There is something special about cooking and sharing food. We do it for simple nourishment. We do it to show our love to our friends and family. Sharing a meal can be a great way to get to know people or to spend time with people you love. Do you know how great cooking is for literacy too?
I’m not joking! If you’re using a recipe, you have to read the recipe. You have to write a grocery list of the ingredients. You have to know the definitions of special cooking words and know the abbreviations of units of measurement. If you’re making less or more than what the recipe calls for, you have to do math (which will probably involve fractions)! That’s not even covering the motor skills it takes to chop and fold and knead.
You see where I’m going with this, right? Cooking is the *perfect* activity to do with your kids! Not only is it fun and you get to eat at the end, but you’re developing skills they need and making good memories they’ll cherish as adults. Fall and winter holidays are upon us, which like most holidays are associated with food, so why not check out some cookbooks below and take this time to bond, teach, and make some memories.
Waffles + Mochi Get Cooking! Foreword by Michelle Obama, recipes by Yewande Komolafe
This started as a show on Netflix, and then they made this companion cookbook. The characters Waffle and Mochi have never eaten anything fresh, but they want to be chefs. They learn about different foods and chefs show them how to make recipes using them. One of the recipes in the book is Hoppin’ John (p. 62) which at its most basic is dish of rice and black eyed peas. People in the South eat it (along with some collard greens) for luck on New Year’s Eve. The recipes vary in time and how complicated they are, but I think they include some good recipes that aren’t found in every kids’ cookbook.
Amazing (Mostly) Edible Science by Andrew Schloss
Any fan of Alton Brown knows that cooking *is* a science – especially the baking side. This cookbook does have actual recipes, one of which is for popovers. Popovers (aka Yorkshire Pudding – p. 81) is a food most commonly found in England. I think in America we tend to go for biscuits, rolls, or cornbread, but why not go for something different this year? Most of the recipes in this book are sweet, so if you’re not big on sugar, this probably isn’t for you.
Omari McQueen’s Best Bites Cookbook by Omari McQueen
Omari learned how to cook at age 7, and at age 8 founded Dipalicious Vegan Dips. If you’re looking for a plant-based cookbook, here’s one to try! Sweet potato casseroles can be super sugary and sweet. If you love sweet potatoes, but want something a little different, there is a sweet potato and spinach bake (p. 72) in this cookbook. Out of the three featured, it’s the only book that has a glossary and measurement conversions in the back *and* it’s the only one for kids written by a kid!
To round out the list, Kids Cook Gluten Free by Kelli and Peter Bronski has a recipe for sweet and spicy Brussels sprouts (p. 111) that looks delicious; Cocinando on Cook Street by Marcela Valladolid has a recipe for arroz con leche (rice pudding – p. 21) that looks to die for (and the whole cookbook is in Spanish *and* English); and if you’re looking for a no-cook option, The No-Cook Cookbook by Rebecca Woollard has some wonderful salads, dips, and starters that will be sure to please. Now I haven’t reviewed our entire kids’ cookbook collection, so this is by no means a comprehensive list. If you have a favorite, feel free to leave a reply at the bottom and share it!
~ posted by Stephanie T.
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