Honest Pretzels: And 64 Other Amazing Recipes for Kids [Hardcover]

Mollie Katzen (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2004 | Age Range: 8 and up

Many a bowl of pretend soup later, Mollie Katzen is once again stirring up the pot for Tricycle-sized readers. Her first cookbook for little chefs (PRETEND SOUP) has been a best-seller and kids' favorite since 1994, and her new book for slightly older cooks shows every sign of being another winner. This isn't gimmicky kid stuff, this is honest food made with real techniques. And of course, it's 100% kid-tested. And 100% vegetarian.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ever separate an egg with a funnel? Ever make a grilled cheese and broccoli sandwich? Ever follow your kids into the kitchen and help them with recipes they have chosen to prepare?

Mollie Katzen makes all this and more ever so painless. She wrote Pretend Soup for preschool cooks after working with young kids in a preschool setting. Honest Pretzels is the next step. These are more advanced recipes demanding more advanced techniques for children ages 8 and up. It's a kid's cookbook for a more sophisticated palate--those ready for Not-from-a-Box Macaroni and Cheese or Spunky Chili. All the recipes in the book are vegetarian.

Typically, each recipe is introduced with a list of ingredients, the amount of time it's going to take, a list of tools, and a note about where a child might want to ask an adult for help. The actual directions are broken out into separate "cards," many of them illustrated. At no time and in no place is the language patronizing.

Skills your child will develop include making and handling yeasted dough; making filled, shaped, healthy pastries; slicing, mincing, and grating; seasoning with herbs and spices; sautéing, pureeing, measuring, layering, assembling; dividing, estimating, timing, deciding; separating eggs, beating egg whites, folding a puffy batter; making simple, standard sauces; and basic kitchen safety and common sense.

That's quite a list. How did you measure up when you were 8--let alone now? Here's a good chance to give your child a leg up in the kitchen, while staying out of the way. --Schuyler Ingle

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6 Honest pretzels " are way more interesting than the store-bought kind: They're chewy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside and you get to make them any shape you want!" This sentence describes one of 65 vegetarian recipes offered in this inviting anthology of breakfast dishes, soups, sandwiches, salads, main dishes, desserts, baked goods, snacks, and drinks. Katzen provides an introduction to each dish and includes background information, safety tips, and an occasional quote. Lists of the ingredients and utensils needed, written and visual instructions, and recommendations about when to ask for adult assistance accompany each recipe. The author's intent is that children participate in the cooking process; enjoy their accomplishments; and learn bits of math, science, and something about cooperation along the way. The nourishing recipes are clearly presented in an encouraging tone, making this a fine addition to most collections. Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tricycle Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883672880
• ISBN-13: 978-1883672881
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Diet & Nutrition

More About the Author

Mollie Katzen is a cookbook author and illustrator/designer, best known for her best-selling classics, Moosewood Cookbook (a 2007 inductee into the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame) and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Her nine other titles include a trilogy for children (Pretend Soup, Honest Pretzels, and Salad People) dubbed "the gold standard of children's cookbooks" by the New York Times. Mollie has worked as a creative consultant for plant-based recipes and menus, most notably with Harvard University Dining Services, where she has served as a consultant on vegetarian cooking since 2003. She is a popular public speaker, specializing in culinary-medical conferences (in addition to other venues), helping to educate medical professionals on the links between food choices and health and prevention. Mollie's newest book is The Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 2013).

http://www.molliekatzen.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An honest cookbook August 25, 2003

By wiredweird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

It was pretty frustrating looking for a kids' cookbook for my nephew. After looking at a few, I had seen about eight recipes for peanut butter on celery, and not a lot else.

Then I found this book. I agree with its premise, that children are not all idiots. This is the only book I found treats the young reader with respect. It's about real food, the kind that has a place at the supper table.

My nephew knew the difference, too. We made a few of the recipes, and had to scold his mother for eating too many of the cupcakes.

Most telling, his grandparents visited the week after I gave him the book. He insisted on making breakfast for them - pancakes from this book - by himself. They were impressed, and so was I when I heard about it. Not bad for age 7.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous way to introduce a child to the kitchen August 22, 2005

By Tana Butler

Format:Hardcover

I've long been a fan of Mollie Katzen's cookbooks: she is so very user-friendly and clear in her writing. My most battered (so to speak) cookbook is Still Life with Menu. So Rowan (my ex's little boy, who is my "best friend," as he tells people) turned eight last week or so. He's been my cooking buddy since he was big enough to stand on a chair next to my stove (age two). He thinks I am the best cook in the world (and I'm not going to correct him).

