11 minute read
What type of cooking knives can kids use safely?
by Echo Press
What types of cooking knives can kids use safely?
By Lori Mork
The last couple of times that my grandchildren have visited, they’ve been set on helping me in the kitchen. I love having them work with me preparing the food, setting the table and “taking food orders” from their parents.
The one thing that made me nervous was their desire to help me cut up foods. The idea of giving children under the age of 10 a knife seemed like a dangerous idea, but we came up with a suitable solution at the time – butter knives with slightly serrated edges. They aren’t overly sharp, but still were good for cutting peeled cucumbers and softer vegetables like bell peppers and snap peas.
My granddaughter Brielle, 9, was able to do a good job of slicing onions with a mandolin (carefully!) and prepping cucumbers with the vegetable peeler. Her brother Miles, 5, chopped cucumbers into chunks, although as many went in his mouth as in the serving bowl. They both were able to man the apple peeler with no problems last fall and were able to roll out crust when we baked apple pies.
After struggling through the vegetable cutting, I decided to be prepared for their next visit and did some research on what types of knives the two could use for their ages.
I found that companies that make kitchen utensils have done some work to make tools the right size for small hands.
PLASTIC/NYLON
SERRATED KNIFE
One of the first knives that have been recommended for children younger than 10 is a heavier plastic or nylon serrated knife, or even a serrated cake knife. These knives are able to cut through bread, cheese, soft fruits and vegetables, and are relatively safe for little hands.
SAFETY KITCHEN KNIFE
As your children get older, you can begin to let them use a safety kitchen knife. These tools have metal blades, but have a blunted flat edge and a rounded tip, and are good for the majority of fruits and vegetables.
You’ll still have to keep an eye on the action because these knives can still cause cuts.
SMALL SANTOKU KNIFE
Children ages 6-10 can graduate to a smaller knife with a sharp edge, such as a small santoku with a sheath. A santoku knife is a Japanese-style knife that has a flat cutting edge and a handle that is in line with the top edge, leaving plenty of clearance between the handle and the cutting board. It also has a rounded curve at the end rather than a sharp point. Don’t settle for a paring knife. Despite its small size, it doesn’t have enought clearance between the handle and cutting board to be safe for small hands.
CUT-RESISTANT GLOVES
Finally, if you’re still a little nervous about allowing children to use sharp knives, you can add a pair of kid’s cut-resistant gloves, which are designed to help protect small hands from cuts. These gloves are especially nice if your child is using a grater or a mandolin slicer.
These gloves are made of a high performance glass fiber with a tight knit and fit snugly on hands to prevent slipping. They come in several different colors that will make all children happy. I may even look for a pair for myself.
Teaching children knife safety
As a parent or grandparent, how do you help children to handle something as potentially dangerous as a kitchen knife? Since some children dive right into almost anything with reckless abandon and others are methodical and careful, only you know what level of skill your child might be at, but there are some basics you should follow.
SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY.
Children learn by watching others, so make sure that you are a model of the safety you want your child you emulate. Demonstrate how to safely handle a knife and instill in them a solid understanding of how to use a knife as well as what not do do.
PLASTIC AS A STARTER.
With a plastic knife, children can learn the basic skills of slicing and chopping using things like Play-Doh, marshmallows and kinetic sand. Many plastic knives are the size of authentic metal knives, so children are able to undestand how to properly hold them. It’s also a perfect time to teach them about what not to do, like poking each other, waving them around, pounding on the table with them – all dangerous when using real knives.
ALWAYS SUPERVISE. No matter how old your child is, you need to be near them and keeping an eye on the action, especially once they’ve begun using real knives.
PICK THE RIGHT TOOL
FOR THE JOB. When you decide your child is ready for the real thing, select a knife that is suited to his age.
USE IT CORRECTLY. As you continue to help your child, make sure you teach them the correct way to hold a knife and especially what do do with their other hand. Teach them when to use a sawing motion or when to cut straight down.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE,
PRACTICE. No matter what their age, children need to practice in order to become competent with a knife.
TALK TO THEM. When you’re cooking together, talk about what you’re doing and explain words like chop, dice or mince and how to accomplish those tasks.
Not only does talking help them learn, it creates a bond between you and your child and gives them a love of cooking.
Marthaler from page 8
“It was dramatically gorgeous,” said Marthaler, who thought to herself, “How can I go back (to running on roads)?”
That is what led her to look for trails to run and hike on instead.
She remembers knowing that Lake Carlos State Park had some great trails as she had been on them with friends, but at that time, it was really the only park she knew about. She eventually learned about Lake Brophy County Park and through some Googling around the internet for parks in the area, learned about Kensington Rune Stone Park and Spruce Hill County Park.
After finding the Kensington park, Marthaler made the commitment to hike at least two days a week with her dogs, which she said need it because it keeps them much more calm and even-keeled.
