kid will be able to help with food preparation chores without the need of a sharp knife almost immediately.
Cut the fruits and veggies into slices/strips ahead of time to assist your kid. Tomatoes, bell peppers, apples, peaches, cabbage, and cucumbers are among the foods that may be cut using safety scissors.
She gave a lot of excellent ideas for getting kids interested in cooking; here are a few more that I picked up during the demonstration:
- Leave your perfectionism at the door; it’s better if the meal is prepared by kids than if it’s flawless.
- Prepare the tough cuts ahead of time so that the youngsters don’t have to wait as long and don’t have to deal with big knives on the countertops.
- Consider the items that may be ripped apart by tiny hands: lettuce, herbs, bread…
- Have a pair of kids’ safety scissors devoted to cutting food (see above) or use a butter knife for items that won’t fit readily in the scissors.
- Getting some tortillas ready to mash
What if you don’t have a rolling pin? Use a cleaned container or wash some utensils from the play-doh set. Allow children to pound dough and crush tortillas with their hands.
- During the final tasting, ask the youngsters, “What would you alter if you could do it all over again?” What would you add more of, and what would you take away?” to get kids to think and participate in the process Holden requested “more tomatoes,” a large guy requested “more hot,” the small girl requested “just right,” and the big girl refused to try it. (It’s impossible to satisfy everyone!)
Taste test: hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
—– I’d want to express my gratitude to Shayna for sharing her advice with us!
Shayna offers cooking classes & parties for older children, teens, adults, and families as well as workshops for teachers & parents highlighting tips & tricks for involving children in the process of preparing and eating wholesome and tasty foods.
She can also transform your child’s next birthday celebration into a healthy culinary party with a focus on having fun in the kitchen. What a great idea!
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