Sweet & Salty! King Arthur Baking Company’s Cookbook for Young Bakers

Gr 3-7–A scrumptious cookbook for aspiring chefs with a love for sweet and savory goodies. The offerings include typical kid favorites like chocolate chip cookies and pizza, but this also sports entries for grapefruit meringues and black bean and cheese pupusas. Vivid colors, charming headers like “We Egg-splain It All” and “Cake Gymnastics,” and an engaging layout make this extra engaging. The volume opens with tips, definitions of techniques and cooking supplies, and explanations of basic skills like how to sift and the proper way to soften and melt butter. Recipes are marked as Easy, Medium, and Project (concoctions that are recommended for more experienced bakers). Bright, clear photos fill every page, sometimes demonstrating specific steps for entries that require extra guidance: how to knead dough or frost a layered cake, and of course, the final shot of all the completed treats. The images include a diverse group of young cooks and bakers with different skin tones and ethnicities. Additionally, sidebars offer context and background information, further expanding kids’ skills, such as how to temper an egg or the difference between bread and regular flour. While the recipes and descriptions seem to be aimed at upper elementary and middle school chefs, many of the pictures depict solidly elementary children, but that may not deter the intended audience. The sweets section will draw readers in, while the salty half will snare young bakers who want to branch out.