Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys & Girls

by Betty Crocker, Len Weiss (Photographer)

Introduces basic cooking techniques and utensils and includes simple recipes for salads, breads, main dishes, desserts, and snacks.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Childrens, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Food and Drink

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[ALLEN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Golly, this reproduction cookbook is a trip down memory lane, and not always in a good way. I admit the cover drawing is charming, but delve inside this 1957 time-capsule (intended for boys and girls, mind you) and you'll find:

Some recipes that involve "Big G" products that no longer exist, like "Sugar Jets" cereal:

Some recipes that are just plain wack, such as the mock chocolate shake that involves a chocolate sauce made with the help of Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Frosting Mix (also obsolete), a little salt, a cup of cracked ice that you crack yourself with the help of a hammer and newspapers -- but no blender or ice cream! Apparently blenders were not yet a common part of the American household ca. 1960:

Some recipes that go out of their way to be racially insensitive, such as the "Old Black Joe" quasi-recipe to decorate breakfast cereal, the chief ingredient being prunes to simulate skin tones:

But some recipes are more than mere decoration -- too far out of the range of children, in my opinion, such as a sweet baked "Jolly Breakfast Ring" that "looks like a Christmas wreath."

Of course, the recipes in this book are not ALL losers or hideously inappropriate. The one for baked potatoes is pretty solid, in fact.

But really, I cannot imagine that many parents or grandparents would wish to purchase this book with the goal of teaching little children. The older generation would probably have to spend more time explaining the way things were than actually teaching cooking today.

Along with microwave ovens, blenders, ice cream in home freezers and enhanced racial sensitivity, we now have the wonderful Internet to look up recipes useful to boys and girls to learn cooking, without all the leftover cultural and gustatory sludge of sixty years ago. Bon Appetit!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the reason I am obsessed with cooking today! As a kid I would spend hours pouring over the recipies, mezmerized by the pictures. I would beg my mom to let me cook all the cool things I would see, like the "Juciy Hamburgers" with the smiley faces on them or my fave "Ghost Cake with flaming eyes". By todays standards this book may come off as cheesey to some, but the everlasting memories it help build are beyond priceless. My mom recently found a copy at a yard sale and gave it to me as a birthday present. This book will be something I pass down to my kids and I hope they pass down to theirs.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy, happy memories of cooking when I was growing up.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am in no way wanting to endorse this as a cookbook. Many of the recipes appear unappetizing and use Bisquick as an ingredient to maddening amounts. Steer clear of the "Candle Salad" recipe which consists of half a banana set upright with a pineapple ring around the base and a maraschino cherry on top....well, let's just say there is an illustrated picture in case you are wondering about that....
Short quotes from the boy and girl taste testers are included to make your cooking experience more pleasurable. Truthfully, this should be kept around for purely nostalgic reasons and should be no means be allowed anywhere near a kitchen.

[Patrick Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is extremely fun. Lots of colorful, cute cartoon illustrations show children very simple recipes they can make to enjoy at home. I have made most of the recipes in here while growing up as a kid, and when I got older and moved out of my parents home, I had to buy my own copy because I was using my mothers originally! It has a lot of cute, vintage party ideas that you can do as an adult, and I love the way to dress up cereal bowls with fun characters!

If you don't know how to cook, this should be the first cookbook you buy before moving on to something more complicated.

[Lailatun Nadhirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saja-saja baca kerana kulit bukunya comel dan klasik. Agak jarang jumpa buku masakan khas untuk kanak-kanak, jadi saya ingin lihat apakah masakan yang sesuai untuk mereka cuba buat.

Teknik, langkah demi langkah dan petua yang diberikan dalam buku ini memang mudah difahami. Tambahan pula, sukatan untuk bahan-bahan masakan pula mudah disukat tanpa perlu menggunakan timbang. Senang kata, buku ini memang "children friendly".

Bagus juga rujukannya.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a sandwich recipe with peanut butter, crumbled bacon and pickle relish, right next to a sandwich consisting of bread and American “process” cheese. Also, lots of evaporated milk in things you might not expect, like hamburgers. Does cranberry jelly require sugar sprinkled on top to be tasty on buttered toast?
However, I am intrigued by Molasses soda floats and pizza with bolognese sauce instead of marinara-style.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was entertaining to read, and a bit dated, but curious to try some of these recipes. Certain items are no longer available, but this can be remedied I believe.

[Arlene Mays · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandmother gave this to me when I was a little girl. I don't have the one my grandmother gave one but I was lucky to find a copy in a vintage bookstore. Memories!!

