Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: EDIBLE EDITION

Great book! Teaches kids science while they make (or help make) very kid-friendly recipes. Starts with an overview of how the "Labs" (recipes) are written and a section on food safety, explained in easy to understand terms for kids. Includes items from drinks to snacks to meals and desserts. There are recipes for making your own root beer and cheese! There are some recipes in here that kids may not have tried before, but framing it as a science experiment would likely help them be more willing to taste. All recipes have an equipment list along with the ingredients, a difficulty rating, and a series of color photos showing the steps. They also explain "the science behind the food" to cover what is happening with the dish and why. This book is perfect for school age kids to work with parents or on their own as they get older, to learn both how to cook and the science behind it.
I received an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book will appeal to a wide variety of kids. It has great recipes, with the level of difficulty clearly stated, so beginners will be able to try their hand, but those up for a challenge will also have options. Kids that are into cooking will love the variety of recipes and understanding why they word. Kids that are into science will be able to the practical side of it all. Overall a great cookbook with fun link to science!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

La cucina: una laboratorio chimico-fisico che tutti hanno a disposizione, ma a cui a volte non si pensa.

Eppure, ogni volta che si preparano dei biscotti, o si fa un piatto di pasta, o si mette a lievitare il pane entrano in scena processi segreti, che questo libro di deliziose ricette porta allo scoperto.

Cinquantadue ricette, cinquantadue piatti, cinquantadue schede che spiegano come chimica, fisica e biologia si siano messe al servizio del piccolo cuoco, permettendogli di realizzare manicaretti di ogni genere.

Un volume interessante, utile e divertente, da esplorare una ricetta alla volta. :)

The author gives the students a list of the equipment that they will need to have on hand in order to be successful cooks. These materials include a saute’ pan, sauce pan, knives, a blender, a grater and measuring cups and spoons. There is also a list of safety rules that include adult supervision, electrical and fire safeguards.
This is not a healthy cookbook - these recipes use sugar, flour, butter and cream, so do not expect to lose weight!
The first chapter deals with making your own fruit-flavored sodas using fruit, carbonated water, sugar, yeast, root beer flavoring, and water to understand how the fermentation process works.
You will find scientific explanations for each of the recipes throughout the book. The book discusses the processes of fermentation, pressure, browning, acidity, enzymes, rising agents, and gels.

You will enjoy making popcorn, pretzels, fruit leather, pickles, cheese, yogurt, vinaigrette dressing, hummus, nut-free pesto, popovers, pizza, soufflés, spring rolls, roasting vegetables, layer cakes, a tie dye roll cake, homemade pies, cream puffs and pudding.

There are allergic warnings and difficulty levels listed in each recipe so that you know about each ingredient and who can make the recipes. You will enjoy teaching and learning about food by using this fun and delicious cookbook!

I loved this book. The author creates a variety of recipes that are easy to follow and easy enough to involve your kids. Each recipie has in depth pictures and gives ou saftey tips. The science is broken down to where you can y=understand them and make cooking a fun science experiment!

Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: EDIBLE EDITION is a fun book for parents and kids to use together. This book features over 50 recipes featuring food that will appeal to kids. Each recipe also teaches kids a science concept. My kids are picky eaters but there is even stuff in here that they would eat. I've bookmarked a handful of recipes but we are going to start with the Juicy Fruit Spaghetti and Popping Boba.

Each recipe includes info about the challenge level (easy to hard), the time it will take, how much it makes, the ingredients and equipment required, the steps to follow (including helpful photos), and a write up of the science behind the food. Every recipe is also clearly labeled with any pertinent allergen warnings.

We are a big time food family. My husband and I both enjoy cooking. Now, even though the kids are pickier than we would like they both are very interested in helping out around the kitchen. they both also like experimenting and "making secret formulas". This book is perfect for them.

This book would be a great addition to a family's book shelf. It provides lots of ideas for fun ways to bond with your kid in the kitchen. There are a lot of color pictures so it is perfect for kids to flip through themselves to decide what they want to try next.

My daughter loved this. It was a great deal of fun! Would recommend to anyone who has kids interested in cooking, science, or both! I think most elementary school aged kids would find this at least somewhat entertaining, if not very much so and you can have fun with all of your kids at once!

I am so excited to try some of the recipes with my grandchildren the next time they visit. This books has a great introduction to tools and equipment as well as the science behind the cooking process. Wonderful illustrations, easy to follow directions plus easily found ingredients make this book a big winner in my book!

