Customer Reviews

Stir, Squirt, Sizzle: A Nick Cookbook

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One of the people reviewing this book was upset about the quality of the recipes. I wasn't. I took about 20 minutes in the bookstore looking at the various kids recipe books and very often the recipes are for things as simple and stupid as pb&j sandwiches.

That's not the point of this book. It's got all my son's favorite characters from Nick throughout the book, and that is what gets my child's imagination going. So the pb&j is called Seanut butter and jellyfish jelly sandwich--it ties in with the tv series wherein they do use jellyfish jelly.

Yep, it's dumb and while there are lots of undumb cookbooks, get this one for the fun of it. It's true that there's a lack of finesse about the recipes, but that's not the niche market this book is going for. And to be truthful, in my family at least, it's the cartoon tie-in which makes the kids happy, not fancyness of the recipe.

So there you have it. Get it because your kids love Spongebob, and Jimmy Neutron, or pass on it and get the Betty Crocker Jr. Cookbook (yawn). There are lots of terrific kids cookbooks out there, why not buy a bunch of them from the used vendors here on Amazon? Then you won't feel put out if the kids recipes are overly simple and show a lack of "je ne sais quoi."

Yes, this book grabs with bright colors and cartoon characters. Yes, the recipes are for basics, like jello with fruit, but I found it to be bright and fun. I'm a good cook, but my seven year old granddaughter is just beginning and I'm happy for her to make crispy chicken strips rather than buy them at the store. This is for kids young enough to need adult help with putting pans in the oven; don't expect something to tantalize a ten year old. And what better reason for stumbling through long words than to eat something delicious in the end?

This is-by far-the absolute lamest kid's cookbook I have ever seen. It contains nothing interesting or new, and features-and I'm not kidding here-such exciting fare as Sponge Bob's SeaPeanut & Jelly Sandwich. Some editor with too much time on their hands has taken the most bland and standard of American kid's fare and slapped it into a cookbook with a couple of Nick characters and called it a cookbook. If I were them, I'd be really embarassed. I mean, there is nothing special here. I mean-nothing. The Sponge Bob's SeaPeanut and Jelly sandwich recpie? All this particular recipe calls for is to use products with Sponge Bob's logo. Uh... okay...

Oh, but the lameness doesn't end there-it goes on and on and on for over forty pages. Chicken Nuggets. Cheese Pizza (with pre-packaged dough). Mashed Potatoes. Just mashed potatoes--nothing added but character references! I mean, doesn't pigs in a blanket have so much more appeal when they're called Plankton in a Blanket and features Plankton-the Sponge Bob character popping out of one, screaming in terror? Verrrrry original. Alert Christopher Kimball, I think they're on to something.

And it's atrocious about table manners, too. I would never, ever buy my kids a cookbook with chapters entitled Gobble and Gulp, Chomp and Chew, Gulp and Guzzle. This comes from the marketing camp that louder, faster, grosser sells. But what they don't tell kids is that grace, persistance, patience and manners are what get you the better paycheck when you're older, n'est pas?

Buy this book if you need a doorstop and have lots of money to waste. Otherwise, save your money and spend it on a real cookbook that actually had an editor with some inventiveness. If you're looking for something to get your kids involved in cooking with you, then get The Everything Kid's Cookbook or Annabel Karmel's wonderful Mom and Me Cookbook. If you're looking to get out of a rut, then I highly recommend Beyond Mac 'n' Cheese by MOPS. But as for this selection, skip it. It's pathetic and disgusting, all at once. Skip it.