Cooking Books - Page 12

Gross-Out Cakes: The Kitty Litter Cake and Other Classics

Amazon Price: $11.01 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Silverleaf Press Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $7.41

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Perfectly Gross!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Just as the title suggests this book is really gross - and so are the recipes - which makes your whole baking experience perfectly gross!!!

BUT as gross as these desserts may look - they actually taste just yummy - that is once you get over the fact that you are eating something called Doggy Doo Doo Drops, Blood Clot Cake or Toenail Torte with Toe Jam Filling!!!

I think I'll stop there - I'm sure you've got the idea!!! You've got to check this book out - even your kids will be grossed out!!! Now if that isn't a good sign - I don't know what is!?!

Editorial Review:

Tease kids' taste buds and tickle their imaginations with the 20 dreadfully wonderful recipes in this unique cookbook. Deceptively tasty confections, such as the Open Wound Cake and the Toenail Torte, are broken down into steps kids can do themselves and those grown-ups should supervise and each cake is rated on a one-to-five "worm scale" degrees of difficulty. These appalling concoctions are accompanied by full-color photographs and thorough instructions for creating a hideously delicious centerpiece for birthdays, holidays, school parties, and other occasions.

Grow It, Cook It

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $10.87 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $9.20

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Science, Nature & How It Works -> Nature -> Gardening -> Nonfiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General

Editorial Review:

Grow It, Cook It is the children's cookbook that starts with the seed of a good idea. More than a cookbook, this innovative book offers a fresh approach to healthy eating by getting children involved in food right from the start. Children will learn that when they eat a carrot, they're biting into a root; salads are made up of leaves; and berries are the fruit and seeds of plants, encouraging an early appreciation of food and its origins.

The recipes in the book take the homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs and use a variety of cooking methods and store-bought ingredients to transform them into truly homemade meals. All the "crops" can be grown in pots, so young chefs don't even need a large garden to enjoy Grow It, Cook It.

Gobble Up The Bible

Legacy Press

Amazon Price: $11.99 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Legacy Press Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $7.94

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Religions -> Christianity -> Bible -> Reference & Interpretation
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A fun teaching book for parents and teachers 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This is a fun, easy to understand, cookbook that combines Bible lessons with recipes. Parents, Sunday School teacher and Preschool teachers will find many hours of activities in this book. It includes clearn, easy to understand directions, correlating Bible lessons, and activities for children.

Editorial Review:

This interactive cookbook will help kids learn to make really great food and grow closer to God as they do it. Each of the more than 70 recipes includes a Bible learning activity to teach young people more about the Christian life. Recipes offer food for kid-do-able meals and snacks even some recipes that are for play only. Includes a thorough section on kitchen safety and basic culinary techniques.

Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z Lap-Sized Board Book

Lois Ehlert

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $11.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Red Wagon Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $1.20

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> Basic Concepts -> Alphabet
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Baby-3 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Science, Nature & How It Works -> Nature -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Boring and Unclear images of Produce 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

My son will read just about anything. He devours books. But not this book. This is probably the only book on our bookshelf that has never requested we look at or read. This book has no text, just watercolor paintings of the fruits and veggies. But the images are not all that easy to differeniate from one another. If, like an infant, you had not yet experienced this produce, I think that you would be unlikely to link the pictures in the book with the real thing in the grocery store or garden. I was disappointed with this book, as is my son, apparently.

Editorial Review:

Ages 1-3. This appetizing alphabet book shows fruits and vegetables so juicy and alive, you'll wish they could jump off the page and into your mouth. Even vegetable haters will find it hard to resist the vibrantly colored collage illustrations, which make each item look fascinating and appealing. Long a favorite picture book, this title is now available in a smaller board book edition, just right for introducing toddlers to the mysteries of endive, kiwifruit and papaya. Booklist called the original "bright, bold... well designed."

Kids Cook!: Fabulous Food for the Whole Family (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

Sarah Williamson, Zachary Williamson

Amazon Price: $10.36 List Price: $12.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Williamson Publishing Company Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $0.46

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Arts & Music -> Crafts & Hobbies
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wonderful first cook book! 5 out of 5 stars.
27 of 28 people found this review helpful.

What a great cookbook! Real food for real kids and their real parents. Not only is the layout easy to follow, the book contains good basic info on measuring, cooking techniques, and equipment. It also has invaluable information (in the margins on every page) on safety, nutrition, and other fun facts. The recipes are rated easy to more difficult so that cooks of all levels can enjoy this book. I may even get one for my cooking-phobic sister-in-law!

Yum! 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

The perfect cookbook for kids, kids and parents, and parents alone! Great recipes for all ages. Nutritional tips and info are a wonderful plus for kids learning to cook. Be sure to try the chicken salad recipe.

A coloring book? 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 20 people found this review helpful.

As a children's librarian, I bought this book for my library based on reviews and the pictured cover. When I buy my own cookbooks, I look for color photos of the recipe. The pairing of the recipe and final product are truly appetizing and certainly sell, not only the food, but also the cookbook. However, open Kids Cook! and find colorless pages! In fact, it truly looks like a coloring book. At first, I was really annoyed. Children also deserve color photos. Then I reread the reviews and re-examined the cookbook. OK, true, it is a fine little cookbook, easy to read, easy to follow.

With those things in mind, I came up with a way to write a totally positive review. After (you and) the child puts the product in the oven, s/he can sit down and color the recipe page! I suggest keeping nearby a big box of colors--one with bunches of choices in order to get the colors of the food just right. Unless the cook has homework, what better way to use the time while the food cooks?! Pairing a second creative talent with the first! Not only that, but the child can keep up with what has been tried at a glance. On the inside cover, create a chart of good/bad and all between ratings and then mark each colored recipe accordingly! What fun!

A First Cookbook for Children (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

Evelyne Johnson

Amazon Price: $4.95 List Price: $4.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dover Publications Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $0.04

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Activity Books -> Coloring Books
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Activity Books -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Let's Cook 5 out of 5 stars.
32 of 35 people found this review helpful.

I bought this cookbook for my grandchildren. It came to where I work and all the ladies just loved going through looking at the simple recipes and all the great information about measurements, etc. One of the ladies even asked me to get her one for her daughter who is going off to college. The daughter loves it and the first night she sat down and colored one of the pages, ran into where her mom was and said mommy look at my picture I colored!!!! How fun!!! The recipes are simple, there's tons of information and you can even color the pages!!! What more could you want!!! Went back and bought another one for my son who will soon be out on his own!!

Editorial Review:

Simple, easy-to-follow instructions with clear explanations of ingredients and utensils take children through each phase of food preparation and actual cooking. Helpful introduction includes a basic list of necessary ingredients and equipment, cooking hints, and sample menus. Total of 60 recipes: pizza, hamburgers, salads, cookies, cakes, macaroni and cheese, much more.

Dog Food

Joost Elffers, Saxton Freymann

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Arthur A. Levine Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $2.39

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Dogs -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Dogs -> Nonfiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

If you think living, breathing puppies are cute, wait until you see this fabulous book of photographs of fruit-and-vegetable dogs. Yes, Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers (Play with Your Food, How Are You Peeling?, One Lonely Seahorse) are back, with one of their best efforts to date. Not only are the doggies themselves endearing and clever (the broccoli-tufted French poodle is pure genius), but the wordplay and visual punch lines are terrific as well. "Chilly dog," crafted from a potato, shivers next to a mushroom snowman. "Dog bowl," contrary to what you might envision, is a dog made out of a radish, with a black olive on its paw, poised to topple banana-tip bowling pins. "Dog catcher," reveals a jalapeño dachshund catching a squash Frisbee in midair. "Let sleeping dogs lie" you say? There they are, sleepy, sleepy banana peel dogs at the end. The eye-popping endpapers showcase the entire kennel of creations on a bright turquoise background. This immensely appealing book will be irresistible to almost any human, but dog (and produce) lovers will sprout wings and zoom skyward. (Ages 4 to 104) --Karin Snelson

Bake and Make Amazing Cakes (Kids Can Do It)

Elizabeth MacLeod

Amazon Price: $5.95 List Price: $5.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kids Can Press, Ltd. Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $0.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Arts & Music -> Crafts & Hobbies
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Best 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

We first checked this book out from the library and loved it so much we bought one. This is great for young chefs and the parents who love them to spend some time together. The directions are easy and they are fun to make. We made the caterpillar for a 6th birthday and it was a big hit. It made the occasion more special.

