You Suck at Cooking: The Absurdly Practical Guide to Sucking Slightly Less at Making Food

by You Suck at Cooking

Do you crave food all the time? Do you think you might want to eat again in the future? Do you suck at cooking? Inspired by the wildly popular YouTube channel, these 60+ recipes will help you suck slightly less

You already know the creator of the YouTube show You Suck at Cooking by his well-manicured hands and mysterious voice, and now you'll know him for this equally well-manicured and mysterious tome. It contains more than sixty recipes for beginner cooks and noobs alike, in addition to hundreds of paragraphs and sentences, as well as photos and drawings.

You'll learn to cook with unintimidating ingredients in dishes like Broccoli Cheddar Quiche Cupcake Muffin-Type Things, Eddie's Roasted Red Pepper Dip (while also learning all about Eddie's sad, sad life), Jalape�o Chicken, and also other stuff. In addition, there are cooking tips that can be applied not only to the very recipes in this book, but also to recipes outside of this book, and to all other areas of your life (with mixed results).

In the end, you just might suck slightly less at cooking.*

*Results not guaranteed

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Humor, Food and Drink, Education

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2019

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as conversions from Youtube to print go, this is what I assume to be tops. The writing is on point with how his videos flow, but with a distinct lack of musical numbers and egg noir. Included are helpful diagrams (wangjangler included) to help the most inexperienced of wannabe chefs make sense of their tools. Some recipes are covered in the channel, but for the most part everything is new, and it is nice to have these things in a medium you can digest a bit slower. So go forth, watch the videos, read the cookbookization, become the best sort of okay cook that you can be.

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the only cookbook I've ever read cover-to-cover like a novel. And I laughed out loud so many times while reading my husband grew concerned. The mysterious You Suck At Cooking author managed to seamlessly blend his quirky humor and delicious food from his YouTube channel into paper form. As someone who loves to eat and loves to laugh, I can't recommend this cookbook highly enough. He's on to something, people. That something is delicious, ridiculously easy food.

[Tucker Almengor]

So, it's basically the written embodiment of Gordan Ramsay...

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[Jifu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many others, I came to this book because I'm a fan of the author’s popular Youtube channel. However, I confess that I mainly watched his videos for all of the wonderfully silly and absurd jokes and that are laid down so thickly alongside the deadpan narrations, and the extremely clever editing techniques. The actual recipes themselves always tend to be more of an afterthought.

But when I sat down with the cookbook, it was only then that I realized what I had been missing out on - recipes that, as the author himself puts it in the introduction, set at “an intersection of simplicity and tastiness.” I had been completely overlooking delicious dishes that are made with general cooking techniques I’ve long gotten a handle on, and also add a great dash of variety to my meal rotation. This overdue realization may sound a bit odd, but I am glad I am finally here, and can finally start to take advantage of the author’s tasty ideas (or rather, more of his recipe ideas, as I have already made two or three from this book to great success).

And as an added bonus, despite the very different format, the author’s humor style is completely intact, and the comedy that drew me to the Youtube channel in the first place packs this book from start to finish. This may be my first cookbook that’s as enjoyable a cooking guide as it is a wonderfully funny read.

[Little · Rating 1 out of 5]

These are super basic recipes for simple things like scrambled eggs. The author thinks he's very funny, so every recipe is written in 2-4 times as many words as necessary so he can make a lot of jokes. A funny intro! Funny comments infused into 3 of the 5 steps! A funny outro!! And funny captions for the photos!!! I got tired of it really fast, and since the table of contents belies that there are no interesting or innovative recipes, I gave up even browsing 1/4 of the way through.

[Andy]

I read this from cover to cover like a novel, because I'm here for the humor (same reason why I watched his videos). But the recipes are quick and easy, great for beginners.

If you like his videos, you'll enjoy the book - same humor, same flow. If you don't know anything about this, watch a couple of his youtube videos, that'll give you the "yes or no" answer you want for this book.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Lemony Snicket wrote a cookbook, this would be it.

As a huge fan of the YSAC channel, the humor carries over wonderfully into the written word, from jokes and sight gags to puns. And, as someone probably more experienced in the kitchen than his expected audience, I still found a lot of good-looking recipes and useful tips in this book.
It also includes a full page of what temperature to cook different types of meat to! That's something I always forget, so I'm very excited to have those temps written down in a hard copy before I move out on my own and tackle grad school.

Normally, I wouldn't count a cookbook as "reading" on Goodreads, but this one is worth your time. Before every recipe is a bite of hilarious commentary and each section begins with a very entertaining breakdown of the recipes.

[Lacey Louwagie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cookbook with quick and easy recipes that still have their own unique twist. I made several of the sandwich recipes (it's summer, we're in quarantine, I'm making lunches for a husband working at home and a toddler every day, we eat a LOT of sandwiches ...), and they were all yummy and worth adding to my regular rotation. I look forward to trying more of the recipes. And bonus points for the recipes and other text in the book being, at times, laugh-out-loud funny.

[Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious - the perfect Christmas gift!!

