Teaching Teens & Tweens How to Rock It Out in the Kitchen
A few things you'll need to whip up your own taco seasoning
You love tacos. I love tacos. Heck everyone loves tacos. But if you want to make them yummy, it’s time to leave that junky stuff with all of those preservatives in the little packet at the grocery store and make your own. It’s so super easy, and I’m willing to bet you’ve already got all of the ingredients you need in your cupboards at home. And stay tuned…next week we’re making tacos!
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Girlfriend totally knows how to work at the stove...safely. Go Em!
Cheesy goodness, working at the stove, being the master of the skillet. What’s not to love about making your own quesadillas? Nothing! Get permission before using the stove, then carefully and awesomely get started! Happy Monday!
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Salsa!
Last week you learned about different types of knives. This week, you’re actually going to use them! With adult supervision of course! Watch the video, round up your grown-up, and get yourself started with a little salsa madness this week. Ole!
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Get your peelers ready!
It may seem a little strange posting a soup recipe in April, but where I am…today it’s chilly out there! My family goes crazy for this soup almost any time of year, especially when someone has their braces adjusted and needs to avoid crunchy things for a few days.
Leeks are a member of the onion family but have a much milder taste. Be careful though – they grow in very sandy soil and are famous for having tons of dirt and sand stuck in their layers. Be sure to wash these guys really, really well before you use them so that you don’t end up with sand soup.
Serves 4
Cut the dark green leafy part of the leeks off (light green is ok) and discard. Cut the root of the leek off the end. Now, cut the leek in half lengthwise (longways). Keeping the leeks as together as you can, hold each leek under cold running water to wash out the dirt and grit. Once clean, slice the leeks crossways into small pieces.
Place the soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot and let it melt. This should take a minute or two. Add the leeks to the pot and stir to coat in the butter. Stirring every minute or two, let the leeks cook for 10 minutes, or until they’re soft but not brown.
While the leeks are cooking, peel your potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Throw away or compost the potato peels. Cut the potatoes into 1” to 2” pieces. (Hint: The smaller your potato pieces, the less time they will take to cook.)
Add the potatoes to the leeks. Pour in the chicken broth to cover the potatoes. Bring the chicken broth up to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes.
Remove soup pot from the hot burner (CAUTION: HOT STUFF!). Remove the top from the blender and ladle in the potato soup mixture until the container is about ½ full (you’ll need to do this in two batches). IMPORTANT: Remove the center piece from the blender lid. This will help to prevent the hot soup from exploding out of the blender due to a build-up of steam. Cover the hole with a dishtowel folded over 4 times and carefully hold it in place while blending.
Blend the soup on medium speed until smooth. Pour the blended soup into the large bowl.
Ladle the remaining un-blended potato mixture into the blender and repeat the blending process with the rest of the soup.
Return all of the soup to the soup pot. Add your milk, half and half, or heavy cream and stir well. Season with salt and pepper until it tastes the way you like it. Serve in mugs or bowls.
Knife work (potatoes, leeks) _________________
Stove work (sautéing leeks, simmering soup) _________________
Blender use (pureeing soup) _________________
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Chef's knives, boning knives, paring knives...you've got 'em!
Knives. You want them, and your parents probably want to keep them as far away as possible. But knife skills are the first real kitchen skill that any good cook needs. We’re not making the recommendation that every 8 year-old be handed an 8” chef’s knife. Not at all! Responsible teens & tweens though, and there are oodles of them, are ready to start using a knife properly, once your grown-up in charge gives permission–very, very important. And just to clarify, no knives without permission from your grown-up. Got it?
The younger you are, the smaller (and less sharp) your knife should be. For our audience, we recommend starting with a 3” paring knife, under adult supervision. Gradually, the confidence builds, so can the size of the knife, eventually leading to the use of an 8” chef’s knife, with parental permission of course!
“The Big Three” include a paring knife, an 8” chef’s knife, and a serrated bread knife. A paring knife lets you feel the power of using more than just a butter knife, but gives an adult confidence that no fingers will be lost on the way to great salsa.
And while we’re at it, a tiny, little cutting board is never the right tool for the job. If you’re going to use a knife, you’ve got to have room to cut. My favorite cutting board is a large, 18” x 24” durable plastic board. Forget that glass cutting board mom has. It’s most likely too small, too hard, and will do nothing but dull your knife.
So talk to your folks, start small, start s-l-o-w-l-y, and come back this week and next for all sorts of good tips on how to hold your knife and cut right. In the meantime, take a look at this video so that you know which knife is which. And remember, get permission and be safe out there!!
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Meet Brendan...he's making Tex-Mex Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
Brendan has everything we look for in a young cook. He pays attention, uses excellent manners, and loves to chop, stir, and especially work at the stove. No matter how silly he gets (and woo boy, can he get SILLY!), he’s thoughtful and a terrific kid to have in our kitchen at The Kitchen Studio Cooking School.
Brendan’s family just had baby goats born on their farm, and we’re looking forward to hearing if Brendan learns how to milk the goats himself and whip up a little chevre (that’s soft, creamy goat cheese).
We’ll tell you what Brendan; just let us know when you’re ready to open and we’ll be there, knife and fork ready to go.
Congratulations Brendan! You’re an awesome guy, and awesome cook, and a great kid to cook with in the kitchen!
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