Member Reviews
I enjoyed the recipes i tried but the table of contents were hard for me to navigate. I didn’t like the way the sections were organized. If it were not for the index i would have not tried any recipes.
Nigella Lawson's Cook, Eat, Repeat is full of interesting recipes with complex flavor profiles. Reading through gives insight into her though process for creating recipes and it's really such a personal cookbook. I think I'll be reading from it more than cooking from it, though it is lovely and there are a lot of recipes that appeal to me for special occasions or for trying something new.
I enjoyed reading this book more than cooking from it. Most of the recipes were not to my taste but I did enjoy reading about them and how she made them own. This is very much a lock down book when there was not much else to do but stay home and cook. Enjoy the stories behind the recipes.
Cook, Eat, Repeat is more of an ode to cooking and dining than a cookbook. The recipes are interesting and inventive, but it's in the prose that Lawson shines. The chicken and anchovy chapters (of all things) are the most intriguing, and the most likely to end up on my dinner table. Four beautiful and very Nigella-like stars.
I enjoy reading Nigella Lawson's cookbooks for her creativity and style. This book continues that tradition of excellence. In her introduction to the recipes, Nigella provides anecdotes about the dish and offers advice on its preparation and even what to do with leftovers. The recipes are interesting and the book is organized around somewhat unique themes with chapter titles like "A if for Anchovy" and "Brown Foods." This is a both a cookbook and memoir that you will want to read, and not just flip through for new recipes (although you can do that, too!).
Nigella Lawson's passion for cooking and creating delicious food shows throughout this cookbook. She approaches cooking as a joyful process and considers cooking as a kind of meditation.
This is a unique book that Nigella Lawson's fans will want to own and that those new to her will also enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked reading Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson. I thought the book was wonderful.
I will admit I own every Nigella cookbook that she has written. Her cookbooks are reliable and always delicious. Cook, Eat, Repeat is no different. I was so excited to dive into this book, especially given that at its core it is a memoir. The book is beautiful in its entirety and I plan to buy a stack of them for friends and family, Her new recipes are delightful and practical, and a good quantity of them have already become staples in my house.
The format of this book didn't work with my device unfortunately. I love Novella and will most likely add it to my shelf.
What a lovely, personal portrayal of how to "Cook, Eat, Repeat" by Nigella Lawson. I have followed her on various TV programs for longer than I want to admit to. I have great respect for her style of food preparation. Her newest book was everything I expected and more.
This collection of stories and recipes couldn't have been written at a more appropriate time. Just when the whole world is quarantined with their family. Perfect time to "Cook, Eat, Repeat"!
I applaud her candor in allowing us into her home through her personal favorites and so beautifully instructing on methods, not just recipes.
If you're looking for a cookbook filled with ordinary recipes - this is not that.
I admit I'm a bit of a recipe stickler. It took me years to have the courage to change or add an ingredient. I have learned so much from reading Nigella's tips and advice on everyday meal preparation. There is lots of basic, useful information along with stories full of love and humor.
My favorite section was of course the Christmas Comforts. I want to try them all!
I'd have to say my favorite recipe was the Tuscan Soup, followed by Fermented Hot Sauce. I would definitely buy this book. I highly recommend to anyone learning to cook or someone like me who's been cooking for decades. There is always something new to try or a better method than how you've always done it.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Nigella Lawson & Ecco for the advance digital copy provided in exchange for my honest review.
Cookbook? Memoir? Food writing? Check, check, check. If you go into this book just looking to add a new cookbook to your collection, you might be disappointed with what you find because the beauty of this book is that you actually have to read it -- or at least focus on a chapter that interests you and read that one.
Nigella Lawson has created something uniquely hers. Yes, the recipes look tasty (and I plan to recreate some of them in my kitchen) and the stories about her life and family are interesting, but it's her focus on ingredients that really makes this special.
Nigella Lawsons' passion is cooking. That's very clear from her writing. But it's also very clear that at the end of the day, writing down recipes in a book is her way to earn a paycheck. (And I'm not saying this is in a negative way.) The way she writes about the actual ingredients -- and how to use them and respect them and to turn them into something magical in any number of different ways -- strongly demonstrates her actual love of being in a kitchen and creating something delicious with whatever ingredient she's handed. I feel lucky to have gotten a glimpse into her mind and how she approaches cooking.
Especially for those of us stuck inside for the last year due to Covid protocols who were doing a lot more cooking with potentially a lot fewer ingredients, this book reminded me about what I love about cooking and gave me some useful tips and inspiration besides.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.
Three of my great loves are eating food, cooking food and reading about food. Food gives me so much pleasure and if you were to tell me that I had to do these three things every single day for the rest of my life, I would be more than willing to oblige. I find preparing food to be very relaxing and cooking to be an emotional and highly creative process. I immerse myself in the experience, forget what else is going on in my life, and use it as a form of meditation. I can reach the same state of relaxation with a good book. I become so absorbed with the writing that I easily detach from everything around me. When I come across a book that marries food with stimulating writing, I am in my happy place. I don't mean a traditional cookbook jammed with yummy recipes, although I love those as well. I'm talking about a book that couples food with life, experience and fantastic writing to create something so exciting that I struggle to put it down. Nigel Slater is the king of this type of book, in my opinion, and I now grant an equivalent accolade to Nigella, queen of the simile and metaphor.
