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Christopher Kimball's Milk Street: The New Home Cooking
From Christopher Kimball, one of Epicurious' 100 Greatest Home Cooks of All Time: One of Eater's Biggest Books of Fall 2017
"We want to change the way you cook."
For more than twenty-five years, Christopher Kimball has promised home cooks that his recipes would work. Now, with his team of cooks and editors at Milk Street, he promises that a new approach in the kitchen can elevate the quality of your cooking far beyond anything you thought possible.
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, the first cookbook connected to Milk Street's public television show, delivers more than 125 new recipes arranged by type of dish: from grains and salads, to a new way to scramble eggs, to simple dinners and twenty-first-century desserts.
At Milk Street, there are no long lists of hard-to-find ingredients, strange cookware, or all-day methods. Skillet-charred Brussels sprouts, Japanese fried chicken, rum-soaked chocolate cake, Thai-style coleslaw, and Mexican chicken soup all deliver big flavors and textures without your having to learn a new culinary language.
These recipes are more than just good recipes. They teach a simpler, bolder, healthier way to cook that will change your cooking forever. And cooking will become an act of pure pleasure, not a chore.
Welcome to the new home cooking. Welcome to Milk Street.
"We want to change the way you cook."
For more than twenty-five years, Christopher Kimball has promised home cooks that his recipes would work. Now, with his team of cooks and editors at Milk Street, he promises that a new approach in the kitchen can elevate the quality of your cooking far beyond anything you thought possible.
Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, the first cookbook connected to Milk Street's public television show, delivers more than 125 new recipes arranged by type of dish: from grains and salads, to a new way to scramble eggs, to simple dinners and twenty-first-century desserts.
At Milk Street, there are no long lists of hard-to-find ingredients, strange cookware, or all-day methods. Skillet-charred Brussels sprouts, Japanese fried chicken, rum-soaked chocolate cake, Thai-style coleslaw, and Mexican chicken soup all deliver big flavors and textures without your having to learn a new culinary language.
These recipes are more than just good recipes. They teach a simpler, bolder, healthier way to cook that will change your cooking forever. And cooking will become an act of pure pleasure, not a chore.
Welcome to the new home cooking. Welcome to Milk Street.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 12, 2017
145 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
September 23, 2017
I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for big, impressive cookbooks with striking covers. I can't resist peeking inside and seeing all the lovely photographs of the various dishes. Certainly nothing ever comes out looking that photogenic in my kitchen, though it usually at least tastes okay.
The Milk Street philosophy centers around simple cooking techniques and ingredients that shouldn't be too difficult to locate, though some may require specialty--or even online--retailers. Kimball is pretty good about listing alternate ingredients that can be used in place of some of the more obscure ones if necessary. Flavors come from around the world, and I suppose at least some of these recipes would count as fusion cuisine. Cooking techniques seem straightforward enough. There's no need for esoteric cooking gadgets or anything. I'm probably an average to below average cook myself, but I feel confident that I could make any of these recipes without any serious screwups. Might take a few tries with some of them, but they seem within reach. Many of them sound delicious, and I look forward to trying at least a few of them out. Recommended, for anyone looking to expand their repertoire, or just interested in food in general.
The Milk Street philosophy centers around simple cooking techniques and ingredients that shouldn't be too difficult to locate, though some may require specialty--or even online--retailers. Kimball is pretty good about listing alternate ingredients that can be used in place of some of the more obscure ones if necessary. Flavors come from around the world, and I suppose at least some of these recipes would count as fusion cuisine. Cooking techniques seem straightforward enough. There's no need for esoteric cooking gadgets or anything. I'm probably an average to below average cook myself, but I feel confident that I could make any of these recipes without any serious screwups. Might take a few tries with some of them, but they seem within reach. Many of them sound delicious, and I look forward to trying at least a few of them out. Recommended, for anyone looking to expand their repertoire, or just interested in food in general.
October 22, 2017
As you know by now, I like my recipes to have introductions. These can serve many purposes. They can introduce an unfamiliar recipe, contain a bit of biography, or explain different techniques the author has tried so that as you improvise you don't repeat mistakes unnecessarily. Chris Kimball does all of that and also has some ideas about replacing ingredients if you can't find the ingredients he's talking about.
