Ingredients
Garlic can be somewhat difficult for kids to manage. The thin skin can be hard to get off, cutting with a knife isn’t so wise, and even garlic presses can require a lot of force to squeeze. And this is only if they can handle the smell. A lot of adults don’t care for garlic smell on their hands, so I would imagine kids might be the same.
With that said, I think two products would be great for kids helping out with garlic duties in the kitchen. The first job is to peel the garlic and those rubber cannelloni-shaped garlic peelers made by Zak Designs work really well. The E-Z-Rol Garlic Peeler
The next step of making minced garlic is a bit trickier. At first I tried out the Chef’n Garlic Zoom, but I decided against it. Essentially, you insert the garlic and zoom it around like a toy car, which turns the tiny blades inside and chops the garlic. I do think a kid would like to zoom it around; however, extracting the garlic was not child friendly. The Chef’n Zoom actually wastes quite a bit of garlic, and there is the constant temptation to use your finger to sweep out garlic chunks stuck to the inside and on the blades. The last thing you need is a kid poking sharp blades. Admittedly, Chef’n did not design this product for kids, but it looked fun enough to give a try. I guess you could always let your child zoom it around and you do all of the loading and emptying of garlic.
The gadget that I think works better is the Garlic Twist by Nextrend. There are no sharp blades and it is simple to use. You just insert the garlic and twist the two chopping discs. Reviews on Amazon mention that the first couple twists can be difficult to start, so you may have to get it going for your child, but after that you can rely upon child-powered twisting to help out with garlic duty. You can purchase the Garlic Twist
The garlic twist is in its 3rd generation, and the picture above is the newest version. The original did not have grooves along the edge, but they have since added notches for better gripping. Some reviewers said that the non-grooved Garlic Twist was difficult to use with wet hands because of slipping. The third generation adds even more pronounced grooves, so I imagine it is even easier to use. I would definitely go for the the third generation garlic twist.
So if you want to put your kid on garlic duty, I think the garlic peeler by Zak and the Garlic Twist would be a great combination. Keep it fun and safe with these two gadgets.
I started to really get into cooking when I was a stay-at-home father several years back. During that time it was hard to finish tasks completely let alone get anything done, but cooking food was required. Preparing a meal was the one to-do-list item that had to get done (somehow). As the years went along, the meals became more elaborate and I learned a lot of technique. I usually prepared two to three new dishes a week, and it was a fun hobby and a nice break from the baby and toddler food fare that dominated breakfast and lunch.
With that said, I wish I would have had a resource such as the Rouxbe online cooking school during that time. Rouxbe has a lot of professionally produced videos that teach everything from technique to elaborating on ingredients and recipes, but the site is a great place to learn about food in general. Take this video about eggs below. I’ve cracked countless eggs but I also learned a lot in this 2½-minute segment. And when cooking with children, such information can really come in handy to answer basic questions and also learn along with your child.
Rouxbe has videos on numerous subjects that would be good learn-along aids with children. You can find out about pasta and how to cook it properly, and there is a lot of content covering rice and how to cook it properly. And when your kid gets to the knife-wielding age, learning to use the pinch-and-claw method for cutting will help make sure fingers stay out of the way. (I would also suspect that many parents could benefit from the knife-skill videos too.) Becoming a better cook is one of the most valuable skills to pass on to children, and proper technique will assist them long into life. I still remember when I taught my daughter that a good sharp knife will help prevent browning of fruit when you cut it, and to this day she recounts this lesson when I give her cut fruit. Some parents teach sign language, but I’m teaching cooking skills.
Many Rouxbe videos are only for paid subscribers, but you can always access limited content for free on their website. There is also a 14-day free trial to obtain full access if you want to check the school out more thoroughly. A couple of years ago I took advantage of the trial period and eventually signed up for a lifetime membership. If you want to improve your cooking ability and knowledge but don’t have the time or opportunity to attend off-site classes, Rouxbe might be a good option.
In the January Saveur issue they give some recommendations on which yeast to use when faced with the choice of fresh yeast, active dry, and rapid rise (instant). The short article advises to stay away from old-fashioned fresh yeast as it is extremely perishable and you may end up buying a block that is already dead. Active dry and instant yeast are much more reliable and can be found in most supermarkets.
The difference between active dry and rapid rise yeast is how they are prepared. Active dry goes through a harsh drying process that removes 90 percent of the moisture and kills up to 70 percent of the yeast organisms. It also produces a hard coating around the granules, which is one of the reasons you need to proof dry active yeast. In the proofing process you are dissolving the hard coating in warm water with some sugar to get the yeast moving again, but most importantly you want to see if it is still alive. No life means your bread won’t rise.
Instant rise yeast goes through a much gentler process. Fewer yeast cells are killed, but this also means that it is more potent, so many bakers will recommend using less of it. Saveur recommends using 3/4 teaspoon to one teaspoon dry active yeast, but King Arthur Flour simply recommends ignoring it and using as much as the recipe calls for regardless of type. Rapid rise yeast also does not need to be proofed in water, so it can be added directly to other ingredients.
When storing yeast, it is best to keep it in an airtight container in the freezer. It can also be stored at room temperature in a cool dark place if sealed properly, but the freezer is still a safe bet. Just make sure the yeast is not exposed to high temperatures as this will cause the organisms to become inactive, and always check the expiration date on the package.
One note of interest is that the process of making active dry yeast was developed before World War II so that troops could have fresh bread. Fresh yeast simply couldn’t make the long trips and weather the conditions under which soldiers existed. If you want to know more about all things yeast and how it works to make wonderful bread, you can go to King Arthur Flour for a more extensive article.
