I have quite a few cookbooks (shocker) but I have a habit of collecting cookbooks and not opening them or trying out any of the recipes. They just collect dust and stare at me. Well, no more. A couple of weekends ago, I went through some of my cookbooks (and other random books for that matter) and got rid of the books that I knew I didn’t want anymore and organized the ones that I had yet to open. This particular cookbook (The Kitchn) was not on my collecting dust list but there were several that were; it felt good to purge.
John actually gave me The Kitchn Cookbook one night and I’m sure I must have screamed when I saw it. I’ve always been a huge fan of The Kitchn’s site so when I heard the folks behind it were creating a cookbook, I was ecstatic! In an effort to do more cookbook reading this year, I’ll be sharing more and more reviews and recaps from various cookbooks that I collect over time – get ready! Anyway, here’s what I learned from The Kitchn.
Size & opulence doesn’t matter.
The glamorous images we see of large, sparkly kitchens on television and in the magazines aren’t necessarily the perfect kitchen. Sure it looks nice and I definitely long for a big, beautiful (double oven) kitchen but what makes a perfect kitchen is more about where you’re comfortable and how equipped your kitchen is with the tools needed to prepare your foods with ease. Sure, I wish I had my “dream” kitchen but until that happens, I’m surrounding myself with pretty kitchen tools and other knick-knacks to hold me over until I get that kitchen.
Stocking a pantry is easy when you have a few staple items.
There are few essentials you should always have in your pantry like chicken or vegetable broth, canned tomatoes, noodles and of course, rice. Keeping certain staple items around will make life much easier when you’re too lazy to leave the house and need to whip up something really quickly.
Preparation techniques will save you time when you’re cooking.
This is a no brainer. I can’t stress enough how much time I’ve saved time simply because I’ve read a recipe (multiple times) before actually starting on it and because I’ve carefully prepped herbs and veggies prior to starting. This is something I’m still working on. Knowing the difference between measuring liquid ingredients versus dry ingredients, knowing how to hold a chef’s knife and something as simple as stabilizing your cutting board can save you time in the end. You ever had those moments when your cutting board moves all around the counter – it’s so annoying and it totally slows you down. Using a wet paper towel underneath the board can keep it from moving around and save you some time!
Entertaining guests does not have to be intimidating.
There are tons of easy ways to make entertaining (or gathering as The Kitchn likes to say) easy and stress free. A common belief is that having a dinner party and entertaining guests has to be expensive…but it doesn’t! Use old jars to hold silverware, use cloth napkins (buy some inexpensive fabric from Michael’s or Hobby Lobby and DIY), butcher paper gives a rustic look and is very inexpensive…use it!
Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers.
I can’t write about a cookbook without actually making a recipe from it, right? The Kitchn has lots of recipes from breakfast tacos to chocolate cake. When I saw the recipe for Middle Eastern turkey burgers, I knew I had to make them. Keep an eye out on Friday for the results.
Outcome: I’d definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a little more than just a cookbook. The Kitchn offers recipes and valuable tips and suggestions on how to really build the kitchen of your dreams even if you’re on a budget. It’s really great for folks who are just beginning to get comfortable in the kitchen and for people who are pros at it. Buy it on Amazon.
Have you read The Kitchn Cookbook? What did you think?
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