The recipes are in these categories:

* Breakfast Specials: 10 recipes including Giant Baked Pancake Puff, Scrambled Eggs, and Corn Muffins

* Soups, Sandwiches, and Salads for Lunch and Dinner: 15 recipes including Tomato Soup with Crispy Croutons, Egg Salad and Cucumber Sandwich, and Tossed Green Salad with Two Dressings--Ranch and Apple Juice Vinaigrette

* Main and Side Dishes: Helping with Dinner for Real: 12 recipes including Lasagna, Torn Tortilla Casserola (aka Chilaquila Casserole from Still Life with Menu, I bet), and Carnival Baked Potatoes with Mild Red Pepper Sauce

* Desserts and a Few Baked Things: 12 recipes including Dinner Rolls, Cinnamon Swirl Sticky Buns, and Made-in-the-Pan Chocolate Cake

* Snacks and a Few Special Drinks: 18 recipes including Hip Bean Dip, Crunchy Zucchini Circles, Icy Strawberry Slush, and Frozen Fruit Pops

Every recipe has an illustrated diagram of steps, which include things to ask an adult to do (those things appear at the beginning of the recipe, where she explains it, as well as in the step-by-step diagram, in bold). The writing is typical Mollie: Don't be afraid of the dry mustard in the recipe.... Even if you don't like the kind of mustard that some people like to put on sandwiches and hot dogs, you'll find that this mustard is not too spicy. It gives this cheese extra flavor boost, and the whole thign will taste really good because of it. (A couple of kids said, "Eeuuu-mustard!" when we tested the recipe, but they loved the result.)

Many recipes also have some kid quotes on the intro page: "I like how the vegetables are strapped down by the melted cheese." -Sam (on the "Grilled Cheese and Broccoli Sandwich").

She tells them everything, from equipment to ingredients to little tricks to food history. Rowan is happy and proud to own such a wonderful book. Read more ›

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Recipes & Fun Times April 9, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

My 9-year-old daughter and I love this cookbook! Here's the review in her words: The recipes are outstanding and not one has gone wrong. The instructions are easy to read and to understand and her writing style is nice (for kids and adults). My mom likes the recipes because they're pretty healthy. My favorite recipe is Spaghetti Pie - I've made it a few times and it's always great. I also like the Little Pizzas and the Pita Spirals (that we make with tortillas). This is a great book and every family should have it.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My son reads this book in bed at night April 3, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Most 7-year old boys probably wouldn't consider a cookbook to be good bedtime reading. But I'm convinced my son dreams about what he wants to cook next.

He's made several of the recipies already, and seems to have the rest on file in his head -- He offered his book for a shortcake recipie when we had fresh strawberries.

The directions are simple and easy to follow, with helpful illustrations. They describe how to measure things carefully - for example, using a measuring cup for dry ingredients and a glass pitcher for liquids. The kid-friendly techniques, such as separating eggs with a funnel, really work. And, there are careful notes about when an adult should help.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great cookbook April 24, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I'm an 11 year old kid. You might think I'd not like cooking, but I do. This cookbook is great. I love it. Great for any kid.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun- December 25, 2000

By drariadne

Format:Hardcover

I decided to have my son (5) help with the cooking. Each week I let him choose one recipe from this (or Pretend Soup) and we cook together. He is eating much better, has learned a few kitchen skills, and tried new dishes. Her pictures are easy for even the younger kids to understand, but adults will still have to help with these recipes for the little ones. We now make pizza from scratch, and have more fun in the kitchen than we ever did before.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous Taste Buds July 2, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

My 6-year-old used this book in a baked-art, art-baked afterschool class at school last year. Everyone had fun tasting new dishes!As a result, we chose to donate this book to our school library and have given it as birthday presents to everyone on our list! Even hard to please kids will eat something new when presented in a fun way and made together with their parents. Teaches math and science in subtle, yummy ways.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in its category by far! August 3, 2004

By N. Gilbert

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book does everything right: healthy, clear recipes with authentic ingredients. Each recipe has an introduction that explains the concepts (such as "Fried rice is basically stir-fried vegetables with cooked rice added"). I love the thought of a child learning how to make tortilla chips out of tortillas. Also, I love the thought of children mastering important basic recipes -- whether it's macaroni and cheese or scrambled eggs or banana bread. And there are lots of practical, creative-yet-simple lunch ideas -- grilled cheese and broccoli sandwich, for example, or macaroni minnestrone. All the things that other kid-cookbooks do wrong, this one does right.