Cookbook Reviews: America's Test Kitchen, Samin Nosrat, & Ali Rosen

I love cookbooks but don't have the space for them in my kitchen. Therefore, I am a serial cookbook borrower- from the library or friends, it doesn't matter- I read them, write out the recipes that look good to me, and send the book back for someone else to enjoy. I recently joined the cookbook club at my local library, which has been a lot of fun.  We all read the same cookbook and everyone chooses a recipe (or two) to make so we can try them out while discussing the cookbook. These are the most recent cookbooks we explored.

 -Lynnie 

Vegetables Illustrated: An Inspired Guide with 700+ Kitchen-Tested Recipes by America's Test Kitchen 

This is the first cookbook in ages that I've read that I am actually considering buying. We eat vegetables every day in our house, but I tend to fall into routines for how to prepare them.

There are so many wonderful recipes in this book and so many ideas about what to do with any type of vegetable. This book is particularly helpful to me because we participate in a summer farm share and often get unique vegetables that I've never worked with before. America's Test Kitchen has created a collection of recipes that are easy to follow, with tips on how to clean, cook, and use whatever veggie you can think of. This is not a vegetarian cookbook- there are meat recipes included but, in each, the veggie is the star. I particularly liked that it was organized by vegetable rather than by appetizer, entree, etc... truly a 5-star cookbook.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat

I was originally very excited about this selection based upon my experience with the Netflix show of the same name. Sadly, I was disappointed. I think if you are relatively new to cooking and creating flavor you will get a lot out of this book but, honestly, I’ve already had this journey. I got very little out of the detailed explanations of the science of food and the included recipes simply didn’t offer much that was new to my collection.

Clearly I’m not the target audience for this book, but I think that if you’re just beginning your culinary adventures you will appreciate what it offers.

Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining by Ali Rosen 

 
Overall, I was impressed. This book takes the guess work out of potluck events with specific instructions of what to serve hot or cold and the best ways to transport it. We made a variety of the dishes with the big winners being salmon cucumbers, spicy Brussels salad tart, and the S'mores Bars.

The recipes were easy to follow and rarely used an ingredient that was hard to find. If you're looking for ideas for your next potluck, this is a great place to start.