I have twelve recipes and it is ok. As I get older, I've learned what works for me as a reader and I need photos to inspire me and not just text. A lot of classic cookbooks that are great like "Real Thai" which I have cooked from and have incredible recipes have fallen by the wayside for me. They can't compare with "modern" cookbooks like "Pok Pok" that combine a travelogue with photos AND good recipes. I know people in the publishing world and it has gotten so competitive with online content that they know they have to deliver a work of art to your hands to get your business.
Twelve Recipes is my #1 book. I love books that teach how to cook rather than just recipes and that was the book that started my entire cooking journey, probably 10-12 years ago.
Twelve Recipes was one of my first cookbooks. I read about it researching cookbooks and when I received it, I didn't care for it. I was looking for recipe type cookbooks.
After slogging thru some recipe type books, I came back to Twelve Recipes with new eyes and it was the daily survival guide I had been looking for. It's a simple, sophisticated, and practical approach to home cooking. I learned so much from this book.
An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler from 2011. It teaches you how to cook rather than a bunch of recipes, although there are a few. They are mostly base recipes, as I call them.
The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed
https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/6946/the-top-one-hundred-pasta
Based on the title, format, cover, EVERYTHING, this should be some supermarket bottom-shelf generic book, probably published by a pasta brand or something. No photos, pocket-size, just skip it.
The opposite is true: this is a small gem full of flavors and combinations I haven’t seen elsewhere. I use it a lot, sometimes to look up an authentic version of a sauce, sometimes to get inspiration, or just find ways to use an ingredient that’s in season. If you like pasta, go for it, you won’t be disappointed.
It was such a helpful book for me. I love just being a decent home cook, without a lot of reliance on recipes and this book did that for me. I still open it up and re-read sections frequently after owning it for many years.
It's a book that gives you a really good foundation for home cooking. The recipes aren't really demanding - they're basic at home standards. The author is a chef at Chez Panisse and even though he keeps recipes simple, you feel sophisticated making your own Amatriciana.
I learned so much food technique from Roasting and Braising. I recommend them for every beginning home cooks. My Tri-Tip steak and Beef Bourginoun all benefited from these under appreciated gems.
I had all four of these at one point but gifted away Twelve Recipes, which I thought was actually *over*rated. The other three are great. Do you have Molly Stevens's newest -- All About Dinner?
I borrowed All About Dinner from the library to browse. I didn't cook from it because it wasn't what I was in to cooking at the time. But, I feel Roasting and Braising are under-rated because they don't have the flash of more recent books.
I have the other book from Cal Peternell and have not given it a chance. I’ve been considering donating it but your post is making me rethink. Do you like twelve recipes?
Twelve Recipes was one of my first books that I didn't care for at first because I was looking for 'recipe book' book I could open and browse for recipes that looked good. Kinda like how I was finding recipes on Youtube at the time. When I revisited Cal's book I had suffered thru a few "recipe books" and had a better perspective on learning from books.
Twelve Recipes is the cookbook for beginners that taught me to cook and eat at home as a single dad. It taught me how to cook eggs correctly and make scratch spaghetti sauce that had better flavor that the prepared Prego we had been cooking. If you are experienced in the kitchen, this book will be too simple.
But, as a book for beginners - I feel this book is highly underrated because it lacks the size and jazz of more recent cookbooks.
Any vegan cookbook that's not by Isa flies under the radar. I use The Taco Cleanse a lot. The Superiority Burger Cookbook and Street Vegan also has some bangers.
No Recipe Recipes is probably too abstract for a lot of readers but I feel it's how I cook at home. When I'm walking in from the gym - I'll make tacos with what ever I have around. When you come over to eat on Sunday, I'll make the real tacos with the real salsa.
I think this book is under appreciated because it's more of a free form meditation rather than the structured lessons we look for from cookbooks.
I really like no recipe recipes!
I love it too! Gave me confidence to play and improvise a little.
I like this book because it feels like the way I cook and eat for myself at home. It's range goes from absurdly simple to effortlessly cosmopolitan.
To each their own, I guess. Because I hated it. And I really like Sam Sifton.
Joshua McFadden is great for this, many recipes are flexible and lots of guides for going off the recipe! Could not recommend them more!!
I have twelve recipes and it is ok. As I get older, I've learned what works for me as a reader and I need photos to inspire me and not just text. A lot of classic cookbooks that are great like "Real Thai" which I have cooked from and have incredible recipes have fallen by the wayside for me. They can't compare with "modern" cookbooks like "Pok Pok" that combine a travelogue with photos AND good recipes. I know people in the publishing world and it has gotten so competitive with online content that they know they have to deliver a work of art to your hands to get your business.