Anyone can Do 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The high points of this book are the layout, variety of styles, and the percentage of attractive cakes displayed. Some of these cakes are good for adult beginners as well so don't think of this book as just for kids.Most appreciated were the excellent illustrations.
The book should of had better directions though-and there is one cake at the end of the book that I felt was too difficult for young children to do. There was no information on how to write on a cake. Also the introductory chapter was scant. It would of been much better if more casual text was included on how to get your child interested in decorating a cake and a bit on safety. I didn't like the disclaimer on the inside cover stating that the publishers weren't responsible for kids that hurt themselves using the book-how rude!
Anyway, the book is pretty good overall. The cakes look great and offer many ideas and variations on cake decorating.

Editorial Review:

Cakes - especially homemade ones - make any celebration special! This book is filled with 19 easy-to-do cake designs and decorating tips simple enough for kids to try on their own. Decorating with candies, cookies and other goodies means that no fancy pastry bags or labour-intensive parental supervision is required. The illustrated step-by-step instructions, full-colour photos and delicious cake and icing recipes help kids take cakes from plain to WOW in no time flat! Kids can make a scary dinosaur bright butterfly spooky jack-o'-lantern cuddly cat lucky rainbow terrific tiger

Kids Cook 1-2-3

Rozanne Gold

Amazon Price: $13.46 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $7.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent recipes that need work 3 out of 5 stars.
16 of 20 people found this review helpful.

From my early years, I cooked a lot. Starting in fifth grade, I had a budget and full responsibility for our family of five's dinner every Wednesday, from shopping to cleanup. Mostly I used the Fannie Farmer cookbook.

Realizing many contemporary young people lack such background and are unaccustomed to food preparation, I think this book's idea of good recipes that appear unintimidating is excellent. The appearance however is deceptive, the execution, inadequate.

A book intended for children needs to be written and edited so children themselves can absorb its information at their level of experience. Rozanne Gold's book offers a selection of delicious, real foods children will enjoy and enjoy sharing, but not the care required to impart necessary directions

Making this cookbook actually work for children wouldn't take a whole lot of effort. As it is, it guides adults who want to cook with children more effectively than it meets the needs of children themselves.

Although illustrated, it's sophisticated style may appeal to the rare child, but not to children in general, and the small type is neither inviting, nor, particularly on the orange and fruit smoothie blue background pages, easy to read. Swapping some of the generous empty space for larger print would help. But beyond visual appearance, the information itself needs to be redone with children in mind. Seriously.

Besides the fact that many children fail to read introductions at all, this book's introduction, containing the main part of its minimal safety precautions and disclaimers, takes way too much for granted. It warns,"be sure you have a parent or kitchen buddy to help you," but if this book is intended for inexperienced children, specifying safety directions within recipes more frequently would be prudent.

It does warn children "to read a recipe slowly and carefully all the way through before you get stated" which, of course, is always wise, but the recipes themselves could ensure better advance comprehension if equipment were listed instead of tucked into directions (how disappointing to find the zest grated from three lemons, sugar and buttermilk won't become sorbet if an unavailable ice cream maker, required in the last line, was overlooked. Well, the tomato sorbet for the shrimp cocktail earlier in the book didn't need one, how was I to know. . . )It's asking a lot really.

Diagrams and more thorough instructions for many procedures would be sensible. Say it's a nine year old's first encounter with a "large knife", is it adequate to instruct, "cut the carrots in half across the width. Cut the slender half lengthwise into 4 long pieces?" Instead of the pretty sketch of a carrot, how about a diagram showing the carrot flat side down being cut as directed? A line drawing of the "slit down the entire length of the tenderloin, leaving 1 inch on each end uncut" would help a child who's never considered such a maneuver before too.

How does the child determine the skillet IS "hot."

How are young cooks supposed to tell how much more kosher salt to add to their boiling water until it "tastes as salty as the ocean?"

I'd like steps built into the numerous poultry recipes to minimize the possibility of salmonella contamination.

How does a small person know how to "remove" a roast chicken from the oven the first time, or "transfer" it to a cutting board?

Then in the confusing directions for making quick gravy, do we have the child pouring hot fat from the roasting pan through the strainer into the small saucepan, or has it cooled? Approximately how long might it take for the juices to thicken and how thick might a child think is right without some approximation or description? And what the heck is the young novice to make of "If using butter, add a tablespoon of cold butter to enrich the sauce" (it's sauce now, not gravy) if our recipe hasn't said we ARE using butter or not, and do we plop the cold butter right into the boiling juices and splash ourselves?

