Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat [Paperback]

Meghan Carle (Author), Jill Carle (Author), Judi Carle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Written by two teens who know what teens do and don’t know about cooking, TEENS COOK is an instructional cookbook that teaches young adults how to make great meals—and be confident and independent in the kitchen. Authors Megan and Jill Carle are teenage sisters with nothing much in common when it comes to food—except that they both know how to cook really well. One buys ingredients she likes and figures out what to make when she gets home; the other follows every recipe to the letter. One is a vegetarian who’s drawn to ethnic food; the other prefers all-American comfort food. Together, they’re a dynamic duo who have created and mastered more than 75 recipes for breakfasts, snacks, sides, family meals, dinners for one, and desserts. In TEENS COOK, the Carle sisters also share their kitchen know-how on averting and fixing disasters, dealing with cookbook math (fractions and metrics—ugh!), deciphering culinary vocabulary (all those terms we kind of know, but not really), explaining chemistry (why and how stuff goes right and wrong in the kitchen), and avoiding accidents (can you say “grease fire”? oops!). For teens (and tweens) who are tired of eating what their parents decide to fix, TEENS COOK offers foolproof advice for whipping up some tasty home-cooked meals of their own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Sisters Megan and Jill Carle love to cook, both from recipes and experimenting with what's on hand. When they eat something they love in a restaurant, they try to re-create it at home. If they find a complicated recipe, they fearlessly "take shortcuts that would probably give a chef hives." The result of their culinary passion is this appealing mix of 85 diverse recipes ranging from comfort food to sushi. The six sections include traditional American cuisine, as well as recipes for German, Chinese, and Mexican dishes. Basic cooking instruction is incorporated into the recipes themselves as well as in the sidebars sprinkled liberally throughout. The gently wry introductions for each recipe offer keen glimpses into the siblings' personalities and relationship, adding to the intimacy and warmth of this cookbook. Megan, a vegetarian, offers advice on adapting many of the recipes to her diet. "Kitchen Disasters" offer amusing accounts of mistakes made by the Carles or their relatives, complete with explanations of exactly why things went awry. The clear instructions and striking, full-color photos will equip teen chefs to undertake their own adventures, but the reliance on butter, cream, mayonnaise, cheese, and other high-fat ingredients is a drawback for those seeking a healthy diet. Evelyn Raab's Clueless in the Kitchen (Firefly, 1998) is a far more extensive collection of recipes that also includes more basic information about equipment, shopping, and food preparation.–Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

MEGAN CARLE and JILL CARLE are both graduate students at Arizona State University. They published their first cookbook, TEENS COOK, while Jill was still in high school, and followed up with TEENS COOK DESSERT and COLLEGE COOKING.


MEGAN CARLE and JILL CARLE are both graduate students at Arizona State University. They published their first cookbook, TEENS COOK, while Jill was still in high school, and followed up with TEENS COOK DESSERT and COLLEGE COOKING.
JUDI CARLE has served as chef/author, project coordinator, and general editor on more than 20 cookbooks, including the best-selling Charlie Trotter series and, most recently, Shakespeare'¬?s Kitchen. The Carles all live in Phoenix, Arizona.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580085849
• ISBN-13: 978-1580085847
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Teens > Sports & Hobbies > Cooking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners or know-it-alls!, September 15, 2005

By 

lp (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat (Paperback)

Great book for teens who don't know how to make anything and love to eat or teens who think they know how to make it all. The books s just as it's sub-title, "how to cook what you want to eat." It has great recipe alternatives to eating in instead of dining out--and learning something new while you're at it!

Receipes include sections of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts. Most food that you go out to eat, you can find the receipe in here!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book !!, July 30, 2004

By 

J. Keen (Gilbert, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat (Paperback)

Very well written. Easy to follow recipes with great illustrations. Tasty meals, wide range for all taste buds. The best cookbook by far I have ever used. For teens and anyone alike. Great buy totally recommended.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to teach kids to cook., December 30, 2004

By 

Beth Powanda (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat (Paperback)

I purchased this book for my 11 year old daughter to help cultivate her growing interest in cooking and to inspire her to broaden her palate and eat healthier. I'd say it has accomplished both objectives. Most of the recipes she can prepare herself with very little help from me so she feels very independent and is enjoying being an active participant in our family meal planning. She is so happy about being in the kitchen and cooking she actually enjoys doing the dishes too!!

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