Season 3, Episode 1: Set Yourself Up for Cooking Success

Conner: (00:00)
Welcome to Kiddos in the Kitchen, a podcast hosted by my mom.

Debbie McGiffin: (00:18)
I think there are a lot of kids that are very interested in cooking. And I think there's a lot of parents that are interested in having their kids cook. We make pretty much every single thing we use from scratch, and they work with chef knives, they are at the cooktops. They aren't watching me do something. They are hands-on participating through the entire class. And I think that really appeals to the kids

Stephanie Conner: (00:45)
For more than 25 years, chef Debbie McGiffin has been hosting kids cooking summer camps. Based on Florida's Gulf Coast, Chef Debbie runs Palate Culinary Services, where she and her business partner offer catering and takeaway gourmet, and teach classes and host team-building events throughout the year. Her favorite professional endeavor is teaching kids cooking classes.

Debbie McGiffin: (01:10)
My very favorite part of my job is teaching the kids cooking classes. They're so fun to be with in the kitchen. I enjoy the catering aspect as well, but really seeing those younger ones get in the kitchen and explore and try on tasks is just my favorite thing to do.

Stephanie Conner: (01:30)
Welcome to Kiddos in the Kitchen, a podcast about helping busy adults find the inspiration and information they need to teach the kids in their lives how to cook. I'm your host, Stephanie Conner. And today, I'm talking to a professional chef, cookbook author, kids cooking camp teacher, and mother.

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Stephanie Conner: (02:27)
Chef Debbie's camps run Monday through Friday. And on Monday, she teaches the basics of cooking. And then throughout the week, the kids are introduced to a wide variety of recipes, and flavors, and cooking techniques, culminating with a lunch for the kids’ parents on Friday.

Debbie McGiffin: (02:44)
I have to plan all of that in advance. When I'm doing that, I'm thinking, "Okay, what's going to keep kids busy?" I look at things like, "What do I not want to make at home, because it takes too long?" You make Asian dumplings, and you make the dough, and you make the filling, and you roll them all up. Spinach pies, things like that. The busier they are, I think the more they enjoy being in the kitchen. They don't really want to stand there, and watch you stir the pot. They want to stir the pot.

Stephanie Conner: (03:15)
You talked about spinach pies and the Asian dumplings. You're obviously doing a lot of different kinds of food. Do you find that when it's time to try these foods, do you find them to be pretty adventurous? Are they hesitant?

Debbie McGiffin: (03:28)
Some are hesitant. Well, we talk about that on Monday. Monday is our day where we go over cutlery, safety, sanitation, what the expectations are, how it's going to go. And when we talk about it on Monday, and I give them their cookbooks, and have them look through it, we kind of talk about it. "What do you not like? What do you like?" Remind them that my only real rule is, if you're not allergic, please taste it. You're in cooking camp to try some new things. I don't push it, because some kids just have aversions, and that there's no reason, but I will get them to try stuff.

Debbie McGiffin: (04:03)
Parents will come back later and say, "Oh my God, I can't believe he ate fish and asparagus." And a lot of that I think has to do with being in a completely different environment, where everybody is trying different things. And there's no parents around to give it to them to try. And they've prepared it. They've seen how it goes together. I think that combination of things. And I think that kids at home are more willing to try things if they help prepare it.

Stephanie Conner: (04:29)
I'm curious just because I know you do such a wide range of dishes. What are some of the popular recipes in your classes? What do the kids like?

Debbie McGiffin: (04:36)
The kids always love Italian day. We always make a homemade breadstick with garlic butter. And we make them a marinara from scratch. We make pasta from scratch. Alfredo sauce. Italian day is a hit any way you look at it. So is Asian day where we do dumplings, or a honey garlic chicken, or something like that. Chocolate's always a winner. I always bring the ice cream maker in. We make ice cream several times a week. They love to make that from scratch. There's just so many things that they love. It's easy to please them.

Debbie McGiffin: (05:15)
And then I like to throw in curveballs. I'll throw in something like a roasted Brussels sprouts, that they're like, "I don't know about that." With the Italian this year, we did a lot of eggplant parmigiana. "I don't like eggplant." I'm like, "Try it like this." "Oh my gosh, that's good. Can't even tell it's eggplant. It's crispy and has cheese and sauce on it. It's delicious."

