Books like The Food Lab — picked by fans

A few years ago my family decided to cut back on our consumption of meat. One of the world’s most famous vegetarian chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi, came to my rescue in the form of this cookbook, which has truly expanded my ideas of how vegetables, grains, and other plant-based foods can be prepared. The chapters are organized by ingredient, which is handy if you shop your farmer’s market and need some ideas on how to prepare those gorgeous eggplants or the bumper crop of green beans you’ve brought home. The unexpected combinations and preparations have given me permission to be more creative with how I prepare vegetables. Some of the more unusual recipes that I’ve loved include Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce; Tomato, Semolina, and Cilantro Soup; and Broccoli and Gorgonzola Pie. 

I believe 2 things without a shred of doubt: all humans are creative and anyone can cook. Samin Nosrat adds the critical finale: “…and make it delicious.”

Everyone can benefit from this book, especially those who appreciate good, well-executed dishes but don’t quite understand what makes them so irresistible. As someone who didn’t do much better than fail at high school and college science, Nosrat makes incredibly complex concepts simple and doable! Not to mention, it’s delightfully illustrated.

The infographics, tables, and flowcharts make the content engaging and accessible. It is a cookbook, indispensable kitchen reference, and testament to the power of creative collaboration. Here is evidence that cooking is an art and a science. 

Most people identify either as cooks or bakers, and I can see why—it certainly takes a different mindset to bake bread or a cake. Baking is a far more precise science, which is one of the reasons I’m very picky about what baking recipes I trust. It’s one of the reasons I love having Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book in my arsenal. I have always been a big fan of the magazine, where the writers prepare countless versions of the same recipe, changing ingredients, methods, and other factors to arrive at the most perfect version. This cookbook follows the same format, covering savory recipes like tarts, quiches, pizzas, and rolls, in addition to every classic sweet recipe you could want. It was this book that ended my long search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie… the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie is a refinement of the classic Toll House Cookie. I’m glad… show more.

A must-have for anyone with a passion for science, this book is a fun read, and I learn something new every time I leaf through it, whether it’s about how our senses of smell and taste work, or why weighing ingredients is superior to using measuring cups. Throughout the book are fun, informative interviews with experts on a wide variety of topics: Jeff Varasano discusses pizza, Herve This on molecular gastronomy, and Adam Savage (of Mythbusters fame) on scientific testing.

As a longtime cooking equipment writer, I particularly love how much detail he invests in kitchenware, explaining what’s necessary and what’s not. This isn’t the type of book you’ll turn to when you’re making a weeknight dinner, but certainly one where you can treat your kitchen like a science lab and spend an afternoon embarking on crazy (and delicious!) experiments. Case in point: a recipe for marshmallows that are firm… show more.

For generations, this book has been helping young readers turn their kitchens into laboratories. After introducing basic scientific concepts, kid chefs/scientists get to test scientific principles with edible results: beef jerky, cottage cheese, pudding, and more. Along the way, they learn that making a meringue is about denaturing protein and that mayonnaise is a simple emulsion. I love the way in which the text and illustrations pair to clearly allow readers to conclude that good cooks truly are good chemists.

This book has so many qualities that will engage curious kids. Most of the story takes place when Frank Epperson was a child—a child who loved experimenting and actually invented the popsicle while experimenting with flavored soda water on his porch! The book also encourages scientific thinking by including experiments kids can try independently to learn more about liquids and the science behind freezing. 

And then there’s the art. The orange, lime green, and other bright colors perfectly mimic those of real popsicles. Just seeing them brought back my own childhood memories of reaching into the freezer to grab a popsicle or two on a hot summer day! 

I practically inhaled this book when I first opened it!! The writing style of Kelly Oram is outstanding and what she does with her heroes is unique.

The book is about Avery Shaw who got dumped by her best friend since birth, Adrian Kennedy. To overcome her grief, she starts her own seven-stages of grief experiment, journaling every step of the way. But honestly, she would have never made it past step four without the wonderful help of Grayson Kennedy, Adrian’s older brother.

By spending time with Avery, he turns from a teenage heartbreaker to a determined lover. And while Avery stubbornly forges on with her experiment, Grayson gets on his own mission to win her heart.

Technically, Brooke Bolander's The Only Harmless Great Thing is a novella and not a novel.

But this story, set in an alternate universe in which hyperintelligent elephants are forced into toxic factory work, packs so much pathos, vivid description, and (especially!) the world-building around elephant culture—I swoon over the voice in which the elephants tell their stories and myths to the reader—it may as well be three times as long.

This is the most modern book on my list, and it did get some excellent critical attention, including the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. But Bolander's voice of the elephants alone (to say nothing of the other voices, each masterfully different) is so danged magnificent, the more people know of this work, the better.

This is one of my all-time favorite books.

A little bit dark academia, a little bit supervillain, it covers dual POVs with two friends in college developing superpowers after near-death experiences and grappling with the after-effects well into their adulthood.

Victor is a lovable anti-hero, and Eli’s flaws are so believable they gave me chills. 

It might tempt someone to choose a book in Noyes’ Ask, Tell series, but Alone is my recommendation.

A romance with such a lonesome title might not appear swoon-worthy on the surface, but dig a little deeper, and witness the burgeoning romance between Celeste and Olivia develop in such beautiful fashion in their isolated cocoon–until all goes wrong.

Still, the loving way they interact, learn about each other, and then yearn for each other had my heart skipping beats until the end. Noyes has a way of writing characters with whom it’s easy to fall in love.