What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities

by Julia Turshen

From bestselling cookbook author Julia Turshen comes an original, inspired, and interactive approach to cooking that takes the guesswork out of everyday meals.Julia Turshen is a home cook’s best friend. Known for her simple, no-frills, yet utterly satisfying recipes—as well as her authentic, relatable, problem-solving approach—hers are the cookbooks we all turn to when we want to know what else we can make with some ground turkey, or if we can pull off dessert with a few basic pantry ingredients. In essence, we look to Julia when we want to know What Goes with to understand how we can transform the seemingly boring contents of our fridge into an exciting meal.Now, in her latest book, Julia offers readers a new way to think about cooking, one that focuses on mastering the alchemy of a meal—and then offers endless iterations. Organized into six sections (salads and sandwiches; soups, stews and braises; rice, more grains, and pasta; vegetables; mains; and baked goods), Julia arms readers with 20 charts and 100 recipes that teach them how to build a successful dish, while making ample room for creativity and personal preference.For readers of tried and true cookbooks like Melissa Clark’s Dinner and Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen series, as well as fans of Molly Baz and Alison Roman’s breezy yet craveable recipes, What Goes with What will become an instant classic and find its place as a foundational cookbook for a new generation of home cooks.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, Queer

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2024

About the author

Julia Turshen is the bestselling author of Now & Again, a Goodreads Choice Awards 2018 semi-finalist (vote for her here), as well as Feed the Resistance, named the Best Cookbook of 2017 by Eater, and Small Victories, named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2016 by the New York Times and NPR.

Epicurious has called her one of the 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time. She is the founder of Equity At The Table (EATT), an inclusive digital directory of women and non-binary individuals in food. Julia lives in the Hudson Valley with her wife and pets.

Reviews

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite cookbook. My most used cookbook. Maybe that doesn’t hold a lot of weight given how little cookbooks I’ve used, BUT Julia’s commitment to unlearning the common rhetoric applied to food, having a conversation with her mom about body image in a cook book is unexpected but so appreciated, and how she uses similar ingredients in recipes so you don’t have to worry about never using that one spice ever again are only a handful of reasons why I love this cookbook. The charts drew me in and the recipes were accessible and thoughtful enough to keep me excited to do more outside my comfort zone. Thanks Julia- check out her Substack if you’re unsure of purchasing

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a cookbook with good essays and recipes I’m excited to try, and Julia’s books never fail to meet that criteria. My copy is full of post-its on the pages I can’t wait to come back to.

[Phyllis Barlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been cooking/baking for over 60 years now, but I'm always looking for new ideas, and putting things together is always something that's a challenge to me so this caught my eye. It's well laid out; the charts and then the recipes.
It was good to remind cooks that not everything has to be made from scratch.
Even though I don't have any dietary restrictions (gluten free, vegan, ect.) I liked that she included plenty of choices for those who do, and the menus were very good.
If you know someone new to the kitchen this would be a great gift.
It's even good for veteran cooks, I found some new recipes/ideas also.

[Alessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely cookbook that made me feel like maybe I could actually make dinner!

[Erika]

It's more for beginners but I love her charts. Definitely some things in here to try though!

[Jane Dugger · Rating 4 out of 5]

So surprised how much I enjoyed this! So much so that I plan to purchase. It feels like a choose your own adventure cookbook.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no it’s amazing, I want to eat everything

[Kris Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait to make some of these great foods for family and friends! I could eat out of this book for at least 6 months. Great tips and energy—very encouraging. Yum!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

enough good ideas to warrant a purchase !

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beef, spinach, feta meatballs was popular in my house. Made with ground turkey. Made chicken, artichoke, sun dried tomato. Italian sausage + ricotta meatballs.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I made the pumpkin bread with dark chocolate chips, and my husband liked it so much that he bought me my own copy of the book so I don't have to depend on the library copy.
Update to update: I made the barbecue tofu with sweet potato fries. Needed more spice but that's an easy fix. This was a great way to kick off Thanksgiving week.
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I've enjoyed all of Julia Turshen's books. This one is so friendly and approachable and beautifully photographed. Can't wait to try some of these recipes. I'm not sure why she isn't using whole wheat flour anymore, but I'll go where she goes.

