The Bottom Line
Miriam Zakon's The Kids Kosher Cookbook: Do-It-Yourself Recipes That Kids Will Love to Cook maintains a traditional Jewish spirit, enables kids to cook independently, and contains basic, real-food, kosher recipes. The book provides information about keeping kosher, Jewish holidays and Judaism's blessings. The author writes as if she is in the kitchen with your child. And some of the recipes are so simple and good that they will become staples in your home.
Pros
- Recipes are easy to make, good tasting and for real-food.
- Recipes are written for kids, with few ingredients and simple directions.
- Recipes include special safety directions.
- The Do-It-Yourself Shabbat section is wonderful and empowering for kids.
- Holiday recipes enable the child to contribute a dish to each holiday.
Cons
- Fonts and graphics give the book an old-fashioned look.
Description
- 350 homemaker-tested kosher recipes
- Appetizers, soups, poultry, meat, fish, vegetables, kugels & latkas, blintzes, breads
- Desserts, cakes & icings, cookies, bars, confections, pies & cheesecakes
- Special Pesach section includes classic and contemporary recipes.
- Kitchen Know-How includes how to crack an egg, grease a pan, stir, and clean.
- Provides succinct information about the Jewish Sabbath and each Jewish holiday.
- Includes suggested menus and a measurement and conversion table.
Guide Review - The Kids Kosher Cookbook: Do-It-Yourself Recipes that Kids Will Love to Cook
Miriam Zakon's The Kids Kosher Cookbook is unique. The book has a distinctive Jewish flavor to it, the author succeeds to communicate directly with the child-cook, and some of the book's recipes are real gems.
The book contains information about keeping kosher, appropriate blessings for each dish, and succinct text about the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. The book's text is written at the 8-12 year old level.
Zakon's recipes are written clearly, contain safety warnings, and speak directly to the child. Thus, unlike most other cookbooks for children, this cookbook really enables the child to work independently in the kitchen. Each recipe has a "What You Need", "What You Do", and "What You Get" layout.
Some of the recipes, such as The Perfect Hotdog and Speedy Spaghetti, seem obvious to an adult, but Zakon rightly assume that children have little or no experience in the kitchen. Other recipes, such as Tu-Noodle Casserole and Shake & Bake Chicken, are more impressive and not more difficult when following Zakon's directions.
When I made the 4-by-4 Chicken, No-Fail Cholent and Oven-Baked Potatoes, I was pleasantly surprised by great taste of the resulting dishes. I got the feeeling that the recipes are basic recipes that have been passed down from Jewish homes over the years and perfected along the way.
The book contains information about keeping kosher, appropriate blessings for each dish, and succinct text about the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. The book's text is written at the 8-12 year old level.
Zakon's recipes are written clearly, contain safety warnings, and speak directly to the child. Thus, unlike most other cookbooks for children, this cookbook really enables the child to work independently in the kitchen. Each recipe has a "What You Need", "What You Do", and "What You Get" layout.
Some of the recipes, such as The Perfect Hotdog and Speedy Spaghetti, seem obvious to an adult, but Zakon rightly assume that children have little or no experience in the kitchen. Other recipes, such as Tu-Noodle Casserole and Shake & Bake Chicken, are more impressive and not more difficult when following Zakon's directions.
When I made the 4-by-4 Chicken, No-Fail Cholent and Oven-Baked Potatoes, I was pleasantly surprised by great taste of the resulting dishes. I got the feeeling that the recipes are basic recipes that have been passed down from Jewish homes over the years and perfected along the way.