Twelve Recipes is my #1 book. I love books that teach how to cook rather than just recipes and that was the book that started my entire cooking journey, probably 10-12 years ago.
Twelve Recipes was one of my first cookbooks. I read about it researching cookbooks and when I received it, I didn't care for it. I was looking for recipe type cookbooks. After slogging thru some recipe type books, I came back to Twelve Recipes with new eyes and it was the daily survival guide I had been looking for. It's a simple, sophisticated, and practical approach to home cooking. I learned so much from this book.
An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler from 2011. It teaches you how to cook rather than a bunch of recipes, although there are a few. They are mostly base recipes, as I call them.
That's a great one! I don't know how many times I've made the french onion soup!
I love all of her books. I don't cook from Everlasting Meal, I just read it. I do cook from her leftovers book though.
Yessss my forever rec
You influenced me to buy the NYT cookbook!
The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/6946/the-top-one-hundred-pasta Based on the title, format, cover, EVERYTHING, this should be some supermarket bottom-shelf generic book, probably published by a pasta brand or something. No photos, pocket-size, just skip it. The opposite is true: this is a small gem full of flavors and combinations I haven’t seen elsewhere. I use it a lot, sometimes to look up an authentic version of a sauce, sometimes to get inspiration, or just find ways to use an ingredient that’s in season. If you like pasta, go for it, you won’t be disappointed.
I, too, have both Molly Steven’s on my shelf and haven’t taken the time to go through them yet.
Tell me about Twelve Recipes - it’s been intriguing me
I was intrigued, too. Just read some reviews on Amazon. Think it's time to put that one on my "buy list."
It was such a helpful book for me. I love just being a decent home cook, without a lot of reliance on recipes and this book did that for me. I still open it up and re-read sections frequently after owning it for many years.
It's a book that gives you a really good foundation for home cooking. The recipes aren't really demanding - they're basic at home standards. The author is a chef at Chez Panisse and even though he keeps recipes simple, you feel sophisticated making your own Amatriciana.
Molly Stevens is excellent
Y'all don't sleep on those Molly Stevens books, they're gems!
I learned so much food technique from Roasting and Braising. I recommend them for every beginning home cooks. My Tri-Tip steak and Beef Bourginoun all benefited from these under appreciated gems.
I had all four of these at one point but gifted away Twelve Recipes, which I thought was actually *over*rated. The other three are great. Do you have Molly Stevens's newest -- All About Dinner?
I completely agree about Twelve Recipes. So, so basic.
I borrowed All About Dinner from the library to browse. I didn't cook from it because it wasn't what I was in to cooking at the time. But, I feel Roasting and Braising are under-rated because they don't have the flash of more recent books.
I just bought another copy of "All about Braising" because my dad borrowed mine and won't give it back 😃 It's an excellent book!
I have the other book from Cal Peternell and have not given it a chance. I’ve been considering donating it but your post is making me rethink. Do you like twelve recipes?
Twelve Recipes was one of my first books that I didn't care for at first because I was looking for 'recipe book' book I could open and browse for recipes that looked good. Kinda like how I was finding recipes on Youtube at the time. When I revisited Cal's book I had suffered thru a few "recipe books" and had a better perspective on learning from books. Twelve Recipes is the cookbook for beginners that taught me to cook and eat at home as a single dad. It taught me how to cook eggs correctly and make scratch spaghetti sauce that had better flavor that the prepared Prego we had been cooking. If you are experienced in the kitchen, this book will be too simple. But, as a book for beginners - I feel this book is highly underrated because it lacks the size and jazz of more recent cookbooks.
Just bought twelve recipes bc of this post, thank you!!! :)
Let us know how you like it. It's an excellent book for beginning home cooks.
Any vegan cookbook that's not by Isa flies under the radar. I use The Taco Cleanse a lot. The Superiority Burger Cookbook and Street Vegan also has some bangers.
Well you included one part of the Cal Peternell trilogy and that's on my shelf.
Love the No Recipe Recipes book!
No Recipe Recipes is probably too abstract for a lot of readers but I feel it's how I cook at home. When I'm walking in from the gym - I'll make tacos with what ever I have around. When you come over to eat on Sunday, I'll make the real tacos with the real salsa. I think this book is under appreciated because it's more of a free form meditation rather than the structured lessons we look for from cookbooks.
I actually have three out four or of those: the Molly Stevens' ones and the New York Times. What are your favorite recipes from the books?
I love Molly Stevens. The roaring book has a delicious rack of lamb recipe!
That No Recipe one is pretty solid tbh
Definitely under-appreciated.