The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner's Ready by Ree Drummond
I've always been a fan of Ree Drummond and her cooking/show/recipes. I didn't like her last cookbook, Super Easy! 120 short-cut recipes for dinner, because so many of the recipes used pre-made or convenience products. This one is again all about dinner, but without quite as much convenience/ready made products. It wasn't anything amazing and was very typical of the Pioneer Woman cookbooks - LOTS of pictures (both of the food and her ranch, family, pets, etc.). I have always liked that she includes a lot of pictures of the steps of her recipes - it can definitely be helpful to see what something is supposed to look like along the way. I did find a couple recipes I'd like to try. Overall, it was good but not great.
The Cook's Book by Bri McKoy
Bri McKoy set out to create the cookbook she wishes she'd had when she was first married and trying to figure out to feed herself and her husband every night. This book is designed for the beginning cook, but I think even an experienced/confident cook could find some good recipes and information here. Unlike most cookbooks that have somewhat standalone chapters for types of recipes, McKoy encourages you to NOT skip ahead because the sections and recipes are building your skills as you go. The whole first section of the book is all about making your kitchen work for you - recommended appliances and kitchen tools, pantry staples, etc. There is also a chapter on wine pairings and another on building your bar cart. Other than a few woo-woo things like a section on creating a vision statement for your kitchen, I really liked this one. There are several recipes I'd like to try as well as lots of great tips throughout the book. This would be a great gift for newlyweds or someone out on their own for the first time.
Simple Pleasures by Emma Fontanella
Simple Pleasures is all about enjoying your food. It doesn't necessarily mean high-calorie or super indulgent food, but just good, simple food. While there is a chapter on breakfast and dinners - the majority of the recipes included are for desserts or baked goods. And the recipes do look straightforward and basic. I like that at the beginning the first section of the cookbook is called Foundations & Techniques and covers all kinds of basic cooking and baking tips including substitutions and ways to avoid common cooking/baking mistakes. There were several recipes I'd like to try and I think this would be a great addition to a home cookbook collection.
Milk Street Simple by Christopher Kimball
I like the Milk Street cookbooks and this one also seems good. All of the recipes are geared toward being "simple" or easy to make. The recipes are organized by categories like sandwiches, vegetables, grains, one pan, etc. No desserts or appetizers, just basic meals organized by category. I like that there are often variations given - easy rice bowls has 3 different recipes with other optional flavor/ingredient combinations. There were several recipes I'd like to try. This would be a good cookbook for someone hoping to switch up their dinner options or a newer cook who wants/needs easier recipes.
Veg-table by Nik Sharma
I love vegetables and even though I'm not vegetarian I always enjoy looking at vegetable focused cookbooks for ideas. The recipes in this cookbook are organized by type of vegetable. But the way the actual recipes are written is AWFUL - there is no list of ingredients it's just all a paragraph so you would have to read the whole thing to even figure out ingredients you need. You should read through a whole recipe before you start anyway, but to not list the ingredients and amounts separately just drove me crazy. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but still didn't find any recipes I wanted to try. I would NOT recommend this one.
Big Heart Little Stove by Erin French
Erin French started out running a supper club, then cooking out of a converted airstream trailer, and finally opened her own restaurant, The Lost Kitchen. This is her second cookbook highlighting the kind of recipes she's used the whole time she's been cooking. The recipes are organized like a typical cookbook by type - appetizers, soups, suppers, sweets, etc. I like that she includes a chapter on sauces and staples and another called "signatures" which covers some of her signature serving ideas. While I did NOT like her memoir, I did like French's previous cookbook and there are some recipes I'd like to try from this one too.
Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy by Danielle Kartes
Danielle Kartes set out to write the baking cookbook she wished she'd had earlier. It covers just about any kind of baked dessert you can think of with no tricky ingredients or super time-consuming steps. Just like the title says Butter, Flour, Sugar, Joy. She gives lots of good tips and tricks for baking. The recipes are organized by type - cookies, puddings, bars and bakes, pies, and cakes. Lots of options and ideas and they all seem very straight forward to make. Overall, I think this would be a great gift for a new baker/cook/newlywed.
No comments:
Post a Comment