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Cooking 101 for Your College-Bound Child

Teach your children the basics and beyond

By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

Beyond scrambled eggs and sandwiches, I was pretty much lost in the kitchen of my first apartment in college. When I realized I was responsible for preparing dinner once a week for my roommates, I felt completely overwhelmed.

Mom got the 911 call, and sent a couple of favorite family recipes she could talk me through. With time, patience, a few inedible dishes, and the cooking wisdom bestowed upon me by my savvier roommates, I ultimately learned to churn out decent and healthy meals.

During this learning process, I decided that my yet-to-be-born children were going to know their way around the kitchen. But as the years passed, sports, lessons, and friends always seem to interfere with my intentions to teach my two children the kitchen basics. My chance finally came during my son's senior year of high school.

Mom 101

My son managed to talk his way into early release his final semester of high school. This time is actually designed for internships or work-related experiences, but neither would work for Andrew because of his tennis team matches and practices.

We settled on an 18-week curriculum titled "Mom 101." Here was my opportunity to teach him all the life skills I knew before he left for college (well, almost all). After scouring bookstores, libraries, and the Internet in a vain search for a book to guide me, I decided to develop my own curriculum (I keep threatening to write a manual for parents who want to prepare their children before they leave the nest, and I may actually do it now that my daughter is college-bound).

Every afternoon, my son (and a few years later, my daughter), and I enjoyed quality time together as we went over an extensive list of kitchen skills, along with laundry basics, first aid, money management, car maintenance, planning for college, and the all-important parental expectations while away from home.

Each child kept a notebook to write down tips, recipes, and reference information they could use and build on later. Our first field trip was to the grocery store, where I showed them how to read labels, select fresh produce and lean cuts of meat, pick out fresh seafood, and understand expiration date codes.

They also learned simple techniques such as the best way to navigate a grocery store: first, hit the center aisles where the nonperishable items are usually located, followed by breads, produce, dairy, and last, frozen foods.

Simple Recipes

Together we chose recipes that the kids loved, and that were healthy and easy to prepare. Mediterranean Pasta was their hands-down favorite, and it has been prepared for family and friends numerous times.

We discussed what goes into a well-stocked pantry , and the importance of having all the ingredients measured before you start cooking, and of cleaning as you go.

Each day, we prepared an item or two (which we usually ate for dinner) until we checked off all of these items on our curriculum:

Breakfast foods. Popular with most teenagers and easy to prepare, these were first on the list. Pancakes, omelets, and scrambled eggs are easy anytime meals.
Beverages, ranging from a good cup of coffee to steeping hot and cold tea.
Baked goods, including Mom's favorite oatmeal cookies, as well as muffins, breads, and doctoring cake mixes.
Pasta cooking techniques, including quick-and-easy sauces and various combinations to increase vegetables and fiber in the meal.
Seasonings, including tips on cutting an onion, mincing garlic and fresh herbs, as well as a list of cupboard must-haves.
Grilling basics for poultry, steaks, burgers, and vegetables, suitable for the portable grill.
Soups, stews, and crock pot dishes. All make inexpensive, nutritious, and filling meals.
Ethnic cuisine, including favorite recipes for tacos, spaghetti, and simple stir-fry dishes.
Multiple ways to prepare chicken and ground beef.
Simple salads that can serve as side dishes or main meals.

Handle With Care

Kids in the kitchen are not always the neatest, and germs run rampant on college campuses. You can't be too careful when it comes to proper food handling. Mom 101 (and my daughter's advanced-level course, Mom 201) put great emphasis on the importance of proper dishwashing, soaking utensils, and cleaning up after meals. Food safety, hand washing, cleaning of sponges and cutting boards, sanitizing the workspace, proper food storage, leftovers, and using thermometers in both the freezer and refrigerator were addressed.

One More Thing Before You Leave

It was difficult for me to say good-bye to my son three years ago, and it's going to be even harder when I take my daughter to school this fall. Spending this special time with each of my children gave me a wonderful opportunity to impart some domestic wisdom, but, more important, it was cherished time to be together.

My son still calls me with cooking and recipe questions, and has impressed a date or two with his culinary skills. I suspect my daughter will feel very confident in the kitchen, and hope she continues to eat healthfully and avoid the dreaded "freshman 15."

All you can do as a parent is to teach your children well and set a good example. As much as I would like to keep them young and at home, I feel great knowing that they passed "Mom 101," and I'm confident they'll be able to fend for themselves in their first apartments.

The real test will be when they invite me to dinner. I await that day with great anticipation.

Mediterranean Pasta

2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 scallions, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 ounces farfalle or any shaped pasta
1 package Knorr Swiss garlic cream sauce made with skim milk

Grill chicken breasts until cooked; slice into strips
Cook pasta in boiling water according to the package instructions until tender, approximately 10-12 minutes.
Make garlic cream sauce according to package directions, set aside
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil for 3 minutes; add sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes; add chicken strips and cream sauce.
Toss cream sauce with pasta; serve immediately
Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

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