November 2025 Cookbook Reviews

 

The Unprocessed Plate by Rhiannon Lambert

I'm all about cooking from scratch and sourcing high-quality, local food, so I thought this cookbook would be right up my alley. I didn't expect the first half of the book to be an explanation of ultra-processed foods. There was some good information in that section but there were a few things I vehemently disagreed with. To say that a "red meat patty" is worse than a plant-based fake meat patty (p. 37) is ridiculous. She didn't even try to talk about sourcing local, sustainably raised meat. Instead you should just make your own bean patty. On p. 34-37 she talks about the most common everyday UPFs including plant-based milk substitutes. But then in the info about plant-based milk she basically says yes this is a UPF but it may actually be better for you than cow's milk - no. These fake milks are some of the worst things out there - and I understand not everyone can drink cow's milk but there is a lot of research that raw milk can be consumed by people who are lactose intolerant. There are other options than fake plant-milk. At this point I knew this cookbook wasn't for me. I did flip through the recipes and didn't really see anything I was interested in trying. Not cookbooks but if you're interested in ultra-processed foods and why they're bad for you, check out Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken and/or Eat Everything by Dawn Sherling instead.

Good Things by Samin Nosrat

Good Things is the collection of recipes that Samin Nosrat cooks when she cooks for herself or friends and family. It's not organized like a typical cookbook. The chapters are a little random - there is one about seven dressings with three ways to use each, one about yeasted bread, etc. There are lots of tips and suggestions for various ways to use many of the recipes. The recipes skew more ethnic than my personal taste but there were a few recipes I'd like to try. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of Nosrat.

A School Lunch Revolution: a cookbook by Alice Waters

Alice Waters is known for two major things - her restaurant Chez Panisse and the edible schoolyard. In this cookbook she walks the reader through the tenants of the edible schoolyard and then gets into the recipes. The recipes focus on fresh, local food with a focus on vegetables. While there weren't a ton of recipes I wanted to try, this one is definitely worth checking out especially if you're not already familiar with the edible schoolyard concept. Or if you just want to try to incorporate more seasonal vegetables into your own diet.

My Southern Kitchen by Ivy Odom

I'm a Southerner and I love Southern food, so I'm always checking out new Southern cookbooks. And My Southern Kitchen does not disappoint. Even though Ivy Odom is young, there are SO MANY great looking recipes in this book. At some point you think, am I going to find anything new to try? But I did with this cookbook. The recipes are not organized in a typical appetizer, entree, sides way but by Southern events - parties, everyday dinners, funerals, etc. I think it's a unique and very Southern way to organize a cookbook. This one is definitely worth checking out!

Seasoning in Appalachia by Jimmy Proffitt

To a non-Southerner it might not be obvious, but there is a difference between Southern food and Appalachian food. There is definitely an overlap, but there are some very distinct Appalachian foods. Jimmy Proffitt does a great job of highlighting those in this cookbook. There is also a section at the beginning about seasonal eating and preserving seasonal foods. There were several recipes I'd like to try as well. Overall, a solid cookbook and worth checking out.

Six Seasons of Pasta by Joshua McFadden

This is a very thorough pasta cookbook. I especially liked that McFadden only uses dried pasta for all the recipes. Making fresh pasta is not that hard, but it does take much longer. I feel like focusing on dried pasta makes this much more accessible for the average home cook. He starts out with some basic sauce recipes, then goes into any season and seasonal pasta recipes. There are a LOT of recipes in this book, so you're bound to find something you'll like.

Make It Don't Buy It by Matt Remoroza

Matt Remoroza decided to learn how to cook from scratch after an encounter with moldy bread at a grocery store. Plus, eating out is SO expensive. He learned how to cook lots of food so that he could teach you how to Make It, Don't Buy It. There are a LOT of recipes in here. The recipes are all organized by type of food/course. I liked that he had a whole chapters on "foundations" that covered basic sauces, stock, etc. There is something for everyone in here and I found several recipes I'd like to try. If you're newer to cooking or hoping to expand your home cooking repertoire, this is a great cookbook to check out.