If cooking was taught in schools...

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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling

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Miranda Wright

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 7:56 am

If cooking was a required subject to learn in school, what do you think a kid in each grade should know how to make? I think a first grader should be able to make a sandwich and a fifth grader should be able to make macaroni and cheese.

Last edited by Miranda Wright on Wed, Mar 06 2024, 3:55 pm; edited 1 time in total

Elfrida

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:02 am

I did learn cooking in school (home economics) from age eleven. Don't actually remember what we cooked. I think it was the theory, and understanding methods and principles of how to cook that was more useful than specific recipes.

amother

Cantaloupe

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:03 am

Elfrida wrote:

I agree, learning the core knowledge would be so useful. Some people naturally figure it out with experience, but many don't.

Amarante

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:05 am

Cooking used to be taught in schools - it was called Home Economics. Very Happy

I don't know about first grade but at some point during elementary school, children should be able to make a simple meal for themselves.

When I was a child it was before there were microwaves and so there weren't many prepared foods that just had to be nuked so my repertoire was limited to sandwiches (either PB&J or meat from the deli) or tomato soup from the can. However I did make a really good grilled cheese sandwich using a Toastite.

I grew up watching (helping) my Bubbe cook as she lived in the apartment below us in a two family house. So I had some general sense of how things were done in terms of baking a cake, challah etc. and so I wasn't a complete idiot when I had to start cooking as I was able to follow recipes.

However I didn't really acquire good cooking technique until I began learning technique. Everything from how to correctly dice an onion to why you need to sear meat in a large pan so that it crisps instead of steams I owe essentially to cooking shows on television which used to show technique instead of stupid gimmicks.

There are some wonderful cookbooks designed for children of different age levels. I have one that breaks down recipes specifically in terms of what the child can do - this is for working with the parent and is intended for young children. Oddly that one is specifically Jewish recipes - mostly Ashkenazi LOL

There are also cookbooks intended for children to cook by themselves aimed at various age levels and the recipes tend to be a bit simple and also aimed at food that is appealing to tweens and teens.

There are also some books that would be a lot of fun for a kid as they are clones. For example, there are Disney cookbooks which would enable a kid to cook some of the *famous* dishes at Disney which aren't kosher but could be kosher when made at home.

amother

Azalea

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:30 am

I had home ec in public middle school, and it covered both cooking and sewing, but it was not focused on practical items. We made soft pretzels and cookies, not chicken and vegetables. We sewed little pillows and blankets, but did not hem skirts or pants. It was cute and fun, but not super useful.

behappy2

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:38 am

I wouldn't mind if someone taught my second grader how to pour her own cereal and milk. Is that part of cooking? 😉

Tzutzie

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:47 am

behappy2 wrote:

I wouldn't mind if someone taught my second grader how to pour her own cereal and milk. Is that part of cooking? 😉

All you have to do is need the bathroom just around the time she's super hungry and leave the food out.
My 3 year olds have figured it out to my detriment... Can't Believe It

We had home economics in highschool. Sewing starting from 5th grade.

There was crocheting, sewing buttons and more crafty stuff to start out with.

We then went on to learn to sew full clothing. Night robes, skirts, jackets, linen sets, zippers and hems and everything in between.
I still have my folder with all the "minis" we practiced on before we did the big projects.
Home economics was laundry, stain treatment (different types and what soaps and some science why...) hone organization, time management and stuff like that. Same teacher also taught early special Ed. How to pick up on issues. And how to easily address at home and when to look for outside help, how to modivate children that are struggling. Amazing.

Then we had a cooking teacher. She taught tips and tricks and techniques and recipes. She made some GOOOOD food.

My now 5th grader can do cookies, cakes. Omelets and scrambled eggs. Waffles/pancakes. She's BEGGING me to let her do baked breaded cutlets and potatoes. I'm not sure why but I feel like cooking supper is a mommy's job. I let her help but she wants to have to kitchen to herself and make it.

amother

Indigo

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:49 am

My 6 year old goes to an after school baking class. He loves it! The Morah has far more patience than I do. The kids learn how to measure ingredients and crack eggs and juice lemons and zest oranges. They're not allowed to do anything truly dangerous like add boiling water to the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe or go near the oven, but they definitely do more than you might expect for their age!

amother

Razzmatazz

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:49 am

amother Oleander wrote:

Cooking used to be taught in schools - it was called Home Economics. Very Happy

Which cookbook breaks things down well for a child's abilities?

galpal

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 8:58 am

amother Oleander wrote:

Cooking used to be taught in schools - it was called Home Economics. Very Happy

How do you correctly dice an onion? I didn’t know there was an incorrect way!

ddmom

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:01 am

I think it's part of parenting.
Not everything should be taught in school.

amother

Tomato

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:04 am

Tzutzie wrote:

All you have to do is need the bathroom just around the time she's super hungry and leave the food out.
My 3 year olds have figured it out to my detriment... Can't Believe It

Yup
My four year old recently took cream cheese from the fridge and some bread and made herself a sandwich while I went to the bathroom for a few minutes.

amother

Holly

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:07 am

I wonder if the subject would go over well with kids. My kids get off sometimes before a yom tov. This year they got zero additional days. The complaints are why are they home all the time helping their mothers cook that's not a form of entertainment that we need.

However Mothers that are taking the time off because their kids got off from school may not have the patience to teach them the right way. They could benefit from learning to cook so they could efficiently help their mother.

Their also may be kids that developed extreme balabusta skills from their parents. I could see kids from very large families with certain responsibilities.

