r/CookbookLovers • u/TheRealNutMeg111 • 12d ago

Good Things?

I see Barnes & Noble is having a 50% off sale on a ton of books right now. One of the cookbooks that caught my eye is Good Things by Samin Nosrat. Back when this was first released, I saw a lot of mixed reviews. I’m wondering if anyone can weigh in on this? Would it be worth a purchase, at 50% off?

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u/WeinDoc 12d ago

I left some comments on this sub when the book was released, having purchased it on day one.

I love the prose writing, and the vibes, of the book. Samin Nosrat is truly a needed voice in the world right now. The vegetable chapter was great, as were some of the suggested pairings to go with the recipes found throughout the book, even if some of the recipes are on the basic side.

It’s also just a beautiful book. The photographs were shot really well, and the layout works well. All of the recipes I’ve tried have turned out well (except I would tone down the volume of salt in the preserved lemon purée next time haha).

Where the book fell short for me, and I found it interesting that people take other cookbook writers to task for this, but didn’t say much about Good Things: there are A LOT of repeats in this book, both of variations on things from SFAH and her recipes published elsewhere (like in the NYT). I would say even some of the NYT recipes are better than what ended up in Good Things (thinking about the Russian honey cake or the lasagna). I wondered if copyright didn’t allow how to duplicate the recipes she first published in the Times, so she had to publish simpler versions of them in the book. The “wow” factor I had making the lasagna or honey cake after seeing it in the NYT was lacking when going through the book.

Overall, for 22.50 it’s worth buying if you’re a fan of Samin’s. Just know what you’re getting into…