Meat, meat, meat, meat!
Is cooking meat the first great hurdle of any omnivorous cook? I think it's between that and baking. I think my progression was pretty typical: first boneless chicken breast, then ground beef, then pork chops, then…
Susie
The Perfect Instruction
So, over my years as a cookbook reviewer, I've come to realize there is actually a word formula for the kind of recipe that works for me. The ingredients list doesn't matter that much - unless there's a bunch of…
La belle cuisine...
This is me in the kitchen: Hair up in a messy ponytail. An apron that is laundered but nowhere close to white. Scuffed clogs and glasses spattered with something or other. This is Mimi Thorisson in the kitchen. And by…
A glug and a dollop...
What do you think of those Brits and their chatty, poetical way with instructions? Whenever I read a Jamie Oliver recipe, I prepare myself for an aggressive style of non-measurement - the "glug" of olive oil, the "knob"…
Scriptures for the cook
The third edition of The Spice and Herb Bible came last week, and I did what I always do. I looked up "fenugreek," and sighed with satisfaction. There were four solid pages on fenugreek, with its name in 20 different…
September 2014 Cookbook Roundup
Every month Susie Chang reviews new cookbook releases and notes trends in the United States. And she may also occasionally throw in a review of a "not-quite cookbook." And for our non-U.S. members, Jane and Fiona…
Kitchen re-thinks
I had a dinner party this weekend. There were 10 of us (plus my teenage son), and we had a blast. I barely cooked at all - just some dessert, a pork roast, and some grissini - because everybody brought something. The…
Faster! Easier! Simpler!
At the end of this month, Nigel Slater's Eat will be published (in the U.S., anyway. I think it came out in fall of last year in the UK). I'm a fan of most Slateriana, so when the book arrived this week, I dove right…
Weeknight cookbooks: two approaches
The days may still be long, with a hot still afternoon and crickets in the middle, but the pace of school and work is picking up for everyone. Cooking's more of a crunch. And though you sometimes get an inspiration for…
Get cultured
You guys! I made yogurt! and it was easy! The whole yogurt-making adventure started one weekend this summer when we were staying at a family friends' house for a family wedding, and were treated to a sumptuous breakfast…
Spices and spice books
Learning to use spices better has been a lifelong ambition for me - and many other cooks, no doubt. I always used to have a sort of anxious feeling about the spice cabinet - what's in there? how old is it? is it still…
August 2014 cookbook roundup
Every month Susie Chang reviews new cookbook releases and notes trends in the United States. And she may also occasionally throw in a review of a "not-quite cookbook." And for our non-U.S. members, Jane and Fiona…