Julia Turshen begins her latest book with a tip: Place a damp paper towel under your cutting board to keep it secure while you chop.
“This one simple act,” she writes, “sets me up for success in my kitchen. It means I’m starting my work on a sturdy surface, on stable ground.”
This bit of “learned wisdom,” as she calls it, is emblematic of the kitchen knowledge she’s accumulated through years of trial and error as an avid home cook, private chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author. She hadn’t considered sharing it until she taught online cooking classes via Zoom during the pandemic.
Following along with her as she prepared recipes in real time, students witnessed her mistakes — burning things, forgetting ingredients and more. Rather than panic, Turshen turned those flubs into teaching moments by talking through her problem-solving process and inviting her students to ask questions.
Those lessons motivated her to write “What Goes With What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities” (Flatiron Books, $34.99), a guidebook that teaches readers how they, too, can become more relaxed and confident in the kitchen by understanding how and why things work.
Turshen’s recipes are as uncomplicated as they are inspired. Salads, sandwiches, sheet pan dinners, one-pot dishes, freezer-friendly meatballs and baked goods requiring no rolling pins or electric mixers are the stars. The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread I took to my book club was an instant hit, as were the Apple and Cranberry Crisp and the one-pan Everything-Bagel Salmon and Smashed Potatoes I made.
Her real genius, though, is helping readers develop their own culinary instincts through charts showing how to match flavors and textures, menu suggestions for various situations, personal stories revealing her empathy and generous spirit, and simple tips for setting yourself up for success.
“I think everyone who cooks has a certain intuition about what works and tastes good, and the only way to learn to trust your instincts is to keep cooking what you like to cook,” she writes. “The more you cook, the more you know.”
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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