If you have a young person in your life that likes to cook and wants to know more about hows and whys food reacts this is a great read. 52 recipes with good illustrations and instructions talk about physics, chemistry and biology of foods. Book is geared to young cooks and scientists with the understanding that an adult is available to help. From edible decorations to fermentation and emulsions the science of cooking is explained. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a great book that is hugely appealing to children and adults.
Covering safety, kitchen tools and particularly the science behind the food.

Its filled with lots of information, facts and a huge selection of recipes.

The ingredients are fresh and good quality, encouraging children to broaden their tastes and try new and different things.

This really appealed to my as a home school family, we are always on the look out for fun ways to cover subjects.
This was ideal for us!
There is a big selection of recipes, but I have to say the kids loved the chocolate bowls and the tie dye roll cake.
The fruit spaghetti was a wonderful experiment!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a fabulous book Not only are there some brilliant recipes but it also explains the science behind each recipe and how they work!

This summer I have decided to use some of these recipes with my son so that we can do a home 'summer camp' and learn a little bit about food science.

Each section is very well laid out with a list of ingredients and also a list of the equipment that you will need.

Some recipes and lessons i'm looking forward to trying are

Angel food cake
Wicked good chocolate cupcakes
Lemon curd
Cream puffs and
Marshmallows

Lots of interesting ideas for food preparation that includes children in a playful way. The "science" behind the cooking process is explained and the recipes are easy to follow for children.

I've tried the pizza recipe with my kids. Yes, some of the dough did not make it, but throwing it in the air and trying to swirl it on our hands was great fun.

Kitchen is a fantasctic place to explore basic chemistry and physics concepts. The recipes (labs) look fun and fairly simple to make, including the most delicious cakes such as Baked Alaska and Meringue Mushrooms. I'm sure they are not going to come out of our kitchen looking as delicious as they are in the photos in the book, but if my little ones look as happy and curious as the featured kids, I'll be happy about the inevitable mess.
On a serious note, I like the fact that the book emphasizes safety and pays attention to possible allergens. The vignettes on science behind the food are very short and perhaps could have provided more details and a more thorough explanation, but I believe the whole point is to create conditions and let your children discover things through experimentation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarry books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC copy of Kitchen Science Lab for Kids in exchange for an honest review. The following thoughts are completely my own.

This is a great cookbook that has it's main focus not only on the food but on the science of cooking and education children as well. Having done a number of edible science experiments with students before, I have seen first-hand how fascinating and fun they find it all. I like that the food she chose was not only food that children would actually enjoy, but they are ones that are more strongly based in science (for example, meringues and marshmallows). The dietary and allergy warnings as well as safety and general tips were a great addition, as was the engaging photos. I also liked that there were so many action photos of the cooking process for each recipe. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, which is also vital when children are the target audience. Overall a great cookbook!

Quarry Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: Edible Edition. I was under no obligation to review this cookbook and my opinion is freely given.

Do not let the title fool you, there are bona fide, great recipes here, such as Beurre Blanc (a classic French sauce) and Homemade Pasta. Kitchen Science Lab for Kids goes through the science behind cooking and baking, in a way that children will understand. It highlights safety in the kitchen, from asking for help with dangerous or difficult tasks, to the best placement of pots on the stove.

Each recipe has a box explaining the science behind the recipe, which are very informative and interesting. I love the safety tips and hints that are scattered throughout the book, delineated by a bright orange headline. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow, with photographs depicting some of the procedures. There are recipes for fun drinks like Bubble Tea, challenging dishes such as Pretzel Bread Sticks, hands down kids favorites like Stretchy Mozzarella, nutritious and healthy offerings like Heavenly Hummus, sure to be a house favorite Pizza Dough, parent approved Vibrant Veggies, and delicious meal ending desserts like Tie-Dye Roll Cake.

Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the recipes in Kitchen Science Lab for Kids. The cookbook is dessert heavy, which will appeal to the target audience. There are crowd favorites such as homemade ice creams, sorbets, and marshmallows, as well as fancy desserts like Baked Alaska. I highly recommend this cookbook to both adults and children, as the finished dishes in Kitchen Science Lab for Kids will appeal to all members of the family.

Would had been awesome to try some of these. Sadly my kindle wouldn't load it.
Looks good toooo.
Thumbs up still.

