A culinary companion to simplify cooking while making it more enjoyable, The Secret of Cooking is packed with solutions for how to make life in the kitchen work better for you, whether you’re cooking for yourself or for a crowd.
Do you wish you could cook more, but don’t know where to start? Bee Wilson has spent years collecting cooking “secrets”: ways of speeding cooking up or slowing it down, strategies for days when you are stretched for time, and other ideas for when you can luxuriate in kitchen therapy. Bee holds out a hand to anyone who wants doable, delicious recipes, the kind of unfussy food that makes every day taste better: quick feasts from a can of beans; fast, medium, and slow ragus; and seven ways to cook a carrot.
Alongside thoughts on how to cook when you’re alone, with children, or just plain tired, Bee offers 140 recipes including:
the simplest chicken stew even the pickiest of eaters (aka children) will love
Zucchini and Herb Fritters, a Grated Tomato and Butter Pasta Sauce (with or without shrimp), and other ways of making your box grater work for you
salads to savor, like a tuna salad with anchovy dressing
leisurely projects like an Aromatic All-Purpose Curry Powder and quicker food for friends (try Bulgar and Eggplant Pilaf with pistachio and lemon)
the loveliest red curry sauce you can make in your instant pot
universal desserts, or those gluten-free and dairy-free sweets that you can serve no matter who comes over, like a Vegan Pear, Lemon, and Ginger Cake
With advice on seasoning, cleaning up, and choosing the best equipment, Wilson reimagines modern cooking and brings the spark back into everyday meals. As Bee says, “There’s still magic in the kitchen, if you know where to look.”
Shall we cook?
About the Author
Bee Wilson is the author of six books on food-related subjects. The cofounder of TastEd, a food education charity aimed at giving children opportunities to experience fresh vegetables and fruits in a joyful way, she writes for a range of publications, including the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal.
Praise For…
Earnest and accommodating. . . . It’s no surprise that Secret is as much a joy to curl up with as it is to cook from; you’ll be reminded of Wilson’s endearing prose every time you peel a carrot or reach for a metal spider.
— Bettina Makalintal - Eater
Wisdom and notes from a lifetime of reading, thinking, cooking, and eating. And it’s not just about food but about how we live, and how we look after ourselves and each other. — Diana Henry
Bee Wilson is the ultimate kitchen friend: smart, funny, conscientious and patient, this is a book you’ll want to spend time with, in and out of the kitchen. — Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, authors of Honey & Co: Food from the Middle East
It’s not often that a genuinely game-changing cookbook comes out, but this accomplished, approachable and helpful book—its writing as nourishing as the recipes—is most definitely it. Quite frankly, there’s not a kitchen that should be without a copy of The Secret of Cooking.
— Nigella Lawson
Reading The Secret of Cooking is like sitting in a warm kitchen with an exceptionally articulate friend. I don’t need a lot of convincing to pick up a pan, but Wilson’s tips are so clever, her recipes so tempting, and her vignettes of family life so candid, that this is a book I can read for pleasure alone.
