Everyone’s gotta eat, and kids who have a chance to prepare meals are more likely to try new foods. Parents can help foster a lifetime of healthy eating habits, independence, and money-saving skills by encouraging young chefs in training to pursue their interests.
Kid friendly recipes designed to suit a range of ages and cooking abilities make this bestselling book from America’s Test Kitchen an excellent choice for families with multiple children. From introductory recipes designed to teach skillful measuring and pouring, like layered yogurt parfaits, to more complex fare like omelettes, each recipe teaches foundational skills for a lifetime of cooking and eating well.
Often the first kitchen skill that interests children is baking. There are few store-bought treats that can compare with warm cookies, brownies, and other delicious home baked goodies. Baking is also a skill that’s rich in opportunities to learn science, from careful control of time and temperature, to precise measurements, to an early understanding of the chemistry involved in browning, rising, and other in-oven transformations.
Foodies young and old love the copper-toned magical wonderland that is the Williams-Sonoma store, and kids who want to re-create a favorite restaurant meal will find minestrone soup, alfredo sauce, and other easy to master versions of their favorite indulgences in their Cookbook for Kids.
For talented young cooks with an adventurous palette, recipes from patés to pickling are accessibly laid out in this beautifully photographed cookbook. Fans of the MasterChef shows in particular are sure to appreciate curated recipes from memorable contestants.
Families who watch the Great British Bake Off together will remember Nadiya from season six, and if this is the first you’re hearing about her career as an author, you’re in for a real treat. Part fairy-tale, part cookbook, the whole family will be engrossed in tales of truly lifelike gingerbread cookies, Hansel and Gretel approved sweets, and more.
Defeat bland veggies and the fear of getting their five-a-day with this vegetarian cookbook with recipes that are as beautiful as they are tasty. A food blogger with an eye for simple, beautiful, indulgent vegetarian meals, Gleeson’s “For Adults” version of this cookbook is also a treat.
The birthday gift that launched a thousand dreams of celebrity chef stardom, Easy Bake ovens have been around for decades, and there are tons of writers, bloggers, and bakers who have a favorite recipe to make in the pint-size pastry shop.
Children who love to read will adore this introductory level cookbook, which covers every step involved in each recipe, along with tons of foundational knowledge for beginners, like understanding temperature, the proper ways to measure, keeping clean while working, and more.
Tap into the fantastical world of Dr Seuss with the Green Eggs and Ham cookbook. Dine on “Roast Beast” and “Moose Juice” and more nonsensical treats that are sure to get kids laughing. Perfect for picky eaters, reluctant readers, and all in between.
Food is something craftable IRL, and with often delicious results to show for it. Whether you’re gearing up for a Minecraft themed birthday or just enticing little gamers into the kitchen, it’s easy to build new shared interests with these tasty, easy to master recipes.
While certainly not a center piece at every family meal, spooky Halloween parties and gross birthdays for slime enthusiasts will be made much more memorable with the additions of these horrifying recipes.
While Ma and Pa Ingalls may have needed to trap and clean game, grow their own produce, and spend hours laboriously preparing meals, it’s still possible to recreate all the deliciously described treats from the famous Little House on the Prairie book series, without having to buy a manual wheat grinder.
Disney offers a plethora of princess themed cookbooks, to be sure, but Tiana’s story is so steeped in the food traditions of New Orleans that this one is simply a step above the rest, both in terms of variety of skill level it caters to, and how easy it is to bring the film’s recipes to life.
The American Girl books still have all age fans, and this cookbook full of delicious recipes for sweet treats is sure to find an audience with both kids, moms, and grandmas. Some of the recipes do skew towards more confident or advanced bakers, so this is an ideal birthday gift for kids over age 9, who understand that some parental involvement is still inevitable. Makes a great batch of treats for a slumber party.
