Master the skills
Being able to cook is an essential life skill.
Cooking is an essential life skill, and one of the best ways to get kids confident with veg (and even fruit and beans).
Our Kitchen Ninja skills make learning easy and fun, with quick how-to videos from our friends Triplets in My Kitchen.
Triplets in my kitchen
There are a bunch of skills you need to become a true Kitchen Ninja.
Here are eight simple skills for you to master with helpful how to videos from our expert friends Triplets In My Kitchen
1
Get soapy!
Always wash your hands before cooking: warm water, soap, all sides of your hands, for 20 seconds.
2
Wash it!
Rinse veg in cold water, getting between leaves and layers. Use a scrub brush for muddy root veg. Veg with natural “wrappers” (onions, garlic) are fine once peeled, no need to wash those!
3
Get ready!
Read the recipe first, then weigh and prep everything you need. Check how each veg should be chopped and how much you’ll need.
4
Try it!
Taste as you go (with an adult’s OK). Veg, beans, and sauces change flavour throughout cooking.
Try bold and fun suggestions for how you think it can taste even better. Sprinkle over the extra bits, and have fun shaping and serving the foods, too.
5
Grate it!
Set a box grater on a chopping board so it doesn’t slip. Hold the handle firmly and grate slowly up and down. Stop when your fingers get close and ask an adult to finish. Try carrots, courgettes, or red cabbage first.
6
Mix it!
Mixing in a bowl is simple, just keep everything inside the bowl! When stirring over heat, have an adult help. Use wooden spoons, hold handles carefully, and protect hands from hot pans. Try mixing sauces, stews, chilli, curry, stir-fries or other veg-packed dishes.
7
Chop it!
Start with a butter knife and soft veg like mushrooms, tomatoes, or peppers. Move up to child-safe knives, then adult knives with help.
Begin with “the bridge”: form a bridge with your hand to hold round veg steady, and chop carefully with your other hand, keeping fingers and thumb tucked away from the blade. Perfect for rounder veg like cucumber or peppers.
8
Ninja claw!
The “claw” is great for dicing veg (chopping it into smaller pieces). Just tuck your thumb in and under your hand, and tuck the other four fingers in slightly to make a claw shape.
Use that shape to hold your veg steady and to chop slowly and carefully a little closer to your hand than you would with the bridge, making sure to keep your thumb tucked in at all times.
Download it!
Download the kitchen ninja chart to tick off the skills as you learn them.
Do you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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