Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and Over 100 Delicious Recipes

Cowin, the editor-in-chief of Food & Wine, debuts with a delightful “cookbook confessional” that documents a lifetime of making errors in the kitchen. She chronicles her journey to learn from her mistakes with a little help from her friends, all of them star chefs such as José Andrés, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, April Bloomfield, and Tom Colicchio. Along the way, Cowin says in a candidly humorous voice, she discovered “a bigger lesson—something more important than the perfect fried chicken or no-fail soufflé. And that is to be honest about what holds you back—in the kitchen and in life—and face it head on.” Cowin tackles 100 of her favorite recipes, “the ones I’ve made for family and friends over the years,” in an accessible fashion that’s sure to motivate home cooks to head fearlessly for their kitchens and try these tempting ideas. The simple and tasteful dishes are accompanied by extremely helpful tips, such as how to get the creamiest soup consistency; how to “brighten” pesto; and the best pan in which to cook whole fish. For starters, there’s Cowin’s take on Ming Tsai’s potstickers and Danny Meyer’s pork meatball sliders, along with other standouts such as a mushroom and beef stew and a baked ziti arrabbiata. Cowin’s culinary education makes for a charming and important book for both would-be and accomplished chefs. (Oct.)