Best Japanese Cookbook For Beginners (2024 Updated)

I bought this cookbook to surprise a friend. She’s a fan of Joanna Gaines and I wanted to make her some desserts for an upcoming party in her honor. So many of these dessert recipes use so much butter and sugar.

Most of the recipes are really basic and the results are mediocre. I’m still trying to figure out which desserts to prepare because nothing I’ve tried is memorable or delicious. A big pet peeve to is that the recipes are not written with metric measurements.

When baking, it’s important to measure accurately (especially for flour, butter, and sugar). I was disappointed by the recipe choices and the results.

I purchased the 1st cook book and loved not only the meals but the layout and information provided for each recipe. When the second issue came vol. came out I HAD TO HAVE IT! I was not disappointed. I love the simplicity behind these meal and that she provides a homemade option and a get it from the store option to help save on time.

I then got the discovery + package just so I could watch the cooking show. I love that most of the items are from the cook book. Each episode includes some tips and tricks for the recipes that the book does not, I have actually pulled up the episodes while making some of the more complicated dishes.

I would love to see some of those tips in the book. Also I have found that the show includes some recipes not in the book and I am not sure where to find them. I have checked the blog but only has a few and the credits in the show/description does not show where to find the “extra recipes”, for example the butters in S1E6.

I have most of Ottolenghi’s cookbooks and have eaten at one of their restaurants in London, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a book that will make his recipes simpler. Sometimes I would look at the recipes from other books and felt some could be a bit cumbersome; with Ottolenghi Simple that is not the case.

I have had the book for a week and already made 2 recipes; it tasted restaurant quality. My husband said “for the money I would have paid to eat them in a restaurant, the book paid itself”. If you are new to middle eastern flavors this is a great starting point, buy your ingredients in smaller portions at the bulk section of the supermarket, and if you like it move on to other Ottolenghi books.

If you already own other books, these recipes will feel like a breeze, and you will be so happy to get the same complex flavors with minimum effort. great as a gift too.

I own a fair few cookbooks and I was gifted this one for Christmas. It is hands down the best cook book I own! I have already made about 8 of the different recipes for raw and cooked veg and have been amazed at how delicious the food is.

It always looks like the picture in the book. The ingredients used are fairly simple, except for a few recipes that need black garlic, but for the most part they call for standard ingredients that are readily available in most supermarkets.

We have been blown away with how good this food tastes. It is a book that makes both the cooking and eating process enjoyable! HIGHLY recommend!.

Goodness, what a big heavy book. Yet it is filled with good cooking advice based on the author’s exhaustive kitchen experiments. Lots of recipes, lots of detail on trying to perfect various dishes. If there is a criticism it has to do with the author’s non-stop talking.

He sure does do a lot of explaining about the foods he cooks, about his own personal experiences, about people he has met and so on. So, you are not going to get a bare bones cookbook like THE JOY OF COOKING or anything by Betty Crocker or Better Homes , Jean Anderson or Fanny Farmer.

So if you want a guide through the terrain who takes you by the hand with maybe more information than you need, this is the book for you. Good color photos, good explanations, but be prepared to make room on your bookshelf for this bigger than anything by Julia Child book.

Maybe this book is best for the mid-school to college cooking student, not the graduate.

Bought as a gift but have been following Maangchi online and loved her approach to authentic home-cooked food, her clear instructions and especially her cheerful personality. This book has managed to include all that along with beautiful photography and background information on the recipes.

The book is very well laid out – and way easier to cook from than pausing online videos! An excellent resource for anyone interested in practical Korean cooking.

Great recipe book with projects to do with grandchildren. Nice recipes and ideas. Basics for beginners in the kitchen.

The book is fun for grownups and their kids to get together and do some cooking. Lots of good tips and hints. Kids will like the easy instructions and symbols used for the utensils. Easy but not too elementary.

Can’t wait to start cooking with my grand kids.

Both books are vintage so I didnt expect them to look new, but in the Betty Crocker cookbook several pages were ripped out or torn. The Paula Deen cookbook was in very used condition with pages stuck together like it had been wet and corners were bent.

If you love Chinese food, you have to buy this book. Not only does it demystify a cuisine that defied the home cook, the recipe count is beyond generous. Ingredient and technique info are provided as well.

This is a must buy.

Excellent cookbook! The layout is simple and inviting. The writing is warm and uncomplicated. It has beautiful pictures. The range of recipes are comprehensive (has all my favorites). This book makes me want to cook!.

