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Title details for The Secret of Cooking by Bee Wilson - Available

The Secret of Cooking

Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen

by Bee Wilson
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

One of The New Yorker's Fifteen Essential Cookbooks • A New York Times, WBUR Here & Now, and National Post Best Cookbook of 2023 • An NPR 2023 "Books We Love" Pick • One of the Guardian UK's Five Best Food Books of 2023

A culinary companion to simplify cooking while making it more enjoyable, The Secret of Cooking is packed with solutions for how to make life in the kitchen work better for you, whether you're cooking for yourself or for a crowd.

Do you wish you could cook more, but don't know where to start? Bee Wilson has spent years collecting cooking "secrets": ways of speeding cooking up or slowing it down, strategies for days when you are stretched for time, and other ideas for when you can luxuriate in kitchen therapy. Bee holds out a hand to anyone who wants doable, delicious recipes, the kind of unfussy food that makes every day taste better: quick feasts from a can of beans; fast, medium, and slow ragus; and seven ways to cook a carrot.

Alongside thoughts on how to cook when you're alone, with children, or just plain tired, Bee offers 140 recipes including:

  • the simplest chicken stew even the pickiest of eaters (aka children) will love
  • Zucchini and Herb Fritters, a Grated Tomato and Butter Pasta Sauce (with or without shrimp), and other ways of making your box grater work for you
  • salads to savor, like a tuna salad with anchovy dressing
  • leisurely projects like an Aromatic All-Purpose Curry Powder and quicker food for friends (try Bulgar and Eggplant Pilaf with pistachio and lemon)
  • the loveliest red curry sauce you can make in your instant pot
  • universal desserts, or those gluten-free and dairy-free sweets that you can serve no matter who comes over, like a Vegan Pear, Lemon, and Ginger Cake

    • With advice on seasoning, cleaning up, and choosing the best equipment, Wilson reimagines modern cooking and brings the spark back into everyday meals. As Bee says, "There's still magic in the kitchen, if you know where to look."

    Shall we cook?

    • Creators

    • Publisher

    • Release date

      September 26, 2023

    • Formats

      • Kindle Book

      • OverDrive Read

        • ISBN: 9780393867640

      • EPUB ebook

        • ISBN: 9780393867640
        • File size: 106730 KB

    • Languages

      • English

    • Reviews

      • Booklist

        August 1, 2023
        This is the secret of cooking, according to Wilson: find ways to enjoy time in the kitchen. The food writer and home cook delivers a divorce memoir in the guise of a cookbook, sharing her tips for how best to heal a broken heart. Chapter titles such as "Cut yourself some slack," "Treat cooking as a remedy," and "Be your own guest" woo vulnerable souls, regardless of how adept they are in the kitchen. Tips are aimed at culinary newcomers, but almost anyone can find a takeaway. Some "secrets" include adding water to a dish instead of salt or oil, or having a backup plan (for example, extra sauces in the freezer) should things not go as planned. One chapter focuses solely on how to treat a carrot, be it grated, cooked, or roasted. Wilson encourages readers to create self-love instead of the perfect meal. While this book recommends ways to make time in the kitchen more pleasant, it ultimately highlights cooking as a technique for home chefs to channel their authentic selves and survive a difficult time.

        COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • Library Journal

        September 1, 2023

        In her first full-length cookbook, Wilson (The Way We Eat Now) doesn't stray far from her roots as a food writer and journalist. A quirky table of contents is the first clue that this isn't a typical cookbook, with headings like "Teach yourself to cook with a carrot" and "Something to take your mind off of it (whatever it is)." Wilson delivers musings on food and cooking that touch on technique and recipe-building but focus on the heart of the emotions found in the kitchen. Cooking philosophy and kitchen meditations surround recipes that are simple yet sturdy and include pairings and variation where appropriate. The occasional photograph or illustration carries the narrative forward, but there is no mistaking this is a cookbook for readers. This is a perfect addition to library shelves for patrons who enjoy the emotional connection with cooking and can't get enough of other authors like Ella Risbridger and Ruby Tandoh. VERDICT While best for cookbook readers, Wilson's book provides plenty to learn for all levels of home cooks who have the desire to indulge in the contemplation and wisdom she provides.--Sarah Tansley

        Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    Formats

    • Kindle Book
    • OverDrive Read
    • EPUB ebook

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

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