I don't eat meat or fish, and there are some recipes in this book that I will not make for that reason, but I don't consider that a bad thing. I still enjoy reading about an anchovy (there is a whole chapter dedicated to those tiny creatures) and other meat-centric recipes; it even encourages me to be super creative by devising plant-based versions. As Nigella, herself says, "Cooking, like life, is an experimental art" and one which I wholeheartedly pursue.
Reviewed for www.booknbrunch.com - full article available on The Journal 25 June 2021.
A self admitted cookbook junkie.. this is my first Nigella cookbook.... and its .. different from what im used to!
Each recipe starts with about a page or so of writing about the recipe.. sometimes with another recipe tucked into the introduction.. you will then get to the recipe.. eventually :) I feel like this is her style.. and I dont hate it! You can cozy up and read it like a novel if you choose .. and I appreciate the insights the intros have.
I have made two recipes so far.. the orzo chicken, and the seafood stew.. both were completely delicious.
There is a chapter on the 'love of brown food' .. even with an eggplant dip she likens to looking like baby poo.. shrug :) I guess if its delicious. then poo on.
I do have two small quibbles. One. the size.. It is a smallish book (not in length.. but in actual length/width. It makes for a tight binding, and is hard to leave open to cook from. Secondly.. not a fan of dust jackets on cookbooks.. The trend now seems to have mostly done away with them, and good riddance.. they are a hinderance in cookbooks as they come off, get stained, and generally get in the way.
All in all, though, I recommend this book completely!
Nigella's newest cookbook Cook, Eat, Repeat is more than just a book of recipes. The book is broken into interesting categories like anchovies, brown foods, and pleasures. She has an entire chapters on guilty pleasures where she discusses her response to the normal reporter question of "what are your guilty pleasures". While the format is interesting the issue I have with the cookbook is what I usually have with her recipes, they are more involved than I care for in my recipes and always seem to have ingredients that I do not know what they are. One thing I did like is that she had recipes like colcannon (an Irish mashed potato with kale or cabbage) and then she used it to make potato pancake like items. If you are looking for a book with dozens of recipes this might not be the one for you.
Review Date: June 1, 2021
Pub Date: April 20, 2021
First of all, the cover of this cookbook is beautiful! My attention was immediately grabbed by the beautiful colors.
Cook, Eat, Repeat is a concept that I can connect with. I feel that at times, I am always doing one of these things. In the introduction, Lawson describes the "rhythm of the kitchen" and the structure of cooking. Food is a part of our everyday life and it is important to find a little bit of home in cooking. I adore the personal touches that Lawson brings to the intro of this cookbook, such as the recipes from their family.
While the recipes in the cookbook are stunning, it is made for more of an advanced chef. Some of the recipes would be overwhelming for someone new to the kitchen. There are also vegan options!
There are few people who approach cooking with as much joy and pleasure as Nigella Lawson, and that love of food comes out loud and clear here. Calling the act of cooking as close as she ever gets to meditating and seeing her own enthusiasm for food reflected in that of an 8 month old baby just trying "solids" for the first time, every word in this cookbook radiates passion. Each recipe is preceeded by an anecdote showing why it's meaningful to her, and it's the expected mix of things I can't wait to try (chicken with garlic cream sauce) and and dishes that look beautiful but will never grace my kitchen table (pappardelle w/ cavolo nero and 'nduja)
Thank you for the chance to read this cookbook by the famous author/chef, Nigella Lawson. Believe it or not, this is my first time reading anything by this writer. I thought the content was pretty strong, including the food photography and range of recipes. Some of these were out of my skillset, but I would believe that this cookbook is appropriate for all skillsets. There is a big bit of writing in this one, but I think that comes with the territory of having a high profile author. The thing that I end up taking away from this cookbook, for example if I wanted to explain why it was a buyable book, is that there are some guidelines on how to cook things that I am unfamiliar with and would be able to get ahold of and try.
This is a great book for foodies. I was unable to properly read my ARC as it wasn't available in kindle and for some reason it had giant text on my ADE. I skimmed it, but it took ages to get through and it fought ADE the whole time, taking a half a minute to load each giant page.
We're a family with food allergies who have to pay attention to nutritional information, so this also wasn't a good fit for us.
Nigella's knowledge is fantastic and she writes with passion. I would probably have loved reading this as a hard copy and it's a shame my digital version was so unpleasant.
Nigella's ease of presentation makes her newest collection of recipes and essays a delightful kitchen companion. Lawson's musings--and to some degree, memoirs--which accompanies each dish, are warm and personal. If this format is where cookbooks are headed, readers will definitely be here for it
I love Nigella. Growing up, I use to devour her show on the food network. She was the personification of sophistication and glamour while being down to earth. The recipes and bakes in this cookbook are not what I would call traditional fare but and somewhere new to me. Even though I still want to try to broaden my horizons.
If you are a fan of Nigella’s here is a happy addition to your library. If you are new to her style you are in for a treat. She possesses a style that is easy on the purse and natural . She takes you through this new culinary adventure with a certain aplomb that never turns up her nose at your lack of skill. She guides you with a reassurance that will have you tackling her most strenuous recipes. A warm cup of milk on a cold night. Comforting, simple nourishing.