No-holds-barred Kids' Cooking

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ARA) - I've always loved cooking with kids. Now, as a new father of two young ones just 13 months apart, I'm looking forward to having a laugh with them in the kitchen and inspiring them to take an interest in what they eat.

Of course, sometimes kids get too interested, meaning that cooking with them is also about wiping, sweeping, mopping, washing, drying and ironing.

I don't think enough responsibility for cooking is given to kids; maybe it's because parents are always worried about them making a mess. Go ahead -- let kids get their hands in the food. While it's important to watch out for heat, knives, machinery and the like, there's still a load of bashing, smashing, squeezing, tossing and drizzling to be done.

Smush-Ins

When I was a kid, my sister and I would try to defrost our hard ice cream in our dessert bowls into almost a thick milkshakey consistency. We realized that many flavors could be smushed in. Anything could be a contender, from maple syrup to bashed-up chocolate chips, meringue or fruit -- you name it, we would smush it!

* Get a big pot of vanilla ...
... ice cream and a selection of possible smush-ins.

* Take two large scoops of ice cream per person; blob these onto a clean chopping board.

* Sprinkle or dribble over your flavors.

* Use a spatula or fork to mush and smush it all together.

* Scoop up and lob into a bowl or cone.

No-holds-barred kids' cooking tips

Here are some other no-holds-barred cooking tips for kids. Think of them as a way to have them explore colors, shapes and textures:

* Push, fold, slap and roll some bread dough around.

* Plop a big blob of plain yogurt or guacamole on top of a bowl of chili.

* Make marinades and bash spices in a mortar and pestle.

* Pour oil over meat, fish or salads from a height.

* Bash olives on a chopping board to remove the pits.

* Smash tomatoes; squeeze lemons.

* Dust a baking pan with flour.

By now, the kids -- and their clothes -- will most likely be covered with melted ice cream, flour, tomato juice, salad oil, chocolate and any variety of slippery spills. Don't worry. It's fine to make an event out of cooking with kids. It's really good fun and works great as a bribe to get them to help you with proper cooking! Plus, you get to feel five years old all over again.

How to clean up after a mess-up

While Jamie offers lots of tips on making a mess in the kitchen with kids, Amana washers and dryers provide the easy cleanup solution. Just toss any messy linens, clothes or towels in the washer, which fits more laundry per load. There are no confusing instructions to worry about -- just twist a knob and go. And the stress-free stainless steel tub won't scratch, even if your child hides a toy in a pocket.

There's also a handy fingertip faucet under the washer rim so you can rub in some stain remover and rinse off your hands before returning to the kitchen. If you're in a hurry, the Quick Wash feature lets you launder it quickly and gently. You won't have to baby-sit the dryer, either, thanks to Extended Tumble, which keeps on tumbling without heat so clothes don't wrinkle -- even if you can't unload the dryer right away.

Courtesy of ARA Content





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Courtesy of ARA Content