It’s beautiful. It’s practical. It’s a window on a fascinating, ancient and healthy cuisine. The recipes are clear and easy to follow. I particularly like Fuschias guidance on less familiar Chinese ingredients.

She’s very frank and honest about how she’s adapted Chinese cooking, too — for example, why she doesn’t use msg.

Great cookbook. Looking forward to trying out all the things! Especially the meatball recipes.

It’s a great cookbook. I was surprised to see that the pages were sort of faded and not as glossy as some other cookbooks are, but it’s the content that counts. I actually bought this cookbook for my daughter, for the holidays, but I noticed before it came, that she already had it.

So, I decided to keep it for myself! The recipes are amazing and I know that everything will taste delicious. Thank you Target for finding it for me and delivering it so promptly. I love ordering online from Target!! It’s so efficient.

After a friend had us to dinner & made several dishes from this cook book I purchased it as a gift for my husband, a wonderful chef. Although some ingredients are not familiar they are easy enough to find either locally or on line.

The flavors are unique , complex and wonderful! He has had the best time with these recipes and I am a very happy wife!.

I have read through the cookbook. I am Asian and an avid lover of many kinds of Asian cuisines, and this book has many of the things I absolutely love eating. Since the author is Thai and grew up in the restaurant industry—his recipes are legit.

There’s also a note on the core ingredients of each cuisine and the differences between certain similar ingredients and substitutions. There isn’t a picture for every recipe, but I’d say maybe 80% do, and those pictures are gorgeous.

I will say that the recipes are easy to follow, but they are authentic recipes so they vary in difficulty—some will require a little extra effort, but little “love” is the secret ingredient to good cooking and totally worth it.

If you take it a step at a time, you can do it. But if you’re not looking for a basic beginner book of adapted recipes and you’re looking to achieve that authentic taste of eating something from a restaurant or something your friend’s mom would approve of—this is EXCELLENT.

The author does include some “shortcut” recipes too like for the different beverage recipes.

In the Rock The Wok: Stir-Fry Mastery chapter, Kung Pao Shrimp, while very popular in the U. S. , originated in southwest China. Jet makes a classic version but substitutes cashews for the peanuts which add a nice crunch and flavor.

The dish is quite versatile so you can substitute the shrimp with meat, seafood, or tofu. The shrimp are plump with a nice snap. The sauce is rich and full of flavor. All you need is a bowl of rice and you’re set.

Rating: 5/5 Mongolian Beef is a Chinese-American dish. The secret to this dish is the marinade which turns out tender pieces of beef. The beef is so tender and the sauce has the perfect balance of flavors: salty sweet, sour, and spicy.

Another dish where a bowl of rice would be great to utilize all the sauce. You won’t want to waste a drop! Rating: 5/5 Szechuan-Style Green Beans uses a “twice cooking” technique. They are blanched in hot oil, not quite deep-frying, and then stir-fried in a wok.

The technique removes the “rawness” of the green beans and jumpstarts the cooking process. These are some of the best green beans I have ever had! The green bean flavor is intact and amplified by the flavors of the sauce – sweet, salty, zingy, and refreshing.

Rating: 5/5 Buddha’s Delight – Vegetable Feast is perfect for the vegetarian or if you are just craving veggies. It’s crammed full of veggies like bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, Napa cabbage, and snow peas.

Tofu and mushrooms adds that meaty, protein packed texture to the dish. Personally, I would use this as a side dish to chicken or seafood. I need my meat! Rating: 4. 5/5 In the Sushi, Salads And Other Veggies chapter, Chinese Chicken Salad has become a California favorite since the 1990s and is displayed on menus as an entrée salad all across the country.

Jet makes this dish easy to make at home. It has all the flavors and textures you know and love about Chinese chicken salad from the crunchy cabbage and wonton strips to the sweetness of the dressing and mandarin orange segments.

Rating: 5/5 You know I can’t end a review without dessert! In the Sweets: The Tastiest Way To End Any Meal chapter, Cinnamon And Five-Spice Easy Donuts shows you a donut “hack”. Yes, you can make a yeast donut from scratch, but if you don’t have time to wait for the dough to rise, these donuts are amazing! This hack includes some Asian flare by utilizing five-spice into the sugary outer goodness.

It’s like pixie dust for Foodie Neverland! Rating: 5/5.

You usually get more than what you bargain for with Matty. This book is no exception. Great recipes, even greater anecdotes. His culinary experiences and rambunctious twenties in the kitchen are slapped between pages of fancy bouillabaisse and cassoulet recipes.

