Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On

by Christopher Hirsheimer, Melissa Hamilton

From the James Beard Award-winning duo behind the Canal House, "the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue of the food world," simple recipes to rely on for the rest of your life (Bon Appetit).
Cook. Cook something. Cook something for yourself. Cook something for others. It will satisfy you more than you know.
Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer are home cooks writing about home cooking for other home cooks. From a lifetime of cooking dinner, every single night, they've edited their cooking experience down to the essentials: 300 simple recipes, the building blocks of all good cooking, that will make you a better cook.
Each chapter of Cook Something is a lesson that teaches you to master a key ingredient or powerful technique, moving from simple (a perfect soft-boiled egg, and how to make it uncommonly delicious) to ambitious (a towering chocolate souffle). Recipes for salad dressings, sauces, braises, roasts, meatballs, vegetables, and even perfect snacks and sweets help novice and experienced cooks alike reach for the perfect dish for any occasion. Inside, you'll find:
Poached salmon with lemon-butter sauce
Fettucine with ragu bolognese
Oven-braised chicken with gnocchi
French onion soup
Canal House's classic vinaigrette
Classic Italian meatballs
Caramelized apple galette
And so much more.
Filled with step-by-step photographs and indispensable kitchen wisdom, it is a perfect gift for beginners and an ideal reference for confident cooks.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

448 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So these authors are a pair of women who began as food stylists and photographers, and they were editors of a food magazine, then they decided to raise their families out of the hustle of NYC and moved to the Delaware River Valley and opened up a publishing house/restaurant. I'm not sure of their ages exactly, but I get a very firm Ina Garten vibe from them, and once while reading this, I bit my tongue so as not to mutter, "OK, Boomer," so I'd guess that's about how old they are. They are not actually a romantic couple, though the phrasing of this book (everything is "we" and they point out areas where their preferences in chicken parts or soup textures vary) would indicate a high level of intimacy.

The pictures are beautiful, and there are quite a few of them. The recipes, I was a little meh about. Some are very detailed, explaining procedures step by step, and others are like "combine some mayonnaise and sturgeon roe and smear it on a saltine." Authors claim to love vegetables, but the vegetables section is a mere 30 pages in a 400 page work. By comparison, the egg section is 50, and the fish and chicken sections make up another 70.

I take issue with these women self-describing as "home cooks." Maybe they didn't go to a culinary institute, but I'm not sure it's fair to say that they bring a typical set of skills to the table, as it were. I'm not sure how many home cooks make their own pasta and make their own stock and shuck their own oysters and bother with making a souffle often if ever.

The other thing that bugged me was the Ina Garten style references to ingredients like "good quality butter" or "good olive oil" or "good tomatoes.' To the amateur chef, this is qualitative and woefully non-specific. I suppose "good quality butter" is not the valu-pak stuff I can get from my local megamart, but is Kerrygold "good quality?" Should it be local Amish butter? Should I churn my own? Same deal with olive oil. Should I get the kind in an oilcan, or must it be in a glass bottle? Country and or region of origin? I assume "good quality" = name-brand but that's it, and that seems more like snobbery than guidance. The authors offered slightly more help with canned tomato products.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m trying to remember how long ago it was that I read Canal House Cookbooks No. 3 and No. 4; it’s been years and years, but I liked them. Canal House — referred to as a “studio” — appears to be a cooking school of sorts run by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton. At any rate, the recipes are delicious, but — even better — aimed at home cooks rather than aspiring Brooklyn foodies with more time, money and access to exotic produce than the average Jill or Joe.

Even though the recipes are aimed at home cooks, they’re not condescending; there’s no canned soup for casseroles, processed convenience foods, or Velveeta here. Still, few of the recipes call for ingredients you can’t get in the hinterlands or for procedures suitable only for the Cordon Bleu. Most cookbooks aim either for newbies or longtime cooks; this is the rare cookbook suitable for both. Highly recommended.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stunning cover of Canal House: Cook Something--Recipes to Rely On caught my attention and ensure it a place in my bag on a recent library trip. The notion of home cooks sharing practical recipes for other home cooks is most definitely a welcome one. The book made me aware of the fact that Canal House is a much larger venture including radio show, journal, blog, etc. As a cookbook, it had some innovative ideas but is not one that I would turn to with tremendous frequency. For newer cooks, however, this might be a great starter for their culinary journey.

[Amberwench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to cook using real, fresh food but not sure you can boil water properly? Give this book a read. Dozens of ideas for simple and flavorful meals that the average person can make from uncomplicated ingredients. One of the best cook books I've seen for the new cook.

[Dave Laskowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff

This book is a treasure of information along with the very good recipes. They give you the basics and then give you recipes to use the knowledge. Photography is stunning and very helpful since most of us are visual. As I said, great stuff.

[BethFishReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on my blog

[Tom]

As a home cook it's not user friendly. Done.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautifully made and beautifully presented cookbook! Some of the recipes aren't our style, but we did find some that are absolutely amazing! 8/10 on this cookbook!

[A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing really interesting

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT: After a second read, I better understand and appreciate the intent of this book, and would give 3.5 stars. It is worth a read for the pictures and the easy way the authors explain how they make certain dishes. If you are a seasoned cook, you won’t necessarily pick up much here, but there are some interesting tidbits.

Lots of rich and involved recipes. Definitely not for every day. I am looking forward to trying the vinegar braised chicken and onions, but the vegetable section was pretty weak.