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Twelve Recipes
Winner of the 2015 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Award Forewords by Alice Waters and Michael Pollan In this dazzling, full color cookbook and kitchen manual filled with lush photographs and beautiful drawings, the chef of Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse offers basic techniques and essential recipes that will transform anyone into a confident home cook. When his oldest son was leaving for college, Cal Peternell, the chef of San Francisco’s legendary Chez Panisse, realized that, although he regularly made dinners for his family, he’d never taught them the basics of cooking. Based on the life-altering course of instruction he prepared and honed through many phone calls with his son, Twelve Recipes is the ultimate introduction to the kitchen. Peternell focuses on the core foods and dishes that comprise a successful home cook’s arsenal, each building skill upon skill—from toast, eggs, and beans, to vinaigrettes, pasta with tomato, and rice, to vegetables, soup, meats, and cake. Twelve Recipes will help home cooks develop a core repertoire of skills and increase their culinary confidence. Peternell tells you what basic ingredients and tools you need for a particular recipe, and then adds variations to expand your understanding. Each tip, instruction, and recipe connects with others to weave into a larger story that illuminates the connection between food and life. A deeply personal book, it was written by the chef alone and it glows with warmth and humor as he mulls over such mundane items as toast and rice to offer surprising new insights about foods that only seem exceedingly ordinary. It’s a book you’re as likely to keep by your bedside as your stovetop. With Peternell as your guide, the journey is pure pleasure and the destination is delicious. Twelve Recipes features gorgeous color photos and inset illustrations by Peternell’s wife and sons (all artists), and forewords by celebrated chef Alice Waters and New York Times columnist and bestselling author Michael Pollan.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2014
356 people are currently reading
1085 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 6, 2014
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. As someone who's a decent home cook, but always looking to expand my non-recipe-based dishes, the promise of twelve basic adaptable recipes was extremely appealing to me. But I was a bit concerned by the book's description--how often have you picked up a cookbook that promises to tell you the basics, only to find a "recipe" for how to make toast?
Unusually for a cookbook, I read through this one in two big chunks on my couch, noting what techniques and recipes I wanted to return to. All chapters start with a basic recipe, generally no more than three or four ingredients, and then suggests modifications based on what's in season, what's in your pantry, or how lazy you feel.
While there are some techniques I have down cold, I found the recipes to be refreshingly simple. At times it was almost like I was being given permission to cook something with very few ingredients and call it dinner. The chapters on pasta, beans, and rice were especially useful to me, and help me god, I may actually buy some anchovies to experiment with in my salad dressings.
Unusually for a cookbook, I read through this one in two big chunks on my couch, noting what techniques and recipes I wanted to return to. All chapters start with a basic recipe, generally no more than three or four ingredients, and then suggests modifications based on what's in season, what's in your pantry, or how lazy you feel.
While there are some techniques I have down cold, I found the recipes to be refreshingly simple. At times it was almost like I was being given permission to cook something with very few ingredients and call it dinner. The chapters on pasta, beans, and rice were especially useful to me, and help me god, I may actually buy some anchovies to experiment with in my salad dressings.
July 29, 2015
When chef Cal Peternell was getting ready to send his son off to college, he decided to create a small cookbook of the twelve recipes that he felt were most important for his son to have. They were for food he had made for the family, his son's favorite dishes, things everyone should be able to make.
The book turned into Twelve Recipes, simple but standard dishes that everyone should be able to make and enjoy. Each chapter also has variations on those recipes, something that you can add to the repertoire to kick things up a notch.
Peternell is a chef at Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse, so his food is clean, fresh and flavorful. He divides his twelve categories in this way:
Toast
Eggs
Beans
Salad Dressings and What To Dress
Pasta With Tomato
Pasta Otherwise
Rice, Polenta, and Mashed Potatoes
Only The Best Vegetables
Roasted Chicken
Braises
Sauces
Cakes
In addition to recipes, Peternell shares his best tips- when cooking in a skillet the pan should be dry until hot then add the oil, have two kinds of olive oil on hand, use sea salt, when cooking with garlic add something wet (wine, chopped tomatoes, stock) to prevent it from burning.
Twelve Recipes is a wonderful book not only for the new cook, but even as someone who cooks often, I found it very enlightening. I made many notes from the book, got great tips and recipes that seem simple and flavorful.
The book turned into Twelve Recipes, simple but standard dishes that everyone should be able to make and enjoy. Each chapter also has variations on those recipes, something that you can add to the repertoire to kick things up a notch.
Peternell is a chef at Alice Waters' famed Chez Panisse, so his food is clean, fresh and flavorful. He divides his twelve categories in this way:
Toast
Eggs
Beans
Salad Dressings and What To Dress
Pasta With Tomato
Pasta Otherwise
Rice, Polenta, and Mashed Potatoes
Only The Best Vegetables
Roasted Chicken
Braises
Sauces
Cakes
In addition to recipes, Peternell shares his best tips- when cooking in a skillet the pan should be dry until hot then add the oil, have two kinds of olive oil on hand, use sea salt, when cooking with garlic add something wet (wine, chopped tomatoes, stock) to prevent it from burning.
Twelve Recipes is a wonderful book not only for the new cook, but even as someone who cooks often, I found it very enlightening. I made many notes from the book, got great tips and recipes that seem simple and flavorful.
December 14, 2016
That Peternell waited until his kid went to college before teaching him to cook seems a bit wackadoo to me, but maybe he didn't cook at home. The recipes look pretty good for the most part, but other books have similar recipes. I would also question that this is a good beginners book, knife work is given short shrift and simple things like seasoning cast iron pans seems to be missing. While some of the recipes could be eaten over the course of days, many are only suitable for same day cooking. An interesting read once sort cookbook but not a keeper.
For those who are just starting out, Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck is a much better beginners book as long as you don't mind vegan food.
During Thanksgiving my foodie brother looked through it and thought the comment that dried herbs are not as good as fresh was nonsense, which in the case of Greek cooking is very true, tradition prefers the dried herbs!
For those who are just starting out, Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck is a much better beginners book as long as you don't mind vegan food.
During Thanksgiving my foodie brother looked through it and thought the comment that dried herbs are not as good as fresh was nonsense, which in the case of Greek cooking is very true, tradition prefers the dried herbs!
January 21, 2015
This book is completely twee, and I completely ate it up. It's really a gorgeous book, with rich colors in the photographs and elegantly simple drawings. Cal Peternell, chef at the famed Chez Panisse, enlisted his artist wife, Kathleen Henderson, and artistic son for the visuals. Both his boss Alice Waters *and* Michael Pollan have introductory materials.
The book itself is more "cooking philosophy" than "recipes," though those are there, too, of course.
The conceit behind this book is that it is lessons for Peternell's son, who is heading to college. Even if you're a competent home cook, you'll learn a few things -- but it's less of a compendium of "how to cook" than a bit of a treatise on why. When I left home, my mother gave me a wonderful book called How Cooking Works, which had quite a bit more of the science -- but Twelve Recipes is along the same lines, with just more of an emphasis on the art of cooking.
The book itself is more "cooking philosophy" than "recipes," though those are there, too, of course.
The conceit behind this book is that it is lessons for Peternell's son, who is heading to college. Even if you're a competent home cook, you'll learn a few things -- but it's less of a compendium of "how to cook" than a bit of a treatise on why. When I left home, my mother gave me a wonderful book called How Cooking Works, which had quite a bit more of the science -- but Twelve Recipes is along the same lines, with just more of an emphasis on the art of cooking.
February 16, 2017
I've never reviewed a cookbook on Goodreads, but this one is noteworthy. My bestie (Lor) sent from UT and it's one you can flip through again and again. I love the commentary and how it enables you to freelance your recipes. Forwards by Waters and Pollan to get you started.
August 15, 2018
Ok, so the title is a bit deceptive. There are actually about a hundred recipes and they are divided into twelve categories. But misleading title aside, I thought this was a really good cookbook. The author has three boys, like me, and basically organized this book when they started going off to college so they would have a good reference when they started cooking for themselves all the time. I had heard that this is a good beginner cookbook. I don't think it's as basic people say it is, but I personally learned things and found some recipes to try.
September 25, 2025
Because I once dined at Chez Panisse (where the author is head chef) and because back in the '90's I regularly passed by its location in Berkeley while buying bread in that neighborhood, I just had to have this book. It was a nostalgic impulse purchase and I'm glad to have it in my collection.
