Your kids. Gotta love ’em. But they’ve been home such a loooong time. And they’re going to be home for a loooong time more.
How are you going to keep the little demons entertained?
Consider the kitchen as a classroom, where all five senses get a workout, not to mention science and math skills, basic creativity and hand-eye coordination.
Whether your kid are curious and cooperative or stubborn and suspicious, there’s a way to make them exercise their brains through cooking. And in the end, everyone gets to eat.
Go on a treasure hunt
>> A euphemism for: Make the kids help you clean out the pantry and/or the freezer. Look for bits and pieces that can make a meal. A forgotten box of curry mix in the back of a cabinet and a package of beef chunks found in the freezer — that’s the beginning of dinner, combined with whatever’s in the vegetable bin.
Challenge them to mix and match to find inspiration. In the process you can teach them to check expiration dates, organize, sort and cull (I’m assuming you know how to do these things yourself — if not, hey, you’ll learn something, too).
Have them multiply a recipe
>> A euphemism for: Make them do math, so you don’t have to. Take a recipe that serves two and have your kid scale it up to serve your family of four. If the original calls for 1-1/2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, how much will you need in the doubled version? How much is that in tablespoons?
If a cake recipe calls for an 9-inch square pan, how much do you need to increase the recipe to fill a 9-by-13-inch pan? If the original calls for 1/2 cup of milk, how much more will you need? How much is that in tablespoons? In ounces?
Play ‘Chef for a Day’
>> A euphemism for: Make the kids plan dinner. Tell them they can have anything they want as long as they cook it themselves. Depending on their ages, this could include finding a recipe, checking the pantry, making a shopping list (give them a budget) — all leading up to cooking, with varying levels of assistance from you.
Lots of kids will pick something like pizza or tacos, but someone who’s been watching “MasterChef Junior” might choose something you’ve never made before. In that case, you’ll learn to make, say, osso bucco together.
Once a choice is made, you’ll have to scale the task to their abilities. Say it is pizza: Little kids can start with a prepared pizza dough; big ones can make dough from scratch. You may have to help a lot, but the exercise does teach independence and responsibility. If it catches on, make it a weekly practice.
QUICK TRICKS FOR KITCHEN FUN
If you don’t know how to explain the science, just tell your kids you’re making magic:
Make butter in a jar
When I first heard of this, I thought, “That’s a lie!” But it really does work.
>> How to: Pour whipping cream into a jar, filling it halfway or a little less. It has to be whipping cream, not milk or half-and-half. The fat is crucial.
Close the lid and shake the jar. After about 2 minutes the cream will stop sloshing, as air mixes with the cream and thickens it. Open the jar and you’ll find soft whipped cream. Spoon out a bit, stir in some powdered sugar and have a taste.
Close the lid and shake the jar some more. After 3 to 5 minutes you’ll hear sloshing again, as the milk fats separate from the liquid. Soon you’ll see a blob in the jar. Open it and remove your ball of butter. Stir in some salt if you want and spread it on bread. Delicious.
Fry your own shrimp chips
My mother used to entertain us with this cooking project. You’ll need to purchase the chips — find them in Asian markets or order find them online (search for “uncooked prawn chips”; they cost about $6 for a box that makes a lot of chips).
The raw chips, made with shrimp meat and various starches, are rock-hard and translucent, and come in a mix of colors. Once they hit hot oil they puff up into the familiar chips.
>> How to: Heat vegetable oil in a small pot or a skillet. Carefully drop a couple of chips in the oil and watch them puff up and expand instantly, like magic. Remove to a paper towel to drain. As you continue to fry, don’t let the oil get too hot or the chips will burn.
Eat them as is, or try them as a garnish with Vietnamese or Thai foods.
Turn meat into crackers
This is a favorite trick of people on low-carb diets who can’t have chips. It works with any cured meat, provided it has enough fat. Thin slices of Spam are great. Essentially, the microwave creates enough heat to “fry” the meats in their own fat. (A lot of that fat oozes out in the process).
>> How to: Line a microwave-safe plate with newspaper and top with a paper towel, to absorb fat.
Top the paper towel with your meat slices and cover with another paper towel. Microwave on high 45 to 60 seconds, until crisp (for salami), up to 2 minutes (for Spam). Blot any excess oil and let cool.
You can also make crackers out of of sliced cheese, but that works best in a 400-degree oven, with the cheese placed on baking parchment. It takes about 15 minutes.
Kitchen as a classroom
Self-determination is a valuable tool when it comes to coercing kids to cook. Giving them a chance to control at least some of what they eat can pay dividends, especially now, when they’ve been cut off from so many of the normal options in their lives.
Consider a meal that allows the kids to customize their portions: mini pizzas, smoothies, a salad bar or taco bar … (Of course, nutritional guidance is still your job. You may have to decree that every pizza or taco includes one vegetable.)
They can help prep the ingredients and set them out attractively on the counter. Afterward, gather the leftovers and brainstorm what you can do with them. From a pizza-making session, for example, extra cheese, veggies and sausage can be folded into a breakfast scramble the next morning. They can help with that, too.
If you’re planning a stir-fry or fried rice, think small: Instead of cooking everything up in a big pan, let everyone choose from among the individual ingredients and stir up their own mix in a small skillet. They can even mix their own sauces.
They’ll learn some cooking skills, find out what flavors go together, maybe even gain an appreciation for what it takes for you to get dinner on the table every day.
Here’s a suggestion, an open-faced omelet that’s easy enough for first-time cooks with tiny hands.
Offer a variety of filling ingredients and give everyone some freedom of choice.
SINGLE-SERVE OPEN-FACED OMELET
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk, any kind
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup filling ingredients: sliced vegetables and onions, diced bacon or other meats
1/2 cup spinach or other greens (optional)
2 tablespoons shredded cheese, any kind (optional)
Seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, etc.)
Whisk egg and milk together in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high. Saute filling ingredients until softened. Stir in greens.
Reduce heat to medium. Pour egg mixture over filling. Sprinkle with cheese. Using a small spatula, loosen edges all around and lift, allowing uncooked egg to flow underneath. Season as desired. When egg is set, slide onto plate. Serves 1.
Nutritional information unavailable.
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