Mybeerbuzz .com Highlights CulinarySchools.org

You already know how much I enjoy tasting beer, but some of you may not know that I’m also a really active home baker that enjoys tasting cookies and breads. I regularly spend hours and hours on the weekend working on baking breads and desserts that I then enjoy all week long. As part of that journey to be a better baker, I’m always on-line searching for ideas for new creations.

Recently, with a new baby in my family,I wanted to see if I can get her interested in baking or just have some fun with her on vacation making cookies. As part of my searching, I found a really cool site called CulinarySchools.org and I was excited to not only find great info on a career in the Culinary Arts but also my absolute favorite Measurement Conversion page. The conversion tool allows you to easily perform a task I do almost every weekend, convert European measurement to American measurements. I prefer recipes that weigh ingredients, and they are almost always in grams and not the ounces I prefer. I now use this calculator almost every time I bake and it has become an invaluable part of my baking tools.

After browsing the site for more tools, I found something exciting in my quest to make my grand-niece a future baker…Cooking Games For Kids!

I started with Bunnicula’s Kaotic Kitchen, and right out of the gate, I was hooked. Bunnicula looks like a cross between a bat and a cat and not only did I enjoy playing, but my little helper locked eyes on Bunnicula and never looked away. The game allows you to check the various recipes on the refrigerator, add ingredients like beets, carrots and even eggplant to a boiling pot, put the lid on and see what you cook. I quickly created Four Carrot Soup and Not Quite Spaghetti as well as a happy baking partner that just wanted to see Bunnicula react when the pot steams over.  All in all a really fun game for kids and maybe even for adults too.

Next up I tried something I know my baking helper would like to make, The Boiled Eggs. In this game you start with one pot of water, the water boils and you repeatedly press the “Burn” button to keep the water temperature in the green zone. This is simple enough when you only have one or two pots boiling at the same time, but the game quickly progresses up to 6 different pots at the same time. If you delay pressing the burn button for too long the eggs burn and you don’t get points. As we progressed, my little helper kept up the team effort by pointing to boiling pots that needed attention and making a loud squeal when my eggs burned. To be honest, I think she enjoyed burning the eggs more than getting a high score, but she (and I ) really enjoyed the game either way.

CulinarySchools.org currently has 50+ games for kids so I’m sure you (and your kid) will find many that you like. I also noticed that on the weekends when I was doing my recipe conversions, I occasionally let myself get distracted by playing a few games myself. Be sure to try out all of the great tools, resources and games on CulinarySchool.org, and if like me you’re interested in the Culinary Arts as a career, this is a great place for you (or your kid) to start.