Cravings

February 1, 2016
Even the most celebrity-cookbook-skeptical reader will find it hard not to enjoy this tome from supermodel Chrissy Teigen. With self-deprecating wit and down-to-earth charm, Teigen posits herself as an enthusiastic home cook and passionate eater (with, of course, a day job that has her sampling the world’s best restaurants on the regular). Thankfully, she leaves highbrow pretension and health food snobbery to other lifestyle gurus. Indeed, she more closely calls to mind chef-authors Christina Tosi and Dale Talde, with her irreverent attitude and fondness for all things junk-food-y (check out the French toast casserole topped with salted Frosted Flakes or the artichoke, spinach, and buffalo chicken mashup dip). Amid the hybrids and hot sauce are some truly interesting culinary ideas (Stove Top Stuffing–crusted pork chops, charred broccoli with garlic bread crumbs), along with traditional Thai recipes care of her mother Pepper. It’s to Teigen’s credit that she has fun with the recipes but never makes them sound easier than they are—otherwise it might be very difficult to accept Hawaiian pizza jalapeño poppers from a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl. Photos.

February 15, 2016

Cowritten with recipe developer and chef Sussman (Fried & True), model and TV presenter Teigen's debut cookbook includes party snacks, guilty-pleasure comfort foods, serious Thai and Italian classics, and everyday breakfasts, soups, salads, and suppers. Teigen's passion for home cooking is palpable, and she talks about such foods as tahini ("rhymes with bikini") and potatoes ("200 percent more photogenic than I am") in an all-caps and hashtag-peppered language that's all her own. More than 100 recipes such as French toast casserole with salted Frosted Flakes, Hawaiian pizza jalapeno poppers, Thai pork and rice porridge, and pineapple-grilled short ribs will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly those who periodically crave cheese, bacon, hot sauce, and popular processed foods. VERDICT Withhold your skepticism--this celebrity cookbook is an unconventional and laugh-out-loud funny delight, with some truly standout recipes.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Fans of supermodel and TV personality Teigen will delight in her new endeavor as a cookbook author. Dipping her toes into the foodie business with her blog, Delushious, Teigen dives headfirst into her first book and doesn't hold back with the irreverent wit or the indulgent recipesshe makes clear that this is not going to be a cookbook full of diet recipes to help you perfect your bikini bod. Featuring recipes for breakfast (Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs), lunch (Sriracha Caesar SaladOK, so there is a salad chapter for when you need them ), and dinner (Spicy Italian Sausage Meatloaf), the book should be able to help readers satisfy their cravings all day. Heavily influenced by her mother's cooking, Teigen's Thai roots are featured in the chapter Thai Mom. With other chapters such as Soupmaster, Party Time, and Things That Intimidate People but Shouldn't, the recipes here will astonish even Teigen's biggest skeptics. If this is what it takes to eat like a supermodel, then count me in.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)