Equipment: Kids' Tools in the Kitchen

I've been getting a lot of questions about how to get kids involved in the kitchen. What's safe? What's fun? What do you do?

Here are some great tools to make meal prep a fun, safe + family friendly affair!

Cutting = scary! However, there are 2 tools that can make it a bit safer for the little ones.

1) Pumpkin Carving Knife: yes, that one from the kit! It has a safety blade that isn't as sharp as a regular knife, and  is just right for little hands. Great for slicing vegetables + fruits.

2) Zyliss Pizza Wheel: I've written about this before, and it's still a great choice. The handheld wheel gives kids more control over their motion, and keeps their little fingers out of the way. Great for cutting pizza (of course), slicing lunchmeat, chopping herbs, cutting hard veggies (carrots)

Of course, always make sure an adult is supervising any cutting by a child. 

A few ways kids can get involved in meal prep:

• cutting
• measuring (AJ loves to measure anything)
• stirring
• shaking (place dry ingredient in a plastic bag, seal and have them shake)
• pushing buttons (on your food processor, mixer, etc.)
• washing (give them a sink full of soapy water and let 'em go...just no breakable items)

Have fun!

Equipment: two-in-one pot

I love Le Creuset, and now they give a great space saving option for those of us with tiny kitchens. Their new 2-in-1 pot has a saucepan and a frying pan that can be used as a lid, or on its own. In tres chic colors, too!

Sur la table has free shipping this week....

Equipment: Needle Nose Pliers

You know, there are lots of things in your tool box that can be used in the kitchen...and can make the job easier. I love using a pair of small needle nose pliers to remove the fine bones in fish before roasting or grilling. Why, you may ask? Well, for starters it makes life a little easier on parents to not worry about a choking kid. But mostly, I take the extra step when I am catering an event. The last thing anyone wants to do at a cocktail party is pull a fish bone out of their mouth! No one can look cool doing that. Seriously.


This is an easy step, and doesn't take a lot of time....


1) Make sure your needle nose pliers are washed and dried (I dedicate a pair for this purpose)
2) Gently run your fingers (use gloves to avoid the fishy smell) along the flesh of the fish
3)When you feel the little bones peeking out, gently grab with the pliers and remove


Easy peasy. Now you're ready to roast, grill and amaze your friends with your beautifully prepared fish. 

Equipment: Squeeze Bottle

My house is a little maple syrup crazy...like most homes with kids. Those little ones are the perfect excuse for pancakes + waffles every weekend! I also use it to sweeten baked goods and sauces. [psst! it works lovely with tomato sauce!]

The problem with maple syrup [and I mean the real stuff, folks; don't mess around with the imitation sugary junk], is the mess. We could not seem to find a syrup container that 1) worked 2) prevented drips 3) was easy to use and 4) could be used by a toddler without fear for the rest of the table or persons assembled there.

Solution? Squeeze bottle. A giant one. You know, because we go through so much syrup, and I hate refilling it every weekend.

I've used squeeze bottles for loads of things in catering, so why not syrup? It's light weight, so the kid can't kill himself or break it. It doesn't have a lever that gets gummed up. It fits nicely in the door of my fridge. It does not leak or drip [or at least not a lot]. And it's so big, we can happily go for about a month before re-filling. Aaaah. Love the squeeze bottle.

Got any clever solutions in your kitchen? Let me hear 'em!

Equipment: 2oz Scoop

As a caterer, I occasionally get asked what items in my kitchen I could not live without. Most chefs have a favorite knife (Henckels or Global for me), but my most used and beloved item in the kitchen is my Vollrath Stainless Steel #16 scoop. #16 is the industry standard that is equivalent to 2oz. (i.e. it takes 16- 2oz sized scoops to equal 1 quart or 32 oz.).

So, it may sound odd that with all the cooking I do, that I am in love with a scoop. All I can say is that it is awesome, and you really should try it for yourself. Forthwith, a few of my reasons for loving the scoop (in no particular order)...

1) ice cram (duh!)
2) perfect amount for pancakes
3) perfect amount for waffles in my iron
4) portion control for sides
5) easy to clean
6) easy for kids to use
7) scooping out pumpkins + squash
8) perfect portion for rolls
9) perfect portion of hummus for a wrap
10) easy to use without getting anything else in the kitchen dirty...including your hands.