Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places [Hardcover]

Emeril Lagasse (Author), Charles Yuen (Illustrator), Quentin Bacon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Chef Emeril brings you a taste of the world! He helped younger kids take their first steps into the kitchen with Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup! Recipes for the Kid in Everyone and then kicked it up a notch for older kids and adults, too, in Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family! Recipes to Get Everybody Cooking. Now Chef Emeril is back with a cookbook that really takes you places!

You can start your travels in your own kitchen by exploring the meals, ingredients, and cooking styles enjoyed in different countries and regions. Hey, Chef Emeril knows that we're all part of one global family, and a great way to learn about other cultures is through their food! Once you're cooking international-style, you'll be ready to hop on a plane to China, Portugal, England, Greece, or Africa, just for a start!

This cookbook is for kids of all ages and adults to use together, with 75 recipes for daily meals, special occasions, and everything in between, along with cooking tips and safety precautions. You can make a meal with dishes from one region or mix it up for a truly international feast! Plus, Chef Emeril includes "Did You Know . . ." tidbits of cultural information behind some of the recipes.

• Try breakfast English-style with Toad in the Hole -- and discover what the "toad" is!
• After tasting Mexican Broiled Corn, you might never go back to plain old corn on the cob again!
• Instead of going to a Chinese restaurant, cook your own Kung Pao Chicken and find out how this popular dish may have received its name!
• BLT Hot Dogs are a perfect twist of two American classics! But just how American are hot dogs, anyway?
• And don't forget to leave room for dessert! One bite of No-Bake Caribbean Rice Pudding and you'll want to know more about the flavors of the islands!

So, get ready, pack your bags -- here's your passport to a whole new world of food!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up—There's a celebrity chef in this cookbook, and, judging by the frequent use of heavy cream, whole milk, butter, sugar, and cream cheese, he is apparently unaware of the childhood-obesity crisis. Each spread combines simple color illustrations of food with photos of corresponding international locales and Food Network chef Emeril mugging for the camera. The first 27 pages of cooking how-to and safety tips are followed by 75 recipes that include "Moroccan Couscous" and "Orange-Scented Chocolate Gelato." Europe, North America, and Asia are well represented, with little space devoted to Africa or Central or South America. The recipes are complicated, involving techniques like using a pastry bag and handling delicate phyllo dough and much work with sharp knives and pouring hot liquids; adult supervision will be crucial. Small "safety icons" included with each recipe indicate concerns like "handling hot objects" and "use of sharp objects," but the key to identifying the icons is buried in the introductory material. The ingredients are clearly listed, and the numbered directions have sufficient detail; a bit of historical or geographical information is included with each recipe. Many of the dishes call for the use of Emeril's branded seasoning and other food items, and two appendixes list his corporate sponsors' Web sites and the locations of Emeril's Restaurants around the United States. Libraries serving the chef's devotees will find this a useful addition for its browsing appeal, but be sure its shelfmate is Matthew Locricchio's The International Cookbook for Kids (Marshall Cavendish, 2004), a more balanced, truly kid-friendly book.—Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this follow-up to Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup (2002), the famous chef introduces dishes from around the world, dividing the recipes into familiar food categories--sweets, snacks, sandwiches, entrees, etc. As in his previous title, sections about safety, equipment, and basic techniques, such as separating eggs, start the book. The recipes, from latkes to egg-drop soup, are good choices for open-minded eaters. The format is crowded, but many children will enjoy the mix of maps, flags, cartoon drawings, and color photos (many featuring the author hamming it up) and the cultural facts woven into each recipe. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060739266
• ISBN-13: 978-0060739263
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emeril Lagasse is the chef/owner of several critically acclaimed restaurants, including Emeril's Restaurant, NOLA, and Emeril's Delmonico in New Orleans. He also owns and runs Emeril's New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse in Las Vegas, as well as Emeril's Orlando and Emeril's Tchoup Chop in Orlando, Emeril's Miami Beach, and Emeril's Atlanta.

In addition, Emeril Lagasse is the host of Emeril Green on Planet Green and and The Essence of Emeril on the Food Network. His previous cookbooks include Emeril's Potluck; Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!; From Emeril's Kitchens; Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup!; Emeril's TV Dinners; and Every Day's a Party.

