Milk Bar Life, a review

If you weren't familiar with Christina Tosi before, you may be enjoying her work as a judge on MasterChef this season.  I enjoy the sparkle she adds to the show (no offense to the men, however).

Christina is a James Beard award winner for Best Pastry Chef as well as the co-founder and owner of the Momofuku Milk Bar, which is known for rather unusual offerings.  So I wasn't too sure what to think of this cookbook as I'm not known for edgy baking.  But given that I enjoy her work on MasterChef, I was curious enough to agree to review the new cookbook.

That was one of the best decisions I've made in awhile!  What an amazing cookbook.  It truly is like an amusement park for cooks and bakers.  From the first section that contains recipes many home cooks will recognize from their childhood, made with very familiar ingredients.  To the edgy "out of the box" recipes Tosi is known for.  There is something for everyone in this cookbook.

It is also the kind of cookbook I enjoy reading, curled up on the sofa with a cup of herbal tea (okay, tisane) in the evening when I need an escape.  The photos are interesting, both of the food and the people.  Each section includes stories and the recipes have a background of their own to tell.  The font is easy to read and the recipes easy to follow.

However, this is not a cookbook I'll read and then place on the shelf.  I already have numerous recipes marked to try soon.  There are recipes for the home cook with just a little experience all the way to cooks who like a challenge.  There are plenty of pastry recipes as you would expect but enough savory offerings to keep you busy for quite awhile.

The book is divided up by Tosi's days and well... lifetime.  Sections include:

• Hand-Me-Downs (growing up recipes)
• A Cookie a Day...
• Supermarket
• We are Family
• Weak Nights
• Freakin' Weekend
• Cookout/Bonfire
• Craft Night/Sleepover
• Going Out
• and more...

I highly recommend this cookbook and don't let the amount of one star reviews scare you away.  For the most part, they are all people who thought her last book full of edgy, quirky, out-of-the box recipes was far better than this one.   I would say the average home cook would much (and I mean much more) prefer this one.

This book was provided by Blogging For Books but the opinion is my own.

Further information can be found... here.*

*Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.