The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress [A Cookbook]

Andy Baraghani is a food writer and recipe developer who grew up watching a lot of cooking shows on PBS while learning to cook at home under the careful supervision of his mother (and with the help of a footstool). His experiences at Chez Panisse and Estela cemented his love for cooking, and his bold, highly achievable flavors became his signature cooking style during his time as a food editor at Bon Appétit. Andy lives in New York City with his partner--and an extensive mortar and pestle collection. 

Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott are photographers who work as a creative team and shoot varied subjects such as still life, travel, food, interiors, and lifestyle.

Review Quotes:
"Bold, contemporary flavors leap from the pages of Andy Baraghani's exciting book, enticing me to make everything he writes about. A multicultural roster of flavors infuses his recipes, from spicy, herbaceous, and garlicky sauces to smoky, crunchy appetizers and braised and roasted vegetables and meats . . . and, yes, a whole chapter on pasta too! The Cook You Want to Be lives up to its promise for anyone who wants to bring new flavors, textures, and techniques to the table--from one of the most dynamic cooks of our generation." --David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen and Drinking French

"'That Andy boy is clever, ' Andy thinks we'll think, once we've tried one of his salads. He's right! This book is full of things I want to make and cook, a selection of condiments and sauces I need a new shelf in the fridge for, and an altogether understandable obsession with sesame seeds. In The Cook You Want to Be, every recipe encourages us to take that one further twist or step to elevate it into the totally delicious." --Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Ottolenghi Flavor

"This is not so much a cookbook as it a friend with great taste (buds) who loves to gossip about food. I feel like Andy's cooking with me, a benevolent kitchen poltergeist guiding me toward the Kunz spoon as we perfect our sauces. We've snacked, we've saladed, we've fished. The food we made together is, of course, delicious." --Raven Smith, columnist for Vogue

"With The Cook You Want to Be, Andy Baraghani does more than provide you with a blueprint to making delicious recipes. He changes the way you think about building flavor and layering texture. Beautifully shot and entertaining to read, this is a book for everyone." --Dawn Davis, editor in chief of Bon Appétit

"What kind of cook do you want to be? If it's one who is curious, fun, and tasteful, you've come to the right place. Andy shows us how to create a range of exciting, deeply satisfying dishes while making it look easy. These days, it can be hard to choose between all the new cookbooks--this one is a must-have." --Ignacio Mattos, chef and author of Estela

"Andy Baraghani is one of my favorite modern cooks, and this book demonstrates why. The recipes in The Cook You Want to Be allow us to bring his high-impact flavors, colorful kaleidoscope of ingredients, and bright plates of beautiful food into our own kitchens. Load up on all the herbs and spices and cook your heart out!" --Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking

Publisher Marketing:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Beloved food writer and social media star Andy Baraghani helps you define and develop your personal cooking style--and become the cook you want to be--in more than 100 recipes.

"This book is full of things I want to make and cook."--Yotam Ottolenghi

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED COOKBOOKS OF 2022--Time, Delish, Food52

Andy Baraghani peeled hundreds of onions at Chez Panisse as a teenage intern, honed his perfectly balanced salad-making skills at Estela in New York, and developed recipes in the test kitchens of Saveur, Tasting Table, and Bon Appétit. It took him all those years to figure out the cook he wanted to be: a cook who is true to his Persian heritage, a fresh-vegetable lover, a citrus superfan, and an always-hungry world traveler. In The Cook You Want to Be, Baraghani shows home cooks on how to hone their own cooking styles by teaching the techniques and unexpected flavor combinations that maximize flavor in minimal time. 

At Bon Appétit, Baraghani created a bevy of viral recipes--from Tahini Ranch to Fall-Apart Caramelized Cabbage--that became household staples. Here, he follows up with more umami-rich dishes, beautiful and restaurant-worthy meals (that take half the time), and well-known dishes recast in utterly delicious ways. Among his debut cookbook's 100 recipes, new surefire hits include Caramelized Sweet Potatoes with Browned Butter Harissa; Sticky, Spicy Basil Shrimp; and Tangy Pomegranate-Chicken. Cooks will find inspiration to riff on, quick meals for hurried weeknights, condiments galore, and memorable meals to impress dinner guests. In essays throughout the book, Baraghani shares convictions (why everyone must make his beloved Persian egg dish, kuku sabzi) and lessons to live by (the importance of salting fish before cooking it). 

The Cook You Want to Be is a trove of go-to recipes and knowledge, stunning photographs, and delicious, simple home cooking for modern times.