Cover Image: Say Cheese!

Say Cheese!

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

We take so much for granted now. Just go to the store and buy stuff. But this book puts the power back in the hands of kids (and adults)! It's yummy to go to the store and buy cheese. It's incredibly fun and fulfilling to make your own cheese! And this book will help you do it. Cheesemaking is a lost art, but you can help revive it!

Was this review helpful?

This book is fun, informative, and hands-on and as a lover of cheese, I only have good things to say about it. It covers everything you need to know about cheese, starting with the animals the milk comes from, the tools of the trade, and the science behind it. A whole chapter is dedicated to making cheese and ends with some recipes and labels for the cheese.
It has been put together in a way that makes it fun for children and you will soon have a budding cheesemaker. Even though it is aimed at children, I found it just as valuable as an adult and would use it myself to make cheese.
Overall a fun book for young readers and cooks.

Was this review helpful?

This book is perfect for kids (or adults) who are interested in cheese but are not yet cheese-making experts. My kids, and many of my students, love cheese -- so they would love this book!

Was this review helpful?

I'm not entirely sure this book is just for kids... I'm an adult interested in making cheese and I think it's just right for me, too! I think the kids section is where is starts with where milk comes from: cows, goats, sheep, camels, etc...I had forgotten so many animals milk could be made into cheese! Nice reminder that might also surprise children and adults. The book also explains the science behind cheese making I thought was very interesting. Then comes the really important part of the book- cheese making! Mascarpone, creme fraiche, fromage blanc, yogurt, ricotta, queso blanco, feta, mozerella, and others, along with recipes for each cheeses' uses! I am looking forward to trying my hand at the art of cheese making this summer! The photos are really helpful in the step by step process of cheese making. I always thought cheese making was so intimidating, but this book makes it seem so simple. I can't wait to get started!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for sharing this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

Learning how to make your own cheese from milk could be just the right start of a budding chef! And there are so many kinds of cheese in this book! And recipes, galore! Even if your only reason for picking up this book is to read a fun history of cheese all over the world, this book is for you!

Was this review helpful?

I have been starting to make a lot of food myself that I used to buy at the store, and cheese was the next thing on my list. I found this book really interesting and helpful. I loved that there was additional information about the animals that produced the milk, how each cheese is different, and some recipes for how to use each cheese.

Was this review helpful?

I do love a good kids' cookbook, and Say Cheese! is the goods. It's an introduction to cheesemaking for kids - how cool is that? The book provides smart, everyday tips, like how to read a milk carton (the differences between raw, pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, homogenized, and fortified milks); info about the ingredients that go into milk making, the different animals who provide the milk we drink, and a look at the history and science of cheese and cheesemaking. That all being said, there's a rundown on the tools and utensils you'll need, advice on how to clean and prep everything, and finally, without further ado, the recipes! Color photos and step-by-step instrucitons give kids all they need to know on making their first cheese, with an emphasis on adult supervision: they are using the stove and sharp knives, after all. Make a mascarpone or some yogurt, spread some home-made cream cheese on a bagel or skewer some feta onto a toothpick with some watermelon: there are great recipes and tips for snacking to be had. This may not be up every kid's alley, but it's a fun, nontraditional cookbook to have on shelves and great for kids who love to cook and are looking for something new to test their skills.

Was this review helpful?

Cute book for aspiring chefs, aspiring cheese mongers, or just cheese connoisseurs! Learn to make cheese, recipes for the cheese you make, and fun facts about cheese!

Was this review helpful?

This was a very good-looking book. The pictures and lay out are gorgeous. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who loves cheese and cheese centered recipes.

Was this review helpful?

SAY CHEESE! is a solid beginner's guide to the science and art of cheese making by the "Queen of Cheese," Ricki Carroll and her daughter Sarah. Unlike many cooking projects for kids, producing a ball of mozzarella requires careful attention to science and measurement, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that these recipes will take more adult involvement than, say, mixing up a batch of Rice Krispie treats.

The authors include information about the types of milk used for for making cheese, the history of cheese, recipes and serving tips, science connections, and descriptions of the processes of acidifying, coagulating, setting, cutting (yes, that’s really a thing), draining, salting and pressing, and aging. There’s detailed information about the equipment needed, none of which is terribly hard to find.

The recipes in SAY CHEESE! concentrate on soft fresh cheeses like mascarpone, ricotta, mozzarella, and other creamy treats, as hard cheeses require not just more specialized equipment and ingredients, but also months of aging. Children and their busy parents need the immediate gratification of a yummy cheese that can be made and devoured quickly, and this cookbook delivers.

