“Get Cooking” by Sam Stern

Reviewed by Blog Antagonist

I have two boys, whom I am trying desperately to raise into self-reliant young men. My father is the quintessential fifties husband, who is as helpless today as he was then. He is completely dependant upon my mother and if he survives her, that responsibility will shift to one of his three daughters. For that reason, I am determined not to let my boys reach adulthood without learning the basics of caring for themselves. 

Nothing is more basic or more essential than being able to feed one’s self, which is why I love the concept of a cookbook written by a teen, specifically for teens. “Get Cooking” is the third cookbook by 17 year old Sam Stern; a British teen with a passion for food and cooking.

First let me say that the book is extremely well organized. There is a section devoted to each food group and there are enough categories to be interesting, but not overwhelming. At the beginning of each section is a brief narrative with tips on buying, preparing and serving.

The recipes are laid out in an easy to read format, with ingredient lists in the margins and step by step directions enumerated on the body of each page. Each recipe also offers suggestions for variation. There is at least one photograph of each dish. This might seem like an insignificant thing to mention, but I am a visual person, and I like to see what I’m going to be eating. And speaking for my two boys, I doubt they could be persuaded to try something without first being able to visualize it.

That said, I do have a few small criticisms, most of which I think can be attributed to cultural differences rather than any shortcomings on the part of the author.

First, the title is a bit misleading. I thought that “Get Cooking” suggested some elements  of introduction to and instruction in cooking basics. There are hints and tips pertaining to the individual recipes, but aside from that, there is very little in the way of teaching. A true novice might be confused by some of the terms, especially teenagers, who, as you know, need to have things clearly spelled out for them.

Second, the language is a little fussy. There are words and phrases that would be unfamiliar to American kids, and might be a little off putting due to their formal nature.

Thirdly, the food is a little complicated for the average teen. The recipes seem a bit time consuming and some call for ingredients that might not be found in the typical American household. Polenta? More like Kraft slices here. I don’t think my boys would be terribly tempted by Spanikopita or Ginger Soup. And they sure wouldn’t take the time to make homemade pasta.

My fourteen year old son, when shown the book and asked to take a quick look through it, remarked, “Is there any real food in here?”

In that respect, this book is probably more suited to someone who is already a cooking enthusiast, and looking for new and different things to try; not a teenaged boy who is on the prowl for something hot, delicious and above all, fast, to cram into his always open mouth.

Perhaps a young lady might be more inclined to spend the time and effort trying some of the admittedly interesting and delicious looking recipes in this book. For someone already well versed in cooking basics, they would not be terribly difficult to prepare and for that reason, I think it will be a useful addition to my kitchen library. 

If I were rating this cookbook for an adult, I would give it high marks. For teens, I think it is well intended, but ultimately, falls short of the goal.

 

 

Comments

[Rayne of Terror]

Try the series, Help, My Apartment has a Kitchen and Help, My Apartment has a Dining Room for true beginners books. Also, Where's Mom now that I need her? has LOTS of tips for people just on their own, from food to stain removal.

[Daisy]

For your teen boys, consider the Campbells book A Man, A Can, A Plan. Simple cooking, indeed.

[Ali]

My 13 year old son owns the first Sam Stern book, 'Cooking up a Storm' and has made several things from the book. He likes that it's a cook book by a teenage boy and that it is his cook book, not mine or his sister's. My son is a Jamie Oliver fan which also helps.

In the interests of fairness, I have to add that my 16 year old daughter has cooked more recipes from this book than my son....

[Nat]

Really? It might be a cultural difference.

There is not one ingredient in all of his book that i don't use in my cooking. Granted I don't have teenagers yet, but my 5 year old and 2 year old love the food! It seems pretty straigh forward to me. Children over here are first familiarised with cooking food at the age of 5 in school. My 5 year old loves spending her time in the kitchen with me, helping me, so I know this is something she would love to use to cook from when she;s older :)

[Felicity]

I laughed and laughed when I read this blog entry! My son, now 25, learned how to cook as he was growing up. Each day, he, his female siblings & I would prepare something from our menu for the week. Each of the 4 kids took turns. We bought a great book for cooking. I told them that cooking was just like a science experiment. It put it in their 'real world' context, which was school. David still cooks today for his partner and their friends & sometimes even for our family. Hang in there! Boys are hungry critters. Necessity will prevail.