New York Times Cooking: No Recipe Recipes

Given that most cooks throughout human history have not used a cookbook, it's clear that recipes are not essential to good food. But carefully written instructions and demo videos have given some people the idea that they can't step up to the stove without a printed promise of success.

Sam Sifton, the founding editor of the phenomenally popular New York Times Cooking, is here to correct that impression with more than 100 things you can make without exact quantities, precise temperatures, and, very often, down-to-the-very-second timing. Happily, that usually means the kind of easy weeknight dinners that many of us would like to toss off while drinking a glass of vino or listening to friends and family chatting on the other side of the kitchen island.

What might you serve without a recipe? How about black bean tacos; grilled broccoli with soy sauce, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar; pasta with blue cheese and walnuts; pork chops with peanuts and gochujong; roasted salmon with tamari and lemon; or vegan banana ice cream?

And even if you're one of those cooks who's already confident without a recipe, there are some great ideas here.

Flexibind. Color photographs throughout.