Your Kids: Cooking!: A Recipe for Turning Ordinary Kids Into Extraordinary Cooks

by Barbara Brandt M.ED.

Your Cooking! is a fun and engaging hands-on cooking program that prepares kids for a lifetime of healthy eating by teaching them how to turn fresh, wholesome ingredients into healthy and delicious meals. Much more than a just a cookbook, YKC is a multimedia cooking program that teaches kids how to cook in a structured, fun, and engaging way. Through the seamless coordination of step-by-step demonstrations on the DVD with written and pictorial directions in the book, budding chefs are effortlessly guided through the preparation of 20 delicious and healthy meals the whole family can enjoy. Upon completing the program, young chefs will have acquired all the cooking skills, techniques, methods and confidence they need to cook virtually anything they want. In addition to learning to cook, kids also learn the basics of nutrition and how to make healthy food choices. Following the guidelines established by the USDA, young chefs learn about the five food groups that are the building blocks of a healthy diet as well as which foods to eat more of and which foods to eat less of. The more kids understand about how to build a healthy plate, the easier it is for them make healthy food choices now, and for the rest of their lives. Although kids do all the cooking themselves, the program is designed so kids and their parents can enjoy the experience together. The parent's role is that of sous chef, there to provide support and encouragement, help, if needed, and to keep things safe. The multimedia approach used in the program makes it possible for kids to be 100% in charge of the entire meal preparation process. Taking on the challenge and responsibility for what is typically an adult role in the household develops confidence and builds self-esteem. Children experience pride and a sense of accomplishment as they share a meal with their whole family that they made all on their own.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2015

Reviews

[Kate Keaveny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for introducing some fun healthy recipes to children that they can have a go at cooking. Opportunities to explore cooking and encourage children to learn some skills.
Pictures help children to see what they need to do. Which children really need. It also includes nutritional break downs to help children to understand what they are cooking and the importance of health and nutrition.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

I really enjoyed reading and then working on the recipes in with my 12 year old. What we have is a cookbook that is friendly, encouraging, and kid friendly. For adults, safety consideration are carefully covered and a very 'hands back and let them work' attitude is encouraged.

The book has a broad selection of recipes - from macaroni and cheese to fried egg sandwiches, tamale pie to quiche. In all, there are 10 lessons with variations on a recipe in each as well as a fun desert (e.g., Lesson 6 has a recipe for stir-fry, cashew chicken, easy key lime pie, and then an; expand your horizons' recipe list. That typically translates to 5-6 recipes per section.

Recipes include serving size, completion time, ready to serve time, background of the dish, sneak peek of how the recipe is made, STACK statistics (Skills, Terms, And Cooking Know-how), step by step directions with images, notes to the parents (who are 'sous chefs' to their head chef kids), preparation information, shopping lists and tips, suggested side dishes, nutritional information, healthier suggestions, images of all utensils and ingredients needed, and then suggestions for taking the meals further.

Of note, this isn't simply a children's cookbook. The emphasis here is on skill building - from independent work to building a sense of accomplishment. Parents are given the tools they need to further the lessons but ideally the kids do everything from chop the onions to even selecting the items to buy at the store.

The DVD wasn't available when I received the book so I can't comment on that. But the book itself is excellent - thorough, well thought out, and clearly a lot of work has been done to make it both useful and useable. Highly recommended. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The students at my school love cookbooks, so I am always interested when I see one written especially for kids. Your Kids Cooking! is not just a recipe book, but an entire program to teach young people the terms and skills needed to be successful in the kitchen. The program consists of the book, a DVD, and a website. The book contains 10 recipe lessons that build upon each other, so that kids learn 100 cooking skills, techniques, and terms by the end of the program. Within each lesson is the main recipe, an additional recipe of a similar dish for further practice, and a recipe for a sweet treat or snack to reward the chef for all the hard work. The DVD goes through a demonstration of the recipe step-by-step, and the website has 10 more recipes to accompany each lesson.

