Welcome to Cookbook of the Week.
Cookbooks dont really teach you how to cook.
Instead they offer a collection of recipes that you (hopefully) like.
The cookbooks I find myself going back to time and again make a wee inspiration library.
But it is rare that a cookbook breaks down how a chef thinks about recipe creation.
This week I choseKitchen Matrixfor my cookbook of the week because its unlike any other cookbook Ive seen before.
Its a cookbook with major lessons on how to cook.
Although this cookbook isnt newit was published in 2015the message is timeless: Cooking is an endless spectrum.
A single recipe exists on a branch of an ingredients sprawling family tree.
Ok, enough romance: let me explain.
It reveals the connection between different dishes within a food set.
For example, how only two or three ingredients separate minestrone from mushroom soup from tomato and garlic soup.
The cooking method is the same; its a matter of swapping this for that.
Theres plenty of inspiration in this cookbook and a lot for the confident cook to get excited about.
Cook it until browned.
Then two recipe variations underneath where only the swapped ingredients are indicated.
Within each chapter will be a mini section dedicated to major popular items that fit in the section.
Its like un-creepy AI (if it’s possible for you to imagine).
I feel like this cookbook has my back when I need it.
My favorite feature ofKitchen Matrixis the Recipe Generator.
Prof. Bittman wants you to learn to create your own recipes.
As a former teacher witnessing beautiful diagrams, I wipe a single tear from my eye.
Ive been in a soup mood.
I flipped over to Soups and Stews, and landed on the Vegetable soups.
I can never turn down a creamy soup, so I turned my attention there.
I chose curried cauliflower.
The main recipe for spinach soup had simple directions.
I did just that, but using the same method from the spinach recipe.
The soup was a golden-hued hug.
Thats enough to get me through the winter.
