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Cook This Book by Molly Baz Review: A Modern, Technique-First Cookbook for Beginners
Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz (Clarkson Potter, April 2021) is a New York Times bestseller and foundational cookbook designed to turn food-lovers who lack kitchen confidence into capable, improvisational cooks — named one of the best cookbooks of the year by NPR, Food52, and Taste of Home.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Food-obsessed beginners who crave good eating but lack kitchen confidence — anyone who wants structured, technique-first teaching alongside genuinely exciting recipes, with built-in video support for moments when text alone isn't enough.
Worth it if
The instructional scaffolding — golden rules, flavor charts, QR-code video tutorials, and technique glossaries — addresses a real gap in your cooking knowledge and you want a single book that builds foundational skills rather than simply adding recipes to a pile.
Skip if
Experienced cooks who already command searing, seasoning, and flavor-balancing fundamentals, or anyone shopping for a high-volume reference library, will find the 95-recipe count modest and the instructional apparatus aimed well below their level.
What readers & critics say
Publishers Weekly called it "an exciting crash course in cooking fundamentals via 95 recipes that don't ask too much of the home cook," concluding that novice home cooks would do well to have it on the shelf. The book earned New York Times bestseller status and was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by NPR, Food52, and Taste of Home, with McNally Jackson's listing aggregating critical praise from Esquire ("for anyone who wants to learn kitchen skills that stick"), Salon ("packed with information about the principles of great flavor and instructions on technique"), and TASTE ("Molly Baz is rethinking the way we engage with cookbooks").
“Recipe developer Baz delivers an exciting crash course in cooking fundamentals via 95 recipes that don't ask too much of the home cook.”
— Publishers Weekly4.8from 3,318 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is and Does
- The Recipe Range and What's on the Menu
- Standout Features: QR Codes and the Multimedia Layer
- Reception and Significance
- Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- New York Times bestseller named one of the best cookbooks of the year by NPR, Food52, and Taste of Home
- Integrated QR codes link to technique-driven video tutorials hosted by Baz, addressing skills that static text can't fully convey
- Structured around genuine teaching — Molly's Golden Rules, flavor and texture charts, post-cook checklists — not just recipe delivery
- 95 recipes span a wide range of flavors and proteins, from Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara to a miso apple tart, designed to be approachable without sacrificing ambition
- Publishers Weekly praised Baz's encouraging tone and called it a book novice home cooks would do well to own
What Doesn't
- At 95 recipes, the collection is intentionally focused rather than encyclopedic — cooks seeking volume or a broad reference library may find it lean
- Experienced cooks who already command foundational techniques will find much of the instructional apparatus — golden rules, technique glossaries, flavor charts — geared toward a less advanced reader
A New York Times bestseller aimed squarely at food-obsessed beginners, Cook This Book delivers 95 recipes alongside an explicit curriculum of cooking fundamentals — making it one of the more purposefully structured debut cookbooks in recent years.
What the Book Actually Is and Does
Interior spread showing a recipe with instructional text and a plated dish of dressed greens with croutons, demonstrating technique-based cooking instruction.
Cook This Book is a foundational cookbook, not a conventional recipe collection. Molly Baz — a recipe developer and former Bon Appétit editor — frames its 95 recipes as vehicles for teaching rather than endpoints in themselves. The book opens with "Molly's Golden Rules," a set of guiding principles including "read the recipe first" and "season as you go," and closes with a dedicated rundown of core cooking techniques: poaching, searing, sautéing, and roasting. Between those bookends, recipes are organized by ingredient rather than by course, and are accompanied by lessons on foundational concepts — the role of salt, how to balance flavor — as well as charts on texture and flavor, post-cook checklists, and guidance on stocking what Baz calls an "arsenal of yummy condiments." The book is designed, in Baz's own words, to help cooks "set yourself up for success to truly enjoy it."
“seek out, celebrate, and obsess over good food but lack the skills and confidence necessary to make it at home.”
The Recipe Range and What's on the Menu
The 95 recipes span a confident breadth of flavor profiles and techniques. Meat-focused dishes include milk-braised chicken legs with bacon, beans, and kale, and a tomato-braised brisket. Seafood options run to seared scallops in curried butter. Pasta dishes include zesty orzo a limone and the now-famous Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara. Baz's signature Cae Sal — her riff on Caesar salad — also appears, as does Pastrami Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Onions and Dill. The dessert chapter offers a black sesame shortbread and a miso apple tart. Publishers Weekly, which reviewed the book in December 2020, noted that the recipes do not "ask too much of the home cook," characterizing the overall package as "an exciting crash course in cooking fundamentals."
Interior spread showing a shrimp cocktail recipe with instructional techniques, demonstrating hands-on preparation methods.
Standout Features: QR Codes and the Multimedia Layer
One of the most discussed structural choices in Cook This Book is its integration of QR codes throughout the text. Dozens of them, accessible via a smartphone camera, link to short technique-driven videos hosted by Baz herself — covering tasks like chopping onions and prepping shrimp. This multimedia layer is designed to address the gap that static text and photographs alone can leave when a reader encounters an unfamiliar knife skill or cooking method. The publisher describes this as a way to "illuminate some of the trickier skills." For cooks learning without in-person instruction, this built-in video support represents a meaningfully different approach from most cookbooks in the foundational space.
