Brothers Create Basic Book for Clueless Cooks October 23, 2008

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Brothers Create Basic Book for Clueless Cooks

Boston Jewish Journal, October 15, 2008

Susan Jacobs
Jewish Journal Staff

Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef Max and Eli Sussman Huron River Press, 2008

Some people are just clueless when it comes to cooking. Max and Eli Sussman, a pair of siblings from Michigan, have come to their rescue with a new book designed for individuals who might confuse tongs with thongs.

“Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef” is geared towards busy twenty-somethings whose idea of cooking is microwaving a frozen dinner.

“We understand that people our age sometimes get a bad rap for being lazy. We wrote this book to help [them] learn how to cook. Food doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy to be delicious,” explain the brothers in the foreword of their book.

Although they are certainly enthusiastic about gastronomy, their culinary resumes are not particularly extensive. While attending college, both worked in casual restaurants — Max at a vegetarian cafe, and Eli at a Greek American eatery. Over the summer they helped feed hungry youth at Camp Tavor, a Jewish overnight camp in Michigan.

Perhaps their lack of professional training explains the simplicity of the 96 recipes featured in the slim volume. Sidebars contain what might be considered obvious information such as (this is not a joke) how to boil pasta, and the difference between dicing, chopping and mincing.

The Sussmans maintain that they don’t take anything for granted. “Unlike other cookbook authors, we won’t assume that you have even one second of cooking experience,” they write.

Short chapters cover sandwiches, salads, snacks and desserts, with recipes designed for rank beginners. They offer instructions for making simple dishes such as tuna salad, tomato salsa, sautéed vegetables and spaghetti with meatballs. Most meals can be prepared in 15 minutes or less, and many require little, if any, cooking. Some of the recipes have a college sensibility, such as the PB and J Breakfast Smoothie (which actually sounds pretty tasty.)

The recipes become more challenging as the book progresses. The brothers provide instructions for preparing homemade Mac and Cheese, Sesame Peanut Noodles and Chicken Marsala. They include some of their favorite family recipes, which have a decidedly Jewish slant. While recipes for Mom’s Style Goulash, Mushroom Barley Soup, Nana’s Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and French Toast made from challah may be hamishe, observant cooks should be aware that they are not kosher.

Some of the most interesting offerings are the Sussmans’ ethnic-inspired recipes. Elote (Mexican Corn on the Cob), Quick Jumble Jambalaya. Greek Tzatziki and Chicken Shawarma, and Yakisoba with Goma Ae (Japanese spinach salad) all sound mouth watering. The sharp, colorful photographs sprinkled throughout the book make the food look very appetizing.

Although Max currently lives in Ann Arbor and Eli is in Los Angeles, they both emphasize the importance of buying and eating locally-grown, organic food. In the book they also share shopping tips and essentials supplies they believe every kitchen should contain.

“Freshman in the Kitchen” is a friendly book designed for culinary neophytes. It would make a great gift for a college student just learning to cook, or a young couple moving into their first apartment.

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