Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Kids' Kitchen
Illustrator: Roberta Arenson
Novelty Kit
For ages 6 to 8
Barefoot Books, 2009 ISBN: 978-1846861765
Learning how to cook is not only a useful skill to have, but it also fun to do, and it gives people the opportunity to spend time together creating meals that they can share. Often children who learn how to cook also learn how to have a healthy and balanced diet, and they better understand where their food comes from.
The author of this kit begins with an introduction, which is presented using a fold out leaflet. She explains that Kids’ Kitchen is “divided into five sections, which are based on the five main food groups.” These sections are called “Eggs and beans,” “Fantastic Fruits,” “Milk n’ Dairy,” “Spuds and grains,” and “Vital Vegetables.” She explains what kinds of foods belong in each category, and then she goes on to talk about the minerals and vitamins that we need to get in our diet so that we are healthy. She wraps up her introduction with some information about kitchen safety.
Now that we have been given a kind of orientation, we can start looking at the recipe cards. In the Eggs n’ Beans category there is a recipe for making a tasty breakfast treat out of bread, yogurt, honey, cinnamon, butter and dried fruit. There is also a recipe for a chickpea burger and plum cake.
In the Fantastic Fruit group young cooks learn how to make, among other things, blueberry muffins, baked bananas, and a berry smoothie.
It can be hard to get children excited about vegetables. The recipes in the veggie category might make this task a little easier. Kids will learn how to make guacamole, kebabs, a basic tomato sauce (which can be used in many recipes) and salad.
On every recipe card the author provides the young cook with some basic information about the recipe, she tells us how many people the recipe will feed, and how long it takes to make. She then gives us a list of ingredients and a list of the tools that we will need to make the food. On the back of the card there is a careful step-by-step description of how to make the dish. Some of the cards include a tip as well about how to use the recipe, how to add to it, and more.
All the cards in this kit are sturdy and coated, so they can be wiped clean if they get dirty. The cards and leaflet come in a heavy duty box.
This kit would make a wonderful gift for a child who enjoys working in the kitchen.
