Customer Reviews

The Baby Bistro Cookbook: Healthy, Delicious Cuisine for Babies, Toddlers, and You

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

For those who are just starting your baby on solid foods, this is NOT the book for you. There are a few token recipies I think were thrown in (pureed fruit and rice cereal) but other than that the majority of the recipies are for much older babies or toddlers. Recipies here include whole eggs, milk, citrus and other ingredients that are not suitable for babies under 12 months. If you have an infant,and want to make your own baby food, find another book and save this one for the toddler years.

This book is excellent if you are cooking for a small child
at home or guests with small children. The author describes
optimal portions, food allergies, storage and organically
based foods. There is a section which instructs on how to
prepare dishes a week ahead of time. In addition, there is a
conversion chart to assist in measuring food portions.
Delicious deserts are depicted. i.e. Dried fruit,
banana chips, fig bars and sunflower seeds.
The book is a worthy purchase if you are preparing foods
destined for consumption by small children and even the elderly.

This book is setup in an easy to read fashion. The chapters are divided into mealtimes (breakfast, dinner, etc.) Joohee Muromcew, the author, does give a lot of useful information throughout. She gives some meal plan ideas, food to pack when traveling, how to shop with/without children and much more.

If you want to know how to make beginning food for babies you really don't need to spend your money here. Basically add some lemon juice to cooked veggies and puree. She does say you can puree any of the recipes, but I don't agree. Many of the recipes include eggs, milk, cheese and other no-no's for young babies. That reminds me, you really need to know what foods your child can have and when, because she doesn't give any information on the age at which these recipes can be started.

Now, with that said, your baby will grow older one day and begin eating non-pureed food items. Some days you may have steak on your plate and you just can't feed that to your little one yet. If that is the case, you can reach for your trusty book. She does have a lot of wonderful recipes for toddlers. They introduce many new flavors, which you may not have thought of. There are child versions of palak paneer, japanese egg custard, chicken curry and peanut sesame noodles. The sweet treats are much less sugary than we're used to, but toddlers still love them. Some recipes call for hard to find items, but they can be substituted with what you do have.

Overall, I would say that this book is a good resource to have on hand.

I have had this cookbook for over a year now and consistently use it. With three young children at home I simply don't have the time to cook separate meals for them, and for my husband. The recipes in this book are popular with the whole household and almost all the recipes require less than 30 minutes prep time.
Most of the recipes are very straightforward and require basic ingredients most anyone already has in his/her pantry.
The author also includes useful tidbits with the recipes, if it freezes well she mentions this, she notes what meat dish goes well over rice etc., and how to reheat the food or adapt the texture so that it can be fed to an infant.
For modern convenience food-era parents, the author provides useful advice on how to prepare and store infant food in an easy and efficient way (and I'm not a health food fanatic who insists on cooking my own baby food, it's a healthy way to use up our leftovers!)
The food she includes is, as promised, wholesome, and the recipes I have used so far have all come out as described--- delicious.
The Swedish Meatball recipe alone is worth the price of the book!

I checked this book out from the library, and am now looking to buy it. I love the recipies so far, I have tried 5 or so, and all have been well received by my 20-month old. This is the cookbook I was looking for, with healthy, easy toddler food that the whole family can eat! He has eaten everything in this book so far that I have made(and that is nothing short of a miracle itself). There are also a lot of recipes for the beginner eater, (purees on up) so this book is useful for the smallest baby just starting on solids. Practical, useful tasty tips! This gets my gold star!!

This cookbook really does have a lot of good ideas but so far, I have found that the recipes mostly need work. If you're a good cook and can tweak recipes then this book offers a good starting point for ideas. I was disappointed to find that many of the recipes aren't focused as much on healthy as on tasty--i.e. too much butter and white flour. And the one recipe with whole wheat flour, primarily, is the pancake and as it is, the recipe is not correct. (Have to add quite a lot more milk than called for to have a proper pancake batter.) I think the issue is that the author tried to really simplify recipes to make them palatable to wee taste buds but the final product is recipes that need a fair amount of working out by the user.

I have a 13 month old who unfortuanetly won't eat much of what I would consider "normal" toddler finger foods. occassionaly she'll eat mac & cheese or grilled cheese sandwich but when she wouldn't eat green beans unless they had pesto on them I knew I needed some helpful ideas. I have 3 baby/toddler cookbooks but I keep coming back to this one. Last night my daughter ate falafel--loved it and I would have never thought of it without this cookbook. If you have a picky gourmet baby this is the book for you!

My toddler is a picky eater and even though he hasn't liked any of the recipes I've tried so far, the adults have! (they love the banana bread and french toast.) At least I didn't waste time trying because these recipes are quick and easy and his father and I enjoy eating the results. If my toddler doesn't like the food it's because he's impossible. I also appreciate her sensible approach to food - she's not overly preachy or strict about sweets, etc. She suggests deep frying vegetables if it means your child will eat them!

THE BABY BISTRO COOKBOOK is not my favorite cookbook, but it is one that I have come back to again and again. When a very picky relative (meat and starch but no vegetables or spices) came to visit, THE BABY BISTRO COOKBOOK was perfect. If you have never considered cooking for your child, this is a great book to add to your shelf.

However, I could not get by with THE BABY BISTRO COOKBOOK as my only toddler cookbook. In my view, the strengths of THE BABY BISTRO COOKBOOK are in its treatment of some basics.

RECIPES WE LOVE: Baked Sweet Potato Sticks, Zucchini Coins, Vegetarian Black Beans and Rice, Korean Barbecue, Cheddar Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, Cornmeal Catfish (though we spice ours up more), Gingersnaps, Coconut Macaroons, Horchata

RECIPES WE LIKE: Apple Cider-Glazed Carrots, Risotto (though I had to add lots more liquid), No-Peanut Sesame Noodles, Shepherd's Pie, Curried Chicken, Salmon and Polenta (okay but have not liked it enough to repeat it)

NOT SO GREAT: Lemon and Rice Soup, Pumpkin Ravioli (will try this again)

RECIPES THAT DID NOT WORK FOR US AT ALL: Kiwi-Lime Agua Fresca (first recipe I tried, and it was wretched; there is no sweetener, so this is a very sour and tart drink); Steamed Japanese Egg Custard

NOTE ABOUT ALLERGIES: This is not a great cookbook if your child is sensitive to dairy or wheat. I was not able to do much with the book until my baby started to outgrow his dairy sensitivity.

ONE MORE NOTE: She recommends eating organic foods, but her cooking times seem to be based on white rice. If you are enough of a health nut to want brown rice, you'll need to make adjustments.

I was sadly disappointed with this cookbook for toddlers! It had nothing to do with my son's likes and dislikes. I found these recipes didn't work for me (and I am not a bad cook.) The mattar paneer was too soupy. The homemade rice cereal was too thick. The foil-baked chicken was not done at the prescribed time. And the banana cake was greasy and flat. I have found that cooking from other "adult" cookbooks works well for my toddler. I just adjust the ingredients if it calls for too much salt or is too spicy. No need to buy this cookbook!