The kids were in the kitchen and giving me a heck of a time while I
was trying to prep some summer squash to sautee up (along with some
fresh thyme, some garlic, salt and pepper; I overbought at the market
and thought I could cook it off to use it to sauce pasta later in the
week, maybe put on some bruschetta.).
I looked at the pile of squash. I looked at the kids. I got an idea:
I got a couple of kiddie stools, a couple of knives (a plastic one for the lad, a table knife for his sister, and put them to work.
Check out sis’s knife skills. I swear I did not doctor this photo or
set it up. She, just by watching, imitated my technique. Her brother, by
watching his big sister, adopted hers.
What they produced in the end was not quite a brunoise, heck, not
even a rough chop. But small enough to put in your mouth. I cooked
it all up and it tasted just as good as if a culinary student had done
the prep. Correction: even better.
I give cooking lessons to kids as young as 2 and very much support teaching knife skills from an early age. There are training knives on the market (sort of like those Tupperware-type knives meant for cutting lettuce) and now knives for kids (made by Furi). I use them in cooking classes with kids and even like using the knife myself