[MAYA QUARTZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia Turshen’s What Goes with What is a visually stunning and thoughtfully structured cookbook that delivers exactly what it promises— accessible, adaptable recipes designed to build confidence in the kitchen. The hand-drawn charts are a standout feature, providing an easy-to-follow guide for pairing ingredients and improvising meals. It’s a book that encourages home cooks, particularly beginners, to see recipes as flexible formulas rather than rigid instructions. The layout and photography are undeniably beautiful, making it as enjoyable to flip through as it is to cook from.

That said, as someone who reads a lot of cookbooks, I found the recipes and anecdotes to be a bit uninspired. The dishes are straightforward and user-friendly, but there wasn’t much that felt fresh or particularly exciting. However, it’s clear that the book is intended for those seeking simplicity rather than novelty, and in that regard, it succeeds. The emphasis on ease and approachability makes it a great choice for cooks who might otherwise feel intimidated in the kitchen, even if more experienced readers may not find much they haven’t seen before.

Despite my lukewarm response to the recipes themselves, I appreciate the book’s philosophy of encouraging creativity while keeping things practical. If you’re looking for something groundbreaking, this might not be the right fit, but for those wanting a reliable and visually appealing guide to uncomplicated, adaptable cooking, What Goes with What is a solid choice.

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cookbook promoted itself as having 20 charts for 100 recipes and endless possibilities. Basically, there were 20 chapters ranging from salad dressings and broth soups to one bowl batter desserts and fruit cobblers. The cookbook represented a wide variety of styles and dietary preferences, with each chapter having at least one vegetarian option and one pescatarian option.

Each chapter began with a chart that broke down the key components of the recipe family into columns so that the reader could easily see what type of substitutions could be made where. For example, the table starting the chapter about braises had columns for what to brown, what liquid to add, what else to add before simmering, and what to top the dish with. After the table, each recipe was written out in full with headnotes, measured ingredients, and descriptive recipe steps. In between the chapters were author essays and conversations.

The handwritten artsy style of the tables was definitely a choice. Personally, I didn’t think that added much value or interest to the cookbook. Additionally, some of the charts were a two-page spread, which was difficult to see in the Kindle ebook format because there was no indication that the table continued to a second page.

I haven’t cooked any of the recipes from this book. None really appealed to me as a “must try” before the loan timed out.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a practical guide to making your own meals, and the charts in the beginning of each chapter also encourage experimentation and swaps. The best chapters for me are the salads, dressings and pastas - and also the deep chocolate espresso cake. That cake is amazing. Turshen is one of my favorite cookbook writers (when she writes for herself) because each recipe has the perfect amount of backstory. There are a few personal essays sprinkled throughout the book, in this case about her time spent working on a farm and queer cooking, which you can skip, go back to and revisit, or take in at your own time. They're interesting reflections on things that are important to her, and gave me a bit to think about.

Her food is really good and has some different combinations, but generally uses ingredients that are easy to find. My quibble with her (other than the lack of nutritional information) is that many of these are too involved for weeknights. That's not true of everything (most salads) but even the sheet pan recipes have us browning and pre-cooking some ingredients. Not that those steps don't build flavor, they're just too much for me on a weeknight. A beautiful book and well worth checking out or buying.

[Juli Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Turshen's books just keep getting better and better. There is no need for me to wax poetic about her chops as a recipe developer and cook; these simple, accessible, classic recipes speak for themselves. This is weeknight cooking at its absolute best. While her earlier cookbooks relied on unnecessary gimmicks to string together her recipes into cohesive "stories," both this cookbook and Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food have stripped away such pretense to give us exactly what we want: Turshen's warm, generous, creative self and distinctive point of view. This book even tackles disordered eating, fat liberation, and queering cookery head-on, always with insight and maturity (and a little humor). All this said, this isn't an overly chatty book, nor is it a manifesto. It's simply good recipe development and succinct food writing. What a joy!

[thefourthvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like the companion cookbook to You Gotta Eat; this is the version of that cookbook that was written for people who aren't depressed or chronically ill but who still are new to or struggling with cooking. Turshen tries to distill a lifetime of cooking knowledge into recipes that can be easily made and that are endlessly modular, and she does a great job. (She also includes a bunch of the tips she's learned along the way.) As a bonus, there are some fascinating essays relating to cooking or to Turshen's life in here.

I'll be honest; this book wasn't written for me. I've been cooking for longer than Turshen has. I know these things already. But I learned them the hard way, and I am so, so pleased to see cookbooks like this one that give people a chance to skip over all the trial and error and guesswork and exact following of recipes. Cooking can be hard, but it doesn't have to be, and Turshen is out here trying to demonstrate that. Delightful.

[Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Turshen makes cooking seem like a beautiful thing anyone can do and in her latest cookbook, What Goes With What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities, she offers up her characteristic warmth and wisdom and a wonderful new set of culinary adventures. Fans of her newsletter Keep Calm & Cook On will recognize the whimsical charts she often shares, demonstrating how versatile a cook we can be with just a handful of simple ingredients. And then she puts all that theory into practice with an incredible range of dishes all of which can be adapted to our individual palates and preferences. This is a cookbook that should be a staple in every home cook's kitchen.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

First up, I am a Julia Turshen superfan. I own all of her books, and they are some of the most used books in my large collection. And, I think this cookbook is already my favorite from Julia. The charts are just so useful - making recipes instantly riffable, offering simple frameworks that you can make work with whatever is in your kitchen. Every recipe has been not just good, they're EXCELLENT. Bold flavors, contrasting textures, pops of acid. This is a book that has been flagged and tabbed, and I'm just working through all the recipes that caught my eye. If you're a cookbook lover, this is a must-have.

[JH · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! What I realized through reading Julia's words is that charts are actually my favorite kinds of recipes! Years ago I saw an infographic on how to build a great salad (something green, something crunchy, something soft, something unexpected, etc) and another on how to build a Buddah bowl. Both leave me so much room for creativity and what is available in my kitchen/pantry.

That philosophy sums up so much of this book. Don't feel overwhelmed by cooking because here is a basic formula and YOU should create the recipe. Or follow her recipes but feel free to substitute. I love this freedom!

Funny enough, despite the freedom and general guidelines, this is a cookbook I could actually see myself wanting to own (I checked it out from the library) just because it's such a good resource.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read cookbooks like novels. In order to get a 5-star review from me, a cookbook should be both entertaining to read and fun to use for cooking regularly. I also should want to buy it or put it on my wishlist. This checks those boxes. It's the kind of cookbook I really like to use- practical and novel.

I used it today and am planning 4 more things before I return it to the library. If all goes well, it goes on my Christmas list!

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julia is a great cook, and I have three of her previous books on my permanent shelf. But I won't be buying this one after I return it to the library. I prefer my recipes without a side of preaching, especially preaching that includes phrases like "fat liberation". I just want to read about food and then cook it.

I did save a couple recipes to try. This one looks good and is available online: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/julia-t...

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid cookbook with photos of all the recipes. All the recipes from soups, salads, sandwiches, sides, entrees and desserts are simple and most cooks should be able to master them. Some are not to my family’s taste and because I have an extensive collection of recipes, this did not really offer much for me. . Some kitchen tips. Some author info. This might be the right cookbook for you.

[Danielle Booey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine? Didn't take a lot of pictures of recipes. Some good sauces. I think maybe I just wasn't as into the format of the book as I thought I might be.

Not every recipe has pictures, but the ones that do are lovely. There are a plethora of vegan and vegetarian recipes in the book if you are looking for some new ones.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

My current cooking bible. I really enjoy her recipe style (supportive, thoughtful guidance) and the design of the charts/chapters. I was also inspired by the essays/interviews she included in the book (I loved these pieces in her last book, Simply Julia, too). This is a cookbook you'll want to read cover-to-cover.

[Sarah Knopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

So wonderful I ordered it for myself (as a birthday gift from my spouse). Julia Turshen is delightful and down to earth, providing so many delicious dishes and combinations. It’s rare for me to feel excited about more than a few recipes per cookbook, but I’m stoked to have this book in my kitchen and try MANY new things!

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked her charts but found many ingredients were either unfamiliar to me or not ones that I would ever have on hand. I think I’m not enough of a cook to bother with this although many recipes sounded great.

[May-Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a beautiful and practical cookbook. I found this full of love, connection, stories and creativity. and unlike many other cookbooks I've read, I can tell I'm going to make a few dishes found here. the handwritten charts are (chef's kiss!)

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Approachable, encouraging & inspiring. I like cookbooks like this that give you general guidelines for what components are needed for a successful recipe but then you have the freedom to play with ingredients that best suit your tastes & dietary needs.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the essays more than the recipes. This book wasn't really what I was expecting based on the title. The charts were basically nothing more than a quick breakdown (recap) of the recipe rather than a these flavors pair with this, etc. I did like the kitchen tips - very useful.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome recipes in this cookbook, and two of my favorites are Morning Glory Muffins and Best Tuna Mac Salad. There are many nice photos and charts that show what to add for seasonings. I would buy this cookbook as a gift or for myself.