Cub Scout Cooking

[SeattlePioneer]

I'm highly motivated to train Cub Scouts in cooking, but I haven't been having a lot of success.

 

We just completed an overnight camp this past weekend. Our dinner menue was baked potatoes with topping like hamburger in barbeque sauce, cheese and such. My theory is that wrapping potatoes to cook over coals would be easy for new Tiger Cubs, and Webelos Scouts could help browing off hamburger and such.

 

Well, the Webelos helped get the charcoal lit and built a fire for our evening "smores desert. The potato wrapping went fine, but coralling the Webelos to help further with dinner preparation didn't work well.

 

One new Bear Cub stayed and diligently turned the potatoes and did a fine job.

 

Not much help with clean up either.

 

Any ideas for better methods to focus the interest of boys on cooking skills ---the Webelos boys in particular. I'd like to see our new Webelos Den do some camping trips, but they need to start looking after themselves if that is going to happen.

 

 

 

 

[AKdenldr]

Some suggestions:

 

A lot of distractions at a pack campout.

 

A Roster for what the Webs are to do. Best if setup by them and perhaps using their buddy system.

 

A den meeting where you start the meeting with dutch oven desert, you have your content, you finish with food (Webs are always hungry) and cleanup.

 

I've wanted to try dutch oven pizza, as pizza is always popular with the boys, but haven't yet.

 

Or, team them with a tiger, have them help the tiger in a simple task (roasting a hot dog).

 

-- AK

[Lisabob]

Wow, glad you are doing this!

 

Try something that requires less tending to, or has shorter cook time (KISMIF). 9-10 year olds are not known for their patience. If there are a lot of steps or if it requires regular attention for a long period of time, it ain't gonna happen. Baked potatoes are slow food for an excited boy.

 

Cook frequently. Even if it is just dump cake at the end of a den meeting once a month, get them used to the idea that they can & will be cooking *and eating* tasty stuff at den meetings.

 

Start small and build. For many it is probably their first cooking experience, period. Many families do not have traditional family meals anymore, and a lot of parents can barely boil water. Of those who can and do cook at home, a lot of busy parents may not have had the time to share the joy of cooking with their child on any serious level yet. They're coming home from work, throwing dinner together, and just being glad they have something on the table. Don't expect skill or appreciation of the time good food takes to cook, just yet (even from their parents).

 

Get local boy scouts to cook for & with the boys!

 

 

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Worst camp cooking experience ever: when I used to work at summer camps - not scouts - we had "hot dog Wednesdays" on which we were given frozen hot dogs that we were supposed to cook on sticks over a fire - which most could barely get lit. Inevitably the dogs would be burnt on the outside & frozen in the middle, or would fall off the stick part way through. Lots of grumpy campers who learned to hate outdoor cooking. Wise staffers scheduled their night off on Wednesday nights.

[Novice_Cubmaster]

Let the Webelos use knives to chop vegetables, etc.

"Yes, you can do something with a knife besides make a pointy stick".

 

Also, let them make something fairly simple & kid-friendly - like mac&cheese.

 

NC

[dg98adams]

When I was a DL/CM I was won over to "assembly line food prep" for Cubs on a Pack outing.

 

Making walking tacos in a corn chip bag, assembly line GORP for short hike food,

 

Distractions are too strong to keep Cubs "turning foil packets" or turning dutch ovens while baking (curiosity to lift the lid and look - is too high).

 

Save the detailed cooking for Webelos Den Camping... but don't get too deep into complicated cooking skills.

 

Dutch Oven Pizzas, Box-Oven cookies, Egg-in-an-orange-peel, pan cakes, monkey bread, biscuit on a stick, tripod hanging a chicken on a string over coals are all Webelos friendly.

[AnnLaurelB]

WALKING TACOS! Great term; I've only ever said, "Y'know...Frito bags...and you scoop stuff in there?" and I have to explain it every time.

 

I love the idea of cooking something every Den meeting! I may do that with my Bears this coming year. I JUST commented on the "Snack" thread that food wasn't necessary, but I think that would make them less likely to skip Den meetings.

 

I have to agree with the assembly line thing; we did the Hobo Packs with a hamburger patty, slice of potato, slice of onion, slices of carrot, etc... We had each Den do something age-appropriate for prep.

 

The Tigers took turns ripping tin foil and wetting paper towels and laying them out. Webs sliced vegetables. Bears & Wolves organized the line, made sure there were serving utensils in each container, fetched things from coolers, etc...

 

It was great fun. The only problem was the sharpie markings cooked off of the packets. No one ended up eating their own. But oh well. (*flicks off another carrot*)

 

 

[Stosh]

For introductory cooking classes for young boys I would start out with some very basic principles.

 

1) Cooking without cooking... Reheating something like Dinty Moore stew teaches the how to warm up food without burning it and without really "cooking".

 

2) Food prep without preparing... Going back to the Dinty Moore example, opening the can is probably the biggest food prep process that a lot of boys at that age can handle. And opening a can with a scout knife is a useful skill to have!

 

3) Open fire "cooking" is often the last resort one wishes to endeavor so don't start with it until the boys are ready.

 

4) Hotdogs and marshmallows are relatively safe in and amongst themselves, but the sticks aren't.

 

Once one gets these initial skills developed in the younger boys, by the time they are at the Webelos level, they can start handling mess kit cooking where a bit of prep and cleanup are introduced into the process. One can start the whole process over by teaching the boys to put some water the mess kit bucket, put the opened can in the water and gently heat it up. Everyone can master this skills whether it be stew, beans, potatoes, or anything else in a can. At the same time, a hamburger patty cooked in the fry pan compliments the process. Toss an husked ear of corn in the coals next to it and you have taught the boys all three processes necessary for outdoor cooking.

 

Scouting is a game with a purpose. Teaching the boys cooking is a rather easy task if you break it down to sensible steps and teach them one at a time.

 

Stosh(This message has been edited by jblake47)