In this charming and comprehensive monograph, Nilsson (Ramen) takes readers on a world tour of egg-centric recipes. It opens with in-depth how-tos, accompanied by helpful step-by-step photos, on frying, scrambling, boiling, and making meringues and emulsions. For brunch, there’s classic eggs Benedict (on home-made brioche)—followed by riffs featuring mushroom and fennel, and salmon with dill-horseradish-hollandaise—and an Instagramable egg baked inside half an avocado. Other recipes span the globe, including Chinese tea eggs, Korean bibimbap, Spanish tortilla, salads Nicoise, various types of ramen, and huevos rancheros. Oto, a Ghanaian dish of sweet potato, red onion, and soft-boiled eggs, is often served at celebrations, while chawanmushi, a Japanese steamed-egg custard, is reminiscent of a “savory creme brulée.” (There is also a recipe for creme brulée.) Nilsson nods to her native Sweden with the decadent pelle janzon, or toast topped with raw beef tenderloin, roe, and raw quail egg, and includes fun tips throughout (one can spin an egg to determine if it has been hard-boiled). Desserts and drinks, including raspberry marshmallows and eggnog, round things out. Colorful design, appetizing photography, a friendly tone, and clear instructions support this surprisingly wide-ranging collection. It’s sure to inspire home cooks to crack some shells. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Dietician and fertility specialist Ruth debuts with an encouraging guide to managing symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome, an endocrine disorder that causes infertility, irregular periods, weight gain, and other issues. Drawing on her personal experience with PCOS, she explains how the chronic condition can be managed through lifestyle and dietary changes, writing that “a diagnosis wasn’t the end of my life.” Stress, hormones, genetics, and inflammation are the four main factors that influence PCOS symptoms, Ruth notes, laying out steps for mitigating the impacts of each. Increased stress, for example, causes spikes in hormone levels, which for women with PCOS can lead to missed periods, weight gain, and facial hair. Ruth encourages readers to take mental and physical stress seriously and prioritize minimizing it, suggesting that exercise and quality sleep are key to doing so. Nutrition can also make a significant difference. Explaining that there are “no good or bad foods,” she recommends a balanced diet of fiber, carbs, fats, and protein and offers “pro tips,” like eating vegetables and protein before carbs, which research shows can reduce blood sugar spikes and PCOS symptoms. Rounding things out are easy-to-follow weekly meal plans, extensive grocery lists, and delicious-sounding recipes, like portobello baked eggs and salmon burgers with tangy slaw. For readers with PCOS, Ruth’s friendly tone and accessible advice chart a hopeful path forward. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Whitmore, creator of the Instagram account The Formula Mom, debuts with a confidence-boosting guide to feeding newborns with formula. Even though most American parents rely on formula, she says, only a fraction receive any training from healthcare providers on how to properly prepare it. Whitmore helps readers understand formula, a combination of milk, lactose, and plant-based oils designed to be similar to breast milk, and how to choose the right kind (“Don’t break your budget for ingredients that aren’t required unless you really want them”). She covers how to safely prepare bottles, noting that parents can generally mix formula with tap water if it’s safe to drink in their area, as well as topics that become relevant in later months, like introducing solid foods and moving from bottles to cups. “Quick Tip” sidebars offer game-changing ideas, like batching a pitcher of a day’s worth of formula, as it can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, and implementing “dream feeds,” or waking up and feeding a baby roughly three hours after their bedtime to help them—and parents—sleep longer. Throughout, Whitmore suffuses her practical advice with compassion, acknowledging that women are often made to feel guilty for not breastfeeding their babies. Parents will feel informed and affirmed. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

“I’m in the trenches of daily cooking for the people who live under my roof.... We need meals that are quick, easy, affordable,” writes Secrest, the home cook behind the TikTok account @applesauceandadhd, in her fun debut collection of unfussy weeknight crowd-pleasers. Secrest went viral for her self-described “aggressive tutorials” and attempts to maintain her signature sassy-to-belligerent tone in print via excessive italicization, all caps, and plenty of cursing. The comic effect doesn’t entirely translate, however, and may alienate those who aren’t already fans. Still, the recipes themselves are quick, flavorful, and consciously beginner chef– and child taste bud–friendly. “Fast and Furious” fare promises meals ready in 30 minutes or less, including sloppy joe fries and “lazy lasagna” made by layering frozen ravioli. The “Meaty Mayhem” chapter offers classics like pulled pork, while “Veggie Vendetta” features side dishes such as honey garlic carrots. “Pantry Raid” is full of clever suggestions for using up pantry staples, while the most out-there section, “Potato Tot Take-Down,” serves up six meals made with tater tots, including “taco tot bowls.” Throughout, Secrest offers judgement-free ideas for store-bought substitutions and tips for how to freeze and stretch dishes over multiple meals. Busy home chefs will be inspired. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

