JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 13 June 2018 – Today’s world is filled with endless distractions and entertainment opportunities for children. But there are specific activities that are vitally important for their development. Most parenting and early childhood development books will outline the need to ensure your little darling develops fine motor skills, which is the dexterity needed to use the smaller muscles in their finger, hands, wrists and toes.^[i] Another important part of child development is the opportunity to imagine, which enhances the ability to think and understand the world, as well as express emotions.^[ii]

Something that assists with both these imperative activities is play-dough. With winter in the air, this mouldable solution might just be the perfect educational cure for chilly and dull days. But a trip to the toy store isn’t necessary – if you have access to a microwave and a few standard pantry items, it’s easy to make your own.

Microwave play-dough recipe^[iii]

Ingredients

1cup              water

1 Tblsp          cooking oil

25 drops        lemon juice, sieved

1 ½ tsp          food colouring

1/3 cup          fine salt

1 cup              flour

Method

1. In a microwave safe bowl, mix water, oil and food colouring.
2. Add lemon juice and stir before adding the salt.
3. Gradually add flour while stirring to prevent lumps.
4. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, remove bowl from microwave and stir. Repeat this process four times until the mixture is in a ball.
5. Allow it to stand for a few minutes to cool.
6. Remove from bowl and put the play-dough ball on a plate, covered in plastic wrap to cool completely.
7. Wrap cooled play dough in the plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Tracy Gordon, Head of Product Marketing for Digital Appliances at Samsung South Africa, says, “Using the Samsung HotBlast to make a quick and easy play-dough mixture for your children not only gives them a brilliantly educational tool, but also frees you up to prepare the evening meal. Because the HotBlast is so efficient, you’ll also have plenty of time to spend playing with your children as they let their imaginations run wild with their creations.”

Once your children are settled with their colourful balls of play-dough, encourage them to roll and pinch it to create figurines, blocks or even numbers and letters. All of this will encourage the precise movements required to build fine motor skills. The achievement of building something of their own design from scratch will also help build confidence and self-esteem.^[iv]

For inspiration on meals to make with your HotBlast, click here.

^{[i] http://penfieldbuildingblocks.org/2014/11/importance-fine-motor-skill-development/}

^{[ii] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beautiful-minds/201203/the-need-pretend-play-in-child-development}

^{[iii] https://theseamanmom.com/easy-homemade-playdough/}

^{[iv] https://mommyevolution.com/benefits-of-playdough-clay-child-development/}

“The Samsung MW7000K 32L Convection Microwave Oven (MWO) with HotBlast technology reduces cooking times by 50%, by blowing powerful hot air through multiple air holes directly onto food so it’s evenly cooked, staying juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. You can enjoy healthier fried food without a deep fryer. Slim Fry technology combines a grill with warm air circulation, so food is cooked crisply inside and out using only a touch of oil. And no greasy pans or splatters,” says Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics.

Most importantly, the microwave oven ensures that your family gets all the nutrition from the food cooked in it. In conventional cooking, much of the nutrition present in the food in the form of Vitamins C and F is lost due to exposure to the atmosphere.

But when you cook in the Samsung Microwave Oven, the food retains all its nutrients. A vacuum tube called a “magnetron” generates microwaves that penetrate the food and agitate the moisture molecules present in the food. This agitation releases heat that spreads to other parts of the food, cooking it evenly, without any loss of nutritional elements. Consequently, you get healthy, oil-free food at almost one-third of the time taken by conventional cooking systems.

The microwave cooks food through microwave rays. Microwave energy penetrates food, heating water, fat and sugar molecules in food, causing the molecules in the food to move rapidly, creating frictional heat. This cooks the food efficiently. The MWO also defrosts and reheats more quickly than the gas stove, saving both energy and time.

Cookware for microwave cooking must allow microwave energy to pass through it for maximum efficiency. For your safety, do not use metal (such as stainless steel, aluminium and copper), wood and paper cookware – microwaves are reflected by metal, and this will cause sparks. Paper and wooden cookware can be burnt after being exposed to microwave rays.

However, these rays permeate ceramic, glass and porcelain (without any metal decoration). Keep in mind that heat-resistant cookware must be used for long-time cooking (over 3 minutes) to prevent the cookware from damage, resulting in melting and getting burnt.

A variation of food is suitable for microwave cooking, including fresh or frozen vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice, grains, beans, fish and meat. Sauces, custard, soups, steamed puddings, preserves and chutneys can be cooked in a Samsung microwave.

“Samsung employs its innovations and technology to create what people want and need, making life easier for our customers,” says Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics.

During the competition, 20 students compete for the ultimate grand prize – a dream job in the food industry. Every week, Reuben and a guest chef evaluate the students according to presentation, taste, passion, attitude, skill, creativity, completion of the challenge, wine selection, work ethic and culinary knowledge. In each of these categories, they score a point out of 10. The students with the highest score out of 100 will compete in the finals. As headline sponsor of this competition, Samsung SA has confirmed its commitment to promoting and supporting local talent.

Viewer are also given the chance to participate in the competition. Every Wednesday at 19:00, Reuben provides contestants and viewers with a list of seemingly incompatible ingredients to whip up their own unique version of a scrumptious dish. Viewers are then asked to take a selfie with their creation, post it to Twitter and tag the show using #IsditProefessioneel and the handle @SamsungSA. Each week the winning viewer will receive the all new Samsung Galaxy S8 handset.

To cook like Reuben, viewers are urged to use cutting-edge appliances from headline sponsor Samsung SA, which blend effortlessly with everyday life. The Samsung HotBlast^TM microwave that is featured on the show, is an exceptional technological advancement which introduces South Africans to a new level of cooking and convenience. It produces food that is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, within minutes. It also grills, roasts, reheats pizza perfectly and prepares crispy, slim-fried dishes with virtually no oil, and all of this within record time. The new, wider grill allows for even browning, while the oven’s large turntable accommodates bigger plates.

The Samsung DeX, another product featured, is the ideal cooking partner. Dock your Samsung smartphone in the sleek desktop device and using a separate keyboard and screen, search for superb recipes and garnishing ideas that are sure to impress your guests. Ingredients for these recipes can be kept perfectly fresh in the elegant Samsung Flexzone^TM refrigerator which sports easy access French doors. After cleaning up spills and splashes in the kitchen, Samsung’s AddWash^TM washing machine with Eco Bubble technology quickly activates the detergent to permeate your apron and dishcloths for a deeper clean.

“A kitchen is really only as good as its appliances. Therefore, a partnership between Samsung and ‘Proefessioneel’ made perfect sense to us. Through this show, we engage with consumers by highlighting how Samsung home appliances blend into your life, allowing you the time to focus on what really matters,” says Justin Hume, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung SA.

“Thought-through functionality and premium design, based on a mix of analogue and digital technology in home appliances, make family life more convenient. By sponsoring ‘Proefessioneel’, Samsung showcases how our versatile product range transforms even the most mundane meal into international chef de cuisine standards,” concludes Hume.