NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Bittman has taught us how to cook everything — how to bake and grill, prepare fish and vegetarian meals and do it fast. This fall, he's targeting a different kind of home chef — the little ones. “How to Cook Everything Kids” is written for children aged 8-12 and is bursting with photos, graphics, advice and techniques to empower any mini-Julia Childs in your home.
“It required a different kind of thinking,” Bittman says. “This is a book that is built to please kids and we’re not kids. So we had to consult with kids.
We had to try to think like kids and about kids.” Bittman, who has evolved from recipe developer and culinary writer into one of the leading voices on food and health policies, offers his take on kid-friendly dishes like baked ziti, chicken nuggets and chicken with orange sauce, giving easy directions and variations, like pork chops with apples for the latter dish. The tone is less pedantic and more encouraging, allowing room for younger chefs to experiment and customize dishes.
There are lists — like “9 Ways to Flavor Scrambled Eggs” — and recipes for substituting soy sauce glaze with sweet-and-sour, peanut and hot variations. “You do you,” Bittman writes at one point. ‘Fun visually’ It's a useful resource for first-time cooks, explaining things like garbanzo beans are the same as chickpeas and offering helpful sections on spices and herbs, kitchen equipment and how to prep everything from butternut squash .