When my daughter, Elara, was three years outdated, she determined that cooking is simply grownup play time. After which, in fact, she wished in on the enjoyable.
Cooking with toddlers is a superb apply in concept. There are complete social media accounts devoted to folks calmly, with a endless nicely of time and persistence, cooking with their tot to lovable outcomes. However on a sensible, I-need-to-get-dinner-on-the-table degree, it’s trickier.
Exterior of stirring, whisking, or utilizing her arms, discovering a secure method to let Elara assist cook dinner was robust. I wished her away from sizzling pots and sharp knives. I additionally did not wish to spend hours within the kitchen making a meal. And nobody has the time to ideate a dinner that’s straightforward for a toddler to make each evening.
Enter the lettuce knife. It’s a chef-knife-shaped serrated, plastic knife used to securely chop leafy greens that—in concept—additionally prevents browning, in comparison with a steel knife. In Elara’s arms, it is not only for greens! Although it’s intentionally uninteresting, a lettuce knife remains to be sharp sufficient to chop by way of vegatables and fruits like grapes, kiwis, bananas, cherry tomatoes, lemons, and cucumbers. But it surely’s blunt sufficient that I’m not frightened about her fingers within the course of.
The OXO lettuce knife has little holes within the blade to assist strip kale, which is one other straightforward prep step that little arms can do. I additionally love this lettuce knife set with numerous sizes and colours, which works nice when you have a number of youngsters serving to out within the kitchen, or if their arms are additional tiny.
As a bonus: It’s a common fact that folks are all the time on the hunt for brand new methods to get their youngsters to eat their dinner, and I discovered that once we made a meal collectively, Elara was extra more likely to strive it and take pleasure in it. It’s even backed by science: Occupational therapists and feeding specialists usually advocate cooking with youngsters to get them to discover completely different meals and develop their palettes. Past consuming nicely, it helps develop high-quality motor expertise and construct confidence. And on a private degree, as knowledgeable chef, I do know it is by no means too early to instill the significance of a nicely executed mise en place.
Now along with her trusty lettuce knife, Elara may prep an entire salad just about on her personal. I’d give her a bunch of kale to strip and chop along with her knife. I’d let her drizzle in olive oil, lemon juice, and sprinkle in salt to therapeutic massage along with her arms till tender. After which, again to the reducing board for some chopped cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. It’s high quality bonding time. And now, it’s like play time for each of us.
