Cooking is one of those vital life skills – like managing money – which have traditionally been neglected by the education system in favour of more abstract topics like algebra and geography.

Date:   7/6/2018 4:53:03 AM ( 6 y ago)

Cooking is one of those vital life skills – like managing money – which have traditionally been neglected by the education system in favour of more abstract topics like algebra and geography. Not so long ago ‘domestic science’ as it was termed was taught primarily to girls – a reflection of the fact that they were expected to become housewives cooking for husbands when they grew up. Schools today take a much more equitable approach of course – and rightfully so – but it is still far from unknown for young to finish school barely knowing how to boil an egg .

This is an areas in which parents make all the difference in the world. If you know how to cook, teach your kids how to do it too! It’s a hugely valuable skill: young people who grow up knowing one end of an oven from the other will have ready access to cheaper, healthier, tastier food throughout their lives, making them less likely to suffer from the many diet-related illnesses which plague us here in the 21stCentury: obesity, high blood pressure, various cancers: the list goes on and on. Eating healthily is arguably the ultimate complimentary medicine.

Hygiene basics

But of course, there is more to cooking than following recipes and grasping a few kitchen techniques. An understanding of food safety is also an indispensable skill. There is, after all, little point in cooking all that healthy, disease-busting food if you end up giving yourself food poisoning into the bargain.

So integrate food safety and hygiene into your cooking lessons from day one. The basics are actually pretty straightforward and not at all difficult to grasp:

· Wash your hands before you handle food – and afterwards too!
· Keep your kitchen surfaces clean.
· Wash vegetables and fruit under cold water before cooking or eating them.
· If you spill something – wipe it up straight away!
· Be especially careful with meat, fish and dairy products – handle and store them properly, as both are prime sources of food poisoning.
· Don’t stint on the washing up – don’t leave germs lingering on plates and utensils where they could contaminate your next meal.

Taking it to the next level

Next level food safety begins while still in the supermarket. Avoid fruit with broken skin as this likely to carry bacteria – and keep a careful eye on expiration dates for potentially poisonous meat, fish and dairy products. An otherwise bored child might enjoy playing the role of food inspector as you busy yourself ticking items off your shopping list.

The role of food inspector could be extended to food arranger too. Get your child to help keep the different foods in your trolley in their own sections, with tricky meat, fish and dairy items separate from the fruit and vegetables.
One final tip. If you do take your son or daughter food shopping, you can encourage them to think ahead and go looking for raw and refrigerated foods at the end of your trip round the isles. That way they will have less chance to warm up, melt or contaminate other foods in your trolley.

Photo by russellstreet via Flickr (Creative Commons)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/russellstreet/9169946371/in/photolist-eYjnzD-cHE6k9-noKBT3-MhLH-4ptCBR-TJfg1-2xcts-6WymwE-8KeEw5-oLH8L7-7zn9Z6-8N64Nh-ozLMQT-24KMG8-7rj3P8-brgdtP-brgWzv-5pbJqS-6HG4dR-9w6RwM-7J7SbD-e1YVJy-aougNL-Fm8Tq-brgNTH-5Xeha7-dwPejH-pcXhX-5haa5w-eaAvJ4-abTkUd-JNZirp-iuYmJ4-jXEja-bt1KMU-7R4MXT-pRCTtg-7R8ieL-9rSmDP-gv9k1k-7u5FAo-dus9VN-8vT7S5-gFvtcB-dLX5t3-7gh2ax-9D5QJy-pbxSdu-6cFaHx-zXtSLf




 

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