Milk Street: The New Rules: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook

Why it's worth it

A fresh and efficient approach for ambitious beginners who want to cook beyond burgers and pasta from their very first weeks in the kitchen.

From our review of 10 cookbooks for beginner home cooks, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +71 rules distilled from global cuisines dramatically cut cooking complexity
• +200 recipes spanning Japanese, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and more
• +Techniques reduce both prep time and ingredient count
• +Broadens beginner palates far beyond standard American home cooking

What to know

• –Requires some pantry investment in global ingredients not found in typical American kitchens
• –Best used alongside a fundamentals guide rather than as a sole beginner resource