Cook Anime

by Diana Ault

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Cook Anime is a fun (and admittedly slightly nerdy) tutorial guide and recipe collection for dining like our favorite anime characters. Due out 1st Sept 2020 from Simon & Schuster on their Tiller Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I liked the layout here. The author had a two-pronged approach to the dishes. She saw food in anime and wanted to track down the real life equivalent, or she was exposed to a dish in real life and then found it represented in anime. The introduction includes suggestions for dishes, equipment, and an ingredients list (not incorporated in the early eARC which was provided for review) followed by chapters arranged roughly thematically: main dishes, side dishes & bento, street food, and drinks & desserts.

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard only, with a metric/SI conversion table in the appendices. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. Each recipe has a footer with the dish's appearances in different anime shows.

Well written and organized, this could be a fun addition to the cooking repertoire. It would also lend itself very well to fans of meal planning or once-a-week-cooking. Most of these recipes make several servings which could easily be used for a week's lunch planning. I've been avoiding buying food at the cafe at work during the pandemic and these recipes have provided good mileage for avoiding boring lunches at work for me, as well as adding a lot of fun to my cooking.

This would absolutely star in conjunction with an anime binge watching party with friends. Five stars. Highly recommended for fans of anime or anime/manga culture. I could see this also being a good choice for a reluctant cook, to get them into the kitchen and making food.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.