The Rules of the Kitchen

I developed my own set of Kitchen Rules over the years that grew out of experience, and I have been doing my part to impart them to my children. Cass, my boy, knows them so well that if someone were to ask him, "What's the first rule of the kitchen?" he'll answer accurately. 

There are two main rules, and either can be the First Rule. It depends on what's just happened. One thing I don't say as part of my Kitchen Rules is the old restaurant standard: "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean." Who doesn't hate hearing that?

1. The First Rule of the Kitchen is: You will get burned.
2. The Second Rule of the Kitchen is: You will get cut.

You can't let fear of those things make you timid. They'll happen. Accept it and move to the next thing.

 

The Third Rule is the poetic: A falling knife has no handle. And then the list mostly trails off.

But both kids are rather awesome about it. A few weeks back, I burned myself pretty good, and I was whipping my hand around huffing and puffing, looking for an onion and some oil top give me relief. Cass says, "You know dad, the First Rule of the Kitchen is: You will get burned."

"You're right, buddy," I laughed through gritted teeth.

Camille is at it, too. I'll say that something's hot, or something's sharp, and then, unprompted, the 3-year-old will start hollering: "You will get burn-ded! You will get cut-ted!"

"That's right, honey," I agree.

For our Memorial Day trip to the pool, Corrie suggested that Cass could finish up his reading Bingo chart from school---he still needed the "Read and make a recipe" tile---by making something for the party. They looked through Grandma Kate's gift recipes from Rad Dish (check it out!) and chose two. One was for pumpkin cookies, the other was for a cinnamon/brown sugar stuffed yeasted pancake things from Korea (hotteok, for anyone interested---they're great).

After the cookies came out but before we frosted them, Cass caught the upper part of his arm on the cooling sheet tray. It was cooling, not cool, and he got one of the trademark burns, but it was in a rare spot for professionals:

He was grimacing, but handling it. I said, "Wow, buddy! You got one! How is it?" He nodded. "You, uh, you remember the First Rule of the Kitchen?" I asked him.

He nodded again, "You will get burned."

Cue little sister, "You will get burn-ded! You will get cut-ted!"

It's nice. No hurt feelings, no judgement. He's all good now and barely remembers it, yet it was only a few days ago. Resiliency and realism in the kitchen. 

Awesome.