What stands out to me is how casual and grainy the photos are, which suggests that the food pictured is almost certainly exponentially better than it looks. (Because when I see professional photos of stellar, slick looking meals that might be generated by AI, I always wonder if they would taste like the paper they're printed on.)
I am impressed that Cal cooks at home in what looks to be an old fashioned small kitchen on an ancient electric stove, like the one we had when I was a kid. No intimidating granite countertops to be careful not to drip vinegar or wine on. His saucepan has baked-on stains and looks much more authentic and cherished than a shiny new Hestan sauteuse.
No fancy tableware at all. The family eats off what is possibly local potters' plates and bowls. Mainly mismatched, as if collected over decades. This is what I do, too, so that earned the 3rd star. And there's not an apron in sight...just wrinkly all cotton shirts and dish cloths.
The 4th star in my rating is for the often amusing asides and easy to follow recipes.
Why not 5 stars? Because I have yet to try making any of his recipes and following his suggestions for substituting ingredients. Might have to edit my rating in the near future.
What stands out to me is how casual and grainy the photos are, which suggests that the food pictured is almost certainly exponentially better than it looks. (Because when I see professional photos of stellar, slick looking meals that might be generated by AI, I always wonder if they would taste like the paper they're printed on.)
I am impressed that Cal cooks at home in what looks to be an old fashioned small kitchen on an ancient electric stove, like the one we had when I was a kid. No intimidating granite countertops to be careful not to drip vinegar or wine on. His saucepan has baked-on stains and looks much more authentic and cherished than a shiny new Hestan sauteuse.
No fancy tableware at all. The family eats off what is possibly local potters' plates and bowls. Mainly mismatched, as if collected over decades. This is what I do, too, so that earned the 3rd star. And there's not an apron in sight...just wrinkly all cotton shirts and dish cloths.
The 4th star in my rating is for the often amusing asides and easy to follow recipes.
Why not 5 stars? Because I have yet to try making any of his recipes and following his suggestions for substituting ingredients. Might have to edit my rating in the near future.
Read
November 13, 2018"Twelve Recipes" was the outcome of Cal Peternell helping his son with cooking after his son had left for college. "Once you've cooked something a dozen times, a written recipe becomes unnecessary. Until then, it is good to have a reference, a cookbook for not just getting by but for really feeding yourself: a meal manual for my sons leaving home, and all sons and daughters, to learn to cook and eat simply and well, with pleasure and good health." Peternell states that he tried not to demand too much in terms of specific ingredients and equipment in an effort to avoid anything like intimidation. As a burgeoning home cook, I appreciated this approach. At this point, I really need to have a recipe and Peternell does a great job of providing an instructive book with recipes that are simple to follow. I especially like that he doesn't focus entirely on the specifics of the recipes but also food preparation in general. I enjoyed the stories, drawings, and photos that encouraged me to embrace and enjoy cooking. -Jacque C.
January 6, 2018
This book almost felt like a wiki for recipes. The book consists of a base set of recipes in 13 (yes, 13, the title fools a little bit) areas. From there, it's all a little bit of this, a little change here, etc. and you get something different. Additionally, there are a number of recommendations for different recipes in the book that go together, thankfully linked in the Kindle version. I would recommend that version for that reason. The only knock I would have against the book would be that it comes across as a little overwhelming to read cover to cover. But use the table of contents and the index as a guide to find things for which you feel in the mood, and I think this would be a useful kitchen companion.
November 17, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Twelve Recipes is a beautifully written, informative, and very personal mix of memoir and cookbook. Ostensibly, a collection of recipes based around 12 basic skills a person needs in order to increase overall cooking. But at its heart, it's about the cook's family, his children growing up, and life transitioning for his family when his son goes away to college. It's a mixture of diverse ideas that really shouldn't work but does effectively due to a great balance of pathos and technique.The chapters/topics of the book are a bit surprising at first glance but make more sense when they are read. The basic techniques are: toast; eggs; beans; salad dressings; pasta with tomato; pasta otherwise; Rice, polenta, mashed potatoes; roasted chicken; braising; grilling; three sauces; cake. A foreward, introduction, and universal conversion chart round out the book's contents.
