INTRODUCTION
He has always been happiest in the kitchen. In my early teens, there were quite a few afternoons when I came home feeling defeated after a rough day at school. It was a simpler time when having a bad haircut or dealing with braces seemed like an insurmountable obstacle to hurdle. I found solace within the walls of my kitchen, in the primary task of making chocolate chip cookies.
I made the same recipe so many times that eventually I knew it by heart. I found the process of measuring, mixing, and baking to be wonderfully repetitive and soothing. It was therapeutic to know that if I just followed the steps, I would get a consistent batch of delicious, warm cookies. You might call it “kitchen therapy.”
I not only loved feeding myself this treat, but I also found even more pleasure in sharing those cookies with my family. I recall my mom telling her friends that I made the best chocolate chip cookies. It made me proud and gave me confidence. While good grades in school also made my parents proud—which certainly boosted my confidence—the baking was a personal source of pride that helped me unwind from those stressful days at school.
At the after-school cooking program where I teach children how to cook, it is my goal to help my students find their version of kitchen therapy. I don’t often see children come into my kitchen visibly upset or gloomy, but on those rare occasions, it’s lovely to see their mood change as they immerse themselves in a recipe, and then smile when they see their finished product come out of the oven.
I hope that this book provides you and your family with the tools needed to create your kind of kitchen therapy. Baking at home may seem time-consuming, but it functions as a fun activity that also provides wholesome alternatives to store-bought snacks. In this book, you’ll find tips on how to include your child and make baking at homework with your family’s busy schedule. Although it may seem daunting at first, the smell of fresh-baked goods wafting throughout your home will be worth the effort.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
I am always so impressed and surprised by how capable children are in the kitchen.Young children often default to wanting the adult to help or do a kitchen task for them. Although parents are used to caring for and doing things for their children, I suggest urging them to try even the most challenging steps on their own at first. When children realize that they are indeed capable, they gain the independence that ultimately boosts their confidence.
In this book, you’ll find helpful tips for including young children (ages 5 to 7) in the sections called “For smaller hands.” These are the techniques that I use when cooking with kids in my school to help remove obstacles and make otherwise tricky tasks seem less daunting. There are some tasks you would expect to be challenging for kids, where, instead of merely completing the job for them, you can suggest a different approach that will make the concept easier to grasp, and ultimately master. Before long they’ll be showing you how it’s done!
In each recipe, you’ll find a list of ingredients and tools needed. Gathering all of your parts and tools before you begin making a recipe will help you get organized and be prepared for all the steps. There is a French phrase for this method, misê en place, which means “everything in its place.” If you do not have an ingredient, there may be alternatives available. When a less common component is called for, the recipe will list options when possible. But sometimes the less-common element is essential and cannot be omitted or substituted. Leaveners are an example of one of these key ingredients that cannot be substituted because learners are crucial to the recipe’s success. Various types of flour called for in a formula are examples of some common ingredients that can be substituted. White whole wheat flour, for instance, can be replaced with all-purpose flour without any adverse effects. I welcome you to try new things, and have fun in the kitchen!
One important thing to remember when you are cooking with kids is that mistakes do happen. This doesn’t mean that you should assume that things won’t always work out when involving your kids in the kitchen; it merely means that you should try to keep an open mind about the result. It might not be perfect in your eyes, but your kids will likely be proud of the result just the same.
I hope that you have as much fun making these recipes with your kids as I do making them with my students, friends, and family! Happy baking!
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