Looking for Preschooler Friendly Cookbook

I don't know if they still produce it, but Pampered Chef had a great kids cookbook called "Let's Eat". It is full of kid friendly recipes that are easy to make. The cover is hard cardboard and it is the kind that is spiral and can stand up on its own and the pages flip over the top -- hope that makes sense. You might find it on Ebay if its out of production.

As far as kids size kitchen items, Tupperware makes the best I've seen and they come with a lifetime guarantee, so you can't beat that. I am a Tupperware consultant, so feel free to ask if you have questions about that.

I just (today) bought a child's cookbook from Costco. Haven't used it yet, but it looks nice. Also, a couple years ago I bought a set of mini utensils from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. (My daughter uses them in her play kitchen, but they are real tools.) As for cookware, you might find that a 1-quart pot and a small, 7 or 8 inch skillet could be the right size if it's not too heavy.

PS--the cookbook is Paula Deen's "My First Cookbook".

Oh the joy of cooking!

The Movie Ratatuille is about a rat who loves to cook. They have a very cute spiral bound cook book to go along with the theme of the movie (set in Paris, of course)...it is called Ratatouille - "What's cooking? a cookbook for kids."

There are some real cute recipes, like: easy faux escargot(snails)made out of tortillas,and pickles-Adorable. Rat shaped pizza, dirt cake (covered in rats and worms)chocolate rats, and eifel towers made out of sugar cookies. The recipies are simple with not too many ingredients and most are kid freindly (mac n cheese, french toast,omlets,muffins, cheese straws, fondue, salads, linguini alfredo, lil cheescakes, etc.) I got my copy used at amazon.com and it looks brand new.

We have the "Alpha Bakery Children's Cookbook", paperback, from Gold Medal flour. You can find it on the Betty Crocker website under "products". This book is basically one recipe represented for each letter of the alphabet. (For example D is for drumsticks, E is for Elephant ears.)It has cute cartoon pictures for each recipie. The measurements are also done in pictures, as well as words.
In the back are fun recipies like play dough, paper mache, finger paint, jungle fun toss (cereal mix), stix and stones snax, etc. My copy in 1998, They may have updated some of the recipies since then.

The dollar tree has nice little metal spatulas with wood handles right now, ( I bought them for a kids cooking party and I use them all the time!) and cute aprons. You might be able to find small rolling pins at Ross.Try to find a scaled down model but not to small or it is unusable. 2/3 to half the size of an adult pin, I would guess. A nice gift would be to fill his very own mixing bowl(personalized by mom of course!)and wrap it with cellophane.Include a few cookie cutters, (good ones made out of copper,.. watch out for cheap ones that cost around a dollar,usually made out of pot metal and spray painted a silver or copper plating,... they will rust) some cookie mix pouches, a kid sized chef hat(look online)and a copy of the movie Ratatouille if he doesn't have it yet.
Happy cooking.

My daughter received Pretend Soup as a gift. It's by Mollie Katzen (of Moosewood fame) and Ann Henderson. It's great - it has the recipe with a section "To the grown up". Then it has 2 pages of pictures directions that your child can follow along with and even tell you what needs to be done. Recipes are from Bagel faces and fruit salad (no cooking) to pesto and popovers (which were really tasty and really easy). Not cheap - $18, but my daughter loves it and she gets it down from the cookbook shelf to decide what she wants to make.

Hi T.,

Making fresh bread from scratch is a great project for little people. Take your favorite plain bread recipe, copy it with your computer. Make the fonts about 14 point. You can add some clip art or colors. Print it out. Although he probably can't read yet, he can follow along as you show him how the recipe tells the baker what to do. This printed recipe will be his. He can get spots on it, or it can get wrinkled, or even torn a bit... No problem. You can just reprint it if he needs a new one. But he might prefer the one he knows is "his."

Measuring flour is fun. Watching what the yeast does is fascinating. You will have to get the mass started, but he will love helping to knead that bread dough. He will be proud of the family sized loaf. But, if you can find a mini bread pan, take a small portion of the dough and cook just one tiny loaf just for him, he will be jazzed.

Home made bread is healthy and it smells like heaven. You can use the plain recipe for cinnamon rolls, too. Just roll it out, spread with soft butter, cinnamon, sugar and nuts; roll it up, slice and tuck together into a baking pan. Let rise and then bake. Heaven.

He will become the household hero on bread baking day.

Here is a very simple recipe for cornbread, also a kid favorite when served hot with with homemade bean soup. Last piece is delicious with butter and honey.

Have him help you put in a medium mixing bowl (egg cracking is great fun) measure and whisk together until the egg is completely mixed with the milk and oil; then set aside
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil

Have him help you measure and blend together all these dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside
1 cup unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 425º Grease or spray with Pam an 8" sq pan

Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour all the liquid into the well. Stir just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Over stirring will make the bread tough. Show him how to fold the ingredients together and check the bottom of the bowl for dry spots.

Pour the batter into the greased pan. Scrape out the bowl with a spatula. Bake the bread for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

My kids leaned the concept of fractions from the measuring cups and spoons. You can show him how the 1/2 cup means that it takes two of these to make that one big cup; that three are needed for the one marked 1/3; same for the 1/4 cup. You can demonstrate this with flours or you can use water. Same thing with the measuring spoons. He will be learning some symbols for numbers, concept of fractions and he will be more appreciative of prepared foods when he is encouraged to learn cooking skills.

Biscuits are fun. He will have fun cutting out shapes.

Spills and messiness are to be expected. No big deal. Just teach him to clean up after himself.