Debbie McGiffin: (05:33)
They're really kind of all over the place with what they like, which is fun. And on Monday, since we do spend so much time up front talking, we only do breakfast and brunch dishes, because they cook faster. They love to make their own omelets, and fill them up themselves, and realize what a neat trick it is to learn how to fold the omelet over in the pan. And Mexican day, of course, queso dip, things like that. Desserts, we do a lot of cupcakes, a lot of layer cakes, or jelly rolls, and just a wide variety of things. We did tamales. They loved those. Sometimes I pick something and I'm like, "I'm not sure how this is going to go over." And they'll surprise me and love it. We have savory crepes too. Fill it with a creamed chicken and asparagus. And those were a huge hit. Soups. Am I making you hungry?

Stephanie Conner: (06:23)
She was indeed. But no matter what dish we're going to be making in our home kitchens, I wanted to learn what Debbie emphasizes on Monday, on that first day of cooking camp. What are the lessons she teaches that will set the kiddos up for success?

Debbie McGiffin: (06:40)
The first thing that I cover with them with safety and sanitation is cutlery skills. Monday morning first thing, when they go into the actual kitchen, I teach them how to use and hold a knife. How to go home with all 10 of their fingers, because obviously that's incredibly important. Plus then you're putting trust in them that they can handle this knife. We don't use plastic knives. I have some smaller ones, because sometimes I have littler hands. But I show them the way to hold it, how to hold their fingers, so that they don't take off the fingertips. It's a method called the claw method where all your fingertips tuck in, nothing will get cut. And then you can begin to see their confidence grow. You have to eat your whole life. You may as well learn how to cook. And this is a basic life skill that you'll use forever. Learn how to use a knife. That's first.

Stephanie Conner: (07:30)
Next, she goes over how to read a recipe, instructing them to read it three times on their own. And then once more with their kitchen partner. One lesson to do at home is to go over some of the abbreviations you might see in the recipe. For things like teaspoon, tablespoon, cup. "As you read a recipe, it's good to figure out what you don't understand," Debbie says. This way, you can ask your instructor, if you're in Debbie's class. Or you can do some online research at home.

Stephanie Conner: (08:02)
The third thing you can do to set yourself up for success in the kitchen is to learn the art of mise en place. That's French for putting in place.

Debbie McGiffin: (08:13)
What I like to tell the kids too is, "Have you ever watched a cooking show where the chef is talking, and all of the array of ingredients is measured out, and laid out in front of them in various bowls, containers, plates?" And they're like, "Yes." That is mise en place. That means you have looked through your recipe, and it says half a cup of diced onions, you've got that right here. Two tablespoons of olive oil, that's next to it. Teaspoon of garlic, that follows it. Things are sliced, diced, measured, and laid out in the order that the recipe calls for. That's a very important part. You're not going to have your flour at the end where it's supposed to be in the beginning. You have to pay attention to that.

Debbie McGiffin: (08:57)
At camp, we have helpers, they help clean up, the kids help wash dishes. At home, I tend to do that on a thin paper plate, so that you don't have a million dishes when you're finished. Because come on, none of us want to have to do that either. Being environmentally conscious, and trying to get it condensed is a good idea. In the beginning, I recommend using some small bowls, throw them in the dishwasher. Not a big deal. But as you gain your confidence, and you're like, "Okay, I know these two things go together," you can begin to make steps like that, that eliminate some of that process.

Debbie McGiffin: (09:32)
I find in the beginning, it's really important to visualize, "Okay, that is a half a cup of an onion." You know what that looks like. Down the road, you'll just glance at it, and say, "Okay, that's a half a cup." But to start with, I think it's important to measure, and lay out those ingredients. Especially if you're trying to teach a child how to cook. Because then they grasp it from a visualization standpoint too, of seeing all the ingredients laid out.

Stephanie Conner: (09:58)
Debbie had one more safety tip that I think is worth teaching kids, because I actually learned this the hard way in my 30s.

Debbie McGiffin: (10:06)
Let's say we're making a tray of cookies, and you're taking the baking tray out of the oven. Make sure that whatever towel, or cloth, or potholder you're using is dry, so that you don't have steam burn. Making sure that you have somewhere to go with it once you take it out of the oven. You don't want to be standing there with this hot pan, and not know where you're going to set it down. Being conscious of other people in the kitchen, being safe, making sure that pot handles are turned in on the stove, not walking away from something with the pot handle out so somebody gets hurt.

