Sharp Knives, Boiling Oil: My Year of Dangerous Cooking with Four-Year-Olds

  

Welcome to Family Bites' book week! I'll be sharing a week's worth of my favourite recent reads, giving you the chance to win a copy or two, as well. 

I'm new to the world of digital reading. I took me several years to adopt the e-reader, and another full one after that to understand what someone meant when they asked what type of file my device required. I resisted the idea of abandoning my precious paperbacks in lieu of an electronic, but I have to admit - I’m smitten.

For a while I was reading on a Kobo, and now I use an iPad mini. I have the Kobo and Kindle apps downloaded, which means I can purchase books from both Chapters and Amazon, and have them available to read within minutes. It’s pretty fantastic.

My favourite recent read via Kindle is Kim Foster’s Sharp Knives, Boiling Oil: My Year of Dangerous Cooking with Four-Year-Olds. I’m not sure which sold me on the story first: the title or the cover photo. Really, it doesn’t matter, because it was the writing that kept me hooked. 

In the self-published book, Kim, an enthusiastic, passionate cook, and mom of two school-aged girls, offers to teach her daughter’s pre-K class (in an East Harlem Public School, no less) how to cook. And by cook, I don’t mean no-bake cookies and fresh fruit kebobs – I’m talking about meatballs, latkes, dumplings, egg rolls, butter, Greek yogurt, and cream cheese, all from scratch; with a group of four-year-olds, in a classroom, using nothing more than a hot plate.

To say it all went smoothly would be lying. There were mishaps and messes, a Parmesan cheese fight, salt-infused paper cuts, copious amounts of crying, and parental complaints about the use of “sharp” knives. But, there was also confidence building, skills teaching, hilarity, and plenty of learning. For Kim, too, I suspect. And, tenderly weaved through it all, are narratives of a mother’s changing relationship with her daughter, and what it means to be a good parent.

As someone who has experience with classroom cooking, I am in awe of what she achieved with these kids in such a short amount of time, and deeply admire her dedication to sticking with the project when things got tough. I laughed through the pages, nodded my head in heartbroken understanding at the personal parts, and can’t wait to try a few of the lip-smacking recipes punctuating the end of each chapter. 

Kim has generously offered to give away a copy of Sharp Knives, Boiling Oil: My Year of Dangerous Cooking with Four-Year-Olds to one Family Bites reader. To enter, leave a comment and let me know if you’ve ever cooked with kids, and what the experience was like for you. I’ll draw a name at random on Friday May 10^th!

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If you missed the other posts that have been a part of book week you can catch them below:

Monday's book: Mad Hungry Cravings

Tuesday's book: The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage

Comments

[Val]

I always cook with my kids, age 4 and 8. They have done it all thankfully with no real mishaps except maybe egg shells in batter!

[Allison]

I cook with my kids, 6, 5, 3, almost everyday. Sometimes they are helping me crack eggs, roll out dough, sift the flour. Sometimes they are hanging on my legs and whining while I try and brown the chicken. Always they try to sneak a taste of whatever is in the bowl when my back is turned. Sometimes it's joy and sometimes I want to banish them from them kitchen so I can contemplate why I ever had children. Some days are better than others, though I think that is always the case with kids.

[Allison]

By the way, I am really loving Book Week here! What a good idea and I can't wait to read all of these books.

[Sarah]

I have toddler/preschool-aged boys so cooking with them is a bit tricky. They do love to help mixing and measuring out ingredients for cookie dough!

[Andrea]

I cook so etimes with my 8 year old, which I find challenging as she wants to try every ingredient like a starving Ethiopian! Kudos to anyone who takes on a group of 4 year olds in a cooking class!

[Krista Sanderson]

I have a 3yr old who loves to help me make baked goods. He also loves to make his own salad dressing!

[James]

Oh god tell me about it, my year old little man insists on helping out in the kitchen... pan fried duck breast, his latest creation! ;)
in all seriousness i love having him around helping out... and he seems to love it too

[Sarah P]

I have two kids under six and I am a JK teacher so I have lots of cooking with kids stories! My two children can make chocolate cookies without the recipe now and my favorite thing to make with my class is applesauce in the slowcooker. They are always amazed that applesauce actually is made of apples and doesn't magically just come in little prepackaged containers!

[Christine W]

I have 2 boys, ages 5 1/2 and almost 3, and I determined
that they will not be lost in the kitchen. So with that, they help me. With flour on the floor, sugar all over and batter that sometimes flies everywhere. But they are
learning. :) I would love a copy of this book! Thanks for this giveaway! :)

[Rebecca Park]

I love making muffins with my 2 & 4 yr old daughter and son. They both love to scoop flour and sugar. I have learned to let go a lot by cooking with them.

[Jen]

I love baking with my 3 year old- she's been working really hard on keeping her hands out of the mixing bowl and has almost mastered it- I think it was the fistful of cocca poweder she ate that convinced her to wait until I said it was ok to taste.