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the funniest cook book you will ever read - the recipes are kind of like bonus content honestly! Great illustrations, both drawn and photographed, and legitimately yummy looking food too.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The maple ginger fish is the absolute bomb. I'm a long time fan of the YouTube channel. I hope to keep learning with both it and this book at my own pace. YSAC is as funny, yet practical in print. Nice pictures.

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

Ironically, the folks likeliest to enjoy You Suck at Cooking are more experienced home cooks who will get precisely why some of the advice is so dead wrong and other pearls of wisdom are spot on. I recently found this book (publ. 2019) in a secondhand bookstore and snapped it up because I have a thing for cookbooks (borderline addiction) and thought it might be amusing. It was.

In addition to the silliness (e.g., Diet Ice Pops) were a few items I'll definitely be taking for a spin and, if all goes well, putting into rotation. Those items include: Gregg's Bean Dip (just on principle), the Leeky Bacon Pocket (only I'm putting mine inside phyllo dough), Potato Salad for the Living, Nearly Sauceless Pasta, the Maple-Baked Salmon, Sausage and Chickpea Curry, the Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies (they're gluten-free!), Chocolate Chili Ginger Pretzels, and the Chocolate Cakey Loaf Type Thing. There are also several items I've got better versions of but it's a fair trade for someone who only watched a couple of the Youtube videos after acquiring the book. I definitely recommend that sequence as it's far less frustrating. As for the video series, seriously Dude--take a knife skills class.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is absurd and hilarious and fun and a bit practical! I got this as a gift from a friend who is my co-pilot in an attempt to do monthly virtual dinner parties for faraway friends. The trick is needing to have recipes that are simple enough for all cooking levels, include ingredients that are edible by all and easily findable in different regions of the country, and recipes simple enough that we can handle after a long work week. This book is apparently from a dude on Youtube who does these as episodes. If the book is anything to go by, it's a funny show.

But, actually, there are a couple of recipes in this goofy book that could be helpful in becoming a better cook. These are recipes that fit the bill if you need some good food with simple recipes and ingredients explained in a way that you can actually understand. And, if all else fails, this cookbook includes "diet popsicles", which is just frozen tap water with popscicle sticks stuck in them.
Bon appetit.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly, fun book to read in little bits over several lunch hours. I didn't read all the jokes, but I appreciated some of them. There is almost nothing in here that I haven't heard of, or attempted myself before. However, recently I learned that I need to change my diet. It's time for me to leave noodles alone, and refresh my repertoire of vegetables. I took this book home from the library, and who knows; maybe I will try a leek. Anyway it's nice to look at something a little more lighthearted on the topic of easy vegetable recipes. Those pamphlets from the hospital are kind of dry.

[Tyler Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspirational. It teaches the readers that not only can you cook relatively easily but that there is a lot of creativity and fun wrapped into it. With quirky recipes and little backstories tied into them I can't help but read this cookbook like a novel whenever I get the chance. I highly recommend this book, one thousand times over.

[James Bracciante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Youtube series and the humor carries over to the book. I laughed out loud while reading this.

[Michael Muszynski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the most influential book of the 21st century. But probably not.

[nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m getting more into culinary related things and this is the funniest cook book you’ll ever read tbh

[Judy Aulik · Rating 1 out of 5]

He sucked at writing.
One decent recipe, and a lot of unpleasant filling.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a laugh out loud cookbook and I did exactly that! While I'm quite comfortable with my cooking skills and most of the recipes within were well within my realm of expertise it was the most fun I've ever had reading a cookbook. There is so much wit and fun, that you want to get up and prove that you CAN cook, and darn well for that matter! This was hilarity of the best kind. Read the part about leeks. You'll learn and you will appreciate their presence in your food more than you ever thought possible.

[Sam Hardback · Rating 4 out of 5]

And I still suck, but it was a good read. Watch out Flavortown

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOod

[Alice, as in Wonderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally, YSAC's ability to find a new way to describe oil ready to cook on and his wild absurdity really reminds me that cooking is about experimentation.

[Channon Coats · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Is the Stuff that Food Comedy Is Made of!

How do I review a masterpiece by an unknown author who has a decidedly unique style and an ability to shock and awe with every breath? Is this chef a man of woman, or both, or none of the above? Every breath is potentially lost in that myriad gales of laughter, and I'm not sure I'm going to survive our first encounter.

I was in a bad mood this morning, very bad. Bad, bad badbad. So I did what my husband hates most and opened my Kindle to "Books" to see what's recommended for sale to me when I'm in a bad mood. Tucked in there, quite innocently and innocuously was this You Suck at Cooking, with no stated author. I HATE anonymity where someone refuses to take responsibility for the careful of careless mischief he is going to make. Hate it, but still curious. So I sampled. Hmmm. Well,guess what Chef Anon is hilarious in the nicest, most responsible way possible. He is giving fandango information,with fresh new concepts and words to entangle and engage us in the sheer FUN of cookery. Simple recipes from simply different ideas (who knew green eggs from pesto not spinach, way better and I don't have to grit my teeth offering it to my grandchild with hopeful crossed fingers). And, I've got a wangdangler or two and have never called them spatulas because I hate spitting into my skillet when I ask Frank for one.

