NEWS

Teen loves kitchen work, from baking brownies to ‘stewing’ tea

Sheri Trusty

VICKERY - Seventeen-year-old Paisley DeFriece, of Vickery, broke the family mold when she started cooking at the age of 2. Her mother, Jacqueline DeFriece, grew up in Scotland, where she was shooed from the kitchen whenever her mother brought out the pots and pans.

“I’m 45, and I’m still not allowed in mum’s kitchen,” said Jacqueline, who named Paisley after her Scottish hometown. “I’ve broken the generational gap. I thought Paisley needed to learn to cook.”

Those early experiences in the kitchen not only gave Paisley the ability to cook, but also a passion for it. When she was just 2 years old, she would stir cake batter for her mother and then sit in front of the oven, head in hands, and watch the cake slowly bake.

Today, she finds her greatest joy in chopping. She is her mom’s sous chef whenever Jacqueline is in the kitchen.

“I usually always help when we cook at home by chopping and mixing. I’ve watched videos of professionals chopping, and I’ve learned from them,” she said. “Emeril (Lagasse) was the first chef I watched. He increased my desire to chop because his knives are so big. If I have a little clove of garlic, I say let’s use the biggest knife possible.”

Paisley also enjoys watching Chef Rachael Ray on television.

“I like Emeril and Rachael Ray, because they’re funny when they’re cooking. They tell stories and jokes, which may be why they injure themselves when they cook,” Paisley said. “For me, potato peelers are dangerous, because you can slip and you end up becoming your special ingredient.”

Paisley, who is the youngest member of the Cookbook Club at Clyde Library, enjoys cooking and baking a variety of dishes. When choosing a recipe to cook for club meetings, she picks the recipe that looks the most fun.

“I bake everything. I like to bake brownies and cookies, because they’re smaller. You can hide them easily, so your brother doesn’t get them before you do,” she said.

Paisley cooks pasta a lot.

“I like the ones that sound fancy, but aren’t fancy. People think if you can’t pronounce it, it must be difficult to make,” she said. “I created Polish Ramen Noodles. I cooked the noodles, and instead of using the flavor packet, I instead added sauerkraut and kielbasa.”

Paisley is working on perfecting a barbecue spaghetti recipe.

“A lot of times, when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, we throw things on the grill and hope that it works,” Jacqueline said.

One of Paisley’s favorite dishes to create is Baked Chicken Teriyaki, a recipe she likes because it calls for ingredients she doesn’t usually use.

“And I don’t have to pay $10 for a Chicken Teriyaki meal at a Chinese restaurant,” she said.

Paisley may be an experienced cook and baker, but there’s one more thing she does well in the kitchen: make a perfect cup of tea. It was a skill she learned while visiting her mother’s native Scotland.

While Americans put their tea bags in their cups and pour in boiling water, Paisley makes a traditional cup of tea by putting the tea bags in the teapot and brewing them with the heat on. Jacqueline calls it “strewing” — making the tea stronger as it brews.

Paisley uses three American tea bags to create one good cup of tea. Friends often have asked her why.

“I’m making a proper cup of tea,” she tells them.

Contact News-Messenger correspondent Sheri Trusty atsheri.trusty@gmail.com or 419-639-0662.

Baked chicken teriyaki is one of Paisley DeFriece’s favorite dishes to prepare. The 17-year-old has been helping in the kitchen since she was old enough to stir a spoon.

RECIPE:

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black

12 skinless chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking. Can be served with rice.