Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook

by Sohla El-Waylly, Samin Nosrat (Foreword by)

Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AND IACP BOOK AWARD WINNER • Change the way you think about cooking! In this epic guide to better eating, the chef, recipe developer, and video producer Sohla El-Waylly reimagines what a cookbook can be, teaching home cooks of all skill levels how cooking really works.

“The new Joy of Cooking.” —The New York Times

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, NPR, Epicurious, The Boston Globe

“The book I wish someone had handed me when I began my own journey as a cook.”—from the Foreword by Samin Nosrat, New York Times bestselling author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

"A book to return to again and again and again.” —Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times bestselling author of Plenty and Ottolenghi Simple   

A practical, information-packed, and transformative guide to becoming a better cook and conquering the kitchen, Start Here is a must-have master class in leveling up your cooking.

Across a dozen technique-themed chapters—from “Temperature Management 101” and “Break it Down & Get Saucy” to “Go to Brown Town,” “All About Butter,” and “Getting to Know Dough”—Sohla El-Waylly explains the hows and whys of cooking, introducing the fundamental skills that you need to become a more intuitive, inventive cook.

A one-stop resource, regardless of what you’re hungry for, Start Here gives equal weight to savory and sweet dishes, with more than two hundred mouthwatering recipes, including:

• Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Radishes & Nuoc Cham
• Charred Lemon Risotto
• Chilled Green Tahini Soba
• Lemon, Pecorino & Potato Pizza
• Fruity-Doodle Cookies
• Masa & Buttermilk Tres Leches

Packed with practical advice and scientific background, and an almost endless assortment of recipe variations, along with tips, guidance, and how-tos, Start Here is culinary school—without the student loans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593320464
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/31/2023
Pages:	656
Sales rank:	57,694
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

SOHLA EL-WAYLLY is a culinary creator, writer, video producer, and community advocate who has been featured in The New York Times and Bon Appétit and on Food52 and Serious Eats. Her on-camera credits include starring in HBO Max’s The Big Brunch and The History Channel’s Ancient Recipes with Sohla. She studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park before training at various New York City restaurants such as Del Posto, Atera, and Battersby. A TIME100 Next honoree, she lives in the East Village with her husband, two dogs, and cat.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/20/2023

Chef and recipe developer El-Waylly offers a prodigious guide to ramping up one’s culinary skill in her impressive and thorough debut. She sets out to arm home cooks with both “foundational techniques and basic food science,” going a few steps beyond the “do this” mentality of many cookbooks to offer insight into why a particular approach is necessary or relevant to each dish. Each chapter focuses on an essential technique; some, such as learning to taste your food or cooking grains, beans, and pasta, may seem basic, but El-Waylly illuminates how these simple steps are actually vital to quality cooking. The recipes themselves are appetizing and low fuss, including cannellini beany melt (“it’s just like the tuna melt you know and love, but made with beans instead of tuna”), four-fat jammy egg tacos with nuts and avocado, and charred lemon risotto. El-Waylly also provides tips on maintaining kitchen utensils, from cutting boards to cast iron pans, sharpening knives, and approaching each night’s meal with a “game plan” to cut down on both time and clean up. As tasty and appealing as it is informative, this is the ideal handbook for those starting out in the kitchen. Agent: Katherine Cowles, Cowles Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

The new Joy of Cooking for a globally minded generation of curious cooks.” —The New York Times

"El-Waylly might be Julia Child for a new generation." —The Boston Globe

“The perfect companion to anyone starting out in the kitchen. In sharing so much experience and knowledge—not to mention so many recipes that I want to eat—Sohla has crafted a book to return to again and again and again.” —Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times bestselling author of Plenty and Ottolenghi Simple

“The book I wish someone had handed me when I began my own journey as a cook . . . Sohla has improved my cooking, and I guarantee she will improve yours, too.” —Samin Nosrat, New York Times bestselling author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (from the Foreword)

“Sohla breaks down cooking in a way that’s elemental yet approachable. She is the patient friend, the seasoned guide, the doting mentor you want in the kitchen. This book will not only teach you the principles of good cooking, but also boost your confidence, allowing you to freestyle it in the kitchen like a master. There’s something for everyone in this future classic. Buy this book now!” —Padma Lakshmi