Reception and Significance
The book earned New York Times bestseller status and was named one of the best cookbooks of the year by NPR, Food52, and Taste of Home. Publishers Weekly concluded that "novice home cooks would do well to have this on the shelf." Esquire described it as a book "for anyone who wants to learn kitchen skills that stick," and Salon noted it is "packed with information about the principles of great flavor and instructions on technique." Carla Lalli Music, author of Where Cooking Begins, offered the book's most-circulated blurb, writing that "Molly has written a book as smart, stylish, and entertaining as she is." TASTE observed that Baz is "rethinking the way we engage with cookbooks" — a pointed acknowledgment that the QR-code multimedia format and the teaching-first structure mark a genuine departure from convention.
Who This Book Is For — and Where It Has Limits
Cook This Book is explicitly pitched at readers who "seek out, celebrate, and obsess over good food but lack the skills and confidence necessary to make it at home." Its educational scaffolding — golden rules, technique glossaries, flavor charts — makes it a strong fit for that audience. Cooks who already command the fundamentals of searing, seasoning, and balancing flavor may find the instructional apparatus more than they need, and the recipe count of 95 is modest compared to more encyclopedic references. The book's stated ambition is depth of understanding over breadth of recipes, which is a deliberate trade-off rather than an oversight — but it does mean experienced cooks shopping for sheer recipe volume will want to look elsewhere. For its intended audience, however, the combination of approachable recipes, frank technique instruction, and on-demand video support gives it a clear and well-executed purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz worth it for beginners
Yes — it's genuinely built for beginners who love food but feel lost in the kitchen. The review notes it's explicitly pitched at readers who 'seek out, celebrate, and obsess over good food but lack the skills and confidence necessary to make it at home,' and the educational scaffolding — Molly's Golden Rules, technique glossaries, and flavor charts — is designed precisely for that audience. Publishers Weekly also called it 'an exciting crash course in cooking fundamentals' and said 'novice home cooks would do well to have this on the shelf.'
what are the QR codes in Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz
Throughout the book, dozens of QR codes link to short technique-driven videos hosted by Molly Baz herself — covering things like chopping onions and prepping shrimp. The publisher describes them as a way to 'illuminate some of the trickier skills,' filling the gap that static photos and text alone can leave when you hit an unfamiliar knife skill or cooking method. TASTE noted that this multimedia approach marks Baz as 'rethinking the way we engage with cookbooks.'
is Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz good for someone who already knows how to cook
Probably not the best fit — the review is candid that cooks who already command the fundamentals of searing, seasoning, and balancing flavor 'may find the instructional apparatus more than they need.' The recipe count of 95 is also modest compared to more encyclopedic references, and the book deliberately trades breadth of recipes for depth of understanding. Experienced cooks shopping for sheer recipe volume are advised to look elsewhere.
what kind of recipes are in Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz
The 95 recipes span a confident range of flavor profiles and techniques, organized by ingredient rather than by course. Highlights include milk-braised chicken legs with bacon, beans, and kale; Chorizo and Chickpea Carbonara; Pastrami Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Onions and Dill; seared scallops in curried butter; and desserts like a miso apple tart and black sesame shortbread. Baz's signature Cae Sal — her riff on Caesar salad — also makes an appearance.
is Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz similar to Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music
Both books sit in the foundational, technique-forward cookbook space aimed at building confident home cooks, so there's meaningful overlap in spirit. Interestingly, Carla Lalli Music — author of Where Cooking Begins — wrote Cook This Book's most-circulated blurb, calling it 'a book as smart, stylish, and entertaining as she is,' which suggests the two authors see themselves as kindred voices. The key difference is Baz's integration of QR-code videos, which Where Cooking Begins doesn't have.
does Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz actually teach you to cook or is it just recipes
It's genuinely structured as a curriculum, not just a recipe collection — the review emphasizes that Molly Baz frames her 95 recipes as 'vehicles for teaching rather than endpoints in themselves.' The book opens with 'Molly's Golden Rules,' includes lessons on foundational concepts like the role of salt and how to balance flavor, and closes with a dedicated rundown of core techniques including poaching, searing, sautéing, and roasting. Salon noted it is 'packed with information about the principles of great flavor and instructions on technique.'
should i buy Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach by Molly Baz or just look up recipes online
If you're a food-lover who wants to become genuinely improvisational in the kitchen — not just follow individual recipes — the book makes a strong case for itself. Its combination of Molly's Golden Rules, flavor charts, post-cook checklists, guidance on stocking an 'arsenal of yummy condiments,' and on-demand technique videos offers a cohesive learning structure that scattered online recipes can't replicate. Esquire described it as a book 'for anyone who wants to learn kitchen skills that stick,' which gets at exactly that distinction.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
publishersweekly.com
- 2
- 3
penguinrandomhouse.com
- Further reading
- 4
Molly Baz, Wikipedia
- 5
mollybaz.com
- 6
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