The introduction is both history and tips. A chef sending his son off to school and realizing that his son could use a better understanding of cooking techniques. That segues into a collection of overall rules for general cooking (from tasting to leftovers). Cooking and cutting techniques as well as needed tools are discussed as well. I really like how Peternell gives both the right and the poor way things are done as well as good vs poorer tools. It's not just about the best way to do things but also the ways we often sabotage the taste or quality of what we cut by shortcuts or poor technique/time management/quality of food decisions.
The recipes start out with general discussions before transitioning into cooking and then several recipes based upon that initial simple recipe. As an example, toast starts out with discussing the best toasting methods (thin, thick, and what to put on them). It then segues into variations - what to put on the breads and then options such as croutons and sprinkling crumbs. It sounds simple but there is a lot packed into every chapter.
The tone is wonderful - friendly, accessible, humorous, encouraging, and very personal. I like the Chef's blend of great tips and wry humor especially (e.g., from the chapter on eggs: "Take egg scrambling, for example: there may be a moment when cracking the eggs directly into a hot skillet and then scrambling them in place is that sweet spot, the right if not the best thing to do, but I honestly can't imagine when that would be - while camping, maybe, or if an earthquake is bringing the walls down on a very hungry you. Even then, I think it would be best to take a breath, gather yourself, and while letting the pan cool some, grab a bowl and stand in the shelter of a doorway while you fork the eggs to a froth"). There are bon mots throughout that make this such a fun book to read while also filling in the holes we all have from most having learned to cook at home.
This is definitely a great gift for a grad going away, of course, or a young, newly married couple. But it is also so practical and enjoyable a read that I think there is definitely something here for everyone. There are photographs throughout but the heart of the book is definitely in the beautiful writing and solid cooking information. There is timeless information here.
This comes as a highly recommended book by me - one I think makes a great gift to friends and family (and one my husband will likely thank Chef Peternell for increasing my own cooking skills).
Reviewed from an ARC.
August 13, 2018
I'm not a reader of cookbook, just the occasional food-service memoir, so this provided a relatively new experience for me. I selected this cookbook because I definitely was looking for that absolute beginner read without being a children's book (but even those can be lovely!) and I saw it mentioned on a recommended list for starters. I also intended to make whatever I could handle at the time from the cookbook, so it needed to be clear and direct enough for me to just "get it."
To start off, Cal Peternell brings us into the delightful world of cooking and food with a light, conversational tone. You get to know his wife and children, as well as snippets of colleagues and co-workers from past days, and you get a sense of how far Peternell has come since his art days. Each chapter is divided into a main group, e.g., bread, pasta, cake, etc., and you are provided with several "core" recipes within each one. You will also receive several conversational paragraphs in between the recipes on further addition to do as suggestions, but they are meant to allow you to determine how to approach it.
For the most part, the recipes are fairly straightforward and (I think) pretty simple for beginners (such as myself) to get a sense of where to go. I made baba ganoush and hummus, once I obtained the ingredients, and while I did have to look up extra information online (because I like to confirm things in three different sources before I have the confidence to just "get it"), they were as simple as claimed. The real test would actually to make a legitimate meal, not a snack, but let's take some baby steps. I'm not roasting a chicken in the summer.
Peternell, like many and almost all chefs, certainly insisted on the farm fresh and higher end ingredients from time to time because it's just what you do. He wants you to make your own chicken stock because it is easy. Sure, it's easier to buy the carton, but the benefits and nutrition value between the two options is wide-ranging. Some other options that came up are questionably pricey, depending on what kind of salary you have, and may or may not be a little frustrating. I would honestly tell you to take it slow, buy what you can for the time, and then advanced your cooking one by one. If you go cold turkey and try to make everything from scratch at once, you may find yourself hating cooking more than when you started.
I will be buying this book because I do have a genuine interest in cooking, but I have a confidence issue in the kitchen and I need the very detailed, very gentle baby steps. I would also get some other cookbooks to work with this as well, as it only covers a small margin of topics. He does have a follow up book, A Recipe for Cooking, that is considered a level two. I will look at that book once I feel more secure in my abilities.
