The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs: 100+ Sweet and Savory Recipes that You'll Love to Bake, Share and Eat! – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise
The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs: 100+ Sweet and Savory Recipes that You'll Love to Bake, Share and Eat!
book2019Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life
94%
WISE Score
4.8
Amazon
Finally, a way to get your kid to make you dinner—or at least a decent tray of brownies—without burning the house down.
The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs: 100+ Sweet and Savory Recipes that You'll Love to Bake, Share and Eat!
book
2019, Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life
94%
WISE Score
4.8
Amazon
Finally, a way to get your kid to make you dinner—or at least a decent tray of brownies—without burning the house down.
Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased. Screenwise is a Bookshop.org affiliate and an Amazon Associate, so if you buy a book through one of our links, we may earn a commission. Bookshop.org purchases also support independent bookstores.
Screenwise Verdict
This is the gold standard for kids' cookbooks. America's Test Kitchen doesn't talk down to children; they just give them better tools and clearer instructions.
If you have a kid who is starting to get bored with 'toys' and wants to do 'real' things, this is a perfect pivot. It’s practical, the results are delicious, and it’s one of the few pieces of media that actually gets them off a screen and doing something tactile.
Age Fit
Perfect for the 8-13 crowd. Younger kids (5-7) can definitely help, but they'll need you to be the 'sous chef' for the heavy lifting and oven work.
WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
95
It's all about the joy of creating and sharing. The tone is encouraging and focuses on competence rather than just 'cute' kid food. It models patience and the value of trial and error.
Imaginative
85
While recipes are technically sets of instructions, the book explains the 'why' behind the science, which empowers kids to eventually experiment and create their own variations.
Safe
98
It's a physical book, so there are zero digital risks. Physical safety (ovens, knives) is handled with clear, step-by-step visual instructions and warnings where adult help is needed.
Enriching
96
This is stealth learning at its best. It covers chemistry, math, and fine motor skills. Plus, being able to feed yourself is a top-tier life skill that builds massive confidence.
Parent Info
✓
Why It Might Be Great
The recipes actually work because they were tested by thousands of real kids, not just professionals in a lab.
It treats kids like real chefs, teaching them the science of why bread rises or why butter needs to be cold.
Includes savory stuff like pizza and empanadas, so it's not just a one-way ticket to a sugar crash.
The photography is excellent and shows what the food actually looks like at different stages.
⚠
What to Watch For
The 'Intermediate' recipes really do require a bit more coordination and adult supervision for the heat/sharp parts.
Your kitchen will definitely get messy. Flour is a sentient being that wants to live on your floor.
Conversation Starters
"Why do you think the recipe says the butter has to be 'room temperature'?"
"If we wanted to make this vegan or gluten-free, what could we swap out?"
"What was the hardest part of this recipe, and how did you handle it when it got tricky?"