And I don't care who Chef is, he is welcome in our home/life/will because he somehow noisily sneaked into our kitchen and our hearts by reminding us that cookingwithlaughter just tastes better. That love is the most essential seasoning is the most essential part of any recipe and takes the toil out of the task (and the foil out of the flask; I don't know why, but I needed to say that! He/she made me say it, then giggle). It is so nice, so refreshing for cooking to be fun again,that I think I'll make some peanut butter cookies and be fifteen again. I think I'll be in good company with other newly devoted fans of Chef Anonymous. Come on! Give You Suck a try. You might find you don't suck at all, which is a good thing, because these days straws are in such short supply.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does this cookbook have the best recipes? Probably not, but it does have the sarcastic sense of humor that you need after smoking out your apartment from cooking salmon on the stove top. Or making a mess of a simple recipe and questioning how you've somehow managed to survive to almost 30 years old and yet still cannot cook a dinner flawlessly. And like, maybe you had some wine. Because wine is really just old grapes and it's okay because you're almost 30 even though the clerk still puts effort into trying to figure out if your license is fake and you almost ask for the manager because it's not my fault that I don't have wrinkles yet, Karen! 😤

And really, I needed a clutch comeback to yell at a future boyfriend when our long term relationship inevitably fails. "Well those snacks were from the gas station anyway," is the perfect response to someone questioning your ability to commit and take life seriously. Because, obviously, I can't.

Anyways, if you see the title of the book and are wondering, "Is this based on a YouTube channel or something?" You'd be wondering correctly. Go check out the saga of the eggs who get to say goodbye to each other and if you like the You Suck at Cooking videos, you'll love this cookbook. I do! Personally I love most of the videos, but the granola one is for sure a favorite. This book really echoes the videos and the effect is just laughing while wondering why there is so much avocado (I need to buy a house I can't be buying avocados). Do you read cookbooks front to back? I usually don't, but this one begs to be read like a book.

[RageSheep · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may sound dumb, but I actually bought this book hoping for some practical pointers on cooking better. You know something maybe a little more advanced than the cookbooks targeted at children but not as overwhelming as the "adult" cookbooks at the store, like the latest iteration of The One And Only True Way to Cook Like A Real Italian (All Those Other Italians Who Wrote Cookbooks Are WrOnG!). But this is a joke book. It is 200 pages of middle school humor, most of which got taken too far to be funny, sprinkled with a handful of recipes, mainly to the effect of "make the stuff you learned in those childrens' cookbooks but add dill pickles or balsamic vinegar." Like "Avocado Coupe De Dieu" (eat the avocado out of the skin with a spoon), Ham and Cheese Melt (make a grilled cheese with ham, dill pickles, and honey mustard), and Gas Station Charcuterie (exactly what you think). It does not include any advice on how to actually do the cooking part any better than you already are, just that you should change your seasoning to what this one random Internet personality likes. I wouldn't have given it such a low rating for just not being what I expected if the cover hadn't made such a point of saying it was a practical guide. It was obviously meant to be a bit humorous but it literally says on the cover that it's a practical guide, and it's not. This book belongs in the humor section rather than with the cookbooks, and you should only pick it up if you think jokes about stalking strangers and making yourself the center of attention at someone else's funeral are funny.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The funniest cookbook ever.

The notes and comments on each recipe are the best.

If you hate cooking, this book is your spirit guide to laughing at yourself, while actually learning a little about cooking and removing some of the fear that the idea of cooking can create.

The recipes are absolutely doable and most use very easy-to-find and reasonably affordable ingredients, in case you do decide to try your hand at cooking.

Even if you don't plan on making any of the recipes, at least check this book out at the library and give yourself a good laugh.

*occasional language

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pictures of recipes? Not all are pictured.
Commentary on recipes? Yes, and all the commentary tries to be funny.
Nutrition facts? No.
Recipe Style? Generally short and easy.
Any keepers? A couple.

The humor felt a little strained to me. And I feel the "Diet Ice Pops" recipe joke just fell flat. You had to dedicate two entire pages to it? On the other hand, I did appreciate the short ingredient lists and relative ease of the recipes.

[Quintessence Henley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how everything is broken down, so even a simple, at home cook can learn.

I knew most of this stuff, because I watch a bunch of cooking shows and pick up on things. But this book definitely can teach the basic skills leading up to good habits to keep (example: chopping).

If you want to start cooking or want to better your basic skills. This book absolutely can help you!

Plus the writing is great :)

[Koalaloverr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent cookbook. I honestly read it cover to cover for the humor and the fact that I don’t have much more to do with my life. I was given this book without having seen the YouTube channel and it was still immensely enjoyable.


(Quick question though, is the section on page 207 supposed to be in French?? And is anyone willing to translate it?? I put this review in as a spoiler because I asked.... just let me know if you know, would you?)