I would start teaching very young so they could come home with the skill. Making a sandwich I would teach younger than first even a 5 year old is capable. I would teach the proper way to peel. I find my kids could peel from a very young age but I hold back because they can't get the peels all in one spot. How to peel a hard egg could also be a lesson in a young grade. How to cut a tomatoe. How to use a apple slicer.

Somewere between 1-2 grade how to cut other fruit and vegetables. How to make lemonade and other non cook bake. Learning basic measurment-an important skill that for fractions is good taught young. How to follow a recipe. Recipes with cold ingredients

2nd grade Nutty buddies, flavored microwave popcorn. Noodle soup Recipes with hotter ingredients warm up a pizza.

3 grade more access to flame like scramble eggs, boiled eggs, cook rice, oatmeal, penut chews, how to turn off a flame, spice names
4th grade baking, incorporating fractions how to level ingredients, how to whip up eggs

5th grade how to double a recipe decorate cookies ...

6th grade how to make a presentable meal

amother

Cornsilk

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:16 am

We had sewing & cooking classes from 6th grade. Was called home economics. I think some schools still have it.

wanttobehappy

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:18 am

I went to culinary school as an adult.. was totally life changing I don’t use recipes anymore. I taste and layer my spices. I wish they would teach this in schools so much more useful than a ton of things our kids learn.

Bnei Berak 10

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:18 am

ddmom wrote:

I think it's part of parenting.
Not everything should be taught in school.

I respectfully disagree.
In an ideal world at should be part of parenting.
In the real world with full time working mothers and full time working fathers not every parent cooks from scratch. There's takeout and frozen semi ready food etc etc.
In this day and age there's a huge need for home economics.

flowerpower

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:18 am

behappy2 wrote:

I wouldn't mind if someone taught my second grader how to pour her own cereal and milk. Is that part of cooking? 😉

Or put the milk back in the fridge which includes closing the cover and closing the door after too. But I think that is too hard for a second grader. More on a seventh grade level.

Amarante

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:20 am

galpal wrote:

How do you correctly dice an onion? I didn’t know there was an incorrect way!

I wanted to add that the MOST basic knife skill for prepping is to curl your fingers under you when you use a knife so only the middle knuckle is next to the blade. This has two purposes - it provides a good way to align and move the thing you are chopping seamlessly and it also is an almost fool proof method to avoid cutting your fingers as the part of your body that is "exposed" to the knife is flat - hard to explain but try it and you will see how much safer and easier it is. I go crazy when I see people cutting things with their fingers extended.

Easier to watch but this is the technique

Cut a slice from the top of the onion - you want to expose a relatively large flat surface

Peel the onion

Hold the onion with the root down

Cut down but not all the way to the root. This accomplishes two things - it is critical that the onion not fall apart and ALSO the stuff that makes people cry is concentrated towards the root so if you don't slice all the way down most people won't cry.

Then turn the onion and slice it the same way so that essentially you now have "sticks" which are still attached to the root

Lay the onion on its side and then slice

Voila perfectly cubed/diced onions with a minimum of tears and they will be perfect "cubes"

The size of your slices will determine how big your cubes are

You need a good knife that you keep sharpened

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Mar 06 2024, 10:32 am; edited 2 times in total

Bnei Berak 10

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:24 am

wanttobehappy wrote:

Cordon Bleu by any chance?

Amarante

Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:26 am

amother Razzmatazz wrote:

Which cookbook breaks things down well for a child's abilities?

The specifically Jewish one is by Joan Nathan who is a prolific and very good cookbook author of Jewish food. Her cookbooks are great because not only are the recipe very good but she goes into a lot of historical and cultural background.

The one she did for kids is organized around various holidays.

There are other cookbooks that would be fun for a kid as well. Some are specific to certain skills like baking or cuisines like veggie or inspired by interests. For example, there is an American Girls Cookbook which would be fun for a girl who has the dolls.

The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen: A Cookbook with 70 Fun Recipes for You and Your Kids, from the Author of Jewish Cooking in America Paperback by Joan Nathan (Author)

In The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, beloved authority on Jewish cooking Joan Nathan shares seventy child-friendly recipes and cooking activities from around the world. Covering the ten major holidays, here she present a vast array of foods, flavors, and ideas. Included are dishes old and new, traditional and novel—everything from hamantashen to hummus, chicken soup with matzah balls to matzah pizza, fruit kugel to Persian pomegranate punch. Beautifully illustrated, this delightful cookbook will draw the entire family into the spirit and fun of Jewish holiday celebrations.

https://www.amazon.com/Childre.....r=8-7

Here is a random recipe - this one is for Pesach

CHOCOLATE-CHIP KISSES

EQUIPMENT
Measuring cups
Measuring spoon
Large mixing bowl
2 smaller mixing bowls
Electric mixer or wire whisk
Large spoon
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Pancake turner

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/3 cup chocolate chips
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla (optional)

MAKES ABOUT 36

Adult: Preheat oven to 300°.

Child: Break up the nuts into pieces at least as small as the chocolate chips. Separate the eggs—one at a time, in case they break. Here’s the Greek-Jewish way: Make a tiny hole in the end of the egg. Holding the egg in the middle, let the white run out into a bowl. Save the yolks for another use.

Adult with Child: Beat the egg whites until they form peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla until the whites are stiff.

Child: Gently stir the nuts and chocolate chips into the egg whites with a spoon. Drop the batter on parchment paper on a baking sheet in tear-drops. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until the kisses are hard but still white.

Note: For children who don’t like nuts, simply substitute more chocolate chips.”

Excerpt From: Joan Nathan. “The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen

Last edited by Amarante on Wed, Mar 06 2024, 9:29 am; edited 1 time in total

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