About two months into my quarantine, I experienced something of听a new听sensation: I couldn鈥檛 cook.听
For years听I鈥檝e happily meal-prepped and experimented with different recipes. I鈥檝e always looked听down on听ordering听something from a restaurant that I can easily make myself. But suddenly, after听weeks of the same chicken and salad dinners,听my limbs grew heavy when I chopped herbs or onions, and the thought of preparing听another pot of soup made me want to liquefy into a puddle on the floor.
Somehow听the collective anxiety of the pandemic听had affected two听of my favorite things in the world: cooking and baking,听especially doing so听for other people. (Of course, I鈥檓 aware this is听a small complaint compared to the听physical and economic damage the virus has caused听for thousands of others.)听After wallowing for a few days, I looked for inspiration to help combat my cooking fatigue. I poured through recently released听cookbooks, hoping to rekindle my love through osmosis.
My curiosity piqued, I听began听experimenting with a new hummus recipe, which led to grilling hunks of meat and learning how to make soft caramels.听As restrictions听eased up a bit, I听started sharing听treats听with friends and coworkers听again, dropping off听pies and cookies on their听front porches.听
Whether you鈥檙e in a cooking rut, too, or听just looking to add new dishes to your weekday lineup,听these cookbooks can help.听
If You鈥檙e Looking to Cook Something New
Hot take: some of the best cookbooks are collaborative cookbooks, since chefs听who听contribute recipes are often allowed a wide creative license. I also suspect they鈥檙e showing off for their peers, which is a win for the reader. , a compilation of听recipes from 75 queer chefs across the country, is a great example. It鈥檚 filled with meals that are flavorful, comforting, and delicious. As a bonus, many听only call for a short list of ingredients, making them perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. I particularly enjoyed the pasta puttanesca听by , the tomato-based braised chicken legs by , and a malted dark-chocolate fudge pie by . That听last one is so rich and toothsome听that I鈥檝e taken to motivating听myself听with small spoonfuls of it throughout the workday.
If You鈥檙e Sick of Your Go-To Roasted Sweet Potatoes
reads as though vegetarian author Lukas Volger is taking a tour of your kitchen, grabbing common items from the fridge and pantry鈥攁 couple of tortillas here, a head of cabbage there鈥攁nd then creating recipes around those ingredients on the spot. The book is divided into 11 chapters that center on popular pantry items, such as听tofu, eggs, beans, and sweet potatoes. That makes it a perfect resource for easy, quarantine-friendly meals. Plus, each chapter starts with a base recipe, such as marinated greens, that you鈥檙e meant to prepare once and then use throughout the week for dishes听like black bean tostadas听or twice-baked potatoes. It鈥檚 a great cookbook for when you鈥檙e feeling mentally exhausted听but still need quick and healthy dinners.
If You Panic-Bought Too Many Beans
Beans are having a 鈥攍ots of us are discovering the diverse textures, flavors, and applications听of the legumes that used to sit abandoned on dusty pantry shelves.听A cookbook with 125 bean-centric recipes may seem extra, but Washington Post food columnist Joe Yonan鈥檚 听unlocks the ingredient鈥檚 potential with vegetarian and vegan recipes from around the world. There鈥檚 a Georgian kidney bean stew;听Mexican molletes, a kind of open-faced sandwich that Yonan pairs with shiitake bacon, feta, and arugula; and a smoky black bean and plantain chili.听Recipes inspired by his peers听include the听super-simple Humma-Noush (a cross between hummus and baba ghanoush) from famed vegan chef , crunchy spiced roasted chickpeas from , and a coconut-cream bean pie from Chicago pastry chef . Additionally, there are plenty of culinary creations听that call for canned beans, which is helpful during quarantine (or for those of us who always forget to soak dried beans ahead of time).
If You Want to Expand Your Baking Repertoire
So you鈥檝e used your听time in听quarantine听to finally make听that sourdough starter and鈥攅ven more impressive鈥攌eep it alive for a few months. Now what? Enter , the first cookbook by blogger and recipe consultant Bryan Ford. Ford draws听inspiration听from听his Afro-Honduran heritage听as well as听his听hometown of New Orleans for rustic听bread recipes like pan de agua (water bread), plantain sourdough, and a tasty pan听rustico. The enriched听breads (where eggs, sugar, milk, and/or butter are听added to the mix) are equally unique鈥擨 particularly听liked the bananas Foster听sourdough, inspired by the classic dessert, which features a delicate interior swirl of caramelized听bananas. I鈥檒l never go back to my听old banana bread again.听
If You鈥檙e on Your Last Tin of Anchovies
One of the best cookbooks for these times is听Jessica Elliott听Dennison鈥檚 , which听contains elevated dishes from nine different canned foods, including coconut milk, anchovies, tomatoes, and sweet corn. Each recipe is easy to follow, requires听few听fussy ingredients, and yields dishes that听look like something from your favorite farm-to-table restaurant. I especially love how thoughtful Elliott听Dennison听is with her instructions. She provides multiple ingredient substitutions for each recipe听and isn鈥檛 finicky about the specifics鈥攊t鈥檚听totally fine if you use an old wine bottle to roll out the dough for the hazelnut frangipane听cherry galette, or听if you鈥檙e too tired to make a side to accompany her lime and coconut prawns.听
If You Have Cabin Fever
There is one ridiculous aspect of , by Eric Werner with Nils Bernstein: it begins by telling the reader that the only satisfying way to cook outdoors is on a personalized, hand-welded custom grill. (Werner tells you how to make your own, if you鈥檙e itching for a summer project.)听Despite its somewhat pretentious introduction, this is a great cookbook for dedicated carnivores.听Outdoor Kitchen听will help you create perfectly flavored cuts of听meat, dips, rubs, veggie dishes, and desserts, all on the grill (even a regular old听听like mine). I loved the coriander-ancho-rubbed skirt steak with gribiche on the side听and the smoky 211 margarita鈥攋ust don鈥檛 repeat my mistake and make the听whole drink听recipe for听one. It serves four.听