Dynamite Kids Cooking School: Delicious Recipes That Teach All the Skills You Need

Gr 4 Up–This cookbook serves up a foundation of skills for new chefs of all ages. Written by the creators of The Dynamite Shop, a cooking school for kids and families that started in Brooklyn but has since moved online, this cookbook dedicates 45 pages to cooking skills basics and tips before getting to any actual recipes. The recipes themselves are divided into 12 sections that focus on the overarching categories of cooking: “Eggs,” “Roasting,” and “Sweets,” to name a few. The book has a robust index and glossary of terms that new chefs can easily reference. The recipes, sourced directly from The Dynamite Shop classes and including, for instance, butternut squash pasta with goat cheese and caramelized onions and green pozole, are more complex than one might expect for a kids’ cookbook. The book also offers ideas for customizing or adapting flavors to the chef’s own palate, inspiring creativity. While the recipes are clearly organized and written, not every recipe contains a photograph of the finished product. Beginning cooks may struggle to visualize what they’re working toward—especially if the dish or ingredients are unfamiliar to them.