The thesis of this cookbook is that there isn't ethnic cooking anymore. There's just cooking. You cook whatever you want from wherever in the world it originates. He takes a lot of skills he learned at America's Test Kitchen and tends to go for simplicity over authenticity as long as the taste is preserved or improved. So if a recipe traditionally takes 4 hours and he found a way to do it in 1 hr while still tasting good, he tells you how to do that.
This is a very global book so this isn't the place to go to for recipes that are traditional Americana fare. There are other cookbooks for that. This cookbook is Kimball introducing America to world cooking while taking advantage of our cooking techniques, tools, and easy-to-find ingredients. I noted many recipes I'd like to try as a window into other cuisines.
If you're an adventurous cook who likes the ATK style (since Kimball was there for a long time), this is a great cookbook for you.
The thesis of this cookbook is that there isn't ethnic cooking anymore. There's just cooking. You cook whatever you want from wherever in the world it originates. He takes a lot of skills he learned at America's Test Kitchen and tends to go for simplicity over authenticity as long as the taste is preserved or improved. So if a recipe traditionally takes 4 hours and he found a way to do it in 1 hr while still tasting good, he tells you how to do that.
This is a very global book so this isn't the place to go to for recipes that are traditional Americana fare. There are other cookbooks for that. This cookbook is Kimball introducing America to world cooking while taking advantage of our cooking techniques, tools, and easy-to-find ingredients. I noted many recipes I'd like to try as a window into other cuisines.
If you're an adventurous cook who likes the ATK style (since Kimball was there for a long time), this is a great cookbook for you.
October 21, 2018
Lots of interesting tips and tricks! I love watching him on Rachael Ray!
September 14, 2017
I've already cooked from this cookbook several times, and it came out two days ago! The recipes are quite easy (two noodle dishes came together in about 10 minutes), and the flavor profiles are impressively global (didn't think I would be able to come close to the Thai fried rice from Pok Pok in my own kitchen!). This is one of those cookbooks you'll actually cook out of, and possibly even on a weeknight.
July 4, 2018
My wife and I subscribed to Cook's Illustrated magazine, published by Christopher Kimball and still have bound volumes all the way back 1993. We inevitably bought the compilation The Best Recipe when it was published in 1999, despite the fact that it had just a few artsy photographs and illustrations, and was almost entirely traditional in the American style of cooking. Ours still has bookmarks for some favorite recipes. We appreciated the scientific approach that Kimball and his team took in trying various recipes, and variations in the ingredients, so we could be confident in the results.
A couple of our kids have taken classes at the cooking school in Kimball's new enterprise at 177 Milk Street in Boston, and found them superb. The building also houses the magazine publishing operation and the TV and radio studios. This definitive Yankee is a genius!
The book lives up to its claim to be The New American Cooking. American tastes and expectations have changed exponentially. Kimball explains that, "Milk Street is changing how we cook by searching the world for bold, simple recipes. Adapted and tested for home cooks everywhere, this is what we call the new home cooking." He adds, in the introduction, "Milk Street offers the proposition that America, and the rest of the world, is experiencing a watershed moment. Like music and fashion, cooking is becoming a mashup of ingredients and techniques. Its an opportunity to learn rather than appropriate. Ethnic cooking is dead. We are all simply making dinner."
The book is superbly produced, with beautiful, informal color photographs facing every recipe. Buy one for yourself and several more for those you love.
A couple of our kids have taken classes at the cooking school in Kimball's new enterprise at 177 Milk Street in Boston, and found them superb. The building also houses the magazine publishing operation and the TV and radio studios. This definitive Yankee is a genius!
The book lives up to its claim to be The New American Cooking. American tastes and expectations have changed exponentially. Kimball explains that, "Milk Street is changing how we cook by searching the world for bold, simple recipes. Adapted and tested for home cooks everywhere, this is what we call the new home cooking." He adds, in the introduction, "Milk Street offers the proposition that America, and the rest of the world, is experiencing a watershed moment. Like music and fashion, cooking is becoming a mashup of ingredients and techniques. Its an opportunity to learn rather than appropriate. Ethnic cooking is dead. We are all simply making dinner."
