"How food makes us feel... is as much about the memories a dish sparks, or the people we enjoy it with, as it is about the taste," writes chef Thomas Straker in his new cookbook, Food You Want to Eat. Straker presents his approach to straightforward but high-quality meals, with seasonal ingredients given space to "let them sing." Meanwhile, he teaches home cooks the methods to approach more complicated tasks such as breaking down a crab or making their own pasta. Perhaps most interestingly, in a callback to his All Things Butter online series during the 2020 lockdown period, he starts with a chapter on butter, including nine variations.
Straker demonstrates how simple ingredients handled with care and ingenuity are the staple of a great meal. From approachable foccacias, bright soups, and fresh salads to more challenging options like the oxtail pie with smoked cheddar, Straker encourages a return to slow food, conscious cooking, and the idea that simple does not need to mean "basic" or "boring" but rather is a thoughtful approach to ingredient quality and use. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer