Safety First!

• Safe cooking environment (seated around a large table, away from stove, dangerous utensils out of reach, keep cords away)
• Before handling food, wash hands in warm, soapy water, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
• Make sure children are elevated to a comfortable counter height with a stable stool or chair.
• Always wipe up floor spills right away to prevent slipping.

• Wear child-sized aprons when cooking.
• Tie long hair back.
• Avoid long sleeves.
• Keep children away from stove.
• Keep all pot handles pointing away from children.
• Keep pot holders, trivets, and cooling racks handy.

• Pull out the oven rack part way before removing pans.
• Substitute a clean pair of scissors or egg slicer for a knife.
• Use serrated knives rather than dull or slicing knives.
• Use plastic knives for cutting soft ingredients.
• Hold only the knife handle, never the blade.

• Keep sharp part of the knife pointed away when cutting.
• Pre-cut ingredients if they're too hard for children to cut.
• Be careful with eggs! (don't use cracked eggs or eat anything with raw eggs)
• Check expiration dates on ingredients.

For Smooth Projects

• Check every child's records for ALLERGIES before selecting recipes.
• Always try/test the recipes beforehand!
• Any preparation that adult must do should be done ahead of time.
• Make sure you have sufficient quantities of all ingredients before beginning.
• Pre-measure any ingredients that are too difficult for children to measure.
• Have stages of a project finished ahead of time to save time.
• Use an ice chest if you don't have a refrigerator near your classroom.

• Toaster ovens and microwaves work well for many recipes if a conventional oven isn't available.
• Discuss rules of safety/sanitation before you begin (see above) and follow the rules consistently.
• Keep cooking groups small.
• Determine appropriate # of children to do activity beforehand.
• Transfer the recipe to a large chart or overhead transparency.
• Divide the jobs among class members or have them take turns being chefs and tasters.
• Have the children do both the cooking and cleanup.

• Put bowls and cutting boards on top of damp paper towels to prevent slipping.
• To crush ingredients, put in plastic freezer bag first.
• Have enough ingredients for children to taste and manipulate as project is done.
• Try to have extra ingredients on hand in case of mishaps.
• A handy substitution chart is helpful to have!
• Research shows that children need to be offered a new food at least 8-10 times before most will try it.
• A taste can be as small as one half a teaspoon.

• Let the children determine how little they want to taste.
• Color, texture, and flavor all make a difference.
• Never force a child to eat a particular food.
• Offer it, encourage and compliment the child for trying, then offer it again another time.
• Point out children who are trying new foods (peer pressure can function as a catalyst for trying new foods).
• Be a role model! You taste it too!!
• Keep a camera or tape recorder in the kitchen for documentation. (It helps to have an assistant to do the photography)