Review of 'Meaty Main Dishes (You Are the Chef!)' by Jennifer S. Larson

Description

Want to treat your family to some meaty home-cooked meals? You can be the chef with these easy-to-follow recipes for Asian shrimp stir fry, juicy chicken drumsticks, taco meatballs, and other tasty dishes. You'll find simple drawings of important steps as well as photographs of the finished dishes. This book also provides key information, such as an equipment list, a technique list, safety tips, notes on special ingredients, and more. What are you waiting for? It's time to get cooking!





**My thoughts**

I would have loved to have had a book like this when I was a kid! The photographs by Brie Cohen make your mouth water as you flip through the cookbook. I even want to make some of these recipes for myself and my loved ones!

I adore the safety tips that are given in the beginning of the book (such as tie back long hair) and the frequency with which Larson reminds children to wash their hands. She tells them in the beginning of the book how important it is to wash your hands before beginning and after handling raw meat, as well as having it be one of the steps written in the preparation of the meals. Kids are notorious for constantly "forgetting" to wash their hands!

I also really like the definitions of cooking terms and tips for measuring that are found right in the beginning. Most of the recipes also include more cooking tips and variations.  The back of the book further defines a few of the "special ingredients" used in some of the recipes, as well as resources for more reading and fun websites.

Many of the recipes are easily done without adult supervision. Those that involve actually cooking on the stovetop or in the oven should definitely include an adult popping in here and there. Parents could go through the book with their kids to determine which ones are okay for them to make on their own. 

I wish that the page with the cooking tools actually used real photographs. The rest of the book has stunning photographs. I can figure out what most of the pictures are supposed to be, but photographs would make them that much easier for a kid to identify in his or her own kitchen.

I think this book would make for a good addition to a kid's personal library, or even as a classroom cookbook for community lunches. This book has been kid-tested and approved!

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Buy links: Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Lerner