I really liked this book. I'm not embarrassed to say I wanted to review this book primarily for me, then secondarily for the kids in my life :) When it comes to baking, I still feel like a novice, no matter how many times I try it. I'm always trying to do something STEM related with my niece and this book combines baking and science perfectly. I'm excited to try all the recipes - first of all the pizza since it was on my to-do list for a babysitting gig this week (second a souffle - how it never works for me is a sign to keep trying)! I would have preferred a better design layout wise but it's a great book overall that I'm excited to try with little ones.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.


There is some GREAT information in this book. Especially for a mom like me who has NO idea what she's doing! My kids loved this book too!

You can't have a poetical name like 'Liz Lee Heinecke' - and that last name redolent of my favorite Dutch lager, without a certain confidence that whatever she cooks up in the kitchen will be worth followinbg. Not that I've cooked up any yet, but I have my list of ingredients prepared so I can try at least a couple of them over the July 4th weekend. I;ve made jelly rolls before, but never a tie-dyed one, so that's on the list. Plus I need the food coloring for another project related to my 'The Little Rattuses' series!

This book here is dubbed the 'Edible Edition' but I'm not sure why - unless the print version is printed with vegetable ink on rice paper or something! I suspect it's because there are other labs, and this is the one working with actual food. Overall I found it enjoyable. It is full of great ideas for fun foods and drinks, but more than this, it offers some science tips on why foods bake, cook, ferment, rise, and otherwise behave the way they do when manipulated in our kitchens. This was a fun twist that I really enjoyed because knowing some science is never a bad thing.

This book covers simple projects like 'mere' decoration (that's not 'decoration of meres' but decoration of foods, BTW), to tastier treats like desserts, as well as drinks, main courses, snacks and sauces (again with the poetry!), so there ought to be something for everyone. All of these recipes are nut-free and other potential allergens are identified, so those fears are also addressed. The preparations are aimed at being child-friendly too, so there are advisories about potential problem areas where an adult might be needed or is required.

The recipes begin not only with a complete list of ingredients, but also any other items needed to complete it successfully, and each step is laid out with a photograph so you can make sure you're staying on track - assuming you can keep your mind off sampling those ingredients along the way! There's a richness of recipes and no frugality of finished foods to enjoy when you're done. It's fun, easy to follow, great to look at, and it's educational! Who could ask for a more useful book than this? I commend this one as a worthy read followed by a worthy eat!

I absolutely LOVE this book and will definitely be purchasing a hard copy of this book. It has step by step recipes and includes many pictures for kids to be able to follow along. It also includes the science behind the recipes!! Am amazing resource!!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a fabulous way to get kids interested in food and producing very interesting and "cool" edible food.
This book is pure fun for the kids in your life, as well as the big people, who will want to become involved in this fun science lab.
Yes science lab, as this book is not only about yummy food production but about the science behind the food, such what makes corn pop and what is the secret about making mozzarella, there are a lot more of these questions as food is being prepared and dissected (and eaten)
Love the book, so will the "kids" in the family and friends. Great photos, facts and information.

Kitchen Science Lab for Kids is a fun book that will get kids and parents working together in the kitchen. The wide variety of recipes range from drinks and snacks to main dishes and desserts and more. With 52 recipes, you could try a new one each week!

Heinecke’s Kitchen Science Lab for Kids is an interesting take on introducing tweens and teenagers to the vibrant and exciting world of food science, brimming with potential, but unfortunately failing to hit the mark at times.

The author clearly lays down the law of the kitchen so as to ensure a safe and enjoyable cooking experience - a great chance to build important habits for budding chefs to absorb and carry with them into adulthood and independent cooking, but the photos throughout the book, while beautifully captured in a way that clearly illustrates each stage of recipe execution, don’t mirror these rules. The models’s hair, whether long or short, is often hanging loose, rather than tied up as urged by Heinecke, knives are shown held incorrectly (with the index finger resting along the top of the blade) or an inappropriate size for the purpose, undesirable grips for whisking, dual-wielding salt and pepper grinders.. it would have been wonderful if she could have stepped forward during shooting to help coach the children with proper procedure and technique, laying down a foundation for comfort and safety for both the models and readers.

The recipes chosen for this volume have solid pedigree, adapted from a cast of classics such as Julia Child and Yotam Ottolenghi, many of which will likely make parents and children alike salivate, covering all bases from drinks and snacks to mains and dessert. Allergens are clearly marked and there are many recipes that are allergen friendly, including a mouthwatering nut-free pesto, fruit leather and homemade popcorn. With exactly 52 recipes to explore, one a week or fortnight, this book has plenty to keep kids excited about learning new dishes and techniques over the course of many months or years. However, contrary to the bold “let things taste the way they are” quote from Alice Waters, most of these recipes are high in sugar or fat, and veggies soaked in a rich, decadent sauce seems a world away from bringing out the true taste of in-season, fresh produce, which hardly needs a half-stick of butter to sing.

