There are plenty of kids cookbooks out there, and the ones I tend to like best are the books that have recipes that I am tempted to try myself. This means that the books usually contain “real” recipes and lots of photos, not just variations on peanut butter sandwiches and simple snacks (both of which are good, especially in a kids book, but are not really what I’m looking for in a cooking book in general). Kitchen for Kids: 100 Amazing Recipes Your Children Can Really Make definitely has real recipes. This cookbook focuses on baking, and after a first chapter that covers breakfast, lunch and dinner items, it dives into chapters devoted to breads and crackers, cookies, cakes, pies and pastries, and candies and cool treats.
The recipes in this book are well written and easy to follow. Their instructions are broken down into simple steps that make the recipes easy to complete, and young cooks should have no problems following along. There are even suggestions throughout the book that will make cooking a little easier, like reminders not to touch things when they come out of the oven and are hot. I actually also like the fact that the recipes include optional ingredients for different variations, so kids can start out customizing the recipes as they like right away. And of course, there are lots of great pictures.
The introduction to this book is written for parents, or for anyone else lending a hand to supervise in the kitchen. It tells you how to set up your workspace to make it kid-friendly, and offers helpful suggestions (such as laying all the required ingredients out in advance or pregreasing the pans so they’re ready to use) so that kids can make these recipes on their own. There are some notes that will help out would-be bakers, such as the bits that cover how to measure ingredients and those that describe the most commonly used kitchen tools and their functions. This book is going to be most appropriate for kids who are a little bit older or are a little experienced in the kitchen, simply because some of the reipes (like the yeast breads) might be too complex for younger kids to do on their own. Still, the recipes are very appealing and as long as you don’t mind lending a hand, you should be able to make these with young chefs and bakers of any age.
the wicked noodle
March 22, 2010This looks like a great kids cookbook! I’ve tried some others but they’re always lacking something. Thanks for the review!
rachel
March 22, 2010We’ve had this book for a year or two. My girls call it “the cupcake book” and fight over who gets to read it. I do wish it had a little more cooking and less baking, because I love getting my kids involved in making what they eat and I’d rather it not be sweets all the time. But overall it’s a great book and all of the recipes we’ve tried from it have turned out really well.
hng23
March 29, 2010My granddaughter & I really enjoy making treats from this book together. We made the 3-tier chocolate cake a few years ago & it was the highlight of her birthday that year. This is a great starter book for a child who’s showing interest in baking.
Chaz123
October 22, 2012I found that the cook book recipes were good but they aren’t challenging for an advanced or someone who knows the basics