Stephanie Conner: (10:37)
When you talk about the pot handle, to be clear, you're saying basically it's not hanging over into the pathway. Right?

Debbie McGiffin: (10:43)
Correct. That's so that somebody can walk by and bump it.

Stephanie Conner: (10:47)
In addition to the safety and prep basics, Debbie said something that I think we all need to hear. "Mistakes and mishaps are going to happen, and they're not the end of the world. Let's not stress so much about getting every technique just perfect."

Debbie McGiffin: (11:03)
Not every technique is written in stone. There are various ways to come at things. Even things from where you might've heard butter has to be ice cold to make a biscuit. Well, that's not really true. There's not going to be any major catastrophes unless you thoroughly burn something, or undercook it. There's that, that's about it.

Stephanie Conner: (11:25)
And now it's time for kitchen questions. This season, I'm asking chefs some questions to help us all learn a little bit more about food and cooking.

Kitchen Questions Musical Intro: (11:38)
It's time for kitchen questions. I have a question. What would happen if you put a little bit of the wrong ingredients inside a cookie? Why are cupcakes squishy? How often do you burn things on accident? Do you like cake? What is the difference between baking and roasting? What is your favorite recipe?

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Conner: (12:21)
What is blanching?

Debbie McGiffin: (12:24)
Blanching is a technique where you drop something into boiling water to cook it. One of the best examples I could give you for that is green beans. It's a fast cooking method for something that would cook quickly like a green bean, asparagus, something along those lines. Even carrots, but that's a longer blanche. It's to put it into that boiling water, and let it cook.

Debbie McGiffin: (12:46)
Now the end result of that, which is what I think is important, that often gets missed, is the shocking aspects. It's blanche and shock. You go into the boiling water to bring out that really vibrant green, let's say for a green bean. And then if you pop it into the ice water afterwards, it retains that color. It will not lose that beautiful green color that you've spent the time creating. It also stops the cooking instantly, which is sort of the point of the shocking aspect. I like to do it for if I do a crudite platter, and I want to have a green bean on it, blanche and shock them for that, so that they're really pretty, and they're cooked just right, just the way you want them.

Conner: (13:29)
Why do people add milk or cream to scrambled eggs?

Debbie McGiffin: (13:35)
Just to add a creamier texture, and to add a richness to the eggs. That's really all that does. It just adds a bit of a luxury to the egg, if you will. Or as like my mom would maybe say, "Can help stretch the eggs too." Either way.

Stephanie Conner: (13:52)
Thank you to my guest today, Chef Debbie McGiffin of Palate Culinary Services. You can learn more about Chef Debbie at itsallaboutthefood.us. You can also visit Palate Culinary Services on Facebook and Instagram at Palate_Culinary_Services, or ChefDebbie's_Culinary. I'll link to these in the show notes on kiddosinthekitchen.com as well.

Stephanie Conner: (14:20)
When I'm in the kitchen with my son, my main goal is to create memories. And I'm a firm believer that if that's all we do as parents, then we're still doing it right. But yes, I do hope he's also learning how flavors go together, or simple skills like how to crack an egg, or flip a pancake. But even before we teach skills and recipes in the kitchen, it's a good idea to go back to basics. And this month I'm encouraging you to join me in doing just that. Does your kiddo know how to read a recipe? Do they know basic kitchen safety? And have you shown them the simple application of mise en place in the kitchen? If you're just starting to show your kiddo around the kitchen, these feel like solid first lessons to me. There's a reason Debbie covers them on day one of her kids cooking camps. But even if you cook with your kiddo regularly, these are worthwhile basics to return to. I know I will be.

Stephanie Conner: (16:11)
Thanks for joining me for Kiddos in the Kitchen. I'm your host, Stephanie Conner, with a reminder from my son.

Conner: (16:18)
If you like my mom's podcast as much as I do, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Stephanie Conner: (16:37)
That's right, Conner. You can also view the show notes, subscribe to our newsletter, and check out all of our other content at kiddosinthekitchen.com, we’re kiddos cook on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And I'll be back next month with another fresh episode. Until then, I encourage you to get your kiddos in the kitchen.