Sunday, August 30, 2015

Complete Children's Cookbook ~ review [@dkpublishing]

I can't give you (or take you to or make you) an actual Sunday Brunch, so, instead, here's the review version!

Complete Children's Cookbook
DK Children's
May 5, 2015
304 pages
add to Goodreads/buy from Book Depository/pr Amazon


Delicious dishes kids will really want to make. More than 150 fabulous recipes, divided into nine themed chapters (Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Light Bites, and more) will have you and your child in the kitchen and cooking in no time. From French toast to rainbow salad, vegetable lasagna to tomato soup, and ice cream to mini muffins, Complete Children's Cookbook has a recipe for every occasion. And with beautiful full-color photography, simple instructions, and a focus on safety, each one makes an ideal cook-together project that will have children excited to try the new flavors in the dishes they helped make. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and feature a picture for every step, so children can see clearly just what to do as they build basic cooking skills, safe kitchen practices, and adventurous palates.

The Complete Children's Cookbook really is a complete cookbook aimed very well at children. From the very beginning with the contents page (Before You Begin, Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Light Bites, Main Meals, Cakes and Muffins, etc.), the cookbook is well organized, colorful and aesthetically pleasing.

Before we even get to the recipes, there is the 'Before You Begin' section with tons of useful information for children (and any kitchen novices, as well). From what makes up a good diet (and ideas on portion size) to food/cooking safety, measurements names and abbreviations, and what to do before beginning a recipe, it's all useful. The Equipment pages are full color photos of any equipment (spatula, whisk, colander, grill pan, etc) the cook is likely to need. There's a page on the different ways to cook with a photo and explanation for each (i.e. broil, grill, poach), one on preparation methods (i.e. chop, mash) and some on baking techniques (i.e. knead, fold, separate an egg).

After a quick rules reminder and a how-to on reading and following the recipes, it's time for the recipes themselves.

Each is nicely set-up with a box listing the estimated time required, number of servings, ingredients and equipment. Most recipes included large, color photographs accompanying and demonstrating each step. In addition there are great photos of the finished food or drink and 'tips' for substitutions, storage, etc.

With recipes from the more everyday (pancakes, four ways to cook an egg, gingerbread, apple pie, tomato pasta) to the perhaps less so (vegetarian moussaka, chicken and ham pies, pea and mint soup, mini pumpkin pies), Complete Children's Cookbook will show kids how to cook their favorite dishes and introduce them to some new ones.

Whether you have (or are) a child wanting to learn to cook and bake, or an adult who never did learn, Complete Children's Cookbook seems like a great place to start!







review copy received, from the publisher, via Edelweiss

No comments:

Post a Comment

Book Trailer Friday [@RandomHouse @TransworldBooks]

Beth Dorey-Stein's From the Corner of the Oval  - a tale of being the White House stenographer during the Obama administration will be ...