Teach him how to set the microwave; how to be careful of the heat. By the time he is 10 he will be able to prepare a simple meal by himself. Watch cooking shows with him, especially the ones which have the male chefs. Ask him what he would like to make.
Use your own cook book. You modify the recipes for him.

Enjoy life with your Master Chef.

M.

Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes
by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson

This is an excellent book! My daughter is very engages when we use this book. There are numbered pictures of all the steps.

Hi T.,
I have a free Ezine for children with recipes and stories. The idea is that it's a "virtual" tea party that goes along with my picture books. I adapt simple and inexpensive recipes for a lunch or afternoon tea. The recipes are interactive - the adult and child make it together.

The stories are the winners of our short story contest. All ages are welcome to enter.

Some of the back issues are archived on my website:
http://www.emmleabooks.com

Or you can see them at:
http://community.icontact.com/p/emmaleateaparty

You could try Kid's Cooking from the Klutz series of books. Here is a link:

http://www.klutz.com/catalog/product/1121

It says 5 and up, but if your 4 year old is already interested it should be ok. Hope it works! Our 7 year old likes to cook also, and helps with stirring and measuring. :)

How Fun! We use recipes with pictures, colored real adult tools,part of being a big kid:)..real cookware because that is exciting..although Williams Sonoma is making kids cookware. They have recipe books too. Target has great knock offs..Sometimes TJMAXX too..Everything Kids Cookbooks, Betty Crocker..all have kids recipes..measuring is big at our home! Cooking is science, and not only is it fun, productive, such a teachable moment. I have shown my kids the
American Heart Assoc the colored triangle on health reccomendations and that helped their food choices. websites:
www.zoom.org, www.noggin.com,..Disney, Allrecipes, The sneaky chef..and to start, boxed cake and dinner kits make for visual, simple success..even rice because they are visual directions..I would move on to making a grocery list with pictures so he can help with the list making and shopping..later, the cost..(more math)..you can download the map of a larger retail store and let him make a treasure map to find all the ingredients..he will need his own apron of course! Love the movie Ratoutille, (not spelled correctly..there are also little chef course here in Roseville during the summer..check your city park and rec..Lastly, print your recipes, have him make and then narrate to you how to do it and draw a picture, give copyright infor, put together a little homemade book, laminate so it it can be wiped. He may love to go back to them...make things again! Teach friends...use all special occassions as chances to cook..video recorder to capture the magic! Bon Appetit...

Hi T.,
I know that Rachel Ray has a few good ones for kids. They seem to be very kid friendly. I've seen them at Barnes & Noble and they're not that expensive.
Happy cooking! and Happy Holidays,
H.

Try Paula Dean's new "my first cookbook". I don't know if that's the actual name, but it's something like that. It's great because it has the recipes on two pages, the first shows pictures of the ingredients and 'tools' that they'll need, the second page is the instructions. Check it out!!!!

Rachel Ray's "Cooking Rocks!" well...rocks! My daughter got it for her 5th birthday and the cookbook is in stages (ie ages 4 - 6, 7 - 10, 10 - 16, etc. So it's the book that keeps on giving over time. It gives great tips by age on what is appropriate for a child of what age to do in the kitchen.

I've actually done recipes with my daughter in all sections, but I read the cooking guidelines for the age group and apply them to the recipe. The Chicken fingers and the sloppy joes from this cookbook are favorites in my house.

I saw a cookbook on tv called "Cook it in a Cup" by Julie Myall. It looks like fun, and I've been wanting to try it with my kids. I'm sure most of the recipes are adaptable if you don't want to cook them in the little cups. I also use Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" with them. It doesn't even phase them that we've put spinach in cupcakes - I think because I've started early. My kids are pretty happy to help with cooking whatever it is, especially when they get to put in ingredients, stir and taste (like shredded cheese for enchiladas).
Good luck whatever you try,
C.

There's a new cookbook a bunch of moms compiled in SF- many kid recipes and some other mom ones too :-). It's called "Bernal Eats" as in Bernal Heights in San FRancisco. Right now, may only be available in SF on Cortland St. in Bernal Hts.

Hi T.,

What fun! I just saw some great kid's size cooking utencils and cookware at Ikea on Monday. Mine is still too young for it, but I thought they looked like great quality.
Happy cooking!

Hi T.-
Try a "no cook" cookbook for your pre-schooler. You can make things like ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins). If you want to do more baking and oven cooking, I found these on Amazon.com. Copy the link and paste it into your browser. Happyy mixing!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Da...

-E. M.

Hi!

I'm not at home this week so I can't get the exact name for you but there is a really cool cookbook for kids and I think it's called Pretend Soup by Molly Katzen. It has lots of good pictures and some interesting healthy recipes. I hope I have the title right!

J. F.
Gymboree

Someone just told me about a kid's cookbook called "Pretend Soup" (with real recipes to make real food- the name is confusing!) I haven't checked it out yet, but she was raving about it. good luck!

Betty Crocker makes a nice one, and there is a good Disney character one. How fun! My daughter is about to turn 11 and is finally starting to show interest!

Some great utensils that a friend recomended to me are the pottery barn kids knife/spoon/and fork set. The knife is not sharp, but can cut many fruits and vegitables. My almost 4 year old daughter helps me in the kitchen almost every night. She participates in everything from cracking eggs, dumping ingredients, stirring,and smashing crackers in a baggie. She pulls up a stool and as I am preparing dinner I give her any task I think she can handle. I saw the Paula Dean Cook book at Costco yesterday, but I think that until kids are readers they don't really need their own cookbook. There isn't much difference between reading to them from one of our cookbooks or reading to them from one of theirs. By the way...both of my kids love to wear the kid sized aprons from William Sonoma while cooking. Happy Cooking!!