The lockdown is long. Your kids are home and now what? How are you going to keep them busy without them zombifying in front of their screens? Don’t fear, here at Core Catering Supplies we have come up with the perfect solution – cooking.

Learn more about these benefits and how to get your kids inspired below. We’re also sharing our favourite fun and easy kid’s recipes you and your children will love to try together so stick around, grab your aprons and get started!

Benefits Of Getting Your Kids Involved In Cooking

Cooking is actually a multi-disciplinary skill that draws from a wide range of faculties like mathematics fine motor movement, thinking and reasoning – all of which are important for the healthy development of your child’s mental and physical capabilities. The benefits are far-reaching and essential for adult life.

More-ish Mathematics

With schools closed, what better way to introduce arithmetic than with measuring out ingredients or adapting recipes. Kids who struggle with the abstract element of mathematics really stand to benefit from the real-world application of fractions, ratios and divisions commonly used in cooking. Teach your kids how to bake some of their favourite snacks and they won’t even realise they’re using math because of the delicious treats waiting for them at the end.

Thinking And Reasoning

Hands-on cooking activities help children develop confidence and skill. Following recipes encourages children to be self-directed and independent, and it also teaches them to follow directions and develops their problem-solving skills.

Easy Recipes For You And Your Kids

Looking for a place to start? No worries Core Catering Supplies has got you covered with this fine selection of simple recipes both you and your little chef will be begging to try out.

Peanutbutter And Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 375ml cake flour
• 5ml bicarbonate of soda
• 1ml salt
• 125g butter
• 250ml light brown sugar
• 1 extra-large egg
• 5ml vanilla essence
• 250ml smooth peanut butter
• 250ml coarsely chopped peanuts
• 275g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

Directions

Cream together the butter and sugar until its light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla essence, then add the peanut butter and mix well. Next, add the dry ingredients and peanuts and mix. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat an oven to 180°C and line two baking sheets with baking paper and grease. Break off about 30ml of the dough, roll it into a ball, press a piece of chocolate in its centre and cover with dough. Repeat with all the dough.

Arrange the dough on the baking sheet with enough space to allow for the cookies’ spread. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Candy Miellies (Yes really!)

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 Miellies

Directions

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar together, then add vanilla. Add almond flour and salt and beat until combined. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. On plastic wrap, form each piece into a log. Refrigerate until solid, 2 hours.

When cookie dough is well chilled, push corn into cookie dough in rows. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour. 

Rainbow Pizzas

• 2 plain pizza bases
• 6 tbsp passata
• 400g mixed red and yellow tomatoes, sliced
• 75g sprouting broccoli, stems finely sliced
• 8 green olives, pitted and halved (optional)
• 150g mozzarella balls
• 2 tbsp fresh pesto
• handful fresh basil leaves to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Put each pizza base on a baking sheet and spread each with half of the passata. Arrange the tomatoes on the top in rings or wedges of colour, and add the broccoli and olives. Dot the pizza with the mozzarella balls then drizzle 1 tbsp pesto over each.

Bake for 15-20mins or until the top is bubbling and just starting to brown. Scatter over the fresh basil leaves before serving.

Earth Cookies

• 1 bag sugar cookie mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• Blue food colouring
• Green food colouring

Directions

Preheat oven to 375º and line two baking sheets with parchment. Prepare sugar cookie mix according to package directions. Place about 1/4 of dough in one bowl and dye green using green food coloring until desired color is reached. Dye remaining dough blue until desired color is reached. 

Pull out pieces from each colour and start shaping into a ball, patching if necessary to create an Earth effect.

Place cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets and bake 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges are set (try to prevent browning).

Homemade Cake Pops

• 175g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 100g self-raising flour
• 150g icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• 200g white chocolate, melted, to dip
• sprinkles, to dip

Directions

Preheat an oven to 190°C and prepare a 20cm cake tin by greasing and lining its base. Place 100g butter, the caster sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency. Slowly beat the eggs in, one by one, then fold in the flour and mix well. Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 20mins until risen and golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the buttercream by beating the remaining butter and icing sugar together in a mixing bowl then add the vanilla extract and milk, and beat again.

Once the cake is cooled, crumble it into large crumbs and stir in the buttercream. Take chunks of the cake mixture, roll them into balls, push a lollipop stick into each and transfer to a lined tray or plate. Refiregate for an hour.

Melt the chocolate using a microwave. Dip the individual balls into the melted chocolate and sprinkles. Refigerate 20mins before serving.

THE SOUS VIDE METHOD

Introducing sous vide cooking! Literally translating from French to “warm bath”, sous vide cooking combines the mystery of the culinary arts with the science behind it to produce consistent, professional results without the need for prior training. So, how does it work?

Don’t let the fancy French name fool you, cooking food sous vide is much easier than you think. This practice has long been used in professional kitchens for preparing steak as well as a range of other meals. Basically, it involves cooking food in a vacuum-sealed bag submerged in water that is held at a constant temperature. This way moisture isn’t lost and the food cooks evenly in its own juices for the most succulent results.

