★★★★★ 5
One of the greatest cookbooks I’ve ever bought
Format: Hardcover
I love cookbooks—like really really love them. I have a collection. I just finished reading this through on the night I received it via preorder—I tracked it all day because I was so excited. I just intuitively felt like after looking at the images and preview that there was really something special about this one. Being a cookbook lover, you can just smell it. This one seemed dense with intention and value, and so colorful, accessible and of-the-moment. And boy was I right!! While there literally hasn’t been enough time to cook anything from this yet (it arrived on my door step three hours ago), I can already tell you that this thing has more soul and voice than 99% of the cookbooks out there. She had me LAUGHING out loud like 12 times no exaggeration (Maldon in the purse?! F yeah ur my girl!), misty eyed (last meal convo), IMPRESSED (QR code for real time audio instructions w classical music?! and vids?! #INNOVATION), thrilled at the ingenuity (salt scoville unit rating omfg), and just overall really knocked back by the joy of seeing someone really live their dreams and GIVE IT to the world. It is so palpable that Molly is living her dreams, and you can tell she works for it. Her writing seems more like her true or embodied self than her spoken words in old YouTube vids I recall. This book is aspirational from a lifestyle perspective but it has nothing to do with the very cool graphic design, great photography and food styling (all wonderful) or her ultra hip house or LA social life or whatever… which is all fun to peek in on, but—it’s because this is a person who has found her calling and is LIVING IT 👏👏 … COMMITTING… and generously sharing herself in the most authentic way with us. It’s just so HER, so specific, which is what we wanna see in ARTISTS. And while I’ve followed Molly with appreciation for years (I never got around to buying her first book but live for her gochujang chx and other Bon Appetit recipes), I’m realizing I have either been sleeping on the true depths of her talent OR she has recently bloomed into just like, her fullest self and I am so so happy for her. I came for the ingredient lists organized by grocery store layout (F-ING FINALLY FINALLY THANK YOU THANK YOU) and the fun vintage typography/nostalgia and umami bombs and gorgeous meatballs, but the inspiration that this book vibrates with (GO FOR IT! Life the life you are meant to live!) will stay with me for quite some time. As a former cooking instructor I know the critical importance of building confidence in order to be a good cook but she just took that concept and blew it to its heights/made it REAL. Can’t wait to make cauliflower salad w vegan ranch, leek za, coconut cornbread, fish n shingled potatoes and orange creamsicle poppy cake. THANK YOU MOLLY!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023
