Help required for kids cooking session

[JamesB]

Hi there, I am one of the leaders at a youth club. We run two sessions for ages 9-11 and ages 11 and above.

Every now and again we run a cooking evening. We've cooked a couple of things in the past - we've done pancakes for example and made our own burgers which we have fried.

However, I'm wondering whether anyone has any other ideas of relatively simple and quick things we could cook with either age range. Have to be honest - I am not the most creative person so any help welcomed! We do NOT have any oven facilities - anything cooked would need to be done on a gas ring.

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciate

(I'm new here, so if I haven't posted in the right place my apologies)

James

[Zhizara]

Something using a white sauce like sausage gravy or SOS. Learning to make a white sauce is one of the most useful lessons I ever had.

[merstar]

Grilled cheese sandwiches
Sauteed chicken breasts or strips - with the strips, you could make quesadillas or wraps.
French toast
Omelettes, scrambled eggs, or bull's eye
Asian stir fry - vegetarian or with chicken or shrimp, vegetables, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, etc.
Pasta

For a dessert, you could do chocolate pudding.

[Aunt Bea]

Stone soup!
Everyone brings a fresh ingredient and see where it goes.

[Josie1945]

Welcome to DC.

Josie

[4meandthem]

Egg rolls or spring rolls
Sushi
Meatballs in sauce
Chili

Just about anything for that age. I had my daughter cooking stuff at 6-7 with supervision. She is 10 now and can make almost anything with just some oversight and a little help with more dangerous stuff like Hot Oil which I won't let anybody but me in the kitchen for. I also help with some of the knife work if appropriate.

I would let the kids pick what they want to make.

I would also keep a big bowl of ice water handy when working with multiple kids in case someone gets burned or splashed. The quicker you cool it the less pain. Don't let them crowd around the pan too much either.Better if 1 person is in charge of the pan.

[4meandthem]

Originally Posted by Zhizara

Learning to make a white sauce is one of the most useful lessons I ever had.

Good advise right there!

[salt and pepper]

Peanut brittle . Kids love it.

[letscook]

Love the stone soup idea, tell the story ahead of time and then see what they come with.

Peanut brittle is dangerous, unless many adult supervision. I had my heavy wooden spoon snap when spreading it and hand went into the hot brittle and I had severe burns on my hands -

Pizzas always good.
let them roll dough out and build their own personal pizzas.
I do this with my 3 grandsons and they love it. We use al foil to bake on so there is enough room in the oven for everyones. Remenbering to transport from table to oven and out of oven by siding the pizza on to a tray then into the oven.

pasta dishes - bake ziti - and they make a fresh tomato sauce.
fresh tomatoe sauce:
Makes 2 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 large),
salt & Pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Stir oil and garlic together in large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is sizzling and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, reducing heat if sauce begins to stick to bottom of pan, until thickened and chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meat loaf, mashed potatoes or even mac and cheese.

[purple.alien.giraffe]

Beans and franks
Tacos
Waffles
No bake cookies
Pasta salad
Yogurt parfets (you could have several options of stuff to go in them and they could assemble their own)
Add green food dye to scrambled eggs and have green eggs and ham
Chicken noodle soup
Vegetable soup

[2old2change]

Having NO OVEN, I would suggest macaroni & cheese.
They'd learn the bechemel, as stated above & who doesn't like mac & cheese. There are 1,000 of varieties.