Teen Cuisine by Matthew Locricchio, photography by James Peterson- Reading level: Ages 12 and up
- Hardcover: 207 pages
- Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books (October 1, 2010)
- ISBN-13: 978-0761457152
Back-of-the-book blurb: Gourmet Cooking For Teens! Theres no need to eat plain and uninspired cooking.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ thoughts: Teen Cuisine is a great choice for a budding young chef – someone who’s getting comfortable in the kitchen and is interested in creating fare more involved than peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and cakes from box mixes.
The recipes are skewed toward those with more adventurous taste buds – not wild or exotic, but with a little kick, and international flare.
These recipes, which I consider “a step up” from most cookbooks aimed at teens, include:
- Santa Fe Tofu Scrambler (see note below about vegetarian options)
- Yogurt, Sour Cream, and Feta Cheese Spread
- New Gazpacho with Chipotle Almond Cream
- Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Fresh Orange Dressing
- Alabama Festival Shrimp
A note about vegetarian options: My 14 year old son has been eating vegetarian since the New Year; there are a handful of vegetarian meals in Teen Cuisine, and some that he can adapt. We really like the format, range of recipes, and suitability for his age/ability of Teen Cuisine, and would snap up a vegetarian/vegan friendly edition by Matthew Locricchio.
The photographer, James Peterson, deserves the front cover billing for his gorgeous full-page color photos. I’m on my first cup of coffee of the day as I type this, and my mouth is literally watering as I gaze at the salt crystals and perfectly browned texture of “Crisp Oven Fries.”
[note added after original post]: I just received an email from the author, Matthew Locicchio, with the following info, for those seeking more of this wonderful format (that doesn’t talk down to teen cooks): “I wanted to let your son know, if he can be patient, that my Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian is coming out this fall with over 40 vegan, vegetarian, and even a few raw recipes.”
Great news! Thanks, Matthew.
Mouth watering from the cover on this book alone! For beginner cooks the recipes must be faitly simple yet yummy and all of this appeals to me as I just honestly don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen!
This looks fabulous. I like teen / youth cookbooks that don’t talk down to kids and that offer real food that you might want to serve to your family. I’ll be on the look-out for this for both my nieces and nephews and for a gift to anyone just learning to cook.
What a great idea to get kids involved in the kitchen and at the same time get them to expand their food choices
No teens or kids at my house anymore to cook with, how sad:( Here is my recipe for St. Pat’s day, Irish Boxty
You know, I was going to make a smart remark about teens and hot dogs, but then I realized my niece started cooking when she was a teen and now loves it and it very good at it!
My nephew is eating vegan now, and would enjoy a vegan/vegetarian version as well. Any book that encourages teen to make healthy food instead of eating fast food is worthy indeed.
Any thoughts about posting that ‘crisp oven fries?’ :<)
Looks like a nice gift for my niece
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This sounds like it would be perfect for my not so little chef! I will have to see if I can get hold of it here at all!
Thanks for mentioning it today!
You know, this book would be perfect for my 15 year old daughter. She is just dying to get into the kitchen and cook, and is always wanting to experiment and make new foods, but doesn’t have a lot of cooking know how just yet. This would be a great book for her, and I can’t wait to get it into her hands. So, so glad you reviewed this one. This is a really exciting book!
What a great idea, I can’t wait to get this for my daughter though she’s not a teen anymore she isn’t always “at home” in the kitchen.
I’m way past my teen years and think this book sounds fantastic! I’m glad to see cookbooks geared to teens.
sounds like a cook book I would have enjoyed as a teen
Hi Dawn,
I think I saw this at my library not too long ago, but can’t recall why I didn’t bring it home. I think I ought to! Is there nutritional information for each recipe included? I think that’s important for teens to learn as well.
I think the teen vegetarian/vegan cookbook is an EXCELLENT idea. I bet that will do really well.
I wonder if my daughter might like this, give her an earlier start on cooking than I had.
Both of my girls like to spend time in the kitchen (especially my five year old) and this looks like a great cookbook! Thanks for the review!