The reason this method has been largely confined to fine dining kitchens is that sous vide equipment used to be very expensive and cumbersome, but now the technology has been simplified and adapted for commercial use. With a sous vide circulator and bath, you can bring the taste and skill of the best steakhouses to the comfort of your kitchen.

WHY TRY SOUS VIDE?

Sous vide results are simply just better. Thanks to a constant temperature, you will get an even cook throughout your product and because it’s vacuum-sealed, it retains all of its natural juices. It’s also healthier because it retains nutrients and leaner because you use less oil. Check these comparisons to see how sous vide lives up to traditional cooking methods.

As you can see from the sous vide salmon on the left it’s perfectly cooked from edge to edge. It also retains a beautiful translucent pink colour and a delicate, flaky texture. The traditional pan-cooked salmon on the right suffers from being overcooked due to the pan temperature being higher than the target temperature, resulting in a dry product.

The same can be said of the sous vide steak on the left. You can easily see how beautifully it’s been cooked from edge to edge, whereas the pan-cooked steak has overcooked edges. Another significant difference to note is that the volume and mass of the pan-cooked steak are severely diminished because of a loss of moisture.

You can even cook eggs sous vide style and again the results are phenomenally consistent. If you want a perfectly poached egg for every breakfast, you can easily do so with the precise cooking sous vide appliances offer you. To prepare food sous vide style, you’ll need a circulator, a warm bath, vacuum-sealable bags and some method to vacuum seal, like a vacuum sealing machine.

The first step of the process is vacuum sealing whatever it is you’re planning on cooking. Once, your product has been sealed, you can set the temperature and time on your sous vide circulator and bath. Simply pop the bag in the water, there is no need to check on the product as the circulator ensures that your product gets an even cook over consistent temperature. Once the cooking time has elapsed, remove the product from the bag and finish it off with a quick sear in the pan for that extra caramelised flavour.

BEST FOODS FOR SOUS VIDE

There are so many different types of food that are suitable to cook sous vide but some benefit more from the process than others. For instance, tougher cuts of meat completely transform when cooked sous vide. The process effectively breaks down the tough proteins to give you a super tender result. Below you will find a list of Core Catering Supplies’ favourite foods to cook sous vide.

FISH

The flesh of fish is delicate and easily overcooked, which makes it a perfect option to cook sous vide. The process allows you to retain the beautiful colours of your fish as well as its soft texture. Thanks to the precise cooking you can get from the sous vide method, you can cook fish more safely and more deliciously.

STEAK

As we’ve mentioned, cooking steak perfectly can be tricky, but sous vide makes it so easy. The biggest problem with traditional cooking methods is that it easily dries it out your meat, however, because the sous vide method houses the steak in a vacuum-sealed container, it cooks in its own juices. You can even transform a cheaper, tougher cut of meat into a deliciously tender steak through sous vide cooking as it finely breaks down those tough proteins.

VEGETABLES

The list of vegetables that you can cooks sous vide is near endless but the reasons behind the method are pretty consistent – health, flavour and texture. When you cook vegetables sous vide you retain their beneficial nutrients making the food healthier than traditional methods that can easily denature and diminish the nutritional value of vegetables. Root vegetables do particularly well following this method as well as artichokes, asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplants, Brussels sprouts, onions and fennel.

TOP SOUS VIDE RECIPES

Now that you know a little bit more about sous vide, it’s time to try them out. What better way than through Core Catering Supplies’ favourite, tried and tested, sous vide recipes below:

SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS

• 700g shrimp
• 2.5ml baking soda
• Salt
• Olive oil (optional)
• Aromatics such as garlic, shallots, tarragon and parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Set your sous vide circulator and bath to your desire temperature. We recommend somewhere between 52°C to 60°C. The lower range gives you a semi-raw cook with a soft buttery texture while the higher range gives you a traditional poached texture.

Toss the shrimp, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and vacuum-seal. If desired, you can add aromatics and olive oil for flavour.

Place in the preheated sous vide bath and cook for at least 15 minutes up to 1 hour.

Once cooked, remove from the bag and serve.

STEAK

INGREDIENTS

• 1 steak
• Salt and pepper
• 2 fresh sprigs of thyme
• 15ml canola oil
• 15ml butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your sous vide circulator and bath to 54.4°C (this will give you a medium-rare cook) or another desired temperature.

Liberally season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Place a sprig of thyme on either side of the steak and vacuum-seal it in a vacuum-sealable bag.

Cook in the water bath for about 1 to 3 hours (depending on your preferred level of doneness).

Remove from the bath and let the steak rest for about 10-15 minutes. Then remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.

Finish off the steak by searing either side in a skillet with the canola oil for 30 to 40 seconds, using the butter as a basting throughout.

Cut and serve immediately.