The book is superbly produced, with beautiful, informal color photographs facing every recipe. Buy one for yourself and several more for those you love.
July 2, 2018
I love this book! This is the first time I've ever understood how versatile and yummy tahini can be in dishes (other than hummus)--cauliflower with tahini, tahini swirl brownies, omg.
Online there is a recipe for tahini *whipped cream*!
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes...
This book has definitely helped me get out of my food rut and attempt things that are more advanced than I usually feel comfortable with. So far, the stand-out dishes have been the Filipino Chicken Adobo and the Spanish Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites.
Others, like the spicy red lentil stew, I liked well enough to make again even though they didn't wow me as much as the TAHINI BROWNIES AHHHHH!!!. (The pasta dishes--Peruvian Pesto and Spaghetti with Lemon--and the piadines aren't keepers for me.) Looking forward to trying the Thai Fried Rice, Thai Beef Salad, Chili-Pineapple Margarita, and French Spice Bread.
Also considering subscribing to the magazine and digital access...
Online there is a recipe for tahini *whipped cream*!
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes...
This book has definitely helped me get out of my food rut and attempt things that are more advanced than I usually feel comfortable with. So far, the stand-out dishes have been the Filipino Chicken Adobo and the Spanish Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin Bites.
Others, like the spicy red lentil stew, I liked well enough to make again even though they didn't wow me as much as the TAHINI BROWNIES AHHHHH!!!. (The pasta dishes--Peruvian Pesto and Spaghetti with Lemon--and the piadines aren't keepers for me.) Looking forward to trying the Thai Fried Rice, Thai Beef Salad, Chili-Pineapple Margarita, and French Spice Bread.
Also considering subscribing to the magazine and digital access...
February 5, 2018
My son and his wife love this cookbook and gave me a copy. It's full of Kimball's trademark thoroughness, but not as insanely precise as some of the old Cook's Illustrated recipes, which took a simple recipe and tweaked it beyond all reason. Here the food is full of bright flavors from all over the world, and the emphasis is on a wider range of ingredients and using less time. The kids are right, it's a winner.
April 23, 2018
A few interesting recipes in here.
November 12, 2017
I'll be trying the stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving this year.
October 15, 2017
Yes! It is clear that Christopher Kimball read my reviews of the formatting of the ATK cookbooks and took that into account for this one. Recipe on one side, lovely photo on the facing page. Thank you!
The recipes are solid and tasty. They are heavily based on international cuisines, but use common ingredients. There is the obligatory, substantial pantry section, but that is redeemed by all of the delicious-looking sections. I am a Paleo eater, however, if I ever want to indulge in a wonderful dessert (cookies!) or artisan loaf of bread, this cookbook offers plenty of choices.
I wasn't sure what I was getting into here, but well done, Milk Street!
The recipes are solid and tasty. They are heavily based on international cuisines, but use common ingredients. There is the obligatory, substantial pantry section, but that is redeemed by all of the delicious-looking sections. I am a Paleo eater, however, if I ever want to indulge in a wonderful dessert (cookies!) or artisan loaf of bread, this cookbook offers plenty of choices.
I wasn't sure what I was getting into here, but well done, Milk Street!
February 14, 2025
Lots of yummy, world-travel-inspired dishes: Thai Fried Rice, Spaghetti with Lemon, Anchovies & Capers, Curry Coconut Braised Fish, Italian Flatbread, Mulitgrain Soda Bread, Australian Oat-Coconut Cookies (Anzac Biscuits), Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate, Prune & Rum Cake (adapted from Claire Ptak's recipe!), Pistachio-Cardamom Cake, Tangerine-Almond Cake with Bay-Infused Syrup, Steamed Chocolate Cake, Pickled Chilies (Nam Prik), Spiced Yogurt Dressing, Miso-Ginger Dressing.
