Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook

by Sohla El-Waylly

(Knopf, hardcover, 2023)

Available October 31, 2023

Change the way you think about cooking! In this epic guide to better eating, the chef, recipe developer, and video producer Sohla El-Waylly reimagines what a cookbook can be, teaching home cooks of all skill levels how cooking really works.

"The book I wish someone had handed me when I began my own journey as a cook."--from the Foreword by Samin Nosrat, New York Times bestselling author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

"A book to return to again and again and again." --Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times bestselling author of Plenty and Ottolenghi Simple

A practical, information-packed, and transformative guide to becoming a better cook and conquering the kitchen, Start Here is a must-have master class in leveling up your cooking.

Across a dozen technique-themed chapters--from "Temperature Management 101" and "Break it Down & Get Saucy" to "Go to Brown Town," "All About Butter," and "Getting to Know Dough"--Sohla El-Waylly explains the hows and whys of cooking, introducing the fundamental skills that you need to become a more intuitive, inventive cook.

A one-stop resource, regardless of what you're hungry for, Start Here gives equal weight to savory and sweet dishes, with more than two hundred mouthwatering recipes, including:

• Crispy-Skinned Salmon with Radishes & Nuoc Cham

• Charred Lemon Risotto

• Chilled Green Tahini Soba

• Lemon, Pecorino & Potato Pizza

• Fruity-Doodle Cookies

• Masa & Buttermilk Tres Leches

Packed with practical advice and scientific background, and an almost endless assortment of recipe variations, along with tips, guidance, and how-tos, Start Here is culinary school--without the student loans.

SOHLA EL-WAYLLY is a culinary creator, writer, video producer, and community advocate who has been featured in The New York Times and Bon Appétit and on Food52 and Serious Eats . Her on-camera credits include starring in HBO Max's The Big Brunch and The History Channel's Ancient Recipes with Sohla. She studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park before training at various New York City restaurants such as Del Posto, Atera, and Battersby. A TIME100 Next honoree, she lives in the East Village with her husband, two dogs, and cat.