well read // Martha Stewart’s “One Pot” Review

I recently started blogging for books and of course, my first book would be a cookbook.

And what fun would a cookbook review be without some delicious food photography? I’ve had Martha’s book for one week and already made three recipes. I guess you can say I’m a fan.

Pictured here are her pork chops in a skillet recipe. We absolutely devoured them last night, the lemon zest was everything!

I absolutely love the book itself. It is for sure a new favorite for so many reasons. There is a photograph for every single recipe, which is actually legitimately important to me. Not just as a food photographer, but I just find it really hard to desire to cook something from a recipe I see without some semblance of an idea as to what it is supposed to be when it is done. The photos in her book are beautiful and simple, and actually make me want to try the recipes.

Next, the recipes are easy! There is not a single recipe with more than 15 ingredients, and of those, more than half are usually spices or herbs. I’ve already found that with a well stocked pantry, I could make most of these meals with an easy trip to the grocery store for a couple of fresh produce items. I also appreciate that the recipes aren’t too dumbed down. As someone who still considers herself a novice cook, I genuinely enjoy being introduced to new produce and ingredients when given the opportunity, and One Pot does so. I’ve seen recipes that call for escarole, rutabaga, parsnip, fennel, tomatillos, leeks…well, you get the picture. Those are definitely not ingredients that I frequently use, and I’m excited for the opportunity to learn to use them in simple, flavorful recipes.

Lastly, I really enjoy how the book is organized. The premise of the book is cooking easy meals for your family in one pot. That means minimal cleanup and usually, easy. They go through the categories of dutch oven, slowcooker, skillet & saute pan, roasting pan & baking dish, pressure cooker, stockpot, and desserts, while also explaining why you would use each of these pots as opposed to the other. I found that super helpful, because no detail in the kitchen is too small to me to learn about.

I give this book 5 stars, and not just because it was sent to me for free. I really, genuinely love it and excited to cook my way through it.