Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat

Peach’s Picks Rating


Title:
Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat

Author:
Megan and Jill Carle, with Judi Carle

Illustrator:
Jessica Boone, food photography and prop styling
Susan Draudt, food styling

ISBN:
978-1-58008-584-7

Publisher:
Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press

Copyright:
2004

Length:
146 pages, including the index

Plot Summary:
Jill and Megan Carle are sisters who have been cooking together with their mother, Judy, since they were young. Jill considers herself an omnivore who especially enjoys all-American comfort food. She prides herself on strictly following a recipe’s directions. Megan is a vegetarian who loves ethnic foods and inventing dishes from food she finds in the refrigerator. The book contains 85 recipes divided into six categories: breakfast, snacks, soup/salad, dinner for one, family meals, and desserts. Each recipe contains a blurb from one of the sisters providing background tips. The recipes are easy to read and each one is accompanied by a full-color photograph showing the finished product. A feature titled “Kitchen Vocab” is sprinkled throughout the book offering explanations of words commonly used in recipes and defining cooking tools. Pictures of the sisters cooking, laughing, and enjoying themselves are included. There is an introduction explaining their cooking philosophy and the goal of the book. An easily searchable index is included.

Critical Evaluation:
The recipes are easy to read and most use eight or fewer ingredients that are common to American teens. The pictures are full-color and attractively reproduced making the foods appear appetizing and inviting. The tone is conversational and readers feel as though they are cooking with a friend who is guiding them through unfamiliar territory.

A table of contents and an index are provided. Both are easily searchable. However, a glossary is lacking and would be helpful. The book does include blurbs titled “Kitchen Vocab” that could easily be incorporated into a glossary. The information included in “Kitchen Vocab “ is very useful, but not searchable. A section titled “Things You Should Know About Ingredients” clarifies generalities, such as, when the recipe calls for mayonnaise, the sisters use Miracle Whip brand and when a recipe calls for butter, salted butter is used rather than unsalted butter. Teens in photos look like real teens, not models, with the exception of the cover photograph. If a teen already knows their way around the kitchen and cooking, they can skip this book and reference cook books published for adults. If not, this book is a good introduction to cooking on your own.

Reader’s Annotation:
This is an attractive easy to use cookbook created by two teen sisters filled with delicious recipes. One is a vegetarian, the other an omnivore, providing an easy to prepare recipe for everyone.

Author Information:
Megan and Jill are sisters who used their mother, Judy, as consultant.
Megan Carle is a vegetarian who has authored several cookbooks aimed at teens. She attends Arizona State University as a graduate student in linguistics.
Jill Carle enjoys ethnic cuisines and American comfort food. She attends Arizona State University as a graduate student studying American Politics.
Judy Carle, mother of Jill and Megan, has worked as chef, project coordinator, and/or editor on more than 20 cookbooks.

Genre:
Cookbook

Curriculum Ties:
Use in cooking class and food/cooking clubs

Booktalking Ideas:
If you haven’t learned how to cook yet, but want to start, this is the book for you, whether you’re a vegetarian or eat everything.

Hold the book open and present several different pages showing recipes and the full-color photos that accompany them. Would you like to make your own French toast? Look at page 22 to learn how easy it can be. Are you ready for a recipe that is a little more challenging? Try chicken piccata with rice pilaf, found on pages 92-94.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
Secondary school

Additional Books by Authors:
College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends
College Vegetarian Cooking
Teens Cook Dessert

Challenge Issues:
None

Why this work is included in Peach’s Picks:
This book is included because it received a positive review in School Library Journal. Four peaches are awarded for the book’s excellent full-color photographs and ease of use.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Teens-Cook-How-What-Want/dp/1580085849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273452563&sr=1-1

References:
(2010). “Jill Carle: Author Spotlight.” Random House, Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=105051

(2010). “Megan Carle: Author Spotlight.” Random House, Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=105050