More Is More

Starred review from October 16, 2023
Bestseller Baz (Cook this Book) lays out an infectious ideology of “boldness in the kitchen” in this boisterous guide to cooking “passionately, fearlessly, and, as always, in pursuit of something yumz.” She aims to inspire home chefs to “have the nerve to go for bigger, bolder, more explosive flavor”—and succeeds in spades through well-constructed, confidence-boosting recipes. The collection opens with a set of rules that resonate all the way through. “If you’re gonna use it, use it,” for example, comes to bear in the pepperoni fried rice, which calls for a whopping 10 cloves of garlic. “Turn ya burners up (let’s burn some shit)” applies to the spicy coconut smothered green beans (“We want to blister these babies!”). “One ingredient many ways” challenges home chefs to “look at an ingredient’s potential for both flavor and texture,” something Baz demonstrates in the raw and roasted cauliflower salad and the fennel on fennel on fennel tortilla. Recipes range from simple “snick-snacks” (sizzled dolmas with yogurt and brown-buttered pine nuts) to show-stopping surf and turf, with gorgeous photos and helpful tips throughout. The result is an invigorating guide to having fun in the kitchen.