Not to say there’s only high-brow stuff in here; there’s also hearty pies, burgers, and the humble bologna bowl. Perfect gift for a Matty fan. Buy two and keep one for yourself.

Matty Matheson definitely isn’t your traditional chef, and this isn’t a traditional cookbook–but not in the way you think it will be. It’s a tenderly written love letter to the people and places that defined Matty’s palate and abilities.

The recipes in the book range from crazy simple, barely even recipes (Mom’s Cheesy Things) to beautifully complex dishes that there’s no way in heck I’ll ever try to attempt. But this cookbook is worth it purely because it presents the love of food and love of people above all else.

It’s equal parts inspiring, heartwarming, and side-splittingly funny. Worth picking up whether you’re a longtime fan of Matty’s or just a cookbook collector looking for insights into Canadian dishes served alongside rich, conversational writing.

If you’re familiar with Matty Matheson and his YouTube presence you won’t be surprised at what you get in this book. This is Matty. As always she’s very open about his life and how he’s lived it. The book is very high quality and the images used really add to the overall product.

The only small criticism I would have is this is a book of meals which are probably more suited to cooking in cold climates (which is not surprising for a Canadien chef) so there may be a small window of enjoyment for some of the meals if, like I do, you live in the sun tropics.

Nancy Singleton Hachisu writes wonderful cookbooks that provide both accessible recipes for home cooks and recipes and directions for dishes and products that can be an inspiring stretch. ‘Japan’ will provide inspiration for eating for many years to come.

This book adds a huge number of Japanese recipes to what i thought was my already large repertoire. How mistaken I was. I have already cooked a number of the dishes. Well written, easy to follow, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves cooking Japanese food.

I always love his cookery books. Have bought quite a few now, and always lots of different recipes to try. This one is the same… lovely dishes to make!

I think (For Me anyway) this is a very good purchase and as I use it a lot, it gives me a record of things that I have tried already and also, things that I have not tried yet! The script and format is clear, and you can or should be able to find idea’s that spur your will to “HAVE A GO WITH!” I feel as long as you have a little experience with cooking (BUT DON’T WORRY, IT’S STRAIGHT FORWARD) you would appreciate this book and you’d use it frequently! Best of Luck and Learn.

Regards. T.

“Cook with Jamie” is one of my top 5 favorites in the cook book world. As it breaks down not only the basic’s and story behind the different foods but, encourages one to view cooking and shopping different.

Unlike other Cook Books “Cook with Jamie” teaches one of the variety of greens, pasta, meats and more. One of the things that stands out is that he (Jamie)is not trying to sell’s his own product or even a special brand.

Increasingly however, he believes in people knowing what they consume, where it came from and what it eat!! What a great book!!! I recommend it!!.

At the beginning of 2020, I had two stents put in my heart. I was then sent The China Study, by a friend and that book has changed my whole thinking about nutrition. Imagine my delight that someone actually put a cook book together encompassing the principles of theChina Study.

I can’t recommend The China Study Cookbook highly enough. In fact EVERYBODY should read both books.

She such a great writer cook and none of this stuff that you just can’t afford. Makes going plant based easier or even if you just want some really great side dish or healthier options. Great picture too.

If you are a vegan or really just want to to eat better this book is for you. Easy to follow recipes which are placed in sections so you can find them. Only thing I wish they did do was if you can freeze and for how long.

interesting of tucci history and associated families. lots of interesting recipes from italian historical perspective, but not too many i would try as too time consuming. but i would try a few. photography is great as was price.

if had been full price would have returned it.

It rates high with me because it really is authentic Italian/American food. The layout of book is great and there is a, “folksiness” about it, They recipies are varied enough to not be just the basics found in many an Italian/American cookbooks.

There are recipes from vaired parts of Italy, respecting both the Northern, and Southern provinces. Highly recommend it.

Tucci’s Italian style cookbook, covers Italian from his past family’s cooking, restaurants, visiting Italy’s restaurants. Excellent research & sharing it with us. Some good home cooking.

this is for the serious hobbyist otherwise you may be biting off more than you can chew time-wise. some of these i’d call weekend recipes because there are multiple components, each of which takes quite a bit of effort and planning to prepare before combining them for the main meal.

you will also need to make an initial investment on asian grocery store items that can be tricky to find.

This is a story book as well as a recipe book, if you are interested in cooking, specifically, modern asian cuisine, specifically Japanese and Korean, you will love this book. David Chang is a really interesting figure in the culinary world.

Oustanding cookbook by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Outstanding photography, great original recipes – nothing else quite like it out there. The book also tells the story of his several restaurant’s and Mr.