Emeril Lagasse's enthusiasm for mentoring and teaching young people inspired him to establish The Emeril Lagasse Foundation(R), a nonprofit organization that seeks to mentor, inspire, and enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive and creative individuals. The Emeril Lagasse Foundation(R) supports a diverse network of organizations -- including St. Michael Special School for Exceptional Children in New Orleans and the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation(R) -- and will continue to cultivate relationships with organizations that are committed to improving the quality of young people's lives in each of the communities where Emeril's restaurants operate.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real food for real kids!, July 9, 2007

By 

Grandma (NH, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places (Hardcover)

Too bad whoever wrote the School Library Journal knows so very little about cooking, nutrition & the "childhood obesity crisis." They have done Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places a huge disservice. I've been cooking, collecting cookbooks and teaching kids to cook about as long as Emeril has been alive. This particular book is one of the best childrens' cookbooks I've seen - ever.

Emeril has produced a marvelous book. Many of the recipes he gives are for dishes that have been commonplace favorites in our kitchen for decades. This is real food that real children like to eat. None of it is hard to make, no recipe requires impossible to find ingredients and, most importantly, you won't find a single recipe that utilizes a "mix" of any kind. All real food. (The closest Emeril comes to a "mix" is the recommendation for the use of refrigerated biscuit dough as a time-saver when making empanadas and the use of cream-filled chocolate cookies as part of a pie crust.)

Emeril presents a very well balanced selection of recipes that are heavy on the use of fruits & vegetables and easy on the sugar. The recipes are nicely laid out with detailed instructions that are easy to follow. The larger format makes the book easy to read & use. He is careful to explain terms like "saute" within the text itself and often gives anecdotes or serving tips about the various recipes. The text is engaging and sounds just like Emeril himself. Those who like to watch Emeril on TV (more than a few kids do!) will find this book a very comfortable read.

Some reviewers have commented on the various graphics included in the book. Some don't like Emeril's picture, others don't like the line drawings. These might not be appropriate in a book intended for adults - but this one is for kids. Children like Emeril, they like bright colors, pictures & yes - even line drawings.

That said, this is not a book for a 7 year old cook. This is for the 9 and over crowd, those that have acquired at least a few cooking skills. For that matter, this is a book that is perfectly suitable even for an adult just beginning to explore the food world. This is not a book of "recipes" that no self-respecting adult would touch, nor is it a book that dumbs down material so it is "kid friendly." Real recipes that use real food that real kids (and grownups too) like to eat & cook!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Family fun, January 2, 2007

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places (Hardcover)

This is a very colorful book splattered with Emeril's image throughout in various stages of posed animation. This book is intended for children to use with their parents or if you are so inclined to read yourself about food preperation . The fact that the information is global is very appealing. Emeril begins with some basic lessons concerning safety , nuts and bolts and other good things to know before you actually attempt cooking a meal.The first destination is Breakfast with recipes from Spain, Mexico, England, Switzerland and other countries. The choice of dishes are savory yet pretty simple for beginner cooks and usually limited to under ten steps. There is a small cultural lesson and flag representing the country of origin to go with the dish as well as a did you know section for each recipe. Next is Sightseeing Snacks, Salads and Starters with adventures into new countries like vietnam, Italy , Greece, Japan and others not used in breakfast.Onward to Globe-Trotting Soups and Sandwiches, continuing with Main Meal Masterpieces where the dishes are a little more challenging but doable with additional information on A Guide to Sides, the Bread Map and Sweet Snapshots. At over 200 pages with large print this book is good for the novice cook or student who wants to help prepare a meal with adult supervision. The oversized drawings and comical nature of Emeril's photographs make for what is intended to be a fun time in the kitchen. This is definitely a companion book where the adult and child must use the book together otherwise the child may have a problem in the kitchen. The meals are all pretty nutritious but have no caloric information. I think it is pretty cool for Emeril to take his personality and lend it to an educational endeavor where he combines his culinary talents with learning about other cultures. This would make a good school library book or one for a parent to share with their child. The reading level is fairly simple. This book will appeal to young readers with culinary ambitions ages 10-18.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great recipes, January 4, 2007

By 

Flight (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!: Recipes That Take You Places (Hardcover)

I was looking for a cookbook for our 10 year old daughter who already knows her way around the kitchen -- rachael ray's cookbooks were too babyish, and many of the other standard kids' cookbooks seem to use too many mixes and pre-prepared foods. This cookbook is great (if you can get past the goofy pictures of emeril on every page) -- everything we've made has been delicious -- the recipes aren't super easy, but for a kid interested in cooking it's no problem. the international food selection is perfect for kids -- it's like a greatest hits of food from every country (kung pao chicken,morrocan couscous,jamaican jerk chicken, tortilla soup)