I like to think of myself as a foodie. I really enjoy good food. As a teen in the pre-Food Network world, I remember watching Yan Can Cook with Martin Yan and the Frugal Gourmet with Jeff Smith. These shows on PBS were interesting and informative. Yet, I never ventured into the kitchen except to heat up some instant ramen or to slap together a tuna sandwich. Cookbooks were those spiral bound things that my mom kept in the closet along with the ant bait and Combat. The recipes contained in them were collected from school church fundraisers, utility companies and politicians, in other words, they did not appeal to me as a teen.
In the past teens were expected to use general cookbooks, which in general isn’t a bad option, but a little intimidating at times. In recent years there’s been a market awakening in the teen cookbook arena. The following is a list of some of the teen cookbooks I’ve come across and had a chance to take a look at:
Authored by Megan and Jill Carle
Teens Cook: How To Cook What You Want To Eat
Teens Cook Dessert
College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends
Authored by Carole Raymond
Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook
Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook: Over 135 Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegan Recipes
Authored by Sam Stern
Cooking Up a Storm: The Teen Survival Cookbook
Real Food, Real Fast
And some other stand alones that shouldn’t be forgotten:
Look Dude I Can Cook by Amy Madden
Healthy College Cookbook by Alexandra Nimetz
The Dorm Room Diet by Daphne Oz
The Manga Cookbook by the Manga University Culinary Institute
There are other cookbooks by more famous chefs, but I’ll let you readers find the Rachel Ray’s and Emeril’s on your own. Also don’t forget the vast array of cookbooks aimed at children. One last thing, check out Little Willow’s post: Cooking Up a Storm.
Happy reading and happy cooking!
