Kids in the Kitchen

Skill Level: Beginning to Intermediate
Cooking Skill Taught: Binding Ingredients Together

I haven’t made to many meatballs throughout my cooking career. Personally I don’t like taking the time to form the meatballs. I’d usually rather have the meat in the sauce. It’s faster, and the chance of getting the meat in every bite is greater.

However, there is something universally appealing about meatballs to kids. After all three kids talked about how much they liked them I decided that we should add them to our menu more often; especially since it’s a great item that the kids seem to enjoy making. It is also the perfect recipe to teach them about “binding ingredients.”

How to Teach Easy Meatballs for Kids

1. Teach the kids to assemble everything they’ll need. That includes both the equipment and ingredients.
2. Once you have explain to the kids that they will be making meatballs with the ingredients shown.
3. Tell them that we need to figure out how to make the meatballs stick together, so the little balls they make don’t fall apart when they are cooked.
4. Ask them which ingredients they think would be able to do that. Tell them that in cooking the ingredients that help things stick together are called “binding ingredients.” (If they need some help ask them what they think the purpose of the egg is.)
5. Explain that eggs have three main purposes in cooking. They add moistness, they bind the ingredients together, or they leaven. Explain that in meatballs, as well as meatloaf, the egg both binds and adds moisture to the meatball. (You could try one batch with the egg and one batch without the egg.)
6. Ask them what they think the other ingredients are for. Discuss the purpose of each of the other ingredients. You can ask things like: Do you think this ingredient is needed to make the meatballs? Could we substitute this with something else? If so, what. Is this ingredient just a matter of preference?

How to Make Easy Meatballs for Kids

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup crushed seasoned croutons
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, croûtons, onion, egg, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. The kids can easily mix it by hand. Having them wear some disposable kitchen gloves makes for sanitary preparation and makes cleaning up easier. Teach them to gently incorporate all the ingredients without squeezing the juices from the meat.
   
3. Form the mixture by hand into meatballs. Lay the ones that are ready to be cooked out on a cookie sheet lined, or a broiler pan so the juices drop through. Traditionally meatballs are fried, however baking them is nice and safe for kids, and it’s very easy.
4. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes.
   

Variations:

Mix in cheese, regular bread crumbs you have seasoned with Italian seasoning, ketchup, or anything else the kids would like.

Kitchen Experiments to Expand the Lesson:

• Use the traditional binding ingredient, eggs, in one batch.
• Make one batch without the egg.
• Make 1 batch substituting 2 T cornstarch starch for the egg.
• Compare the taste, texture, visual appeal of each method, and how well the meatballs hold together.

Coming Soon:

Meatball recipes. What to do with them, now that you’ve prepared them.

Skill Level: Beginning
Cooking Skill Taught: How to Preheat the Oven
Related Lesson Plan

Naturally the skill of preheating an oven can be taught to children with many different recipes. However, if the child is very young you may want to simply teach this skill alone. This recipe is perfect.

Recipe for Easy Kids Snack Mix - AKA Chex Party Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 cube of butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (Note: you can substitute seasoning salt, taco seasoning, or other type of seasoning to taste in place of the salt, onion powder and chili powder)
• 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cups of assorted toasted Chex type of cereals.
• 4 cups assorted small crackers (gold fish, pretzels, etc.)
• 1 c. salted nuts, if desired.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Heat butter in large shallow roasting pan in oven until melted.
3. Remove, stir in seasonings.
4. Add crackers, cereals, and nuts.
5. Mix until all pieces are coated.
6. Heat in oven 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
7. Spread on absorbent paper to cool.

Knowing how to preheat the oven is an essential skill for any chef to know. Here’s how you can teach your budding chef:

1. Explain to your kids or students that pre means before and that heat is a word for a warm or hot temperature. So to preheat and oven means to heat the oven to the right temperature before we cook something.
2. Show the childred how to read the recipe to determine the correct temperature for a recipe.
3. Teach them how to set your oven to that temperature.
4. Prepare the recipe.

Skill Level: Beginning
Cooking Skill Taught: How to Grease a Pan
Related Lesson Plan

Granola bars are a simple healthy snack for young children to make and a great way to teach the skill of greasing a pan, and what is meant my “grease a pan.”

This easy recipe produces a granola bar that is a little chewy, not the dried-out cardboard type of stuff you’ll find at the grocery store and one the whole family will love.

McKayla made her first batch about a month ago (she was six at the time) following the basic recipe below. It was gone much too quickly so the next time we made six cookie sheets full. We also added a lot more ingredients to make it even healthier. (Hint: kids are much more likely to each it if they make it themselves. So it is a great way to get them to eat things they may not otherwise.)

How to Make - Recipe for Kid Friendly Granola Bars

• 6 cups quick-cooking oats
• 3* (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk (can use fat-free)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 cups flaked coconut
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
2. Grease a cookie sheet.
3. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.
4. Add the sweetened-condensed milk and stir well. Be sure to mix it well as it holds the bar together. We used our hands covered with disposable gloves. It’s much easier for kids.
5. Press it into the greased cookie sheet and pat it down slightly to even it out.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You’ll know it is ready when the edges get slightly brown.
7. The bars can be difficult to cut when cooled, so cut them when they have cooled slightly and when still fairly warm (a job for mom or dad).

* Reduce for crunchy bars.
Additional add-ins to make it healthier and add extra fiber to the diet. Here is what we added the second time we made it:

• Pumpkin Seeds
• Dry-roasted Peanuts
• Raisins
• Sesame Seeds
• Wheat Germ
• Wheat Bran
• Rolled Wheat Flakes

Note: You’ll need to increase the sweetened-condensed milk when you add more ingredients to hold it together. A general guideline is 1 can for every 3 to 4 cups of ingredients, but that varies depending on the type of ingredient and the chewiness you desire.

Learning to grease a pan is one of the first skills a beginning chef should learn. Here’s how you can teach a child to grease a pan:

1. Explain that greasing a pan puts a barrier of oil between the food and the pan that keeps food from sticking to the pan and makes it easier to remove.
2. Explain that there are several methods for doing this and several products that can be used. For example, we may spray the pan with a non-stick spray and then take a soft cloth to wipe off the excess and make sure it is well coated. Or we can coat it with vegetable oil or shortening. We usually place our hand in a plastic bag, dip it in the shortening, wipe a think layer on the pan, and then turn the bag inside out to dispose of. You can use a piece of wax paper for the shortening, or a lint-free paper towel for the oil.
3. Demonstrate on a section of the pan.
4. Have them try it for themselves and demonstrate how to do it.
5. Ask them to explain, or narrate, the process to cement it into their minds.

Welcome to Kids in the Kitchen where we are Savoring Life One Dish at a Time.

We are three kids (ages 6, 12, and 15) who are learning to cook from mom - the head chef. Join us as we share the cooking lessons we take part in, the recipes we try, and what we learn about nutrition, cooking terms, and menu planning. We’ll review recipe books, restaurants, and individual recipes. Mom will share lesson plans on cooking as well.