Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor

by Hetty Lui McKinnon

The James Beard award-winning author of Tenderheart returns to her roots with a year of seasonal salad recipes that emphasize community, family and the importance of finding time and space to linger.

Hetty Lui McKinnon’s culinary career began with salads. Specifically, a charred broccoli salad. She began making salads at home and before she knew it, was delivering hundreds of salads all over Sydney, Australia. Although her salad cart days are behind her, her love of salads remains. It is this love that inspired her to start the Linger Project, which brings people to the table at her Brooklyn apartment every month to eat, talk and enjoy the sense of community that forms around the table of salads. McKinnon’s goal with these gatherings was to instill a sense of unhurriedness in her guests, giving them a space to slow down, enjoy the food and just linger. In Linger, her sixth book, her fans get to do the same with more than 100 new recipes. 

These salads are not just bland piles of leaves — they are beautiful, rich creations. In fact, one of McKinnon’s salad rules is that salads don’t always have to have leaves. Another salad rule? Anything can be a salad.

Curry Potato and Pea Dumpling SaladCaprese Salad with Grilled PineappleBibimbap-style Gnocchi with Gochujang VinaigretteRice Paper Spring Roll Salad Sunchoke and Cannellini Beans with Never-ending Tahini SaucePeaches and Cream with Chili CrispMushroom, Seaweed and White Bean Burger Salad

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

312 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

As heard on The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters (840: Holiday Traditions Around the World with Hetty Lui McKinnon and Yasmin Khan)

This week, we’re celebrating the holidays by looking beyond, into global stories that shape the season. First, we talk with Hetty Lui McKinnon about her new book, Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor, and what the holidays look like in Australia, where Christmas is hot and the seafood markets buzz at midnight. Hetty reflects on the vegetable forward meals that defined her Chinese Australian upbringing and leaves us with her recipe for Coronation Cauliflower and Chickpeas. Then, we turn to writer Yasmin Khan for a deeper look at Yalda Night, the Persian winter solstice celebration that reminds us of the return of the sun, after the longest night of the year. Her latest cookbook, Sabzi: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes, explores vibrant vegetarian cooking rooted in Persian culture. Yasmin shares how Yalda brings people together through poetry, pomegranates, and seasonal comforts, and leaves us with her recipe for Eggplant Fesenjan.

Broadcast dates for this episode: 

December 19, 2025 (originally aired)

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[bookcookery]

Such an aptly titled cookbook, as you truly do want to linger with it. McKinnon strikes a balance between the new and the nostalgic, making her recipes feel like both comfort food and fresh discoveries. And though it’s perhaps not surprising for a salad cookbook, it’s a delight to find that most of these recipes are vegan or offer vegan alternatives.

For my first pass, I tried the Black Sesame Tofu “Basque” Cheesecake, the Mapo Tofu Salad, the Potato and Scallion Flatbread, the Tofu Bread Rolls, and the Vegan Meringue, all of which were tasty. The cheesecake had a satisfyingly creamy texture both warm and cold (with a not-surprisingly coconuty flavor thanks to the can of coconut milk). The Mapo Tofu Salad captured some of my favorite flavors in salad form, the flatbread and rolls were chewy and flavorful, and the vegan meringue, as McKinnon notes, nothing new but still wonderful to be guided through for the first time.

McKinnon manages to draw great depth of flavor from a relatively limited number of ingredients in each recipe, and her instructions are consistently clear and confidence-building. This is a new favorite.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Hetty McKinnon and her recipes. They're always creative and tend to tilt east-Asian inspired (which have lots of my favorite cuisines). I didn't like Linger as much as I loved Tenderheart. I wish there were time estimates included in these recipes and also noticed the serving sizes tended to be smaller than what I would consider to be X serving.

Onto the recipes tried:
- Bibimbap gnocchi - liked, didn't love. Lots of (personal) issues with cooking the gnocchi, but also felt like it was lacking something
- Kung pao cabbage and tofu - the first major miss for me - found it to be bland
- Spicy braised eggplant and tofu with noodles - loved this - I really enjoyed the japchae noodles, which added an interesting bouncy texture to the dish
- Roasted sunchokes and cannellini beans with tahini sauce - a lot of potential, but honestly the sunchokes just didn't do it for me - found them to be turnip-like in taste, adding a lingering after taste
- Broccoli tempeh with salsa macha - I also made the salsa macha and really loved this sauce - though I liked the salsa macha more than the broccoli tempeh
- Roasted spiced carrots with tofu and agrodolce - my husband loved this dish ("best thing you've ever made" - even though it had raisins in it, and he hates raisins, so I think this one was a win
- Spiced chickpea and lentil salad - beautifully colorful dish and very filling

So overall a bit of a mixed bag for me.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve loved the recipes of Hetty’s that I’ve tried before, so I was excited when the library got a copy of her new cookbook. However, this was sort of a miss for me, which made me very glad that I borrowed a library copy instead of buying. While almost all of the recipes sound good to me, many of them contain ingredients that are not possible to find in rural America, or they take longer to make than I have normally have time for. Having said that, I did save a few recipes that I could get ingredients for that take less than an hour to make.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley ARC- I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. The recipes are presented in twelve chapters with their own playlist (QR codes provide) which helps set the mood and ties them together. Handy substitutions are provided for some of the ingredients which will provide endless options. I've never read her published work outside of the NYTS, but I will definitely seek out her others.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great cookbook for anyone who wants to make a variety of international vegetarian recipes.

I already made: potato & sumac salad, soba noodles with crunchy vegetables, & iced tea fizz.

I really appreciate that most recipes include substitutions and ways to veganize &/or make a dish gluten free.

I’m excited to make even more recipes!

[Shayna Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

if i could give this more than 5 stars i would. love the variety of recipes in this book!! as someone who brings cold lunch to work many of these room temp salads will be perfect.

[Pcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of healthy veggie dishes and gluten free pumpkin cake!

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part cookbook, part stories, this did not have my fave recipes of McKinnon.

[Maggie Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best cookbooks I've ever purchased. Every recipe, so far, has been perfect.

[Hannah Dalpiaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many recipes bookmarked waiting to try. Another wonderful blend of recipes, writing and music too!

[Great Escape Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Review...

The author of bestselling Community is back with a fabulous new cookbook Linger. This delightful collection is packed with vegetable laden loosely seasonal menus full of salads, sweets and stories that celebrate the coming together of friends.

Each chapter features a distinct collection of songs, playlists curated by McKinnon’s daughter Scout, and to be enjoyed as you cook, eat and linger.

In Linger, salads aren’t just made of leaves—they’re stories in their own right, rich with flavor and memories. It’s an incredible follow-up to Community, offering not just a fantastic cookbook but a beautiful way to connect through food.

Review by Jess L @ Great Escape Books