To start off, Cal Peternell brings us into the delightful world of cooking and food with a light, conversational tone. You get to know his wife and children, as well as snippets of colleagues and co-workers from past days, and you get a sense of how far Peternell has come since his art days. Each chapter is divided into a main group, e.g., bread, pasta, cake, etc., and you are provided with several "core" recipes within each one. You will also receive several conversational paragraphs in between the recipes on further addition to do as suggestions, but they are meant to allow you to determine how to approach it.
For the most part, the recipes are fairly straightforward and (I think) pretty simple for beginners (such as myself) to get a sense of where to go. I made baba ganoush and hummus, once I obtained the ingredients, and while I did have to look up extra information online (because I like to confirm things in three different sources before I have the confidence to just "get it"), they were as simple as claimed. The real test would actually to make a legitimate meal, not a snack, but let's take some baby steps. I'm not roasting a chicken in the summer.
Peternell, like many and almost all chefs, certainly insisted on the farm fresh and higher end ingredients from time to time because it's just what you do. He wants you to make your own chicken stock because it is easy. Sure, it's easier to buy the carton, but the benefits and nutrition value between the two options is wide-ranging. Some other options that came up are questionably pricey, depending on what kind of salary you have, and may or may not be a little frustrating. I would honestly tell you to take it slow, buy what you can for the time, and then advanced your cooking one by one. If you go cold turkey and try to make everything from scratch at once, you may find yourself hating cooking more than when you started.
I will be buying this book because I do have a genuine interest in cooking, but I have a confidence issue in the kitchen and I need the very detailed, very gentle baby steps. I would also get some other cookbooks to work with this as well, as it only covers a small margin of topics. He does have a follow up book, A Recipe for Cooking, that is considered a level two. I will look at that book once I feel more secure in my abilities.
January 31, 2015
I think that Mark Bittman's 'How To Cook Everything' is the best first cookbook to receive if you have some experience cooking, but what about the person who really knows nothing about being in the kitchen? That person needs to start at a very basic level, and this is the cookbook for them. I think it will be my 'going off to college' cookbook gift. Cal Peternell is the author. He is a professional chef, working at the legendary restaurant in the Bay Area, Alice Water's Chez Panisse. The story goes that when his eldest son was leaving home he suddenly realized that he really hadn't taught him how to cook. Knowing only one professional chef, I can extrapolate from that friendship to why it might not be great to cook at home. First of all the hours are long, and second of all, it might be similar to the cobbler's children having no shoes. You just don't want to bring your work home with you. In any case, he wrote this simple approach to cooking that is both instructional, true, and beautifully done. It reminds me of Mark Ruhlman's book "Ratio", in that it gives a basic recipe and then variations that can be cooked with that basic recipe. The chapters are things like "Pasta", "Toast", "Beans", and "Eggs". It is a guidebook into the world of cooking.
September 17, 2021
I tried to embrace this book. Really I did. But when it says only fresh herbs should be used EVER it already lost me since I don’t have them readily available and fresh at the store are too expensive to throw most of it away. I think this is an excellent book if you lead his lifestyle.
August 14, 2022
A long time ago I turned my back on cookbooks. Most are nothing but marketing schemes. One can find pretty much anything on the Internet these days. But earlier this summer I decided to re-visit some basics and in my search for material this cookbook came up in several places. I decided to tackle it. Fortunately, the public library had a copy for me to read. I renewed it to ensure I made it through.
The premise is interesting: write a cookbook for his son who has moved away and wants to know how to cook. So, there are 12 recipes from which there are oodles of secondary recipes to create.
Peternell has a manner about him that is pleasant, but he has access to foods that are not in my experience readily available. I enjoyed reading this and I like his style, but his food choices generally do not align with mine. Sure, those pasta dishes sounded wonderful, but I don't eat pasta. Or cake. I don't own/use a blender/processor, so that rules out many other recipes.
But all is not lost. I enjoyed his approach. He seems to be much more go with the flow than an ardent recipist. I like that. I still wonder about pantries of folks who write cookbooks. There is so much there. I keep no (or essentially no) pantry items on hand. I like everything fresh and I am cooking for one, so I don't want to be beholden to what is stored that I need to use prior to spoilage.
This is a better cookbook than most I have encountered. I think it is a decent approach to someone who is looking to create better than average food without a ton of skill.
The premise is interesting: write a cookbook for his son who has moved away and wants to know how to cook. So, there are 12 recipes from which there are oodles of secondary recipes to create.
