Do you have a budding young cook to shop for? No EZ Bake Oven or pretend food on this list. For the most part, I have always let my son use regular cooking tools with proper supervision. But, there are some things that make cooking more fun and a bit safer.
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Cookbooks
There are plenty of choices in this category. Here are some of our favorites.
Preschool:
Sesame Street B is for Baking
and C is for Cooking
by Susan McQuillan. Delicous healthy recipes with oodles of your favorite Sesame Street characters on every page.
Cook School
by Amanda Grant has a progression of skills and recipes broken down for 3-5 year olds, 5-7 year olds and 7-11 year olds.
Elementary Age and beyond:
Emeril’s There’s a Chef in My Soup
by Emeril Lagasse. Kids love Emeril. Or maybe it was just mine that was transfixed by reruns of Emeril Live! Larger than life, funny, jazzy music. Screaming BAM! Along with the TV. Lots of great recipes
Pretend Soup
and Honest Pretzels
by Mollie Katzen. Both books have beautifully illustrated step by step recipes.
The Young Chef
by The Culinary Institute of America is recommended for ages 10-14. It goes a bit beyond just teaching about cooking techniques and provides sidebar information about ingredients and food history.
Twist it Up
by Jack Witherspoon. Written by an 11 year old that was inspired to learn to cook while undergoing treatment for Leukemia. We love the Norwegian Pancakes and of course the Chocolate Cake.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz
. Lots of British treats (Treacle Tarts, anyone?) and magical recipes for the Harry Potter fan.
It's important to look the part
We have this apron in blue (also comes in pink) $19.99
But, it may be time to move up to a chef coat. This one is available in white or black ($15-24):
A few of our favorite tools
We got this when my son was little. It is great for small jobs and it's a good motor control exercise for preschoolers. OXO Good Grips Egg Beater
($19.95)
Cupcakes and muffins are more fun when you make them in creative shapes like these fun cupcake molds ($5.99) 
We have a few sets of these Tovolo ice pop molds in different shapes. After they freeze we take them off the base and slide them into a zip to lock bag to save space. ($10-13)
Speaking of Tovolo, this pancake pen makes filling pancake molds so easy ($10).
Mickey pancake/egg mold
($12.95)
Smiley silicone egg and pancake mold ($4.99)
My kid managed to cut himself with a plastic knife on Apple Day in Kindergarten. Perhaps he needs a pair of these NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves ($10.99)
Peeling can be a fun task or a chore depending on the tool. Hint, skip the cheap $2 ones. This set from OXO gives 
you 3 peeling options ($14.99).
[clickToTweet tweet="Fun and practical gifts for young chefs under $25 #gifts #children #cooking" quote="Fun and practical gifts for young chefs under $25" theme="style2"]
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Marilyn Lesniak
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