Kitchen skillathon career development event
Kitchen Skillathon is an educational opportunity for 4-H members to demonstrate increased knowledge and competence with common kitchen equipment, small appliances, herbs/spices, and hazards/safety in the kitchen. Teams will be made up of 3-4 youth in grades 6-8. Participants will work individually to complete four identification stations, a written test and a skills demonstration. Individual scores will be combined to create a team score. A coach can be a 4-H Youth Development Professional or an approved 4-H Adult Volunteer.
The contest will consist of four identification stations including small appliances, kitchen equipment/tools, herbs/spices, and kitchen hazards/safety; a written test and a skills demonstration. For the Skills Demonstration, participants will be judged on an assigned kitchen/cooking type skill. Participants will complete the skill while at the judging table. All materials will be provided however youth will need to select all items needed to demonstrate the skill assigned to them. No other materials may be used other than those provided. Participants will be given one skill to demonstrate. They must choose the correct equipment and demonstrate the skill effectively. The interview judges will score the skill based on correct procedures, safety, and other pertinent information related to the skill assigned. The skill demonstration will include a time limit which will be announced during participant orientation.
Examples of skills to demonstrate include, but are not limited to:
Skill | Purpose |
Dry & wet measure equivalents | Demonstrate how to properly measure various dry/wet ingredients and/or equivalencies |
Table/flatware setting | Demonstrate appropriate table setting |
Knives | Select a knife based upon food to be cut. Demonstrate how to dice, mince, chop a vegetable. |
Cross contamination prevention | Explain food safety, cutting boards, knives, gloves, handwashing when using either raw or fresh foods. |
Small appliance demonstration or kitchen tool demonstration | Demonstrate how to use a small kitchen appliance or tool properly and safely. |
Meal planning | Plan a meal using MyPlate and/or grocery store ad. |
Product selection/identification | Demonstrate how to properly select a food product based on quality, variety, or type. |
No cell phones are allowed during the contest!
Ties will be broken in the following order: TBD
Contest classes and points: more information to follow
DATE OF EVENT: Saturday, October 28, 2023
LOCATION: TBD
- Appliance ID Photos
- Best Practices: Kitchen & Food Safety Fact Sheet
- Food & Cooking ID Definitions
- Food & Cooking ID Skillathon Toolkit
- Herbs ID Photos
- Kitchen Tools ID Photos
- TX Explore: Food & Nutrition Keeping Food Safe
- TX Explore: Food & Nutrition Cooking in the Kitchen
- TX Explore: Food & Nutrition Kitchen Safety