The explanation of the different food science concepts explored in each recipe are done fantastically, clear and concise without talking down to the audience. Some recipes lean on each other, with great suggestions for combining recipes from different sections to teach kids about the versatility of homemade staples to bring life and personality to dishes.

As this book was put together by someone with such a strong background in science, I was a little disappointed to see that there were a few common food myths perpetuated in these recipes, such as “activating” dry yeast (which can simply be mixed in with no wait time) or all of the alcohol being cooked out in the beurre blanc (which would take hours upon hours), but to her credit, she did supply an alcohol-free version.

Overall, I found Kitchen Science Lab to be a great resource to dip into, but definitely to be used under the guidance of a confident cook of an adult.

Was a bit surprised by this book as it wasn't what I was expecting. It is more of a recipe book but reveals the science behind cooking. Each recipe has a clear ingredient list, photos and at the end the science behind the process of cooking. It was good and I can imagine doing lots of these over the holidays.

An amazingly detailed cookbook for kids. I love the variety of recipes and the complete and understandable instructions. Many recipes do call for adult supervision, The science behind the food after each recipe is detailed and understandable without talking down to the reader. I learned a few new things about my food. The only problem I had with my netgalley copy of the book was that the name of what you were going to make didn't show up at the beginning of the recipe. It just said Lab 34 or Lab 47. You could figure it out, but it would have been nice not to have to.

Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: Edible Edition by Liz Lee Heinecke is a cookbook that is packed full of fun and educational recipes. This book turns everyday food into a science experiment that both kids and adults can learn from. Topics such as fermentation and emulsion are presented in an interesting and engaging manner to spark your quest for knowledge.

Hands-on learning is one of the best ways to excite kids about science and food. The collection of recipes in this book are kid-friendly instructional “labs.” As you make foods like pizza and ice cream, the science behind how the ingredients work together are presented in easy, yet fascinating experiments.

❀ DELICIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL

What is unique about this recipe book for kids is the fact that many of the recipes are adapted from ones by well-known chefs, such as Julia Child and Yotam Ottolenghi. This makes creating the recipes with kids more thrilling as an adult because these dishes provide not only learning, but a delicious treat to enjoy. I tried the Bodacious Bubble Tea and found the process to be both simple and yummy.

I highly recommend Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: Edible Edition to anyone wanting to know a bit more about the scientific aspects of the food we eat. It is a suitable book for all ages, and I am sure that these authentic learning experiences will be thrilling for kids. I am looking forward to checking out the other books in this series as well.

This book is brilliant. Full of colourful, easy to follow recipes complete with allergy information and utensil lists . Perfect for teaching your little ones to cook. I’ve used this several times already....the soufflé was a particular hit.

Fun and colorful book with amazing science activities galore! This is a must have for teachers, homeschoolers or parents/babysitters who want some fun learning activities for their kiddos! Great buy!!!

Whenever my children and grandchildren complained of "boring" science, I took them into the kitchen to show them the most often used science principles. Liz Lee Heinecke just gave me many more "experiments" to demonstrate that yes, they will use all of this "stuff" the rest of their lives. Making education fun and entertaining makes everyone more apt to learn and retain their knowledge. Love this book and would love to see another one!

This is a well done science book filled with experiments kids can do in the kitchen. Some of the experiments won't work for kids on restricted diets, but there are enough that every family should be able to find some.

Sections include: drinks, snacks, cheese and ferments, dips and sauces, main dishes, sides, baked things, decorations and desserts. Each one has between 4 and 12 or so recipes. The recipes tell if there are allergens and also have an ease level. Each recipe has some sort of scientific principle that it demonstrates.

Examples of recipes -- make a syrup for homemade soda and learn about supersaturated solutions, making popcorn in a microwave in paper bags to learn about water vapor and gas pressure (though both the USDA and the popcorn board have said this is not recommended, as paper bags are not processed to be safe for heated contact with food and are full of as many as 300 different chemicals from processing pulp and recycled paper, see: https://www.freep.com/story/life/food...), making hummus to learn what pureeing is, and making alfredo sauce to learn how to make sauces more viscous.

Quite a lot of the recipes involve wheat, dairy, meat and sugar. Nutritional information is not provided. Color photos accompany every recipe. Directions are very detailed and it's quite heavy on safety information in most cases.

