Kitchen for Kids: 100 Amazing Recipes Your Children Can Really Make (Paperback)

~ Jennifer Low (Author) "No youngster should pass through childhood without making a loaf of bread or a pan of cake..." (more)
Key Phrases: Alphabet Icing, Crunchy Coats, Tea Party Frosting (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

A pleasure to browse because of its gorgeous design. (Bridget Donald Quill and Quire )

Product Description

Kids love to cook and help in the kitchen. That's why Jennifer Low has created this book of 100 no-knives, no-flame, from-scratch recipes that kids can easily make with the help of a caring adult. Each recipe has been tested by kids aged four and up and each dish is beautifully photographed From Paddy Thai Noodles (an oven backed take on traditional Pad Thai) and One-Potato-Two Bread to Baby Lemon Meringue Pies and Strawberry-Fudge Striped Cake, the author shows how to organize a safe and fun kitchen for kids to learn cooking and to create yummy dishes.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Whitecap Books (October 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552854558
• ISBN-13: 978-1552854556
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,273 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Teeny Chef's Best Friend, December 8, 2005

By	Carol Toscano (New York City) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to say this really is a lovely book for children (and adults alike). I stumbled upon it by accident at Williams Sonoma and decided it was a perfect cookbook. The reason is because the recipes are for real foods and snacks (and not for cheesy, greasy junk that other kids' cookbooks have). The book is divided up by courses (or sections): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner; Breads and Crackers; Cookies; Cakes; Pies, Pastries and Squares; Candy, Confections and Cool Treats. My favorites: Paddy Thai Noodles and Dumpling Raviolis are delicious, healthy and easy (but just easy enough so that there is still a bit of a challenge and sense of accomplishment for the child). Which brings me to another REALLY EXCELLENT feature of this book - it's a book that's not just geared towards little girls. There's a vague image of a child holding a cupcake on the cover of the book but you can't tell if the child is a boy or a girl. The book is for all children - boys and girls alike - which is a very positive departure from all of the children's cookbooks out there that show little girls cooking in the kitchen with their moms. I collect vintage cookbooks and there are a few that (though very cute for the time) show ridiculous stereotypes (but are funny when looked at in the context of the period in which they were published).

Moving on...the cakes and desserts are really beautiful and especially nice because some of the recipes have instructions for two sizes. The alphabet cookies are pretty and fun to make because you paint the icing on with paint brushes (my sister and I decorated Christmas cookies one year with the paint brush technique and it was a lot of fun).

I would have given this book the full 5 stars because the content really deserves a 5 but there were 2 things that I felt could be improved if ever more editions come out (and neither of these items are the author's fault, by the way). The first is the binding of the book - I think that for a book for children, a hard cover version would have been a lot easier to handle as this one's soft cover binding doesn't stay open easily. The other thing was trying to find bakeware for the smaller versions of the cakes (smaller than full-sized cake pans but larger than toy-sized pans). I really had a hard time finding the correct size bakeware for some of the smaller cakes. Maybe a buyer's guide for specialty bakeware could be included because frankly, these smaller cakes are well suited to small dinner parties for adults as well when one doesn't want a giant cake that will end up leftover and wasted in the trash. The cake sizes are really excellent and I did eventually find a few pieces that were properly sized (Williams Sonoma and some internet specialty shops had a few pans that worked) but it took me quite a while to locate these.

But otherwise, I'd say the best modern cookbook for children available today.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing fixation on sweets, September 28, 2007

By	pleureur. - See all my reviews

I saw Jennifer Low in a TV appearance promoting this book, where she spoke at length about the need for kids to eat nutritious food and limit their consumption of treats. She emphasized the kids eat too many treats, and by definition a treat should not be eaten non-stop. Inspired by her enthusiasm for healthy kids, I purchased this book, only to find a few main dishes or savory breads followed by over 80 (out of 100) recipes for sweets.

The recipes have moderate yields -- limiting the disappointment if they don't come out right, and controlling the amount of raw ingredients that would be put into the recipe (as she says, your kids won't use up all your eggs), but there are simply too many sweets. And many of these are serious sweets, like fudge, not fruit salad. Three of them, incidentally, call for raw eggs.

Low was mindful of creating recipes that are do-able for young children, and she keeps their limitations and the comfort level of their parents in mind. All of the recipes use the oven, not the stove. A book like Mollie Katzen's "Pretend Soup" includes a visual recipe chart for preschoolers who cannot yet read as well as a wholesome attention to things like quick sandwiches and sauces), without all the sugar.

The recipes are very tasty, and the yield sizes appropriate. I just wish she would have diversified her offerings.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have to get this book!, January 8, 2007

By	Monika Plume (Cincinnati OH) - See all my reviews

I'm having visions of kid-catered dinners! For the first time, I've found a cookbook for kids with food I actually want to eat and actually want the kids to eat! Healthy, whole foods which are safe for kids to cook (almost) alone (without being the "open a can of this and mix it with a box of that" kind of cooking). Each recipe has a picture and doesn't require chopping or the use of small appliances or stovetop. And best of all, my eight year old daughter can't wait to break out her apron and try them all out.