The Best Children’s Cookbooks Puts Kids in Charge of the Kitchen
I still have my copy of the Barbie Party Cookbook. Published in 1991, it was meant to introduce children to the idea of hosting a party. It begins with tips on choosing a date (don’t choose a school night), reserving a skating rink or a park in advance, and picking a theme. But of course, it’s mostly about cooking. The book is divided into 10 types of parties, with menus to match. There are jelly heart cookies and chocolate-dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day, and mini pizzas for a video slumber party. “Before you begin to cook, make sure that you can use the kitchen,” a section titled “Barbie’s Kitchen Rules” advises. “An adult needs to be present to help you with difficult steps and answer your questions.”
This was not my only cookbook for “children,” but none of them really taught me how to cook. Any recipes involving knives or the stove (so, all of them) said to get a grown-up to do that part, leaving me mostly to spread jam on sandwiches or decorate scoops of ice cream to look like butterflies. I did not learn how to dice vegetables, or roast a chicken, or even throw a
Kyrgyz cooking masterclass spreads important message of salt reduction
The renowned restaurant “Zerno” in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is usually packed with locals and families having dinner, appreciating its delicious cuisine and alcohol-free offerings. But on 2 November, it attracted 15 local journalists and over 600 online attendants as it hosted an exceptional culinary masterclass with an important message.
The cooking masterclass was part of a national information campaign to promote healthier lifestyles and increase awareness about the dangers of excessive salt intake. Dr Liviu Vedrasco, WHO Representative to Kyrgyzstan, and Bybyjan Arykbaeva, Deputy Minister of Health for Kyrgyzstan, both teamed up with chef Akbar in the restaurant’s kitchen. The participants cooked succulent dishes using only traditional and common ingredients, demonstrating that rich flavors do not depend on salt.
Opening the doors to a universe of low-salt culinary art, chef Akbar guides guests in the skillful preparation of salads and a delicious, local chicken dish simply using ingredients such as tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, olive oil and onions, along with herbs and spices.
Creative cooking for better health
The national information campaign on reduced salt intake ran from 30 October to 6 November, spreading the message about all the health benefits that follow reduced salt consumption. According to WHO recommendations, salt intake
Dragon’s Dogma 2’s meat is real – devs confirm live-action cooking scenes
Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2 launches on March 22, and with the release date drawing closer, we’re finding out a lot of interesting details about the long-awaited title. One peculiar fact recently revealed by the series’ director Hideaki Itsuno is that the game’s mouthwatering cooking scenes are indeed live action. So, those realistic steaks everyone was curious about were real (and likely eaten by the devs after being grilled for the game’s sake).
Dragon’s Dogma 2 is the sequel to Capcom’s 2012 cult-classic action RPG Dragon’s Dogma. The second installment will expand upon the original title’s worldbuilding and mechanics, realizing many of the visions the original title had aspired to. Amidst the impressive game footage revealed so far, the cooking scenes of Dragon’s Dogma 2 have been a topic of wonder and speculation for quite a while. This is due to their lifelike level of realism, which clearly exceeds what can be achieved with CGI.
Some users suspected that the live-action cooking cutscenes may be placeholders that will be replaced by animation in the final product. However, in a recent interview with 4Gamer, the game’s director Itsuno confirmed that the meat grilling scenes in Dragon’s Dogma 2 are live-action, and that