This solid debut guide from mixed media artist McCreevy introduces readers to the world of gel plate printing, a type of monoprinting that uses a reusable, gelatin-like plate to create layered prints with paint. Crafters will need a gel plate (she recommends ones from Gel Press or Gelli Arts), acrylic paints, quality paint rollers, paper, and other easy-to-find tools for creating the designs, like an old credit card, baby wipes, string, and sponges. Before delving into the projects, McCreevy offers tips on color theory (to reduce a color’s brightness, mix a small amount of its complementary color) and how to extend the drying time of acrylic paint (acrylic retarders or a few drops of water can help). With each of the six projects, readers learn new techniques. To create a bookmark, for instance, crafters are instructed on how to apply stencils to the gel plate, add pops of color to a print, and use a viewfinder (a tool that helps find a “visually pleasing composition” within a print). Other projects, like the circular collage painting, demonstrate how to print whole, fresh flowers and embroider French knots and sewing beads onto canvas. Gorgeous photos accompany McCreevey’s thorough step-by-step instructions. Printmakers and serious crafters will find this worth a look. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Emergency medicine doctor Alker (Goodnight Grandma Angel) explores in this witty yet indispensable guide 99 of the “most terrifying, interesting, and unfortunate ways to die.” Drawing on her experience as a “board-certified death escapologist,” Alker assumes the role of a medical translator, explaining common ailments like strep throat and flu, rare encounters such as with brain-eating amoebas and sharks, and everyday accidents from car crashes to drowning. One chapter is dedicated entirely to sex, illustrating how for most women pregnancy is “the most dangerous undertaking of their lives” and how the sexually transmitted disease HPV can cause cervical and penile cancer. Another is dedicated to warfare, demonstrating how toxic chemicals have been used as weapons and how atomic bombs can decimate large areas and emit lethal radiation. Throughout, she offers tips for avoiding these wide-ranging dangers: if you wake up with a bat in your room, get a rabies vaccine immediately; never ignore chest pain; don’t give a baby raw honey. Alker balances a tongue-in-cheek tone with honest reflections on death, which she says “is the force that defines human life as a temporary, precious spark of magic.” Readers who want to be prepared for the worst will treasure this. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Bee balm, gillyflowers, and rocket larkspur are some of the vibrant plants featured in gardener Hubbard’s prudent debut guide to creating an English-style cottage garden. Dating back to the 12th century, the cottage garden is known for its abundant, informal look, featuring a diversity of colorful flowers and vegetables and meandering paths. Hubbard outlines seven steps to creating a cottage garden, including selecting the right plants (she recommends visiting gardens and parks to see what thrives locally) and sketching the layout. She takes into account such challenges as climate change, pollution, and food supply shortages, explaining how cottage gardens contribute to a healthier planet by replacing lawns with meadows that don’t require chemical fertilizers or “gas-guzzling mowers” and are filled with native plants that support biodiversity. Gardeners can also donate the vegetables they grow to their community to address food inequality. Elsewhere, Hubbard offers advice for shoring up one’s cottage garden against extreme weather events, like installing rain barrels to minimize the effects of heavy rainfall. She supports her shrewd guidance with her personal experiences growing up around her grandmother’s cottage garden in England and eventually building her own in Pennsylvania. The result is a definitive resource for cultivating a thriving cottage garden. Photos. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

This whimsical guide from crochet designer Sartori (Crochet Your Celebrity Crush) teaches readers how to make stuffed toys known as amigurumi. Each character—from adorable animals to anthropomorphized food items—holds up a sign with a punny affirmation. For example, a pink octopus urges, “There’s nothing you can’t hand-le,” while a rosy-cheeked avocado proclaims, “You’ve guac this!” Before delving into the projects, Sartori covers the basics of the craft, instructing readers to use medium-weight yarn and a crochet hook that gives “a dense fabric and doesn’t allow any stuffing to show through” and offering step-by-step instructions for common crochet stitches and techniques, like the magic loop and chain stitch. The 30 projects include “comfort foods” such as a smiling donut and a cheeky taco; “caring critters,” like an encouraging snail and a sincere lion; and a slew of other uplifting figures, from a charming ghost who says “You have a boo-tiful spirit” to an animated houseplant who declares, “Be-leaf in yourself.” Throughout, color photographs and step-by-step instructions take guesswork out of the equation. The positive affirmations, which are printed on cards provided at the back of the book, make these figures great gifts or desk companions. Crafters will be inspired. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

This approachable and exciting guide offers up simple Mediterranean dishes that use five ingredients or fewer (excluding salt, pepper, cooking fat, and water). It’s an expansive collection that celebrates the versatility of the Mediterranean diet. From Southern Europe, there is Provencal herb tapenade, Spanish cream of asparagus soup, and sizzling rosemary shrimp over polenta, a “staple in Italy since the sixteenth century.” Selections from North Africa include Moroccan-style grilled tuna, baked chicken with a nutty dukkah crust from Egypt, and spice-dusted sweet potatoes. There are also dishes from the Middle East, including Turkish poached eggs in garlicky yogurt served for breakfast or as a mezze, homemade labneh, and a Lebanese-style green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemon-mint vinaigrette. Highlights in the desserts chapter include baked apples with cream and amaretti, and poached vanilla-scented pears and figs. Interspersed throughout are nutritional trivia (“Phytonutrients in grapes are believed to contribute to longevity,” the editors note) and fascinating cultural tidbits about Mediterranean cuisine (“Whole-wheat pita bread dates back to the 20th century BCE in ancient Egypt”). A majority of the recipes can be completed in less than an hour, and most ingredients are readily available at local supermarkets. Busy home cooks would do well to check this out. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

La Piña en la Cocina blogger Mendez shares her enthusiasm for Mexican salsas in this colorful collection. After an overview of different types of chiles, a section on fresh salsas includes the classic pico de gallo, pineapple habanero, a “restaurant-style” tomato and jalapeño salsa, and another made with chile piquin, a pepper that packs eight times the heat of a jalapeño, suitably paired with beef taquitos. A chapter on cooked salsas covers a tomatillo-based version that gets a smoky flavor from toasting chile de arbol and salsa borracha, in which Mexican beer adds a subtle note. Adobos and sauces include red and green hot sauces and a slow-simmering mole that cooks for over three hours. Mendez offers pairing suggestions (Salsa de Cacahuate, “aka peanut salsa,” for example, makes a spicy sauce to braise chicken thighs) and a few meal ideas before rounding things out with recipes for taco fillings, sides (guacamole, pickled onions), and homemade tortillas. It’s not quite as comprehensive as Rick Martinez’s Salsa Daddy, but readers looking to expand their sauce options will find this a helpful and cheery guide. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink