Y’all, I love to eat (who doesn’t, really?). However, I’m not totally in love with cooking. It makes a mess and most of the time, I wish I could have just skipped the whole preparation part and gone right to the eating part. Which is why it’s so weird that I constantly find myself drawn to cookbooks. Whenever I’m out browsing at the bookstore, I inevitably make my way over to the recipe/food section.

Seeing as I have this unlikely obsession with cookbooks, when I got the opportunity to review this book from Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand of Apartment Therapy’s amazing cooking site and blog, The Kitchn, I jumped at the chance!

UPS dropped this little beauty on my doorstep last week. I couldn’t wait to tear open the box and start flipping through it’s 285+ hardcover bound pages splattered with gorgeous photos! Being pretty to look at meets one of my requirements, but the real question was whether it has great content or not.

First, a little about the book (via Random House)…

From Apartment Therapy’s cooking site, The Kitchn, comes 150 recipes and a cooking school with 50 essential lessons, as well as a guide to organizing your kitchen–plus storage tips, tool reviews, inspiration from real kitchens, maintenance suggestions, 200 photographs, and much more.
 
“There is no question that the kitchen is the most important room of the home,” say Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand of the beloved cooking site and blog, The Kitchn.

The Kitchn offers two books in one: a trove of techniques and recipes, plus a comprehensive guide to organizing your kitchen so that it’s one of your favorite places to be.

For Cooking:
·         50 essential how-to’s, from preparing perfect grains to holding a chef’s knife like a pro
·         150 all-new and classic recipes from The Kitchn, including Breakfast Tacos, Everyday Granola,  Slow Cooker Carnitas, One-Pot Coconut Chickpea Curry, and No-Bake Banana and Peanut Butter Caramel Icebox Cake
For Your Kitchen:
·         A shopping list of essentials for your cabinets and drawers (knives, appliances, cookware, and tableware), with insider advice on what’s worth your money
·         Solutions for common kitchen problems like limited storage space and quirky layouts
·         A 5-minute-a-day plan for a clean kitchen
·         Tips for no-pressure gatherings
·         A look inside the kitchens of ten home cooks around the country, and how they enjoy their spaces

The Kitchn Cookbook gives you the recipes, tools, and real-life inspiration to make cooking its own irresistible reward.

My thoughts…

The book is separated into two parts. Part one is “the kitchen”. It talks about setting up your kitchen,suggestions on where to put things, the tools you might include, and how to care for your kitchen. The great part about this is that they don’t tell you this is how you have to do it. They give suggestions on how and why and then encourage you to think about how you use your kitchen and how you can make it more efficient for you. They want you to make your kitchen YOURS, not a carbon copy of theirs. They show lots of examples of different real life kitchens (hello pretty photos!) and talk about how each family has them set up and why. Then they go into cleaning and organizing your kitchen. Sounds pretty basic, but I love that they suggest using natural cleaning products and even include a few basic DIY cleaning products.

Part two is “how to cook well”. In this section the ladies go over some basic tips for stocking your pantry and planning meals. Then, before they dive into the recipes, they give you 50 essential skills that you’ll need for the kitchen. Things like “how to thicken a sauce”, “how to adapt a recipe to the slow cooker”, and “how to use a meat thermometer”. Sure, if you are experienced in the kitchen, you will know most, if not all of these “skills”, but I appreciated even the very basic “how-to’s”. While I knew about half of these skills already, it’s nice to have them in one place that’s easy to refer back to quickly!

The recipe section looks heavenly! There are some basic recipes such as homemade granola and buttermilk pancakes, but also a Bolognese Pasta Sauce, Slow Cooker Carnitas and Black Bean Edamame Burgers. I thought there was a great mix of simple and complex dishes. I’m more of a simple gal so I was drawn to the easier ones with fewer ingredients. Even if I could easily find simple recipes online, I love having them all together in one book.

The last chapter of the book dives into hosting a dinner party or gathering. It’s not too in depth, but they give you advice on everything from mood music to dealing with special dietary restrictions!

Bottom line…it’s a keeper! If you, like me, need step by step directions on navigating your kitchen, this book will not disappoint! As someone who has started to weed out kitchen books I’ve accumulated over the years, I can tell you that this book will be staying! It’s an insanely good book for someone just moving out of their parents house or someone who wants to learn their way around the kitchen. It’s also good for those who may know a few things, but still have a lot to learn. And let’s not forget that even if you already know all the tips/tricks for the kitchen, there are still 150 recipes to drool over!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. All views in this post are my honest, unbiased opinions.