Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls

My grandma gave me this book back in the 1960s. I cooked out of it regularly for my sons in the 1980s & 1990s. I purchased this same cookbook for my granddaughters in 2020s. I marked those favorite recipes their daddy and their uncle requested I cook BEFORE gifting the cookbooks to my granddaughters.

I am ordered a copy for my granddaughter. I learned to cook from this book, and still make the meatloaf recipe (best one around!) and some of the other recipes as well. Highly recommend...it's a REAL cookbook, not just a kiddie thing!

My husband and I both learned to cook with this cookbook, and it is still the most-used cookbook in our house! We gifted it to our son when he went off to college. There are recipes that we have doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled (snickerdoodles)!

While not a first edition, I remember this little book quite fondly. This book and other cookbooks for children, introduced me to a life long passion. Not only cooking, but different international flavours, methods and cooking impliments, history, specifically Medieval and food chemistry! It is a well rounded book that basically teaches the single digit crowd confidence in the kitchen. Getting a child less intimidated about what goes on in the "food room" is really the objective at this age. Yes, the recipes are dated, but also easy. I think every child should have the opportunity to learn these rudimentary skills. Who knows what might happen.

I received this cookbook from a favorite neighbor in 1962 - and I will give copies to my grandchildren - I have a lot of happy memories of making recipes from this - in fact, I still have my copy - well worn!

I got my first copy of this book in the late 50's or early 60s and cooked recipes weekly from this, maybe even 2 or 3 times a week (with luck). It was really ahead of its time since even now few cookbooks have recipes this good that can be prepared quickly...and far too many of them include trendy foods that kids won't touch. NOt this one. Just good basic fare- spaghetti, mashed potatoes, Tossed saland and lots of desserts. So many things set this cookbooks apart from the numrtous imitators that have come along. Real kids were used as "testers" and their opinions were actually quoted. Also, most of the recipes taste really good - to KIDS. Parents, however, may be less enthursiastic, perhaps because some of the recipes called for canned soup or some other form of packaged ingredient, rife with preservatives. But many also use fresh ingredients and the Chili is still a particular favorite of ours, being neither two spicy or too bland, all made from scratch. The Noodle Goulash and Basic Fried drumstricks are pretty good, too. The comments from the kids are priceless.("Betty Crocker said not to worry about a crack in your nut bread...it's supposed to be there"). Crocker was also ahead of her time by including illustrations of boys in the kitchen as often as girls, neatly sidestepping any sexual bias issues (although I doubt that was the intent). I confess I still use this book often since my kids simply love the food, from Peanut Butter Pudding to Mulligan Stew to Fruit Basket Upset.

This was my first cookbook; and, although its condition is worn and the cover is duct taped together, I still planned to pass it on to my daugthers. What fun, what memories, what an excellent first cookbook. With the reissue, I have purchased two, one for each of my kids! A memory and an heirloom!

My daughter loves to cook and it was a challenge for me to find a cookbook that she could work from. I was thrilled when I came across this book. She loves it and cooks from it every week...who knows, maybe we'll have a four-star chef in the family one day. I'm so thankful for this book.

For my seventh birthday, my favorite aunt gave me the Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cookbook. I was so excited since I was the eldest of four kids and always trying to find ways to help my working mother. No more simple dishwashing & ironing for me! I was moving up to the position of family "chef"!My first attempt was the meat loaf recipe from that book. I followed every direction to the letter! And discovered two things: 1) Not everyone likes an entire tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce in their meatloaf and 2) It's alright to alter a recipe to accomodate varied tastes.Even though my first meal largely became dog food for a dachshund, I went on to try many of the recipes in that book and it became a cherished part of my childhood. The recipes are given in clear detail with variation suggestions and photos to inspire and tantalize. The holiday suggestions in the back of the book were a particular favorite of mine.Basic cooking terms, measurements, kitchen utensils, kitchen safety and even table manners are discussed at the beginning of the book. This book has a wonderful "retro" feel giving everyone the feeling that Carol Brady, June Cleaver or some other perfect TV mom is about to come to the door to borrow a cup of sugar. Kids today can definitely benefit from the basic knowledge and simplicity of this book.