The Kitchen Decoded: Tools, Tricks, and Recipes for Great Food

by Logan Levant, Hilary Hattenbach

A beginner’s guide to cooking, featuring recipes from the famous Buttercake Bakery in Los Angeles.

Cooking can be intimidating, but with the right equipment and a few great recipes, it doesn’t have to be. The Kitchen Decoded is a fun new cookbook with chapters organized according to gadgets and appliances, and accompanying recipes that can be prepared with each tool. Designed to arm every would-be cook with an arsenal of time-tested equipment and foolproof dishes, The Kitchen Decoded is packed with meals guaranteed to impress guests and loved ones.

Logan Levant, owner of LA’s famous Buttercake Bakery for ten years, spent countless hours showing friends how to use the kitchen tools they received as gifts . . . and thus the idea of The Kitchen Decoded was born. By following Logan’s professional tips and simple how-to guides, anyone can learn how to make the most of their kitchen—or simply whip up an impressive batch of Buttercake Bakery lemon bars (with the help of a KitchenAid stand mixer and a microplane, that is). Other tools featured include the Cuisinart food processor, the Le Creuset stock pot, cookie sheets, measuring tools, and other basic and advanced gadgets of all sorts.

Pair any gift of amazing-but-mysterious kitchen equipment with The Kitchen Decoded to ensure that your thoughtful present is put to good use. This book is a must-have for every home cook!

Genres: Cookbooks, Reference, Cooking

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2014

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've cooked 4 things from this book and have already changed things around in my kitchen based on some of the great tips peppered throughout. I recommend this book to anyone that has a kitchen. It's a new staple.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good cookbook for what tools are essential for a good cook. Tried two recipes, Mediterranean Beef stew and scallion parmesan biscuits. Both were yummy! The biscuit recipe called for 1 1⁄2 cups parmesan but it didn't say where it add it in the directions. So I put it in with the flour. I found them a tad salty. I have marked other recipes to try. I found this cookbook at my local library.

[Hester · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, so bad. Not sure what audience this is for--any beginner would be better off with a real cookbook, any experienced cook would never want to do the gross shit these people think you should do. The "organized by gadgets and appliances" setup tells you all you need to know. These are not people who understand food or eating. My nextdoor neighbor is more deserving of a book contract than these eedjits. BLEH. (Free advice from a Ph.D.--it's "mother," not "mom." You're not a toddler.) NO.

[Shadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have for all kitchens. It makes a great holiday or shower gift. The recipes are easy to follow and taste great when completed. The pictures are beautiful. A well designed cookbook to help navigate through appliances we all already own.