Mom and Me Cookbook Review – Kids in the Kitchen

Today’s cookbook review is a DK cookbook called Mom and Me Cookbook.  I believe I purchased mine through a school book order.  However, you can get it on Amazon for $10.39.  There also were copies available at my local library.

What I like about this cookbook:

• Introduction Section – This introduction section is the most basic one I have seen.  Even though it is basic, it is perfect for that beginning cook.  It include pictures and names of things you will need, things you will do, and what this means.
• The Recipes – the recipes include a list of ingredients and equipment.  The equipment list is done with photos and the list of ingredients includes both words and photos. They also include photos for each step.  The recipes also were made to make things fun for the kids.  For example they have a recipe in there for twice baked potatoes and they use food items to make the potatoes look like mice when it is done baking.
• Photos – each recipe includes a photo plus as a mentions above it also includes photos for each step, the equipment needed and the ingredients.  DK books are known for the photography included in their books and this one is exactly what you would expect from DK. The photos are amazing and in the photos of each step it shows a child doing each step and shows an adult with a child in the steps that need adult help.  I must say the photos on the finished items and of each step is what really made me want to purchase this book.
• Quick reference for step where adult help is needed – this book includes and icon (a red circle with an exclamation point) for any steps that adult help is needed in each recipe.

Items I am neutral about:

• Nutrition info included with each recipe – this is not included. I like it if you are a family who needs to count calories. Also, it is a good way to teach about nutrition. However, I didn’t think it is required.
• Categories – there are no categories for these recipes, which is fine for this book because it only contains 21 recipes.
• Book binding – This book is not spiral bound. If you follow me regularly you know by now I always prefer a spiral bound cookbook especially for kids. However, the binding isn’t a deal breaker for me.  It is just a preference.

The downside:

• Prep and Cook times –none of the recipes each include prep and bake times. I feel is a must for a kid’s cookbook.
• Recipes – there are only 21 recipes and a few of them were disappointing.  They didn’t really involve much work in the kitchen. I really like to see this when you are buying a book to help kids learn to cook.  That is even more disappointing when there are only 21 recipes.  The two that I was not thrilled with were the chocolate sundae and the strawberry cream surprise.
  The chocolate sundae is made using a purchase chocolate muffin along with ice cream.  Then a sauce is made in a double boiler with a candy bar and 3 tbsp of half and half. I like the idea of learning how to use a double boiler but would have loved to have the kids make a muffin or brownie base to the sundae instead of purchasing 2 chocolate muffins.  This could have also been accomplished by including the recipe for the muffins as another recipe and then show how you could use 2 of the muffins to make the sundae.  They included a cupcake recipe in the book and could have just used those as the base for the sundae.
  With the strawberry cream surprise recipe only required slicing and mashing some strawberries to make a sauce that is them layer in glasses with strawberry ice cream and meringue shells.  I don’t even know if I have ever seen meringue shells that I can purchase at the store. Again, I would have liked to have seen a recipe for the strawberry ice cream or a recipe for the meringue shells and then have this recipe as a secondary recipe on how you can use something you have made.