Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup

by Lagasse Emeril, Charles Yuen Illustrator (Illustrator)

"Notches-Unknown PBJ," "Gone Fishin' Fish Sticks," "Pokey Brownies," "Make-Lots-of-Friends Oven-Baked French Fries." Even the pickiest eaters will perk up their ears at these irresistible dishes from acclaimed chef and TV personality Emeril Lagasse. Packed with 75 fun, tasty, and even healthy recipes, the New Orleans chef's cookbook for kids is sure to inspire feats of culinary greatness in the youngest aspiring epicure. The big, colorful volume features clear, step-by-step instructions with a strong emphasis on safety, preparation, cleanliness, and fun. Sidebars provide the yield, ingredients, and tools needed for each recipe, and small pictures illustrate some of the trickier steps, demonstrating, for example, how to brush the "Cheesy Star Snacks" with egg white before baking. A prominently placed Caution bar at the top of the page uses icons (knife, flame, oven mitt, etc.) to let young cooks know how careful they need to be. The exuberant chef sprinkles his well-known Emerilisms--"kick it up," "oh yeah, baby," "bam!"--throughout the pages, and clever illustrations by Charles Yuen use photos of Emeril's head with cartoonish drawings of his body and the foods he celebrates. Grownup readers who have enjoyed Emeril's other cookbooks (Prime Time Emeril, etc.) will love sharing their favorite wacky chef--and some kitchen time--with the kids in their lives. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Childrens, Food

Hardcover

First published April 12, 2005

Reviews

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked this out on a whim from a "New" book display at our library (it was not a newly published book, but was new to the library) because my 6 year old is starting to help out in the kitchen. We tried a few of the recipes and they were all good. My biggest problem with the books is that there are no color pictures of the food, just illustrations and when a kid who cannot read well yet is trying to find recipes she is interested in that makes it a bit difficult. Plus all cookbooks should include at least one color photo of every dish.

[Tim Franks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sure did make me hungry which isn’t the best during this quarantine time! Many of these probably would be too hard for kids attention spans today. Many of the recipes seem very tasty and Emeril did a good job teaching the kids about safety before taking on all of these recipes.

[Brianna Sours · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really easy recipes and great for beginners 👍🏼

[Cydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the recipes but I came on here to read them but I for some reason can’t find the butter to read it now

[Michael Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started using this book when my kids were little and continue to use it when they come home for visits even though they are 20+.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great kids' cookbook! I have to admit I have not made any of these recipes (yet!) but it's very well done with 75 kid friendly recipes. The first section discusses kitchen safety, the tools, the importance of cleaning up, and basic techniques (washing, chopping, sifting, grating, cracking eggs, coring apples, greasing a pan, kneading dough, melting chocolate, etc.).

There are chapters for breakfast items, salads, pizza and pasta, lunch items, dinner items, vegetables, and desserts. The names of the recipes are fun: "Go Nuts for Banana Bread," "My-Oh-My Spaghetti Pie," "I-Love-Gaaahlic Bread," "Crispy Crunch Granola Munchies," and "You'll Go Ape for Chocolate Covered Bananas," to name a few. The table of contents and index are great tools in finding a just right recipe.

I would think most children under ten would require a good amount of adult help (he does recommend this), but there are plenty of steps kids can do themselves and most recipes should appeal to kids. I would think that "experienced" kid chefs over ten could prepare many of these recipes with minimal help. But cooking is something fun parents and their kids can do together!

The drawings on the endpapers and throughout the book are silly and colorful, although I always prefer photographs when preparing a recipe so I can see the end result. The tone of the book is funny and geared towards children. For those of you who have seen Emeril on TV, the recipes and instructions sound like they are coming right out of his mouth. Plenty of "Bam!" and "happy happy happy!" references.

An inviting, oversize book that should have kids asking to try out some new foods--always a plus!

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be reviewing another cookbook, this time by the acclaimed chef Emeril Lagasse. This book has both good recipes and fun to look at pages that make kids and adults alike love it. This was my brothers first cook book he ever read as a kid that made him and my sister want to be chefs and I remember seeing them read it and making me want to be a chef. Now I have picked the book up to see for myself and it is really well done and is great for new coming chefs around 10-16. The book has many different kiddish recipes. You got Baby Bam, Ka-Bam Kabobs, and Emeril's first alphabet soup to name a few. It also shows kids the basics of cooking and the tools you need to use to cook. Although this is a good book, the thing I do not like about it is that when I pick up one of Emeril's cookbook I am excited to try out one of my favorite chefs recipes and this one did not have any serious ones I wanted to do. It seems as if this critically acclaimed chef has gone onto the route of Chef Boyarde and is just trying to make a quick buck. All in all, I believe this book is something you would give to a kid to learn how to cook and get the inspiration they needed, just like Emeril inspired me as a kid.

Have fun cooking and stay tuned for my next cookbook review.

[Annalisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike most kid cookbooks that are just focused on how to make a sandwich or how to make mac and cheese; this one has real recipe. It has real recipes for pizza sauce, pizza crust, fantastic cinnamon rolls, and even a really good turkey meatloaf. I highly recommend this book for kids or beginning cooks. Nothing makes cooking easier or more fun than a good recipe I wished that Emeril would have used real photographs of the food instead of cartoons. This a great way for children to learn that there is process for cooking food.

I would put this book in the dramatic play area. This is book would be great for a units on measurement, sequencing, or nutrition.
Content Statements
1.)We all need to eat food everyday.
2.)Heat is used to cook food.
3.)There are different ways to cook food.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are cute, but a recipe book needs photographs. Like really.

The recipes themselves have been a treasure house so far. I have a good third of them bookmarked to add to my collection.
Trials on edibility will be forthcoming!

[Cstello · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the cookbooks that my kids go to when it is their turn to make dinner. The 3 kids cookbooks by Emeril are all fully homemade and yet simple - the chili recipe even took 2nd in my office's chili contest!

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For right now this is a bit ambitious, but as the children get older it will be fun for them to make some of the recipes. At least they are thinking about eating a little better -- but french fries are still the numero uno food of choice. Jo jos are simply *not* the same.

[Autumn Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I technically didn't read it. When I was in 4th grade I did a project to where I had to make a recipe by emeril lagasse so I checked this book out of my school library and skimmed through it so I could find my recipe.

[Clarence :P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many desserts...

[Susie Brazeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook for kids and adults alike. The recipes are simple to follow and taste great when complete.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow soon.