Safety tips for Parents
As a father, I have been given a radiating warmth of pride in my daughters interest and budding abilities learning culinary skills. At such a young age It can be difficult for a parent to allow ones child to work with foods such as chicken or eggs. I also have had these difficulties but found by letting my daughters behavior, interest and proficiency dictate the level of tutelage I give. Despite my own fears and reservations, we have found a happy medium. This doesn't mean letting your child delve where competent makes eliminating danger easier. It actually makes it harder and increases the risk. So, as your child grows working with food you will have to be more vigilant. You must watch closely to make sure your child adheres to food safety, repeat the instructions and why often. Always wash with them several times while handling food and remember they want to know the right way.
Children can pick up many of these things very quickly but though they know how to bread chicken they will forget not to put there hands on there face and so forth. This is why i'm stressing again repeat what and why as often as necessary and shock them with a loud reprimand if you see the soiled hand going towards the face or mouth. No need for words here, you do not need to disparage them in anyway. What they are doing is natural however thunderous whoa! h..... um em stops them in there track. A startle is much better for your child then salmonella. Then calmly, right after is when you should again repeat what not to do and why while taking them to wash their hands.
One more tip I would like to provide is to begin knife training early. I'm a learning father so take it for what it's worth. I found the best way to repeat the important safety aspects handling a blade can start long before a child ever holds one. What do I mean? How can that be done? Well, by using product such as play dough that can be cut easily buy a plastic mock up knife a child can start to build the necessary dexterity to eventually use a knife. More importantly as a parent you can show them the proper techniques for making different cuts. You can show them how a knife should be held for slicing, dicing, boning, carving even oh to properly use a cleaver without any of the risk. This method also allows you to show your child how the subject of the cut should be held or not held. The eagle claw method for dicing and carving, the far hand lateral method for boning, and the no hand clever method are a few of these. Now, I do not allow my daughter to use a blade. She does not have the dexterity or temperament as of yet. How ever she has successfully boned specific cuts of dough from plastic bones. Like a high school anatomy class i have mocked up (using different color dough) the flesh, tendons, and fat. She is able to remove just the flesh using proper boning technique and the far hand lateral method. She also always uses eagle claw on close cuts with a plastic knife now simply from repetition.
I will be writing further articles on this subject and methods.look out for them in the future!
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