Chang’s personal development as a chef. Highly recommended.

Many things we learn in cooking by observation and experimenting. Some things come intuitively, however to get such an insight on how simple ingredients and methods completely enhance food is simply worth the investment to read about.

The science behind how food is changed by salt, fat, acid and heat is truly amazing. We don’t need fancy ingredients, just a love of food, which was reiterated by Samin Nosrat which I couldn’t agree more.

Such a great book to have on hand whether you’re a novice or a chef. Definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy a good read.

This book provides the basics of what cooking is about and assists in understanding of how to enhance our food preparation using the elements that we all have in our home ie Salt,Fat,Acid,Heat. Its informative in a way that you do not need a degree in science.

Its presented in a way that is like a friend who discusses “kitchen things ” with you. and who has a sense of humour! The language is understandable and the drawing illustrations are a combination of art ,doodling and notetaking(the latter which means one does not have to take your own notes!!).

There are many “I didn’t know that ” moments as well as ” I have to remember this” moments. Highly recommended.

I bought this cookbook looking for good southern cooking. I love to cook myself, but tired of the same ole thing. I tried a few recipes so far (Phil’s crawfish etouffee chocolate pecan cookies, jalapeo cornbread n fresh strawberry pie), and they all were delicious.

I can’t wait to try the rest. I bought both of her cookbooks. They’re worth the money. Being from Louisiana this is a good representation of our Cajun cooking. It would make a great gift for someone who wants to cook.

Simple and easy to follow recipes. No tricky or rare ingredients. Just common everyday used ingredients that blends well together. It’s worth the money. Buy it.

Its a fun read. I love what the Robertsons stand for! God, family, country! The recipes are not always healthy, but hey! There are times to celebrate!

Love this cookbook!! There are so many great recipes to choose from!!! I’ve already tried the homemade pancakes, yummy! (reminds me of mom’s). Tonight i’m making the green bean bundles, can’t wait!! All the recipes look great.

I don’t think i’ll ever try squirrel or frog, so i’ll just substitute those with something else. Miss Kay helpfully suggests substituting chicken for the squirrel in the “boiled squirrel and dumplings” recipe.

The recipes are very easy to understand and follow, and the notes included with each one are so fun to read, and helpful too! Some great tips are also included, such as hard-boiling and peeling eggs.

Love it!! Getting to know the Robertsons was fun, too. This is a great book, one that i’ll be using alot!.

Cooking for two is an important contribution, especially in a household where some are less thrilled with leftovers. ATK does a great job with this, just as they do with their other cookbooks. I love the recipe writeups, as they go well beyond a mere listing of ingredients, taking you inside specific aspects of a dish being addressed and then on to the delicious solutions.

Its very well written, and I love reading the recipes. They inspire me. I highly recommend it. My copy of the book, at a very reasonable price, was like new.

Got this book and honestly didn’t know what to expect. It is much bigger than I thought, heavier, dare I say meatier. Lots of recipes, lots of helpful tips and know-how techniques that are very educational.

Love, love, love, that this book takes regular recipes and pares them down to the right quantities for just two people. Some critics say, so what, I don’t need a recipe just for two people, I can make a regular meal and just portion it out.

That’s great if you have good will-power, but for those of us who over eat and like to go back and graze on the left-overs, it can play havoc with any diet you might be on. I like that, especially for desserts, it makes just enough for two.

There are even recipes for a 6-inch sized layer cake, just enough for a slice or two for two people, and no big awesome cake sitting on the counter for a few days just begging to be eaten (and I end up eating it because I was raised not to waste food).

Now, I only make enough for the two of us and no more over eating. What’s not to like about that? Great concept, very helpful if you are trying to be healthier, and tonnes of recipes to try. Would definitely recommend.

Great idea how the recipes are for two. Even gives instructions how to chop onions, crush peppercorns and so much more. Shows you all the different cookware, utensils etc. you may need. The paper stock is thick.

If you highlight anything, it will not bleed into next page. So many different things to make.

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This is one of my favorite all time cookbooks. The breadth and scope of the recipes as well as the food is of incredible importance. I have used these recipes for large and small parties with great results.

My Indian friends tell me the food is amongst the very best they have ever eaten. Delicate in taste, picturesque in presentation, enjoyable in consumption.

The recipes are truly Indian and from the entire country. How wonderful to also have a huge cookbook with no meat dishes! Many of the recipes are vegan but all could be made to be vegan with a little imagination.

Fantastic book, love the recipes. I had this book 20 years ago and finally am cooking from it again.