Sam’s Eats: Let’s Do Some Cooking

Home cook Way, who made a name for himself posting one-minute TikTok cooking videos for crowd-pleasers like French toast sandwiched around peanut butter and jelly and pork chops with chimichurri (recipes for both of which are on offer here), debuts with a tasty if scattered collection. Way provides bold flavors—like a lamb shoulder marinated in spices, then roasted until tender—and digs into more granular processes, such as making tortillas and crafting egg pasta dough with a combination of 00 flour and semolina. Classics including roast chicken make a showing, but Way veers away from authenticity with such dishes as arancini made with leftover mushroom risotto and a spicy cabbage salad with sriracha billed as kimchi. Brunch options include shakshuka with cannellini beans and grilled cheese with caramelized onions cooked in truffle oil. A chapter on desserts offers a pear and apple crumble and rice pudding. The appeal is obvious: most dishes are quick and easy, and instructions are competent, offering a sure hand for novices to hold. However, with a repertoire that crosses continents to offer everything from monkfish curry to cassoulet—and with Way’s winning personality failing to come through as strongly on the page as it does on screen—the whole feels unfocused. This will best please Way’s existing fans. (Nov.)