Even if children don’t go through the process of cheese making, just reading about how it’s done will give them a sense of wonder at how milk can be transformed into a favorite food. The instructions are clear, the writing entertaining, and the photography is of real kids working on cheese. Highly recommended for the foodie and farm crowd. With expanded interest in local foods, SAY CHEESE! should find an audience of young readers as well as adults who’d like a real kitchen adventure.

Was this review helpful?

A cheese making and fact book aimed at children aged up to early teens. Includes recipes for cheeses such as mascarpone, ricotta, paneer and yoghurt to name but a few. Filled with picture instructions in the making of each cheese and also includes many recipes to use the made cheese in.

This is a well written book, and even though it is aimed at children, I believe an adult just starting out may find it helpful. The cheese making process appears well explained and the pictures make it easy to follow. The milk facts are interesting, alongside the history of cheese too.

Being from the UK it would be nice to have it in metric measurements or a conversion table somewhere in the book.

Was this review helpful?

how cheese is made and how to use them in recipes.........

Was this review helpful?

What a wonderful book! This title is certainly on my list of books to purchase.

Was this review helpful?

Feta, ricotta, mozzarella, oh, my! Homemade cheese is going to be a new family favorite with this delightful and easy-to-use book. More than a how-to, this comprehensive yet simply-written guide to home cheese making includes a fact-filled trip through the world's cuisine and cheesemaking traditions. Plenty of color photos and step-by-step instructions insure success for novice cheesemakers.

Was this review helpful?

This photo-rich book gives not only recipes to make cheese, but also recipes to prepare with the cheese you make. The history of cheese is also included.
Step by step instructions and photos help make the recipes understandable. I especially liked some of the hints to make the cheese making process and clean up easier (i.e. the ice cube trick).
Equipment needed as well as ingredient requirements are well explained.
Looking forward to making my first batch of cheese.....thinking about starting with the ricotta!

Was this review helpful?

Not sure if there <em>should</em> be a kids book to make cheese. I think there might be too much frustration, and not enough rewards, the way there is for ordinary cookbooks. Plus, there is a lot more equipment that has to be purchase, to even make the cheese, while ordinary cookbooks you can make do with what is around the house.

Having said that, once you have gotten the equipment, then you have to use it too. This is not the fault of the book, but the fault of cheese itself, that it isn't a one or two hour thing, except for a few soft cheeses. To make up for that this book also talks about making yogurt, which is not quite cheese, but ok.

And I know that there are kids that are really into making cheese, and do a good job at it, and perhaps this book is for them, but because of the amount of milk that is needed, it can be quite expensive if you don't have a goat or a cow that you can milk at any time.

So, the book is ok. I didn't try any of the recipes, although I have made yogurt and whipped cream, which are some of the other things you can make in this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I adore and love cheese, so when I spotted this book over on Netgalley I just had to try it out. A book about cheese, about making cheese, about recipes with cheese, what more could I want?

Sadly, it just wasn't that fun. I struggled a lot to get through this book. Tried it twice, before finally finishing it on September 22nd. I am not sure if it is me (headache/not feeling all too well), or if it is the book. It may just be a combo for both. I do know that I was quite bored. I kept looking over at the page numbers to see how far I was and how many more pages I would have to read.

The recipes were quite fun, but I had expected some normal cheeses as well. (Not feta or mozzarella, but instead a normal cheese, a hard one. How to make a big round cheese for example. I would have loved to see those.) There were also a lot of cheese-related recipes, and while it was fun, I had rather seen more how-to-make-cheeses.

I did like the facts and non-fiction parts about cheese, it was quite an interesting addition.

Plus like a few other ARC books I read that were cook books or craft books... it just misses things. Facts or parts not filled in. Missing connections to page numbers (Go to page 00 instead of the actual page number). I laughed quite a bit at the iStock photograph used in the chapter of Other Easy-Peasy (but not cheesy) things you make with milk. I do hope they don't forget to remove all that watermark, or else it will be hilarious.

And something I also noticed in other books, the way they think everything is easily findable. I am sorry, but I have never in my life seen cheese cloth being sold in the supermarkets. And a few other things I would have to go to a (specialist) cooking store to make sure I get all the stuff I would need to make cheese, if they have such things (I have been disappointed before). So yeah, it would be nice if there were some easier to find alternatives listed.

And I found an error in the Saying Cheese Around the World. In Dutch it is Kaas, not Kass. Hope that gets fixed in the published version. Would be a shame if kids learned the wrong words. :(

All in all, I had hoped for more, but sadly it just wasn't meant to be.

Was this review helpful?