February 6, 2019
Kimball is known for his involvement with Cooks Illustrated. In this new project, Kimball focuses on bold and simple food for home cooks that combines ingredients and techniques from round the world. Kimball includes a pantry list with occasional brand recommendations that includes fairly well-known ingredients with a few exceptions like shichimi togarashi. It’s an interesting section to read because it explains the flavors, uses and sometimes substitutes for a variety of ingredients. Kimball is a strong advocate for carbon steel pans, and he explains why and how to season them. I’m not a fan, as much as I’d like to be. They are cheap and if well seasoned will provide a non-stick surface. But I don’t like how they look, I don’t like how hot the handles get, I don’t like how thin they are, I don’t like seasoning my pans, and I don’t like that I can’t plunge them into water without them cracking. And, I like to clean my pans with soap.
Recipes are easy to follow, indicate how long they will take-which seems fairly accurate, servings and numbered steps. Colored pictures throughout with a few essays on techniques. These are generally quick dishes. The focus seems to be a kind of world tour of different types of dishes including egg dishes from Persia, soups from japan, fish from Vietnam, and chicken from China. If you are familiar with ethnic food, almost none of the dishes will surprise you. A couple of possible unique exceptions includes the avocado salad with pickled mustard seeds and marjoram vinaigrette and the cracked potatoes with vermouth, coriander and fennel. There are few traditional “American” dishes, and most that are included are desserts.
There are some gems within many of the recipes that are worth rooting out, like massaging kale with some ground almonds to help tenderize and rehydrating starch to help it absorb sauce better. It is these tips that help to differentiate the book from other ethnic cookbooks.
The other strength of the book is the bold flavors and relatively simple recipes collected in one book
Recipes are easy to follow, indicate how long they will take-which seems fairly accurate, servings and numbered steps. Colored pictures throughout with a few essays on techniques. These are generally quick dishes. The focus seems to be a kind of world tour of different types of dishes including egg dishes from Persia, soups from japan, fish from Vietnam, and chicken from China. If you are familiar with ethnic food, almost none of the dishes will surprise you. A couple of possible unique exceptions includes the avocado salad with pickled mustard seeds and marjoram vinaigrette and the cracked potatoes with vermouth, coriander and fennel. There are few traditional “American” dishes, and most that are included are desserts.
There are some gems within many of the recipes that are worth rooting out, like massaging kale with some ground almonds to help tenderize and rehydrating starch to help it absorb sauce better. It is these tips that help to differentiate the book from other ethnic cookbooks.
The other strength of the book is the bold flavors and relatively simple recipes collected in one book
November 28, 2017
I already own all of these recipes through the magazines of the recently published "Milk Street" by Christopher Kimball, his new food business on the same street name in Boston. As when Kimball was part of America's Test Kitchen, I find each recipe to be thoroughly tested (take note, Martha Stewart) and it's rare, if ever, you have a food dish go wrong. Kimball seems interested in researching and offering world view recipes now, and while some require special ingredients (mainly the spices) the foods themselves are interesting and can go on any table--simple recipes from around the world and adapted for the American kitchen. The books dedication page states, "This book is dedicated to the notion that cooking is the universal language of the human spirit." Chapters include: Pantry, Eggs, Soups, Vegetables, Grains, Suppers, Dinners, Breads, Small Sweets, Desserts and Staples, Sauces and Seasonings. Beautifully printed and bound.
October 15, 2019
This one felt a little more veggie heavy than Milk Street: Tuesday Nights: More than 200 Simple Weeknight Suppers that Deliver Bold Flavor, Fast, which I appreciated, but there's still something about it that I find...overwhelming. I guess I just do better with Christopher Kimball in the smaller doses the magazine gives. There are definitely a number of things I want to try in this book, but...it's huge and heavy and awkward to cook with somehow, so...it's just going to go back to the library instead.
January 3, 2018
Christopher Kimball has parted company with America's Test Kitchen and this is his first book publication. It is really quite different. Kimball is a great food writer. His premise here is that food is no longer ethnic, that everyone in the world eats breakfast, lunch and dinner. His efforts here are to introduce evolving trends and blends throughout the world with lots of crossover with spices and other ingredients.
Some ingredients will be a bit hard to find locally but apparently are available online, so this seems to appeal mainly to the foodies of the world. Once the ingredients are assembled, the recipes seem quite easy though. Very creative and has good photography.
