The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks by Kathleen Flinn

Didn't I just write a post saying how I read a lot of cooking memoirs? Well, here's another one. This one is by Kathleen Flinn who wrote The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry.

This time around, she's back in Seattle and takes on a project to teach regular non-chef people how to cook. This project started when she observed a mom and daughter in the supermarket buying all sorts of packaged foods that could easily be made from scratch for much less money.

She teaches a group of nine women who, for various reasons, were scared of cooking or had never learned how to cook beyond using a box mix, the basics of cooking like how to use a knife, cook meat, make a vinaigrette, bake bread, and cook soup. She follows up with them six months later to see how their cooking and lifestyles have changed now that they're more comfortable with cooking.

The most inspirational chapter for me was about not wasting food. So much food and money is wasted when we throw out food because we forgot about it (check your produce drawer). I took a look in my own fridge to figure out what I needed to use up (sour cream) so that I don't have to throw it out.

A fun, easy, and educational read.

PS: If you have any suggested uses for sour cream (about 1/2 cup), please let me know asap.