Dear Readers,
Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays are a favorite of mine because of the food and family!
I remember Mom being in the kitchen at least 2 days before the Thanksgiving holidays. I know because I would be in there with her, my assignment was to clean the many bunches of greens that she had purchased. I did not mind picking the greens because greens are one of my favorite dishes. I also liked being in the kitchen because I would get to taste and sample whatever she was preparing. My favorites were samples of the stuffing for the turkey and cake mixes (Chocolate - Yum, Yum).
At the age of 9 I was the oldest girl, which meant I was the one who had to help mom in the kitchen. My younger brothers and sister were not allowed to help because of their age. I know we practiced Kitchen Safety as a child because I did not get any major injuries while in the kitchen with Mom.
I don't remember her telling me a lot of rules, I just watched her, and knew how to handle hot pots and pans going in and out of the oven. I watched her keep the handles or pots turned to the inside of the stove. I watched her carefully place food in boiling water or hot cooking oil and quickly move back out of the away to avoid injury.
Listed below are some Kitchen Safety duties by age to use if your child(ren) will be in the kitchen with you during the holidays or at anytime.
Children between 3-5 years of age and do the following:
Get ingredients out of the refrigerator and cupboards.
Stir ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour cool liquids into a bowl.
Rinse foods under cold water.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes in dough.
Children between 6-8 years can do the following:
Use a butter knife to spread frosting, peanut butter or soft cheese.
Peel vegetables with a peeler.
Measure ingredients.
Set the table.
Children between 9-12 years can do the following:
Begin to follow recipes.
Help plan the meals.
Use electrical kitchen appliances such as blenders, food processors, electric mixers and microwaves.
Open cans.
Squeeze garlic from a garlic press and use a grater to shred cheese and vegetables.
Turn stove burners on and off and select oven temperature when an adult is present.
Children above age 13 can do the following:
Operate the stove top without adult supervision.
Drain cooked pasta into a colander.
Remove a tray of cookies from the oven.
Heat food in the microwave without adult supervision.
Source: http://firstaid.about.com/od/injuriesathome/qt/07_CookingSafe.htm
