organized and paying aention are important cooking skills. Before you fire up the stovetop or oven, read the recipe, including the ingredient list, from start to finish. Then it’s time to clear a clean surface and lay out all your cooking tools and ingredients. Once the food starts cooking, be sure to set a timer!
An apron is handy to help keep your clothes tidy when you are cooking.
A baking sheet is great for cooking food in the oven. The big, flat surface of a baking sheet lets you spread out ingredients like cauliflower or potatoes into a single layer so they cook quickly and evenly. You can line the baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper to prevent food from sticking and to make cleanup a snap.
A food processor is a small electric appliance that comes with different blades and disks that can slice, chop, purée, and shred ingredients. It can also knead dough. Ask an adult for help when using a food processor and be careful of the sharp blades.
Frying pans and sauté pansare shallow pans with sloped or straight sides. They can be used for sautéing, stir-frying, and pan-frying. A nonstick pan helps prevent food from sticking and makes cleanup easier.
A ladle is a long-handled spoon with a cup-like bowl. It’s used for serving sauces and soups from deep pots.
Measuring cups and spoons help you measure your ingredients accurately and easily. Choose graduated sets for dry ingredients and a liquid pitcher for wet ingredients.
Oven mis or pads protect your hands from hot pans, oven racks, baking sheets, and baking dishes.
A rubber spatula is helpful for mixing and for scraping foods out of bowls or pans, like when you transfer hummus from the food processor to a serving bowl. Wide, flat metal spatulas are used to flip food over during cooking.
Saucepans are deep pots with long handles and lids used for stovetop cooking, such as boiling and simmering. They come in different sizes—small ones hold 1 to 2 quarts, medium ones hold 2 to 3 quarts, and large ones hold about 4 quarts.
ools o’ need
The recipes in this book use a few basic cooking tools. There’s no need to go out and buy everything all at once—you can collect tools slowly over time, as you try your hand at different recipes and styles of cooking.
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Many of the recipes in this book can be customized to include your favorite flavors. Add some personal flair to every dish!
Snacks
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Pour the canola oil into a large, heavy saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat, add the popcorn, and cover. Cook, shaking the pan oen, until you hear kernels popping. Continue to cook, shaking the pan continuously, until the popping slows to 3 to 5 seconds between pops. Remove the pan from the heat, carefully li off the lid, and divide the popcorn evenly between 2 bowls.
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the salt and the powdered sugar over 1 bowl of popcorn. Sprinkle the cheese, buer, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the second bowl.
Using clean hands or a large spoon, toss the popcorn in each bowl until well combined. Scoop the popcorn into individual bags or boxes—sweet in one and cheesy in another—and serve right away.
¼ cup canola oil½ cup popcorn kernels3 teaspoons salt¼ cup powdered sugar cup grated Parmesan cheese3 tablespoons unsalted buer, melted
Sweet--Saly Popc
Two kinds of popcorn—one a lile sweet, one a lile savory—ensures that everyone gets their favorite snack for your next movie night. Put the popcorn in cute bags or boxes and give each person their own, or just serve it in two bowls and let everyone share!
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SERVINGS
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Trim the crusts off of the bread and cut the slices into twenty-four 1-inch cubes. Transfer the cubes to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with a lile salt, toss to combine, and spread the cubes into an even layer. Bake, stirring once halfway through, until the bread is golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the bread cool completely.
Onto each wooden skewer, thread 2 bread cubes, 2 tomatoes, 2 basil leaves, and 2 mozzarella balls in any order that you like. Place the skewers on a serving dish and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with a lile salt and serve right away.
wooden skewers
Three or four -inch-thick slices crusty country-style bread, such as Italian or sourdough tablespoons
olive oil
Salt
4 cherry tomatoes4 small fresh
basil leaves4 small fresh mozzarella balls
Capre Kebabs
These cute skewers put all the flavors of caprese salad on a stick! Use multicolored cherry tomatoes for extra fun, and omit the basil if you don’t like it. Make sure you toast your bread until it’s golden, but not too crisp or the cubes will be hard to skewer.
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