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Anytime I meet someone who’s also a fan of Kenji we both start geeking out like kids. This man has taught me how to cook economically and his videos helped me develop a foundation of food science knowledge to help create a wide variety of dishes. He’s incredibly humble and encourages experimentation and creativity. I have his book “The Food Lab” and it’s probably the only cook book you would ever need.
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Not really a recipe book (though certainly has recipes) and more of a reference bible about the chemical processes of cooking. Kenji answers questions like:
- Why does the pH of my pancake batter matter?
- Why should I add sodium citrate to mac n cheese?
- Why is my turkey dry?
- How to make can beans taste good?
and will also teach you how to butterfly a chicken, faux-tourné your carrots, and emulsify your vinaigrettes.
Kenji is extraordinarily online (linked his website for socials) and posts tons of stuff for free if you don’t wanna shell out for this very expensive and very heavy book. I have a ton of respect for him and genuinely think he is the most influential living person working in food right now + will be remembered among the greats.
Can’t rec this book enough!
Feb 19, 2025
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I’m still on a big Kenji Lopez-Alt binge, but for the last few weeks I’ve spent every few minutes I’ve had reading The Food Lab. It has changed the way I think about cooking. It feels really good to understand the science behind cooking, but more importantly why I’ve f**ked up a so many dishes I’ve cooked in the past. This isn’t a traditional recipe book, it dives deep into the science behind temperature, heat, acid, and even the materials that make the best pots and pans and I am hooked.
Feb 1, 2022
I got this cookbook as a gift a couple of years ago and I find it to be really comprehensive and inspiring cookbook that has taught me a lot about asian cooking. It has tons of recipes but also really informative sections on different techniques like "How to make the best Fried Rice" along with helpful pictures, charts and graphics.
Feb 14, 2024
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This is my go to coffee shop in nyc. Before covid they would be open late serving really creative cocktails and playing albums on vinyl. Since then they’ve not really brought it back but I still love going since they don’t allow anyone to use laptops which creates more of a social environment. The coffee is also some of my favorite in the city and they bake everything in house.
Jul 2, 2024
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For those that are unfamiliar green soap is what is used to clean tattoos. I know this sounds crazy but arguably this could be one of the best smells on the planet. I feel like I’m on my strange addiction every time I get a tattoo cause I just want to smell the green soap bottle but I promise I’m not insane it smells amazing and is probably part of the reason I keep getting tattoos.
Jul 2, 2024
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This book made me feel way less bad about myself. I find it so impressive that someone like Scott can be so vulnerable in a book like this and really expose his brain the way he did. The book is about divorce and cuts through the before and after — how they met and before they met and all. It made me feel so many emotions and really helped me get through a difficult time.
Jul 2, 2024