Some ingredients will be a bit hard to find locally but apparently are available online, so this seems to appeal mainly to the foodies of the world. Once the ingredients are assembled, the recipes seem quite easy though. Very creative and has good photography.
July 29, 2022
After trying several of the recipes would recommend this for adventurous cooks. Cauliflower with Tahini (and Dukkah) was very flavorful and a terrific side dish. The Prune, peppercorn, and fresh herb-rubbed roast beast received high marks. Za'atar Chicken with lemon parsley salad was punched with flavor. The Spaghetti with lemon, anchovies, and capers fell short on flavor for us. Overall the book is worth adding to your collection with wonderful snippets of helpful information and very clear instructions.
May 5, 2018
I highly recommend this cookbook and magazine. This is not your ATK Christopher Kimball. This is a new, practical, creative and craft ingredient cooking approach to cooking. It retains the culture like Saveur, the technique of Cooks Illustrated but also the weeknight possibility of Cuisine at Home. I’ve put many of these recipes into my weeknight rotation and am excited with each new issue of the magazine as well.
April 2, 2021
Portends to be a new way of cooking? Time is money and he cites his methods are quicker and at least easier. Claims that ethnic cooking is dead, and we just make dinner? Proceeds to include many different countries gastronomic delights. Take the Cuban-Style Pork Shoulder; haven't made it but it claims to take 12.5hr to cook. I would like to try this then compare it to a preparation using an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. Fail to see a concerted method here.
November 30, 2017
A *superb* culinary offering!! Loved the introduction and then the pantry must-haves..some new-to-me items that are part of my collection now! So far...have whipped up his fabulous 'quinoa pilaf' turned out *delicious* and also the superb 'choco.,prune and rum cake'....wow...wow....wow!!
LOVE IT !!!!!!!!
LOVE IT !!!!!!!!
December 15, 2018
Most of the recipes in this cook book didn't appeal to me. It's possible I didn't spend enough time carefully looking at all the recipes. I did make and like: Spicy Red Lentil Stew; Punjabi Chickpeas with Potato; Pasta with Chèvre, Arugula, and Walnuts; and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies. The book is going back to the library, but I do have a hold on Kimball's newest cookbook.
November 1, 2020
Beautifully done cookbook but then I would expect nothing less from Christopher Kimball. Only problem is most of the recipes are to labor intensive for me. I did copy one of them to make: French Spice Bread. This looks yummy-honey, cinnamon, ginger, grated fresh ginger and crystallized ginger. A recipe for all ginger lovers out there. YUM
December 8, 2017
The dishes were good, but almost every one was too spicy for us. Many of the dishes took a lot longer than I really have for weeknight dinners. The couple of items I made for special dinners however, like the turkey and roast, were really great.
December 7, 2017
The photos in this book are beautiful! I made a few things and they turned out great for this below average cook. Best chocolate chip cookie recipe lives here as well. I had this on loan from the library and I will definitely be purchasing my own.
May 1, 2018
Homemade harissa, how to use carbon steel, and lots of other great ideas on almost on every page . Freeing himself from the Cooks Illustrated “I tried this and it didn’t work, then I tried this” redundant style, he offers up a bunch of techniques and recipes that are fresh and exciting.
June 3, 2018
Chef Kimball leaves America's Test Kitchen behind to start an new venture on Milk Street in Boston. This book is a great start...the intro is a revelation...a treatise on food and its ability to connect people to a common good and common goals. Can't wait to see what comes next...
January 23, 2021
This is a beautiful cookbook filled with global recipes just right for the home cook. I made the Spicy Red Lentil Stew with Coconut Milk and Spinach and it was delicious. And, easy! I am cooking my way through.
September 25, 2017
Not really for me. I'm kind of disappointed since I really like Christopher Kimball from America's Test Kitchen, Cooks Country and Cooks Illustrated. Oh well.
January 5, 2018
I've always liked Christopher so I thoroughly enjoyed this. Learned so much and cannot wait to try several of these recipes.
November 1, 2017
It looks like there are some interesting recipes in here: I haven't tried them yet though :)
December 20, 2017
Interesting recipes with a bit of the best practices for which the author is well known. Lovely format with large pictures....but could definitely be consolidated into a smaller number of pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews