12 recipes that will let you eat well for the rest of your life

As a kid Id watch my dad as hed throw (his unit of measurement) some olive oil, onions, garlic, lemon, and olives into a pan to make a quick pasta. Its learning to cook this way that gave me a love and appreciation for food and cooking. Thats what was so amazing about Twelve Recipes. When you read it, you feel like youre getting that private cooking lesson from a family member. A family member who happens to be a really really good cook.

Through the book Cal Peternell, chef at renowned restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, lays out twelve-ish basic foods and techniques that he believes will let you eat well for the rest of your life. If youre a novice in the kitchen, the first chapter eases you in by teaching you how to make toast. No, seriously toast. I was skeptical at first too, I consider myself to be somewhat of a toast veteran, but after reading a few pages I actually learned something. I had no idea that to make thin crisp toast you should actually use a loaf of stale bread since its easier to cut. Thats the beauty of the book even if youve been making toast, grilling meat, or cooking rice all your life, theres still something to learn.

In the best way, this isnt your standard cookbook. You wont find a single recipe on each page, youll actually find two or three, interweaved by a story about a family ping pong game. The photos are beautiful, but theyre not your standard food-porn shots that make your home cooking feel insecure. Then there are the sweet little illustrations that were done by Peternells wife and kids peppered throughout (see what I did there?). All these ingredients add up to a beautiful book thats sure to inspire your inner cook. JP LeRoux

Twelve Recipes
by Cal Peternell
HarperCollins
2014, 320 pages, 7 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
$16 Buy a copy on Amazon