Starting from Scratch: What You Should Know About Food and Cooking

Gr 4–8—For those kids who love cooking and eating, this title should be required reading. The introduction answers the question "Why should you cook?" and the following six chapters detail the elements that make up food, cooking, and the eating experience. The first chapter deconstructs taste, not just covering the five tastes and taste buds, but also the terroir (how growing conditions change taste) level. "You Are What You Eat" is not about nutrition but about food culture. Another chapter discusses the science of cooking and how each cooking tool or method changes food: heat, cold, acid, salt, sweet, fat, bugs (bacteria, fungi, and mold), water, kneading, and preserving. The section about recipes explains not only how to read them but also about ratios, substitutions, and measurements. Getting the kitchen ready for cooking is covered in the next chapter, which includes lists of tools, basic pantry items, techniques for grocery shopping, and healthy eating basics and also addresses how politics and religion affect food choices. Finally, the last chapter gets to cooking techniques, food safety, table-setting illustrations (Western, Japanese, Ethiopian, and Indian), and cleaning up. Appendixes include a few basic recipes, recommended cookbooks, a guide to flavor pairings, and measurements and conversions. Decorated throughout with cartoon illustrations and written in a clear and engaging style, this title has plenty of kid appeal. With this book in hand, young chefs will be empowered to create amazing food. It will also make a great complement to science-fair projects about taste or kitchen chemistry.—Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN