3 cookbooks for beginners to try
Cooking a delicious meal is one of the easiest ways to show yourself love and show others love as well. If you’re like me, you might’ve picked up a few cooking tips and tricks from your parents growing up. I loved helping my mom make homemade pizza, and watching my dad make his signature spaghetti and meatballs. While living on my own I’ve had to learn how to cook more than just pasta and pizza (although you should try my cauliflower flatbread recipe if you haven’t already). My curiosity for cooking reached a crescendo in 2020 when we were all forced to find new hobbies in quarantine. I started to crack open some of the cookbooks I’ve collected over the years, subscribed to NYT Cooking, and binged content on Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel (before they got cancelled). I still feel very much like a beginner when it comes to cooking, so I wanted to share some of the latest and greatest cookbooks I’ve come to find as helpful resources for those that want to roll up their sleeves in the kitchen.
joedujour
cook this book
by molly baz
Molly is a Bon Appétit alum who won over the internet with her fun-filled approach to cooking. Her book is full of familiar flavors and unpretentious recipes (caesar salad, breakfast tacos, and even tuna fish salad) that will help you become a more creative cook. What’s unique to Molly’s cookbook is that she includes QR codes that you can scan to see how-to videos for food prep techniques specific to the recipe you’re making.
nothing fancy
by alison roman
The poster child of cooking in the digital age, Alison inspired us all to embrace chickpeas and turmeric with her famously hashtagged #TheStew recipe. I’ve prepared quite a few of Alison’s recipes (both from The New York Times and Nothing Fancy) and they never disappoint. She loves to use flavorful pantry products, which make it easy to throw together a tasty meal without having to stop by three different grocery stores. Her ‘Sticky Roasted Carrots with Citrus and Tahini’ were a hit amongst my besties when I made them for friendsgiving.
that sounds so good
by carla lalli music
Carla’s unfussy style of cooking has really inspired me to step outside of my culinary comfort zone. I made tofu for the very first time with her ‘Spicy-Tangy Green Beans and Tofu’ and found it to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. In That Sounds So Good, she organizes the recipes by the days of the week so that you can find everything from mid-week meals to Sunday suppers.
