Boiling skill - Kids' Kitchen

Golden noodle soup with soft-boiled eggs

Easy salmon sushi rice bowl

Before you start

Make sure your pot or pan is large enough for the recipe or food you’re cooking; never fill a pot more than three-quarters full as it may boil over. Your saucepan should have a long, heat-resistant handle, which you can hold to steady the pot as you stir. Large casserole dishes can be heavy, so you don’t need a handle to keep them from moving as you stir. Read the recipe through before you start to check if you’ll need a lid for your pot or pan and if it will need to go in the oven. Find a long wooden spoon, whisk or spatula for stirring.

Boiling safely

• The safest way to bring a pan of water to the boil is to fill the pan with cold water, then place it on the hob over a high heat. To speed up the process and save energy, you can fill the pan with hot water from the kettle.
• Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a steady boil (sometimes called a rolling boil) and monitor the pan at all times.
• When stirring liquid in a saucepan, hold the handle to keep the pan steady. Use a small cloth to hold the handle if the heat from the hob is too intense, but make sure it doesn’t hang down near a naked flame.
• When stirring the liquid, keep your hands and wrists away from the edge of the pan, which will be extremely hot. Stir in a slow motion to prevent splashes.
• If you need to drain the liquid (when cooking pasta or vegetables, for example), make sure the colander is ready in the sink and your path to the sink is clear. Hold the pan with a cloth in two hands and carefully pour the contents away from your body into the colander.

Recipes that use the boiling skill

Easy Greek-style pasta salad

Golden noodle soup with soft-boiled eggs

Easy salmon sushi rice bowl

Visit the Kids' Kitchen hub to learn even more skills.

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