We love them like children for many reasons: the 120 no-fuss, all-fun recipes that will make your salads spiffier and your ice creams dreamier; the Genius tips and tricks from food luminaries; the photos of every single recipe; the ideas, formulas, and permission to riff—and the fact that these books are brimming with the smarts and recipes of the Food52 community. Consider them modern-day, internet-friendly community cookbooks. Each recipe is from a home cook, which means they've gone through the "is this possible for real life?" test—and then through our test kitchen for fool-proofing.
Scroll on to meet just a few of the fine cooks who made these books the beloved guides that they are, and as you cook through the books, join the party by posting your photos with #icecreamfriends or #mightysalads. Because cooking (and making books) is a whole lot more fun with friends.
Cristina Sciarra (left) developed 30 brand new ice cream recipes for Ice Cream & Friends. But it was only after she signed on to the project did we find out that she went to ice cream school for fun! That is why her recipes work every time, cut out all the annoying steps, and have wild and wonderful flavors (like our personal favorite, burnt toast).
EmilyC (right) dreamt up 30 main-dish salads for Mighty Salads. It's because of her fastidious researching and tinkering that we have salads that fill us up and taste so dang good. Who else would've thought to make a Cobb salad with hard-boiled egg dressing?
Clockwise from left: cynthia | two red bowls, fiveandspice, and Marian Bull taught us that there's a lot more to ice cream than, well, ice cream. They said, why not top ice cream—or sorbet, or gelato, or frozen custard—with mochi, or Magic Shell, or whatever else your heart dreams of? Why not stick that ice cream between two sandwiches, or blend it into a shake—with booze, or graham crackers? They went there, and so did we.
Clockwise from top left: sdebrango, mrslarkin, and WinnieAb (bottom row)—three contributors who've been hanging out at Food52 since the early days—turned ice cream into a cake, a snow cone, and on its head: savory! (There's a whole savory chapter.)
Clockwise from top left: QueenSashy, aargersi, emi-i-lis, and gingerroot all taught us that salads can rise to main-course status, whether it's lettuce, duck, grains, or pasta that's inspiring you.
To learn more about the cookbooks, and grab your hand-stamped copy, head here.
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