My 8 yods wants to learn to cook...any good cookbooks for this age out there?

[Kelley]

That have tastey and fun recipes that are successful?

Thanks!
Kelley

[oakmom]

The directions are clear and everything we have tried has tasted great.

[Mrs Mungo]

I really like the Williams-Sonoma cookbooks for kids. They are easy to follow and produce something that is actual food.

http://www.amazon.com/William-Sonoma-Cookbook-Great-Williams-Sonoma-Lifestyles/dp/0848726073

http://www.amazon.com/Williams-Sonoma-Baking-Abigail-Johnson/dp/0848727800/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

[Robyn]

Spatulatta (http://www.spatulatta.com/) has a bunch of recipes and videos of kids preparing them.

I bought the Better Homes and Gardens kids cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Junior-Cookbook-Better-Gardens-Kitchen/dp/0696220008/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201826812&sr=8-1) for my 9 yr old ds this Christmas. He loves it. I don't feel that the recipes are all super healthy, but they are easy and fun.

We also have a less glitzy one from Oak Meadow (https://www.oakmeadow.com/store/orderitem.cfm?rec_no=58) that has been a big hit.

[Zee]

We like Emeril's cookbooks for kids. The recipes are kid friendly, but tasty for adults, too. I keep sneaking my son's to cook with every now and then. There is information in the front that explains equipment and terms used. Check it out at the library and see what you think before you buy. :)

[Baseballmom]

Rachel Ray 30 Min. Meals for Kids. Love it!

[Robyn]

Neat, I didn't realize Emeril had kids cookbooks. My ds loves his show.

[Kelli in TN]

We like Emeril's cookbooks for kids. The recipes are kid friendly, but tasty for adults, too. I keep sneaking my son's to cook with every now and then. There is information in the front that explains equipment and terms used. Check it out at the library and see what you think before you buy. :)

These are great cookbooks, very clear instructions and the food is wonderful!


Sometimes when my resident chef is not looking I use his Emeril books!:)

[Chris in CA]

I bought my dd two from B&N that are by William & Sonoma. They are very thorough, I learned a thing or two : )
Chris

[Chris in CA]

These are great!

[Brenda in FL]

I scanned through the other posts, and I'm sure those are all very fine cookbooks and great for children learning to cook, but what your son will really want are the Star Wars Cookbooks!!;)

I tried to post a link to amazon but I don't know how to get the url right (I wasn't paying attention when it was discussed before.:o

[Darcy in FL]

We like Emeril's cookbooks for kids. The recipes are kid friendly, but tasty for adults, too. I keep sneaking my son's to cook with every now and then. :)

We love this at our house too. We bought it for 11y/o ds last Valentine's Day. It's been a huge hit!

[Lorna]

Go to the top right hand corner of this site.
http://www.jamboree.freedom-in-education.co.uk/
This cookbook is written by a home educated girl . The recipes are very complete (including how to cook brown rice), aimed at children, taste wonderful, are healthy and we have tried them all!
Each recipe is illustrated by Bethan (and she is a wonderful artist as well as cook).

[Kathie in VA]

All my kids enjoy this show. Good Eats is fun and we all learn not only the hows but whys.

I don't know if they have a cookbook, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[OhElizabeth]

With my dd, I've tried to focus on giving her tools that enable her to do things. First I got her a lettuce knife, which is just $1 and has gentle serrations to cut lettuce. Then I moved her up to a real paring knife ($1) and now she uses a real (cheap, $4) chef's knife from Target. She's 8 and uses it no problem, but we tried to teach her proper technique and not let her do anything beyond her ability to do safely. The knife is not very sharp but it enables her to cut cucumbers and basic things. We eat a salad every night, so she's able to prep that entirely by herself now.

I don't know how tall your dd is, but she may need a single step stool to reach the counter safely, another thing to consider. I keep several cutting boards, so I usually give her a small board to use for her prepping. I keep two colanders, so she always has one to use. Any 8 yo can pluck the stems off spinach, wash celery or radishes, etc. I have a small, hand-held vegetable brush she uses a lot.

For baking, I got her small silicone oven mitts from walmart that are just her size. They were $5 apiece, which is a lot of money I guess, but they fit her so nicely and are enabling her to get things from the oven or toaster oven. Before she could only put things in. She knows how to bake fish and chicken. (Rinse the cod, pour olive oil on, and put in oven, not exactly hard, lol.)

So I don't think it's so much about special recipes as it is about giving them tools to enable them to work alongside you and take over what you're doing. My 8 yo can totally cook dinner for me if I don't feel up to it. Granted it won't be swedish meatballs or anything, but she can bake some chicken, warm up beans or wild rice, prep and dress the salad. She's starting to want to bake cornbread and things, so I'm supervising her with that. The measurements matter and with a kid, they're tempted to shake the measuring cups.

[Kelley]

I woke up this morning to find all of your wonderful ideas. I gotta check out the Star wars cookbooks...my son loves star wars.

I will check out the other posts too and do some reading on Amazon.

Thanks so much!

Kelley

[Heather in VA]

My daughter loves to cook. One place she loves to look is on Ree's website http://www.pioneerwomancooks.com. She loves the pictures that go with each step that help her learn techniques. Cook's Illustrated is good for that too.

She has her own knife and silicone spatulas that she loves as well.

Heather