Food columnist, chef and home cooking authority, Clark shares 100 recipes and tips for young foodies who are hoping to grow their culinary skills. In this day of high-tech recipe searching, I don’t find myself looking at cookbooks much. So when I opened this one I was really excited about the content, the quality of instructions, and the conversational tone of the text. It also helped that the photographs of completed recipes, and recipes in process were so alluring.
Clark begins the book with four questions for kids and teens to ask themselves when they are selecting a recipe to try. These include considering preparation time, what ingredients will be used (do kids have all the ingredients on hand), and what tools and skills will be needed. She follows with pages of definitions and instructions for young cooks to help them understand cooking tools, techniques and recipe definitions. She clarifies the differences between chop, dice and mince, for example. Without citing specific videos, Clark refers kids to YouTube as a useful resource for learning skills that are best conveyed via live or recorded demos.
The recipes are ambitious and look delicious. And Clarks recipes take into account vegetarian and vegan diets. The eleven sections highlight breakfast/brunch, sandwiches, pastas, snacks, party food, one-pot meals, sides and more. For kids who are beginning to learn their way around the kitchen, teens and young adults looking to expand their culinary range, and even adults who really want to learn to bake a fantastic Mac & Cheese, or create the best ever double-melt grilled cheese sandwich, or make binge-watch popcorn (sweet or savory, you choose). This book’s for you!