Mary, I've purchased this one before & it was a huge hit.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Better Homes & Gardens, Jr.

"Clueless in the Kitchen" A Cookbook for Teens - by Evelyn Raab. I used this book as a guideline for a class for elderly men who had been widowed or were now taking over all or some of the kitchen duties. Great basic and expanded basics.

Tidbits of information all throughout the book that have to do with the kitchen, running the dishwasher, unstopping the drain, food storage, food safety, breakfast-lunch-dinner as well as snacks and munchies and a chapter about "Vehemently Vegetarian".

-What is a garlic clove, and how do you chop it.

-Care and feeding of your refrigerator/freezer.

-Basic kitchen sanitation - a life or death issue.

-Storing food - what should go where.

-Supermarket strategies (how to buy fruits/veg., how to buy meat...

-How to plan a meal.

-Cooking terminology demystified.

-Cheap Eats - How to buy food and eat cheaply.

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!

-Grainlady

Cool, got a lot of stars! He's hitting the top of the age bracket though - do you think it's going to pass his "cool" factor? Of course the little sister is.....7? almost 7? So maybe it would work for both of them.
His mom is heading to Iraq this summer, so it would really help his Dad out if he can do some cooking for the 3 of them.

Thanks!

I would recommend The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith. The recipes are very simple, and the descriptions are clear and easy to follow. Also, there is information about kitchen utensils, etc. You can get it for $0.01 plus $3.99 shipping in hardback, which is cheap enough for you to buy more than one book. I think it is written for a 13-14 year old level, and I've never been disappointed by any of the recipes I've made from it. I think it is a really good starter book.

Lars

Unfortunately, cook books aimed at kids tend to reinforce the stereotype of kids as fussy eaters. I hate to see kids encouraged to focus on sweets and melted cheese dishes.

If a kid shows interest in cooking and food, they should be encouraged to explore "real" food and learn the essentials of real cooking. They should learn to saute, braise, roast, etc. They should learn how to make and use a roux, which is probably the most versatile technique of all, turns lackluster dishes into elegant ones and is not difficult to learn.

Recently I spent time with my grandchildren. My 15 year old grand son assisted me skillfully in making authentic enchiladas, quickly picking up the knack of handling the tender corn tortillas in hot oil. I taught my 17 year old grand daughter to poach eggs, a task avoided by many adult cooks. She wasn't daunted. Kids are more adventuresome and confident if you, in turn, put some confidence in them.

Therefore, I would recommend a book which stresses basics, not novelties. One which gives them a foundation for cooking the rest of their lives. S'mores and English muffin pizzas don't qualify.

The James Beard Cookbook is the one I luckily picked up early in my cooking career. I've made sure all my kids have it in their kitchens. Following the clear instructions, all the standard preparations can be made. From there, the sky's the limit.

Forgive me if I've been preachy, but this is a topic dear to my heart.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: The James Beard Cookbook

Personally I'd look no further than Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". It has great, straightforward recipes that he'll appreciate as much in 20 years as he does today.

My suggestion would be one of Alton Brown's cookbooks.

LOTS of great information, but presented in a way that's very interesting, has lots of explanatory text, and lots of illustrations.

If he's into the "geekery" of cooking, Alton Brown is great. For the 15 - 24 range who really do want to learn to cook, How to Cook with Marion Cunningham is a good basic book geared to beginning cooks that doesn't talk down to the reader.

Also, the magazine Everyday Food has good but simple recipes and is great for beginning cooks.

Fenworth, kframe and beanthere, I don't own any of those books but, from what I know of them, they are the kind which would inspire the young man to learn real cooking.

Jim

I agree with Jimster, at about that age I was using cookbooks written for adults. In my case, it was Settlement Cookbook and Better Homes and Gardens. I wouldn't get the Jr version of Better Homes and Gardens for a 13-14 year old - it says its for an 8-12 year old and the cover illustration looks aimed at the younger end of that age range.

When I was that age I was already a well-versed cook and was using my Mother's Culinary Arts Institute cookbook hard. Definitely not for a newbie, though.

I'd give him "Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes". It's a fun book with good recipes with that same touch of irreverence as Dahl's books.

If he's an analytical sort, he might enjoy the Cook's Illustrated "The New Best Recipe"--lots of "why you do this" instead of just "do this".

If he likes 'Good Eats' then any of Alton Brown's cookbooks would be good.

One book that is unfortunately out of print is at the link. It's a hoot, but has some very basic and informative stuff for beginning cooks. I found a copy at a thrift store for 50 cents.

Here is a link that might be useful: tough guys cookbook

I taught kids cooking classes for over 20 years (preschool to 6th grade), and have more kids cookbooks than most bookstores have on their shelves.

He's really too old for most kids cookbooks. But there is one--Cooking Wizardry for Kids--that's amazing, edcuational, has great recipes and some fun kitchen experiemnts that might be just perfect for him.

Otherwise, I'd look for a good basic 'adult' cookbook. One with basic recipes with few ingredients, and if it has loads of photos, so much the better. Rachel Ray's books are generally a good place to start looking for simple but appealing recipes. I've also found that boys love grilling cookbooks.

A couple of suggestions: if he thinks he might be interested in cooking competitively, he might enjoy checking out the Cooking Contest Central website.

Also, if he's thinking of cooking as a career, he should be aware that Johnson & Wales has a competition each year--the prize is a scholarship to their wonderful school. He's too young to enter, of course, at this point, but he might want to keep it in mind, and start investigating, and planning ahead for the year he will be able to enter.

Oh--there's a follow up to that Raul Dahl book--something like "More Revolting recipes". If you have an Atlantic Books Store near you, I just picked up a copy of that one there, a few weeks ago.