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Basic Bitchen:
100+ Everyday Recipes—
From Nacho Average Nachos to
Gossip-Worthy Sunday Pancakes—
For the Basic Bitch in Your Life
Joey Skladany. Tiller, $29.99 (224p) ISBN 978-
1-982138-38-7
In this humorously irreverent debut
cookbook, Chowhound editor-at-large
Skladany presents over 100 “tried-and-
true recipes that are not only delicious
but super easy to make.” He opens with
beverages—including a frosé, made with
rosé and frozen strawberries, and a non-
alcoholic pumpkin spice latte—and quick
appetizers that can be prepared in 20
minutes or less, such as avocado toast and
caprese salad with burrata cheese. Many of
the entrees are healthy options, including
sheet pan salmon with lemon-dill dressing
and black bean-quinoa burgers, but there
are also plenty of indulgent dishes as well,
grilled cheese with cheesy fries and truffle
macaroni and cheese among them. Desserts
feature palatable fare such as chocolate
chip cookies and strawberry macaroons,
while a chapter on brunch offers classic
dishes like chicken and waffles and quiche.
Less experienced cooks will appreciate the
tips that Skladany sprinkles throughout
(“I opted for margarine... because it has a
higher melting point than butter”), and
may chuckle at some racy recipe introduc-
tions (“My grandma says if she’s not dead
by ninety, she’ll become a heroin addict”;
“Boys on Grindr looking for ‘friends’ are
like me walking into a Chinese restaurant
and looking for bok choy”). The recipes are
straightforward and easy to follow, making
this book a reliable resource for home
cooks looking to build a repertoire. (May)
Milk Street Fast and Slow:
Instant Pot Cooking at the
Speed You Need
Christopher Kimball. Voracious, $30 (304p)
ISBN 978-0-316-42307-6
Kimball (The Cook’s Bible), founder of
the Milk Street culinary media company,
takes on the Instant Pot multicooker in
this sharp collection. All recipes include
either pressure-cooker or slow cooker
instructions, with some offering both.
But as Kimball
admits, not all
are time savers:
a puttanesca
pasta (with a
whopping half
cup of capers)
requires 45
minutes and
breaking spa-
ghetti in half to fit in the machine. There
are many recipes for soups and stews, and
several for basic items with variations:
black beans can be repurposed, for instance,
as refried beans or tossed with corn. Kimball
errs on the side of supplying arguably too
much information in recipes; typical is
the recipe for a North African eggplant
tagine, which includes active time, cooking
times, a headnote, a cautionary note, and
prep, fast, slow, and finishing instructions.
As always, the ace up Milk Street’s sleeve
is its command of a wide range of cuisines:
a Georgian stew, Mexican pork carnitas
paired with quickly pickled red onions, and
French chicken en cocotte with mustard
and tarragon all hold appeal. Home cooks
whose regular rotation includes Instant
Pot fare will appreciate this useful and
wide-ranging volume. (Apr.)Simple Spice Vegetarian:
Easy Indian Vegetarian
Recipes from Just 10 Spices
Cyrus Todiwala. Mitchell Beazley, $26.99
(208p) ISBN 978-1-78472-576-1
Todiwala, who has three restaurants in
London and hosts BBC’s Saturday Kitchen,
gathers a flavorful range of meat-free
Indian recipes in this satisfying volume.
The author restricts the recipes to using
only 10 spices, and while that simplifies
ingredient lists, it does make the flavor
profiles somewhat repetitious. However,
he incorporates a casual tone, and offers
flexible instructions with numerous
variations (make a zucchini, split pea, and
mint salad heartier with feta or hard-boiled
eggs). A breakfast chapter includes a hearty
oatmeal, spiced with ginger and chilies,
and rich unbaked fudge-like bars made
with ghee, coconut, and cardamom. A
chapter on eggs, in keeping with the
author’s Parsee heritage, presents a trove
of intriguing options, including a chapatti-
wrapped omelet and savory French toast.
Desserts include a chocolate cake madewith grated zucchini and hazelnut and a
refreshing cardamom kulfi. Detracting
from the cookbook’s appeal are bizarre
moments, such as the warning that “rice
is one of the most dangerous foods in the
house” that prefaces a rice and bean salad,
and unexplained U.K. expressions such as
“cabinet pudding” and “drunken wet
nelly.” While the recipes don’t break new
ground, home cooks new to Indian cooking
will find this a decent primer. (Apr.)Eat for Life: The Breakthrough
Nutrient-Rich Program for
Longevity, Disease Reversal, and
Sustained Weight Loss
Joel Fuhrman. HarperOne, $28.99 (392p)
ISBN 978-0-06-224931-9
Celebrity doctor Fuhrman (Eat to Live)
lays out his case for the “Nutrarian” diet
in this heavily notated guide to healthier
eating. Fuhrman posits that the Nutrarian
diet—a regimen focused on nutrient-rich,
mostly vegan foods—“is the pinnacle of
excellence in the nutrition world” and can
slow aging, prevent disease, and boost
longevity. He bolsters those claims with
case studies of those who’ve conquered
diabetes, hepatitis, cardiovascular disease,
and even stage IV melanoma by following
his plan, and supplements his argument
with citations of his own studies as well
as those done by other physicians (he
concludes with nearly 50 pages of notes
referencing various scientific studies).
Those worried about palate fatigue will
appreciate the breadth of dishes in these
100-plus recipes, such as black bean and
butternut squash chili; Asian ginger lime
zucchini noodles; a meatless Bolognese
(made with tempeh); buffalo cauliflower;
no-bake brownies; crispy onion rings; Mac
and Peas (a combination of oats, vegetable
broth, miso, and yeast replaces the
cheese); and huevos rancheros (made with
scrambled tofu). Ingredients are easily
sourced, and Fuhrman’s directions are easy
to follow. Home cooks looking to change
their lifestyles will feel in good hands
with Fuhrman’s encouraging and detailed
guide. (Mar.)The Irish Cookbook
JP McMahon. Phaidon, $49.95 (432p)
ISBN 978-1-8386-60567
McMahon, a Galway chef and restau-
rateur, takes a comprehensive look at the