Confidence in the Kitchen: Sharing Cooking Experiences with Your Preschool Child

Overall rating schema here is on a scale of 1-10.  (1 too “cutesy:” seems to insult intelligence of adult and child – 10 imaginative and forward-thinking towards building actual cooking skills).

Overall ratings:  Culinary Interest-Building:  5   Recipe Quality: 6

Ponzek, Debra. The Family Kitchen: Easy and Delicious Recipes for Parents and Kids to Make and Enjoy Together. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2006.  ISBN:  1400082803 Ponzek is an award-winning chef by training and an innovator to boot.  She left a successful head chef post to found Aux Délices (see http://www.auxdelicesfoods.com/ for more details).Ponzek’s introduction detailing her philosophy on the importance of teaching children to function in the kitchen is worth reading.  Her neatly organized recipes feature a call-out section entitled, “Call the Kids.”  Therein she suggests duties to assign to the kids to complete the cooking together.  She offers recipes for a wide range of settings from breakfast in bed to bake sales.  Her vision is that of a well-oiled family kitchen producing provender in harmony.This book is geared for older children, but recipes and techniques could be adapted for use with younger children without too much difficulty.