Random Things Tours: The Joy of Better Cooking by Alice Zaslavsky

´You are a better cook than you think you are´.

My cooking skills are a work in process and I suppose for the waste majority of cooking humans, the experience is similar. Even the most famous chefs may realise not only that they have a lot to learn, but also that a great meal may be the result of many random factors mixed several times together, such as mood, fresh ingredients, the right spices and many more.

The Joy of Better Cooking by multi-award winning Australian foodie journalist and author Alice Zaslavsky offers not only a fine selection of incredible recipes, but it´s also an invitation to sustainable consumption and zero waste. Written in a humorous and joyful style, the recipes included in the book include very detailed directions, introduced to the reader in a very appealing visual presentation. 

But although I may be tempted to try at least once each of the recipes, a couple of them seems to require my attention first: for instance, I can hardly resist the invitation to taste my own variant of broad bean, asparagus&soba noodle salad. Or, all seasons avocado half. Or a chocolate cloud French toast. Salt&Pepper Cream Caramel, anyone?

Better cooking means not only better cooking skills, but also a completely different take on food and its consumption. Zaslavsky put into words the needs and expectations of a new generation of food lovers and cooks, that are not only interested in enjoying the good, healthy food, but also in the ways in which it is produced and consumed. 

The Joy of Better Cooking is an inspiration and an example of sustainable cooking lifestyle and foodie pleasures. It may be that I first loved reading and afterwards my love for cooking developed, but nevertheless such cookbooks do encourage even the most reluctant cook to take their literary love for food to a completely new level of practicality. And now, please excuse myself but for the next weeks, I may be way too busy trying different delicious recipes from the book.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own