“They need to run to burn off their energy and it forces me to be more consistent,” she said, noting that she and her dogs take to the trails year round – through every season and all kinds of weather.
LEARNING THE RULES
When she first started taking to the trails, she learned quickly about some of the rules. For instance, if a park has groomed cross country ski trails, hikers, walkers, snowshoers and runners, along with their pets, should stay off of them. Cross country skiers need/want smooth trails because it makes it easier to ski, she learned.
Additionally, if there are mountain biking trails within a park and those trails are soft, stay off of them. Similar to the ski trails, marks of any kind shouldn’t be left on a mountain biking trail.
She also learned early on that if a park has a map of the trail system, to take a picture of it. It helps for locating the trails and to avoid getting lost.
Although she spends much of her time hiking the trails close to home, Marthaler loves traveling to the North Shore to spend time on the trails up north. And whenever she is on vacation, she will seek out parks to hike and run in.
One of her favorites was the Grand Canyon.
“It leaves you speechless,” she said. “And it makes all your troubles seem so small. I would go back in a heartbeat.”
Sabrina Marthaler stands by the map of Kensington Rune Stone Park. The park, which is about 15 miles west of Alexandria, is one of her favorites for hiking and to bring her dogs to. There are hiking and biking trails at Kensington Rune Stone Park. (Photo by Celeste Edenloff)
AREA PARKS
Kensington Rune Stone Park, located in
Solem Township, is about 15 miles west of Alexandria. It is home to the historic Ohman Farm and discovery site of the controversial Kensington Runestone. The newly built Visitor Center offers modern restrooms, an interpretive room, a gathering space that can be rented out, and drinking water. The park offers newly developed and dedicated mountain biking trails and nearly eight miles of multi-use trails for running, walking, hiking and riding on. The trails weave through oak, maple and aspen trees with a few small lakes and prairie meadows mixed in. It also includes picnic tables, charcoal grills, softball field, horseshoe pit, volleyball court and playground. And it has a great sledding hill in the winter.
From Alexandria, go west on Highway 27 approximately 14 miles to County Road 103. Go about one and a half miles south on County Road 103 to the park entrance road. Watch for signs.
Lake Brophy County Park is located on
the north side of Lake Brophy. The park was built with a Legacy Grant from the State of Minnesota in 2018. The park offers some of the best views of Alexandria and surrounding areas with the tops of the hills 140 feet above Lake Brophy. Multi-use trails, including mountain bike trails, wind through the park’s 142 acres. Children will enjoy the large playground and the park also offers a swimming beach and fishing pier. In the winter, visitors can enjoy sledding, crosscountry skiing, skating and more.
From Alexandria, take County Road 82 west to Brophy Landing NW. Watch for signs.
Spruce Hill County Park is located in
Spruce Hill Township. The park offers three miles of multi-use trails along with picnic shelters. There is also Spruce Creek, which is a spring fed tributary of the Long Prairie River. The creek flows through the park and offers visitors the chance to wade in its cool waters.
From Alexandria, go north on Highway 29 approximately nine miles to County Road 5. Go five miles east on County Road 5 to Spruce Hill Park Road, which is County Road 105. Go north about three-fourths of a mile to the park entrance road. Signs are located along the way.
The Central Lakes Trail is a paved biking
and walking trail that spans Douglas County from Osakis through Evansville and on to Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County. The 55-milelong trail, located on the old Burlington Northern rail line grade, connects the cities of Osakis, Nelson, Alexandria, Garfield, Brandon, Evansville and Melby in Douglas County. The trailhead and parking area in Alexandria is at the north end of Broadway in Big Ole Central Park. The Central Lakes Trail also connects to the Lake Wobegon trail, which runs from Osakis through Sauk Centre to St. Joseph. Together, they make one of the longest paved bike trails in the state. The Central Lakes Trail is used as a snowmobile trail in the winter.
Although nowadays she runs and hikes trails just for fun, Marthaler has participated in the Wild Duluth 50K ultramarathon trail race three times. That race takes participants on a little more than 31 miles of rugged, rocky and rooty trails on the Superior Hiking Trail.
A friend of hers had competed in it and told her it was just “eight hours of forward motion” and although it sounded a little crazy, the next year she signed up. She said it’s a huge commitment that takes a lot of training.
These days, she finds herself volunteering for those types of races or helping her friends who are competing. But any time she is on the trails now, it’s just for fun.
Marthaler said spending time in nature can be fun whether you’re alone, with friends or taking the family.
“It’s healthy, it’s fun and I guarantee, you will never regret it,” she said. Sabrina Marthaler of Evansville loves to hike. This photo was taken at Glacier National Park in Montana. Although she spends much of her time hiking a little closer to home, whenever she travels, she will find somewhere to hike. One of her favorite places she has hiked is the Grand Canyon. She hopes to one day hike it again. (Contributed photo)
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