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Jun 15, 2016 By Joe Carei for The 5 min read

I spent last week teaching over 120 kids to find their way around a kitchen. I first rotated through six classes of eager, energetic and nervous junior high students at the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute.

Then I spent an afternoon at Fayette County Community Action going over kitchen basics with the kids from the Neighborhood Partnership Program. Despite the fact that I had one finger on the 911 button, as I watched kids use large knives and hot pans, we survived.

The basic takeaway was that kids love to cook.

I encourage everyone to allow their kids and grandkids to help them in the kitchen or take time out and bake/cook with them. Now that it is summer, this is a two-fold plan, it keeps them busy and lets you become a part of their summer. Gourmet Magazine used to do celebrity and celebrity chef profiles and the memories that always came up was time spent in their family or grandmother’s kitchen, learning.

Cooking with children can be tricky, messy and may take more time than if you did it yourself. But, with proper planning and some guidelines, it can make for a delicious experience.

First, make sure you have set aside enough time to enjoy yourselves, do not rush the process. Do not bite off more than you can chew (punny). Do not try to make 14 different cookies or a six-course meal. Apply the KISS principle; keep it simple.

Know your students. Pre-schoolers can pour in ingredients, stir and even crack eggs. Older kids can be taught how to measure ingredients, read recipes, do simple slicing and dicing. Surly teens might be lured into the kitchen if you let them choose the menu or do unique or international cuisine For your younger cooks, you may have to do a little pre-prep; i.e. have things prepared that you feel that are outside their skill level.

Before you get started, you may want to go over a little kitchen safety, with your charges. Here are a few simple rules:

n Tie back hair and loose clothing and make sure there are no bare feet or open-toed sandals.

n Wash hands before, during and after; dirty hands are the primary cause of food bourne illnesses.

n Always begin by going over the recipe together and completely, and gather all ingredients and tools before you start.

n Pot handles are to be turned away from the front of the stove top, and have a first aid kit handy; hot stuff burns and sharp stuff cuts.

n Never put water on a fire. If the fire is small, use baking soda. If it is in a pan, cover it with a lid. If it is leaping, get out and call 911.

n Clean as you go. You can slip on spills, knock over unused ingredients and will cross contaminate.

n If children are old enough to use knives, teach them to respect them. No matter how much experience you have, you will get cut when you do not pay attention.

n Chose the right knife for the job. Make sure it is sharp and clean — a dull knife is a dangerous knife.

n Do not leave knives in the sink — wash them immediately.

n Keep knives away from edge of counter, and if they get knocked off, let them fall.

n Do not eat uncooked food such as cake batter, unless you use pasteurized eggs or trust your source.

n If the recipe says to cool completely before eating, it is smart to follow those instructions.

n Pay attention, keep on task and use common sense.

Let the children set the tempo and encourage them to do as much as they are able. You be the guide and the instructor. There is nothing worse than a hand’s off cooking class. Incidentally, the more you do it, the easier it gets and the more fun you will have. Take time this summer and create a memory for the future.

The Community Action Neighborhood Partnership Program is putting together a Kid’s Cooking Club with monthly cooking classes.

There are some guidelines to be met. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Marlene Koloskyat 724-437-6050 ext 3282 or email; mkolosky@fccaa.org

Chocolate Cupcakes

½ cup cocoa powder

¾ cup flour all purpose

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1/3 cup veg oil

2 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup buttermilk or milk

Preheat oven to 350 in conventional oven. Whisk or sift cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla. Pour half wet into dry, add milk. Add rest of wet and incorporate until just combined. Fill cupcake liners ½ way. Should make 16-18 cupcakes. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Vanilla Cupcakes

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup butter

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift together flower, baking powder and salt. Cream together, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla. Fold together and mix until smooth, adding milk as you mix. Pour into cupcake liners filling ½ way. Should make 12 cupcakes.Bake for 18-20 min.

Buttercream

1 cup butter

4-5 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 dash salt

¼ cup cream

Food coloring

Whisk butter in mixer until pale. Add vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, run mixer on high until fully incorporated. Add Cream…adjust consistency with cream. If weather is hot substitute ¼ cup vegetable shortening for ¼ cup butter to stabilize. Add coloring as desired.