A Book About Cooking Without a Book

April 11, 2012

I’ve been doing a lot more cooking than I used to. I don’t work full-time anymore, so I have more time to cook and less money to go out to eat. It just makes sense all the way around. As I was telling a friend about my new cook-at-home habits, she mentioned a cooking blog that I’ve started using a lot: ThePioneerWoman.com. The cooking portion of the site has some great recipes (love the Dr. Pepper Pork, and Marlboro Man’s Second Favorite Sandwich), but the best part is the step-by-step photographed instructions, along with Ree’s oddball descriptions. 

As I read more of her blog/website, I noticed a cookbook that she recommended: How to Cook Without a Book. Odd…a cookbook that claims to teach you how to cook without a book, except that it’s a book. So, I looked it up and found it in our library system (the author is Pam Anderson—no, not that Pam Anderson), checked it out, and took it home to read. And the thing is, it really does teach some great basics about cooking.

I learned how to make a basic vinaigrette salad dressing, then how to vary it with different ingredients. I also learned some of the staple pantry necessities (beans, frozen spinach, and some spices were new to my list), and I learned that once you know how to sear a steak, you can sear just about anything and make it taste better. Even after I returned the book, the things I learned from it stuck with me. I’m still a novice in the kitchen (just this week I learned not to substitute red chili peppers for red pepper flakes!), but things are improving.

Lori G.
Colbern Road Branch