“A foundational behemoth of a book (656 pages!) in the school of J. Kenji López-Alt’s The Food Lab and Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat . . . Every home cook will find something to learn in Start Here.” —Eater

“We typically use the word ‘cookbook’ to describe a series of tasty recipes we re-create in our home kitchens that make us feel awesome. Only we’re never really taught how to cook. Enter: the incredible Sohla El-Waylly, our officially unofficial guide to kitchen bootcamp, equipping us with the skills we need to feel confident in the kitchen—not capable, not able, confident . . . Start Here is nothing short of a game changer.” —Christina Tosi, chef & founder, Milk Bar
 
“This book has done the impossible: It’s inspired me to cook. Start Here is an instant classic destined to be a kitchen staple. Sohla has revolutionized what a cookbook can be in a way that speaks so uniquely to her razor-sharp wit, generosity of spirit, and undeniable skill.” —Dan Levy, Emmy Award–winning writer, actor, director, and producer of Schitt’s Creek
 
“El-Waylly distills takeaways from her time in cooking school, years-long tenure at restaurants, and her experience as a Bon Appétit staffer to bring home cooks the foundations they need to be more confident in the kitchen . . . This cookbook is the mirror I wish I had as a student in culinary school . . . With each recipe, technique overview, and the stories within, El-Waylly makes the unattainable achievable in more ways than one.” —Anikah Shaokat, Epicurious

“A one-stop grand diplôme in the culinary arts taught by one of the most talented and knowledgable chefs, Sohla El-Waylly . . . Start Here is an instant, must-have classic.” —Rick Andrew Martínez, best-selling author and video host
 
“Where was this book when I first started cooking? . . . Jam-packed with science-backed tips and techniques to help folks develop their cooking intuition, and I have no doubt a copy of the book would have saved me from many sad, under-seasoned meals . . . You'll leave feeling more comfortable in the kitchen.” —Genevieve Yam, Bon Appétit

“I am an instant fan of any book that crams in this much knowledge and science right alongside things like Lisa Frank Cookies and not one but FOUR kinds of homemade fun dip! . . . I don’t know who’s more excited, my brain or my belly!” —Molly Yeh, New York Times best-selling author and Food Network host
 
“Cooking through Start Here has brought more joy to my kitchen than any cookbook in memory. Spoiler alert for my friends: This is what you’re getting for Christmas.” —Stella Parks, James Beard Award–winning author of BraveTart
 
“Clear, funny, smart, and necessary.” —Vogue

“Sohla’s book is brilliantly organized and superbly written, with photographs that teach as well as inspire. Reading Start Here is like getting a fully accredited culinary degree from a professional who sees food and cooking through a grounded but completely modern perspective. Every recipe delivers. Add to cart! You need this book.” —Carla Lalli Music, author of That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins

“A cookbook you read and then keep on hand, referencing whenever you have a question, want to master a basic, or take a particular skill to the next level . . . Straightforward, approachable, and generous.” —The Strategist

From the Publisher

★ 09/01/2023

In this fantastically epic cookbook, El-Waylly, chef and host of The Big Brunch and Ancient Recipes with Sohla, aims to offer a "one-stop culinary school in a book" to hone culinary skills and intuition. She first sets readers up with core tools, pantry essentials, and things to know, like knife skills and how to measure ingredients. Offering several subcategories, like "Whip (and Fold) It Good," the book is broadly divided between culinary lessons and baking & pastry lessons, with equal emphasis on savory and pastry, because El-Waylly believes a good cook shouldn't be afraid of anything in the kitchen. She offers tips and tricks along with the explanations behind them in a playful and encouraging tone. With extensive use of spices and global food inspiration, these are full-flavor recipes that have lots of appeal. Recipes are clearly labeled from easy to advanced and if vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free. There are also many gorgeous and helpful photos throughout. VERDICT With the focus just as much on the techniques as the recipes, this cookbook will be invaluable for readers who are getting started cooking. The recipes will motivate them to get in the kitchen, but experienced cooks and bakers will relish the abundance of information and interesting recipes too.—Melissa DeWild

Library Journal