Peternell has a manner about him that is pleasant, but he has access to foods that are not in my experience readily available. I enjoyed reading this and I like his style, but his food choices generally do not align with mine. Sure, those pasta dishes sounded wonderful, but I don't eat pasta. Or cake. I don't own/use a blender/processor, so that rules out many other recipes.
But all is not lost. I enjoyed his approach. He seems to be much more go with the flow than an ardent recipist. I like that. I still wonder about pantries of folks who write cookbooks. There is so much there. I keep no (or essentially no) pantry items on hand. I like everything fresh and I am cooking for one, so I don't want to be beholden to what is stored that I need to use prior to spoilage.
This is a better cookbook than most I have encountered. I think it is a decent approach to someone who is looking to create better than average food without a ton of skill.
March 7, 2024
I want to give it five, but it has to work for me first. This could be the best cookbook ever written if it does work. He does the absolute basics, but with his high end chef input. He's not doing anything I can't do, but he's so practiced at it that he makes it sound easier than it is if you haven't done it a thousand times. The few things I've tried thus far have been very good.
The book is a bit overwhelming, and this is why I need to wait and see if it's really a five star recipe. He'll start with a recipe, like Basil pesto. Then he'll give you five variations on that recipe, and a dozen things they go well on. Ok, well that's a lot for someone like me who is used to following a standard recipe. He's encouraging me to make one of these pesto variants and then make three other things (he references other parts of the book extremely well) that would go well with that. But now it's up to me to pick things out that will go well together and then to make them equally well. I'm going to try Cal! My basil pesto omelette this morning was probably the best breakfast I've ever had.
The book is a bit overwhelming, and this is why I need to wait and see if it's really a five star recipe. He'll start with a recipe, like Basil pesto. Then he'll give you five variations on that recipe, and a dozen things they go well on. Ok, well that's a lot for someone like me who is used to following a standard recipe. He's encouraging me to make one of these pesto variants and then make three other things (he references other parts of the book extremely well) that would go well with that. But now it's up to me to pick things out that will go well together and then to make them equally well. I'm going to try Cal! My basil pesto omelette this morning was probably the best breakfast I've ever had.
October 31, 2019
(Review first published in Shelf Awareness)
When Cal Peternell, chef at the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., sent his eldest son to college, he realized that the at-home cooking lessons he'd given (better known as family dinners) may not have covered the skills his son would need to feed himself well when away from home. The solution was clear: emergency cooking tutorials.
Peternell gave his son a dozen recipes, which came to serve as the foundation for Twelve Recipes. He expands on each building block to make several other dishes; for instance, he explains why even a simple slice of toast can be a platform upon which one might build memorable meals. Peternell delivers his practical advice with dad-style humor and puns (at one point he notes that the American Egg Board may have been "easily beaten"). Twelve Recipes is a cookbook, a love letter to family and a reminder of how important it is to gather people together to share nourishment.
When Cal Peternell, chef at the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., sent his eldest son to college, he realized that the at-home cooking lessons he'd given (better known as family dinners) may not have covered the skills his son would need to feed himself well when away from home. The solution was clear: emergency cooking tutorials.
Peternell gave his son a dozen recipes, which came to serve as the foundation for Twelve Recipes. He expands on each building block to make several other dishes; for instance, he explains why even a simple slice of toast can be a platform upon which one might build memorable meals. Peternell delivers his practical advice with dad-style humor and puns (at one point he notes that the American Egg Board may have been "easily beaten"). Twelve Recipes is a cookbook, a love letter to family and a reminder of how important it is to gather people together to share nourishment.
June 24, 2020
I don’t generally really READ a cookbook. Rather, I USE it to guide me through preparing something new. “Twelve Recipes” by Cal Peternell is the exception. Peternell, a professional chef, was inspired to write it when his oldest son was preparing to leave the nest and head to college without having any cooking skills in his survival toolkit. The title is a misnomer. Rather than twelve recipes, it focuses on techniques and basic ingredients. In an engaging and conversational style, he explains how to use them to create dishes that range from very basic to some more advanced fare, all based on the foundation he lays in each chapter. This is the best and most down-to-earth introduction to cooking I’ve ever come across. Wish I’d had it back when I had my first apartment and lived off tv dinners. It would be a great gift for anyone who’s cooking-impaired. I found the Kindle edition on Amazon.
