Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook: A Cookbook

by Marion Cunningham

On the basis of her own experience teaching young children to cook, Marion Cunningham, the Fannie Farmer of today, shows boys and girls how to master essential techniques and to produce, all on their own, 35 favorite recipes, from vegetable soup to a birthday cake. in color.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 1995

About the author

Marion Cunningham was born in Southern California in 1922, and now lives in Walnut Creek. She was responsible for the revision of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and is the author of The Breakfast Book, and Cooking with Children. She travels frequently throughout the country giving cooking demonstrations (some with James Beard), has contributed articles to "Bon Appetit," "Food & Wine," and "Gourmet" magazines, and writes a column for the "San Francisco Chronicle," and the "Los Angeles Times." Over seventy episodes of her television series "Cunningham & Company" appears regularly on the Food Network.

In 1993, Marion received the Grand Dame award from Les Dames d'Escoffier "in recognition and appreciation of her extraordinary achievement and contribution to the culinary arts." In 1994, she was named Scholar-in-Residence by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now with regard to what author Marion Cunningham’s purpose seems to be with her 1995 cookbook Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook, I do think that she, that Ms. Cunningham most definitely succeeds simply and with always clear instructions introducing her featured fifteen child-friendly food preparation lessons and teaching children how to prepare different types of recipes.

And yes, I have indeed been very much impressed by how straight forward and never overly complicated Marion Cunningham’s food preparation instructions ALWAYS are and that she lists not only the required ingredients for each of her featured meal suggestions but that Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook also shows a list of equipment (in other words, what bowls, knives, spoons, pots, pans etc. are necessary to make, to prepare each recipe).

However and my above praises notwithstanding, I am actually not all that personally impressed by and pleased with Marion Cunningham’s recipe choices. For while keeping her cooking lessons simple and basic is of course something to be celebrated and lauded, I have indeed found a rather annoying lack of food diversity shown in Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook, with for example only one recipe for soup (and yes, as someone who is not all that much a fan of broccoli, why are there something like four broccoli based recipes presented but most other vegetables are pretty well ignored), not to mention that in my humble opinion, a basic cookbook for children should also be showing dietary alternatives for children with food allergies and intolerances, as well as sufficient recipe ideas for children who are vegan/vegetarian and which is really not all that much the case with Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook.

And thus, while I do think that in Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook Marion Cunningham does a pretty decent job explaining and demonstrating basic cookery and kitchen skills to her intended audience, to children from about the age of seven to twelve (and with Emily Lisker’s accompanying line drawings providing an educational visual mirror), the lack of food diversity for the recipe selection and that there are also not really any dietary alternatives included, this certainly feels to and for me like a rather annoying shortcoming and also lowers my general star ranking for Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook from the four stars I was originally considering to three.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that's found in the adult cooking section, but is great for the child that can read and follow directions independently. My daughter took this book and made baking powder biscuits for her first time just by following the directions...and they turned out well. It's a good book that doens't talk down to kids like many kid cookbooks do.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book doesn't talk down to kids. It teaches how to cook and the why of cooking (e.g. what leavening does).

The brownies are amazingly good, and simple.

[Valerie Sichi-krygsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent self-directed cooking school for children and nervous adults looking to learn the basics.