Picture Cook: See. Make. Eat.

Picture Cook: See. Make. Eat. is a minimalist cookbook from author Katie Shelley, who approaches cooking as a free form expression of individuality. In fact, she includes a brief forward to that effect informing readers that what follows is not "precise culinary blueprints" but are meant to inspire "experimentation, improvisation and play in the kitchen."

An unusual, quirky book, Picture Cook: See. Make. Eat. eschews text in favour of nearly entirely relying on pictures to teach people to cook with solid, well-tested recipes that can easily be thrown together. Although this book is marketed as a general cookbook, I think that the colourfulness and playfulness would appeal to children of all ages. The book presents a less earnest and serious tone than most cookbooks and fully grasps onto the idea that being a visual learner doesn't just mean putting a photograph of the finished product next to the recipe. I think that children would find identifying and reading out recipes engaging and that this would encourage them to spend time in the kitchen. 

The recipes are varied and cover pretty much all types of cuisines and cooking styles, and most of them have fewer than five steps. They are eminently accessible as the recipes act more like guidelines, starting points for people to learn the techniques and steps needed to construct a dish, but simple enough that you are encouraged to deviate and put your own spin on it. There are also 'technique' pages to walk the reader through tasks that may be uncommon to the reader, for example, how to correctly dissect an avocado. 

One of the unique sections of the book is the 'Thoughts on...' section. These are a set of illustrations on adapting recipes to suit you, offering several fresh and creative variations/toppings. The book also offers some unusual combinations of flavours like avocado and feta and strawberry and basil, and will expose children to ingredients and recipes that they would never have otherwise tried. 

The only significant problem with the design of the book may be the layout of the recipes and how to identify what needs doing when. On the other hand, I personally think that this provides more freedom for experimentation and fun.