December 30, 2020
I actually read this once and skimmed it again just now. I highly recommend this book if you are or want to be someone who cooks by feel rather than prescribed recipe. He teaches some very basic techniques and “recipes” along with tons of variations that have very little other than “add this and, voila, you have now made something completely different but equally tasty”. Take, for example, his chapter on sauces. He says learn three - bechamel, salsa verde, and mayonnaise - and you can use them with most things. Good advice, indeed, at least for western palettes. The beauty though is that once he shows you how to make a basic basil pesto, he goes on to how you can make many other salsa verdes (though, sadly, he doesn’t talk about extending it to a chimichurri). Admittedly, there are better (or at least easier) techniques than what he teaches but the recipes are still the same, for example, his mayonnaise is classic French style, not using a blender like you probably should at home. But, hey, that’s why we have the internet, right?
January 8, 2018
Cookbooks aren't typically something I "read", they're usuallyflipped through, with slight inspection of certain appealing sounding recipes or delicious depictions. This book is almost like listening to a seasoned chef talk to you while in their own kitchen, whipping you up something "simple". I like hearing his likes and dislikes, stories of other acquaintances or family members as they relish in a certain dish, sauce, or tasty sounding snack of iceberg lettuce and whatever other accompaniments they could scrounge from the fridge. These would then segue into an easy sounding creation, with gentle coaching of the process, and what to expect at certain moments throughout a dish's making. An absolutely neat book to read, with bonus of recipes.
February 10, 2025
There's a lot to like about this book. It is filled with detailed/important recipes for the novice and experienced home cook. My only issue is that it is a little difficult to navigate some of the recipes because they either 1) start mid page or 2) are tacked onto other recipes. Also, sometimes his anecdotes are a little confusing/long winded/odd. Overall, however, it will be a book I go to when I'm looking for basic answers and help in the kitchen.
February 8, 2020
An excellent book that walks you through how to cook a dozen or so recipes. More importantly, Peternell lists countless variations, and explains his thought process for creating new variations. Scattered throughout are sweet, heartfelt moments where he shares peeks into his family's life and his love for his sons.
July 9, 2018
About one third of pages wouldn't download
I liked the concept of this book, but it became too frustrating when pages wouldn't download. Never could tell if recipe was complete or sometimes didn't know what the recipe was for.
I liked the concept of this book, but it became too frustrating when pages wouldn't download. Never could tell if recipe was complete or sometimes didn't know what the recipe was for.
June 29, 2020
This book is full of beautiful pictures and super useful for learning to cook simple, delicious food. I regularly make several recipes from it and it's one of the few cookbooks I actually recommend owning (the others being America's test kitchen and Mastering the Art of French cooking).
April 27, 2021
Christmas shopping started
I’ve been reading ebooks from the library, to decide which ones to get in hard cover for family and friends. This is a definite buy! Recipes, stories and endless improv for every degree of experience. It’s gorgeous too
I’ve been reading ebooks from the library, to decide which ones to get in hard cover for family and friends. This is a definite buy! Recipes, stories and endless improv for every degree of experience. It’s gorgeous too
July 28, 2022
"How to cook" is here delightfully sketched jn word and drawing. Points off for the focus on children, ("here's a cookbook for my off-to-college son) only because it might dissuade adults from buying this very useful book.
July 31, 2024
I agree with some of the other reviewers…
He wrote the book for his college aged kid because he didn’t know how to cook?!
Only fresh herbs?
Too many meat recipes for me.
Nice book but not a true beginning cookbook.
He wrote the book for his college aged kid because he didn’t know how to cook?!
Only fresh herbs?
Too many meat recipes for me.
Nice book but not a true beginning cookbook.
June 25, 2017
This book has truly upped my egg and toast games. I found it enjoyable to read and its premise refreshing.
December 25, 2017
The best starting cookbook.
May 13, 2018
A beautiful book showing the ways you can start with a basic recipe and branch off into something a lot less basic.
May 17, 2018
Loved this book. I was thinking about writing a cookbook for my granddaughter, who lives to cook. Now I don't need to do that. I will buy her a copy of this book and call it a day.
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