If our family ate a Standard American Diet, I'd probably like this book a bit more. As it is, most of the recipes won't work for us and the few sentences about the science of the food can't justify getting a copy for our home. Others are likely to enjoy it more.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

Hands on science is without a doubt the best way to learn concepts! Add in taste testing and you have a delicious way to remember scientific concepts! Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: EDIBLE EDITION is a super fun way to teach kids the science behind cooking! Our kids have enjoyed seeing science in action in the kitchen before, but when it creating edible experiments, the memories are just that much stronger. Not only are they involved with auditory, visual, and tactile learning, they also have multiple sense involved, specifically taste, touch, and smell.

The layout of this beautiful book is quite simple. The experiments/recipes are broken down into 8 courses, just like serving a variety of courses at a fancy dinner! The courses each have a different scientific focus and the table of contents includes this information. This makes it super easy to choose a recipe to fit whatever concept you are covering in science.

Each recipe includes all ingredients and equipment needed right up front so there aren't any surprises! This is great for those of us who sometimes like to do something like this a little last minute. Also included are safety tips. The book does a great job explaining about keeping your kitchen clean from germs and why.

Next are colorful photographs illustrating steps in the recipe. These are real kids actually making the delicious experiments! I love that immediately following the recipe there is a science connection. This is clearly explained and very thorough. Even if you don't feel really comfortable with science, you won't have any trouble teaching your kids about it.

One really delicious way to learn about density gradient is through layering drinks of different sugar content. The recipe in the book is called Sunset Lemonade. This delicious concoction works because the simple syrup is more densely concentrated with sugar. The less dense lemonade rests atop the bottom layer before mixing. Such a cool concept!

Once you understand this concept you can layer drinks with different sugar contents to achieve some really fun effects!

Delicious!

If you are looking for a way to liven up your science lessons this is an excellent way to add some fun!

Kitchen Science Lab for Kids: Edible Edition by Liz Lee Heinecke is a fun book with step by step directions for 52 different science based recipes. I love this project that the author undertook and it is beautifully presented with clear directions and lovely photos. I was excited to try this book with my eight year old son, but I quickly discovered that he is not the target audience for this book. While he absolutely loves science projects and baking with me, he does not like anything too complicated in the kitchen and did not find any of the recipes appealing to him. However, I still find this to be a lovely book, especially for kids that love cooking and spend a good amount of time in the kitchen. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This was a fun cookbook to peruse. The recipes are often simply, always easy to follow, and make some great explanations to the science of cooking. If your kids (or you!) want to start exploring such a fascinating topic, this is a wonderful place to start.

My 5 year old LOVES science experiments and is really enjoying helping mommy in the kitchen. This was a cool book for me to read/ work on with him. It would probably be even better for an older child with more skills, but I really enjoyed it for myself too. (Wouldn't be the best for a picky eater, but it might help them see that food isn't scary!!) His favorite recipe was "Wicked- Good Chocolate Cupcakes!"

A fun variation from her typical STEM experiment books for kids, in this book Heinecke created all edible experiments (this is different from KITCHEN SCIENCE LAB FOR KIDS so it 's important for adults to pay attention to which book younger children are experimenting from...) I love the variety of experiments each of her books presents to children, and I think the way she explains the science behind how each thing happens is interesting and easy enough for younger ages to follow too.

Awesome book! Kids, or anyone, who enjoy cooking/baking with a little science tossed it, will love this book! Sooo many great recipes. Mostly desserts and drinks (non-alcoholic, of course!), but does have a few others. Step by step instructions with wonderful photos throughout. So amazing! I can't wait to introduce the book to my kids. They will each pick two recipes to create their own tasty treats in December! Then, a few more for future baking/cooking sessions!
I was unable to download this book, but was able to locate a copy at my library to read and review.

Thank you Quatro Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.


This was a fun, colourful book to share with my child during the holidays. We had fun choosing recipes / experiments to try in the kitchen, The process was met with enthusiasm and delight and saved many a rainy afternoon.

Thank you for this ARC. This is a great gift for the next birthday.

This is a fun book. Some of the activities are a bit more involved than I had expected (sweet soda syrups), but others (like popcorn and pretzel bread sticks) ensure that there is something for everyone.

My 4 year old daughter loved this book. The book itself was easy to follow and provided hours of fun for us.

Great fun, easy to follow. Perfect for kids and big kids. Everything used you would have readily available and not too difficult. It’s a great way to educate about science and all info provided is in a fun way