Get Set - guide for kids

Dress for success
Cooking is much more fun if you're dressed comfortably, and wearing a clean apron helps save your clothes from getting to dirty If you have long hair, tie it back or wear a headband, scarf or cap And don't forget your feet - wear shoes that are closed-in and have non-slip soles -- sneakers are perfect

Get clean
Because you're planning to handle food, it is important to wash your hands well - and often - with soap and warm water Don't forget to dry them well with a clean towel It is also a good idea to keep another cloth handy to wipe up and spills. Rinse it out in warm water every time you use it, and remember - never to use the same cloth on the floor that you use for the bench top or for your hands

Safety first
● NEVER start cooking without first asking and adult if it's okay
● ALWAYS use oven mitts when putting into, or taking them out of, a hot oven or the microwave - tea towels are too thin to protect your hands and, since a tea towel is often damp, it will steam when it comes into contact with the heat of the oven or hot pan and could burn your fingers
● ALWAYS place a heat proof mat or wooden board on the bench top near the stove so you have somewhere to sit the hot pan when you take it out of the oven or off the stove-top
● TAKE CARE when using knives or sharp utensils - keep your fingers away from the blades and tips If you are not allowed to use sharp knives, ask an adult to help you
● ALWAYS cut food on a chopping board, not the bench top
● NEVER use an electrical appliance near water and never handle any plug when your hand are wet. AND always remember to unplug electrical appliances, such as the toaster or sandwich-maker, before you get close to them with any kind of metal kitchen utensil
● REMEMBER that pans on the stove-top have steam coming from them, so do not reach across them with an unprotected arm
● WHEN  you put a pan on the stove-top, make sure its handle is not sticking out where it can easily be knocked over Turn the pan so the handle is out of your way - but so it's not over the heat either
● AFTER chopping raw meat, chicken or fish, the chopping board must be washed well with soap and hot water before you use it again
Timely tip
● WHEN a recipe gives a cooking time, set a timer or minute minder for that time - if you don't, it's easy to forget how long your food has been cooking and you could overcook or burn it. AND you should know that if a pan is left bubbling away, without a lid, on the stove for too long, it can boil dry and even burn on the bottom.

● BEFORE you turn on the oven, make sure the shelves are in the right position for whatever you are going to make. For instance, if you are baking a cake, the shelves should be in the middle of the oven. But make sure you leave enough room between the highest shelf and the inside top of the oven for your baking dish or oven tray - and whatever is in or on it! Turn the oven on and wait until it has reached the correct temperature before you put the food in to cook. (Most ovens have a light near the controls which goes out when the set temperature is reached - ask an adult if you are uncertain.)

Setting it straight
● IF you decide to surprise mum or your friends and cook dinner, don't forget that part of the job includes setting the table.
● TRY folding the serviettes into pretty or fun shapes. Or you can use a napkin ring for a special touch.
● IF you use placemats instead of a tablecloth, you're still protecting the table from spills but saving on the washing and ironing.
● THE easiest way to remember the right way to set the cutlery is to put knives and spoons on the right, and forks on the left, with the ones you use first being on the outside of the place setting. Make sure that your dinner guest has enough knives, forks and spoons to use a clean one for each course.

Tidying up
Every family has different ideas about what are good and bad manners at the table. But there is one rule in the kitchen that everyone agrees on - and it's that cleaning-up is a part of cooking. the least favourite part, sure, but do it well and you stand a better chance of being allowed back into the kitchen again for more of the fun part - cooking! If you do just these few things before you eat, then the person who has to do the washing up won't have such a messy kitchen to face after the meal (remember, this could be YOU!):

● FIRST, check that the stove has been turned off (and, when it's cold, wiped free of any spills).
● PUT away all the food you have finished with, checking that lids are on tightly and that raw or fresh foods you haven't used are covered and put in the refrigerator.
● WASH all the dirty utensils in hot soapy water, taking extra care when it comes to knives and others sharp things like food processor blades. Dry everything with a clean cloth and put it back in its right place.
● WIPE the bench top clean with a hot soapy cloth, sweep the floor and double-check that all electrical appliances have been turned off

Get Our Recipes

1.   Hassle-free Hotcakes
2.   Super scrambled eggs
3.   French toast
4.   Egg and bacon muffin
5.   Cheese omelette
6.   Perfect porridge
7.   Mouth - watering waffles
8.   The potato wedges
9.   Super salad
10.  Chicken noodle soup
11.  Pumpkin soup
12.  Ultra smoothies
13.  Snack attack
14.  Hash browns
15.  Stuffed spuds
16.  Lunch-box specials
17.  Fabulous fettuccine
18.  Oriental beef with rice
19.  Finger lickin' ribs and corn
20.  Mexican munchies
21.  Peanut chicken skewers and garlic bread
22.  Spaghetti Bolognese
23.  Oodles of noodle stir-fry
24.  Crunchy cutlets with potato wedges
25.  Honeyed drumsticks (chicken)
26.  Pizza express
27.  Fish and  chips
28.  Excellent roast dinner
29.  Hot chocolate fudge sundaes
30.  "Anna Pavlova" meringue cake
31.  Chocolate pudding
32.  Jelly custard cups
33.  Fruit chunks with honey yogurt
34.  Crunchy choc-topped bread sticks
35.  Marbled ice-cream heart
36.  Bread and butter pudding
37.  Chocolate mousse
38.  Awesome chocolate cake
39.  Party cupcakes (patty cakes)
40.  Anzac slice
41.  Orange juicy cake
42.  Mega choc-chip (cookies)
43.  Bananarama (cake)
44.  Bonza brownies (cake)
45.  Blueberry muffins
46.  Apricot chews
47.  Rocky road (with peanuts and marshmallows)
48.  Hubble bubble slice
49.  Popcorn caramels
50.  Crunchy chocolate nut clusters
51.  Leapin' lizards or...