Award-winning cookbook author Liana Krissoff presents an evocatively written ode to home cooking with all the guidance you need to perfect your own easy-to-master family recipes

Trusted cookbook author Liana Krissoff is back. Previously, she showed you fresh, clever canning recipes; modern slow-cooker recipes; and easy vegetarian crowd-pleasers. Now, Krissoff brings you In Praise of Home Cooking —fit for anyone looking to perfect the staples, parents who want to whip up something tasty, curious kids who want to learn grandma’s secret recipes, and ever yone who has gotten tired of those absurdly labor-intensive recipes.

To Krissoff, developing resourceful habits and perfecting uncomplicated dishes––a pot of fluffy rice and one of creamy beans, a seared steak and a colorful salad––are integral to living with great pleasure, and so she shows us the way. Krissoff explores these simple but vital subjects—ranging from how to start a fire in a clearing in the woods to making a simple but celebration-worthy layer cake, and even remembering to make a mug of hot cocoa just because it’s the first cold, gray day of fall—reminding us that appreciating these moments is key to a life well-lived.

In this cookbook infused with memoir, there are charming step-by-step illustrations that demystify key kitchen skills, vibrant food photographs, and short essays that reveal keen insights gleaned from a life as a recipe tester, cookbook author, and mom interspersed among the recipes. The more than 85 recipes in this book are Krissoff’s essentials, perfected for your ease. They represent a chronicle of how she learned to cook but also of ongoing efforts to help her daughter develop a level of competence with improvisatory home cooking. From kneading your own yeasted bread dough to refining your classic tahini dressing, Krissoff brings you all the foolproof recipes you always wished you had, while offering insight into the meaning and beauty behind these simple moments.

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About the Author

Liana Krissoff is the author of six cookbooks, including Abrams’ Slow Cook Modern, Canning for a New Generation, Whole Grains for a New Generation, and Secrets of Slow Cooking: Creating Extraordinary Food with Your Slow Cooker. She has been a freelance recipe tester, editor, and writer for over a decade. She lives with her husband and their daughter in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Review

This book is great for newer cooks because it shares many tips and tricks to make one feel more comfortable in the kitchen. I think many that think that they cannot cook are primarily due to not having the confidence or skills to be proficient. This can be learned, and In Praise of Home Cooking will help someone increase their skill base.

The book starts with many basics, but even I learned a few things that I didn’t know before. I liked the list of supplies to have on hand, from knives to cookware and everything in between.

With each recipe, it shares what skills you will be practicing in creating that dish. This could be knife skills, cracking eggs, and more.

As I perused the cookbook, there were many simple dishes and then some that were a little more complex, but not so much that it would daunt any novice cook. I didn’t notice any crazy or unusual ingredients in the recipes. This makes it even easier for novice cooks because they aren’t searching for something they have never heard of or know how to use.

I have a taco spice blend that I like to use, but there is one in this book that I might need to give it a try. It is very similar to what I make now but includes corn starch that I don’t use.

One dish that I have made several times now is the Yogurt Marinated Spiced Chicken. This is so easy to mix together and works with white or dark meat. It might even work with pork. I might have to try that sometime.

I think this is a great book for someone just learning to cook. They will learn techniques and have a wealth of recipes under their belt to venture out into something more complex.