[Ashley ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first cookbook. Gifted to me by my grandmother, Anne, on December 25, 2009. It is the same cookbook that her own mother had gifted to her in 1958. This was my bible growing up.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent many summer days reading through this book looking for something to make ♥️

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a facisimile of the original 1951 cookbook. Got it when I got a proper oven. Love the cute little illustrations of the 12 boys and girls who tried out all of the recipes. It's interesting how in those days, food photography was not an art yet. The photos are not delicious or glamourous. Everythng looks very high fat and the recipes use lots of butter, buttermilk, sugar, and eggs. But I liked the chocolate fudge cake. It turned out pretty nice.

It was quite innovative for its time because it encouraged children to cook. There is even a inspirational letter written by Betty Crocker that says, "If you use your cook book often I can promise you real fun and lots of good things to eat."

[Rhody Janke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heed my warning, for it is a sad fact: A book bought at a library "discard" sale & a mother's willingness to let her only daughter "experiment" willy-nilly in the kitchen leads down a dangerous path, my friends! I am a hopeless foodie & cookbook collector. There. I said it. And THIS, people, started it all! I blame THIS! To-this-day, 40 yrs. later, I'm still using the Mac & Cheese recipe! OMG, I even bought a reprint on Amazon! The book was originally published in 1957. Someone needs to find out from Stephen King if my first copy was found in Christine's glove box....

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book. A friend of my mother's got it for me when I was 4-5 years old & I STILL have it, almost 50 years later. One reviewer gave it 2 stars & said she couldn't endorse it as a cookbook. Well, what would you call it? It is a cookbook & is quite cheesy by today's standards but back before every Tom , Dick & Harry became a foodie it was perfectly fine for the young, learning cook. It still is. I'm not going to give my kids a Martha Stewart or Julia Child publication & say "Have at it.". This is quite adequate for the budding cook.

[Shelly]

I liked some of it. Kids cookbooks are never perfect due to weird food or cutesy food but, this had several decent recipes. I liked that the kids made comments/critiques of the recipes, it was neat. If I had to buy this again I would search for a hardback version. I don't like the spiral binding. it looks like it was done at home & not by pros. I think the comb they used was too small. Still, it was cheep. I got the matching kids microwave one from Betty too. In AZ you just need real microwave recipes in the summer. I liked that one too.

[Kitchengrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably like many children, this was one of the first cookbooks I read, and it taught me some of the basics of cooking. I read my Aunt's ancient copy from the 50s when I was a child in the 80s and it's tatty pages are still on my shelf all these years later waiting for new little hands. Many of the recipes are not anything people nowadays would actually want to eat, but the photos and quotes from kids are great for vintage nostalgia.

[Jensownzoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book from my grandparents when I was nine years old, so it has nostalgic value, but I probably only have made one or two recipes from it in all the years that I've had it. The recipes are much too difficult for the average boy or girl. And really, the only thing truly "fun" about the recipes is that sometimes you arrange the garnish to form a smiley face or a dog or something. There are much better cookbooks out there for kids now.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother and I grew up using recipes from this cookbook, baking things with our mom. I was so excited to see it in an updated print version. Our version is old and faded, with little flecks of flour and sugar on the pages. We grew up in the 70s, and I still make many of those recipes that I learned to make back then. I'm going to get a copy of this book for my daughter so she can share it's recipes with my grandsons.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have my original copy of this wonderful cookbook though it’s very worn out and falling apart from so much use. I even used it with my own kids. I’d use it more now if it wasn’t falling apart but the ideas are still in my mind.
The full color pages are mouthwatering.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first cookbook ever! this is a vintage classic and the simple illustrations are cute. I don't know if I ever "made" anything from this and the recipes are quite dated, but it's a keeper for the nostalgia quotient.

[Robert]

This is another cookbook my mother used in my youth. Interestingly, the inside cover has my sister's name on it. There are hand-written notes from my mother slipped in here.

Obviously, this is a keeper.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandmother bought me this cookbook when I was a child. I still use its trusty recipe for Macaroni & Cheese, which has been the basis of many cooking experiments- it's also how I learned to make a roux.

[Liselotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book, a book that isn't entirely "only girls cook and boys are above them", which you find in a lot of (cook)books of this kind. It's adorable and I love they added boys AND girls to this book, as usually it's all about girls learning how to cook.

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man! What memories. I still make French Toast the way I learned from this book.

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, simple, and dang the chocolate cake is good.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cookbook I learned to cook from and I just found a reprint. It's so dated yet very sweet!

[Christina]

Grown-up sloppy joes.

[Joanne Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

my first cookbook. I still have it, with notes I made on the various recipes. I loved this book. It still makes me happy to look through it.

[Jennifer Choisser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my Mom's first cookbook purchased for her by my Grandmother, and the first cookbook I was ever introdued to.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook has been in the family for who knows how long.