Within the book, each lesson is written up with kid-friendly directions and photos of the ingredients, utensils, and the steps of the recipe. Information includes how many the recipe will serve, the amount of prep time needed, suggestions for completing the meal (side dishes), "Easy-Fix Options" (such as buying frozen meatballs instead of making them from scratch), a shopping list and shopping tips, a MyPlate.gov breakdown of the nutrition for the dish and extra nutritional info (like the difference between regular and wholegrain pasta), and even interesting food facts from around the world. The beginning of the book includes a list of the utensils needed for each recipe and there is a buyer's guide on the website. The book also contains tips on kitchen safety, covering "sharp stuff, hot stuff, and germy stuff." The DVD has a segment on knife safety.

Pancake lovers know that you can order a short stack, if you aren't very hungry, or get the full stack. In this program, STACK stands for "Skills, Terms, and Cooking Know-How." By the time future chefs have completed Your Kids Cooking! they will have the tall STACK, for sure.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read an ARC of the book that comes as part of this but it will also be accompanied by a DVD and a website when it is released - I suspect that the entire unit will be worthy of a 5* review! It is a great idea from a parent who was struggling to encourage her child to cook and is now sharing some great ideas.

The book contains very child friendly, easy to understand and follow, recipes that also help them master key cooking skills, techniques and terms. It is designed to be followed sequentially, with the recipes consolidating skills introduced in earlier sessions as well as introducing additional new skills and techniques. The website is also said to share more than one hundred additional recipes for them to try out - all presented in a similar manner. The DVD is said to have “complete, step-by-step demonstrations for each target recipe”.

You Kids CookingThe book shows the skills, terms and cooking know-how to be learnt in each of ten key lessons. There’s advice on getting your kitchen ready with illustrations of the cookware, tools. measurements and other information for each lesson as well as safety advice, too. Adults are expected to act as the Sous Chef and they are given advice on their role in the whole process, too. For each recipe/lesson there is a sneak peek to show how it is made, advice on what you need to prepare before cooking, information on the nutritional content of the recipe and other interesting facts relating to it before the step by step guide to cooking it. There are treats and examples of other recipes to try, too. A great way to help your child develop into an “extraordinary chef”!

Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too
for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is no ordinary "cookbook." This is a cooking program that is organized into ten lessons. Each lesson has skills and cooking terms, a shopping list, suggestions for side dishes and a preview of the requirements for the recipe with great pictures included. As the parent, you get to be the "sous chef" and the lessons include tips for you, too! After your child has made the main dish using new skills and terms, he gets to practice those skills with a fun dessert-type of recipe that is included. There is a DVD included with the book, but I did not have access to that so I cannot offer a review of that.

The beginning of this book has a great introduction for the parent. The author listed some positive outcomes that will come from your child participating in the program. Your child will learn to cook, eat healthier, build self-esteem and confidence. As the parent, you get to have quality time with your child and make memories together.

This book is meant for children ages 8 and up. I want to get this book for myself and my family!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your Kids: Cooking! is a fun, lively and educational program that teaches children to cook. It includes EVERYTHING a kid would need to understand the process, art and skills needed to cook a fabulous meal, snack or treat. It has beautiful illustrations, easy to read, step-by-step instructions about what tools, foods and skills are necessary for that particular recipe. I love that my daughter can have a cookbook that supports her independence, which she loves, while I know that she is also reading and being shown how to be safe in the kitchen. On top of it, the recipes are delicious. The only reason I am not giving this 5 stars is that I was not given the DVD to look at and I do not know if and how it might enhance the book. Otherwise, really excellent..

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion,

[Solfreedom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Kid's cookbook is wonderful! My daughter and I have already used this several times. The pictures and checklists are wonderful. My daughter reads everything herself, uses the checklist to get out all the supplies and ingredients, and then declares I am allowed to start.
I highly recommend this to parents, who's kids are eager to get in the kitchen. The recipes are simple to start, then there are pages of suggestions and then they explain that recipes are starting points and you can change ingredients to get a new dish. My daughter is already planning new recipes, by thinking of substitutions of the original recipes.
Thank you for making my daughter more excited about reading and being in the kitchen!!