Customer Reviews

Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 3-year old daughter received this book as a gift and loves it. So do I! The recipes are simple (you probably have most of the ingredients in the house) and there are pictures of ingredients and measurements so that she can follow along. This is a great rainy day activity book.

Our daughter, age 5, is entralled with this cookbook and even at her age is capable of doing the majority of the child's part. The cookbook is laid out so that there are children's steps and adult steps and each step is clearly explained. She especially loves having her own set of measuring spoons, color coded for size. Definitely a winner!

I recieved this book for Christmas in 1989. I was thrilled to discover that I could cook all by myself!

The recipes in this book are simple enough that kids can manage them easily, without feeling like they need assistance through the whole thing. (And when you're a kid, that's important!) It even specifies which parts of the job should be handled by a "grown-up assistant."

What's more, the results are delicious. So good, in fact, that now that I am getting married I still have this cook book in my kitchen, and I still use it on a regular basis when I need a quick, easy meal.

Both the content and the actual book have stood up to many years of use. My young son enjoys participating in meal selection and preparation. Now if I could convince his mom he's ready to grill outside! The recipes are fun and delicious. This cookbook gives a child fundamentals in measuring and the basic "science" of cooking. Nice durable ring bound book with good illustrations.

My dad got this book for me when I was seven. I'm now 20 and I still use it, although I lost the measuring spoons long ago. It's a very useful book to help your kids get started learning to cook, as the recipes included are not only tasty but also largely fun to make, and the instructions are easy and clear.

I like to consider myself a gourmand and this was my first cookbook, so that should tell you something! Highly recommended. It's also constructed of wirebound, plasticized pages, which is REALLY helpful in making it last for a long time instead of disintegrating the first time somebody spills an ingredient on it.

This cookbook is THE BEST of a number of kids' cookbooks I've looked at.
Why?

1. The clear instructions: Each and every recipe includes an illustration showing ALL of the ingredients and tools you'll need to make the recipe -- down to the cup of water, the fork, the zip-loc bag (for crushing cornflakes), the cutting board, and for many recipes, the "grown-up assistant with knife". (Applesauce, for some reason, requires an assistant with a "sharp knife", a more stringent requirement than the other recipes.) No more "oops I don't have that" halfway through the recipe. The instructions are very clear, showing how to do things -- how to use the spatula, how to roll up the dough, how to spoon muffin batter into the muffin tins. The instructions teach. Instead of saying "melt butter" one recipe tells you to melt the butter on low, explaining that butter is easy to burn. A soup recipe advises to add a little bit of water if the soup seems too thick. (Many cookbooks would assume one knows these things.) The book doesn't pander, but it doesn't take much for granted.

2. The Rules: The book starts out with Kitchen Rules. It talks about how the kitchen is a "very special room" and lays out ground rules -- Be careful, be clean, Be ready & Measuring. The discussion on why it is important to clean as you go is great --

3. The Kid Focus: Language is really directed to children; it puts the kid in charge by saying things like "Your grown-up assistant and you shoud talk about every recipe before you start it" and "Stoves are hot places . . . always a good place to use some grown-up help." The accompanying picture is of grown man wearing a "Helper" apron and holding a knife, reacy to help.

4. The Recipes: Nice variety, with breakfast items (Buried Treasure Muffins, Four Ways to Cook Eggs) Lunches (Personal Pizza, Happle Bagle Sandwich), Dinners (Alphabetter Soup, Ready Spaghetti, Tuna Wiggle), Desserts (Frozen Bananoids, Disgustingly Rich Brownies), and even bonus recipes for play dough, face paint, soap bubbles, and dog biscuits. These aren't nutritional powerhouses, just basic good food.

5. Illustrations: Very cute. Lots of animals doing things; great facial expressions, particularly on the various grown-up assistants.

6. The format: The book is spiral-bound, so it lies flat. The pages are cardboard and can be wiped clean. That alone makes this a stand-out among kids' cookbooks.

Initially, I was a little hesitant to buy this book because many of the reviews seemed to be written by folks who had this book as a kid. I was comcerned that the book might not seem current. I bought one anyway, for a gift (along with a Molly Katzen cookbook for kids) and have since purchased several more. Nostalgia aside, this book really has withstood the test of time. For a book copyrighted more than 20 years ago, it seems completely up-to-date in 2008.

Highly recommended -- don't think you'll go wrong.

I got this book when I was probably about 7 or 8 and I still love it as a 23 year old. The "Darrell's Forget the Cookies Just Give Me That Batter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe" is the best cookie recipe I have ever used and tasted and I know my cookies. I've even adjusted the recipe a little to add more kinds of chocolate and it was still awesome. It's a great first cookbook for kids of any age and it made me want to cook for other people. I may not be the best chef but this book definitely encouraged me to cook more often. Definite recommendation for anyone young and young at heart.

My Children received this great book as a gift when they were little. My daughter (now 25) won 2nd prize for her "Darrell's Forget-the-cookies-just-give-me-that-batter" chocolate chip cookies in the county fair's jr division when she was just 10. We have used that recipe as well as the delicious "Disgustingly Rich Brownies" hundreds of times over the years. Highly recommended book!!

Like many of the other reviewers, I received this book as a gift when I was about 8 years old. I am now 25, and I still make those chocolate chip cookies! I, too, have tweaked the recipe a bit in terms of varieties of chocolate, etc, but the basic recipe is still "Darrell's." I may have worked my way up to Pierre Herme and Francois Payard, but this book started it all and stands the test of time!

My dad bought me this book when I was 8, and from the first recipe I was hooked. Between my brother an me, our family enjoyed most of the recipes in the book at least once, and I loved the sense of accomplishment from making my own meals. The book is extremely well-made and sturdy. I'm now 25 and the book is still in good condition. Recipes are easy to follow, fun to make, and surprisingly rather delicious. Though I no longer use it, I'll definiftely be giving it to my kids.