Similarly, why are no tips given for pouring hot jelly into the 8X8 pan?

I wonder how long it might take, and how committed a child would need to be, to "scrape the peel [of a 4-inch piece of ginger] away with the edge of a spoon. "

What size do we suppose "a medium-sized bowl" might be?

If a child has not prepared a fresh avocado before, is it reasonable to begin instructions "scoop the avocado flesh from the hard skin" with no hints on how to open it and remove the pit?

Children might even need to be told to cut off scallion roots, not simply to discard the green part and chop the white part.

Details about the round of parchment for the springform pan would be nice.

If the young chef is not to let the brown butter turn black, it would be a good idea to mention how. (And couldn't more of the recipes use olive oil in place of so much butter?)

Reminding children their fondue cherries still have pits would be thoughtful. A little advice on "transferring" the molten chocolate to the fondue pot would be wise as well.

"Cook it until it is reduced by half" needs a bit more explanation, and I'm not even going to tell you about the two-sentence explanation for separating eggs. . .

Is it enough support to tell a child faced with a fresh pineapple only " Cut the pineapple into little cubes (about 1/4 inch)"?

These are only a few examples. I'm not trying to pick on these splendid recipes but they just won't do; they need to be thought through better for children to use independently.

Having only three ingredients per recipe implies manageable simplicity, but many of these recipes are more complicated than one might expect. Take oatmeal, for example: After cooking the cider syrup for 25 minutes, or arranging to rewarm it if it was made ahead, "cook [oats] over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes longer, until the oatmeal is the desired thickness. Meanwhile, whip the remaining cream using a wire whisk. . . until soft peaks form" --pretty demanding for even an experienced cook to finesse and still "serve immediately."

How about divulging first-time tips on dividing ground meat into 12 or 16 evenly sized balls or the puff pastry sheets into 12 pieces.

Some of the ingredients are unlikely to be on hand. Some may be unfamiliar, and essential information is omitted:

How much is in a bunch of fresh mint anyway, in case we're picking our own?

okay, we know we need 5.2 ounces of Boursin cheese, but do we know what to look for at the grocery store? Comté? Even fresh goat cheese seems a little mysterious with no further comments.

garlic oil?


Sometimes less is more, but here it's not.

Kids Cook 1-2-3 claims it is "easy to follow," but it needs more complete, more careful instructions. It really does.

Editorial Review:

Learning to cook can be fun and easy! This cookbook is for kids, but beginning cooks of all ages will love the simple and delicious recipes for every meal--all with only three ingredients each.

With more than 100 easy-to-follow recipes, kids can prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts and more, while learning about fresh ingredients and simple cooking techniques. From the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich to crunchy wasabi salmon, young cooks will gain confidence as they prepare homemade soups, delicious macaroni and cheese, and a heavenly chocolate mousse cake.

Award-winning chef and author Rozanne Gold inspires everyone to get cooking! Using her signature, keep-it-simple approach to cooking with fresh, natural ingredients, you won’t need a gourmet kitchen or any experience to get started. With just 1-2-3 ingredients per recipe, you can make amazingly creative meals and feel like a very accomplished cook.

Cooking Up a Storm: The Teen Survival Cookbook

Sam Stern, Susan Stern

Amazon Price: $12.74 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $4.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Teens
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Cooking

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What's cooking? An enthusiastic young chef shares his teen-tested tips and recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to brain-boosting snacks.

A kid's gotta eat — and what better way to make sure that the food on your plate hits the spot than to make it yourself? Fourteen-year-old Sam Stern, with a bit of help from his mom, Susan, is more than happy to share dozens of his favorite recipes for all occasions. There are pancakes for breakfast and easy lunches like soup or salad to pack up for school. Quick meals like spaghetti or omelettes are best for busy school nights; for weekends there are serious dinners like homemade lasagna or whole roasted chicken. And don't forget fancy, mouth-watering desserts; addictive but healthy snacks; and even special menus and suggestions to help keep your brain awake during dreaded exam time. Especially geared toward teen readers is the lively running commentary from Sam, plus colorful photos of food preparation and the ultimate chef's reward: feasting with friends.