HALIBUT

INGREDIENTS

• 4 halibut fillets
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh herbs like thyme, parsley or dill (optional)
• Aromatics like shallots or grated citrus zest (optional)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

DIRECTIONS

Season halibut with salt and pepper on either side. Place each portion in a single layer inside a vacuum-sealable bag along with desired aromatics, fresh herbs and some butter. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat your sous vide circulator and bath to your desired temperature. We recommend somewhere between 49°C to 60°C for the best results.

Remove the bag from the fridge and vacuum-seal. Place it in the heated waterbath and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the bag and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Finish off the halibut by searing one side in a skillet with the butter for 30 to 45 seconds. Flip over and sear the other side for 15 to 30 seconds.

Cut and serve immediately.

PORK CHOPS

INGREDIENTS

• Porckchops
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh herbs like thyme (optional)
• 15ml butter
• 15ml canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your sous vide circulator and bath to your desired temperature. We recommend somewhere between 54°C to 71°C for the best results.

Season chops with salt and pepper and vacuum-seal them along with the fresh herbs in a vacuum-sealable bag.

Place the bag in the water bath and cook for 1 to 4 hours (depending on your preferred level of doneness).

Remove the pork from the bag and pat dry using paper towels.

Finish off the chops by searing either side in a skillet with the canola oil for 45 seconds, using the butter as a basting throughout.

Cut and serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch asparagus
• Salt and pepper
• 30ml olive oil or unsalted butter
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your sous vide circulator and bath to 82°C.

Wash and prepare the asparagus. Then place the whole bunch in a vacuum-sealable along with the olive oil and pepper, and vacuum-seal it.

Submerge in the water bath and cook for about 6 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus.

Once cooked, remove the asparagus from the bag and season with salt, zest and lemon juice.

Serve immediately.

CARAMEL FLAN

INGREDIENTS

• 710ml whole cream milk
• 415ml condensed milk
• 4 eggs
• 250ml granulated sugar
• 125ml water

DIRECTIONS

First, prepare the caramel by mixing the sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low-medium heat and simmer for 7 minutes until dark, golden brown.

Remove from heat and divide into 4 mason jars. Set aside and cool the caramel uncovered.

Then, prepare the flan by first boiling the milk over medium-low heat until it reduces by half. Once cooled, whisk it together with the condensed milk. Vacuum-seal the mixture in a vacuum-sealable bag and cook in your sous vide circulator and bath for 30 minutes at a preheated temperature of 63°C.

After cooking, open the bag, strain the contents and set it aside to cool.

Place the cooled contents in a mixing bowl and blend together with the eggs until fully combined. Remove any chalazae and firm yolk particles and pour the mixture into your caramel-filled mason jars.

Tightly seal the jars and place them directly in your sous vide circulator and bath for 45 minutes at a preheated temperature of 83°C.

Once cooked, unseal the mason jars and place them upside down on a plate. If the flan doesn’t slide out by itself, run a small knife along the inside of the jar to loosen it and voila, it’s ready to serve.

On the rolling hills of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands where the birds chirp louder and the air seems fresher lies the beautiful Brahman Hills Hotels and Cottages. This luxury destination is the perfect weekend getaway for those who want to trade the hustle of city life for a romantic nature-enveloped experience. With a world-class spa and four restaurants on the property, you are really spoiled for choice.

If a dreamy date is what you’re after, we recommend a visit to the 89 on Copper restaurant. Here you and your loved one can indulge in a delectable menu of mushroom veloute, ostrich fillet, lamb pot pie and more while sipping on complementary wines from SA’s best. With a menu to lust over in charming retro decor, you really can’t find a better spot for a treat during the month of love.

Rockets isn’t your simple Friday night treat, it’s a lifestyle. At these booming restaurants, explosive flavours meet exceptional food with sensational skill. With four locations scattered across Joburg’s trendy neighbourhoods, there’s no excuse for skipping on these hotspots.

Whatever your mood, Rockets has something for you. From tantalizing tapas like truffle gnocchi and buttermilk fried chicken to classic mains like fillet medallions and pizza, everything on their menu is served with finesse and fine taste. But before you indulge on your meal, make sure to unwind at their chic cocktail bar with a drink or two.

Thanks to a kitchen equipped by Core Catering Supplies, Rockets consistently turn out quality meals and provide a full sensory experience where every detail is taken care of from their stylish interiors to their careful consideration of crockery.

Marble is a celebration of quintessential South African fare. It embodies our love of cooking with fire, a quality that makes our food culture so different from the rest of the world. Situated in the heart of the trendy Keyes Art Mile in Rosebank, Marble is one of Johannesburg’s most popular restaurants and usually booked up weeks in advance.

With a carefully curated menu of the finest cuts of meat and a kitchen equipped by Core Catering Supplies, Marble rightfully claims its spot as one of the best in South Africa.

A collaboration between head chef David Higgs and restauranteur Gary Kyriacou, Marble gives Higgs the stage to showcase his innate cooking talent and passion for South African cuisine, to say its been well received is putting it lightly. Marble has in fact received unanimous acclaim from food critics the world over, becoming the recipient of a slew of awards including the Haute Grandeur Award for Best African Cuisine and Best Grill.