How I Cook Review

How I Cook Review: Ben Lippett’s Guide to Cooking with Confidence

In this week’s cookbook review, we take a look at How I Cook by Ben Lippett, a professional chef turned home cook.

Ben delivers a debut that captures both the craft and curiosity of cooking. How I Cook is not just a book of recipes — it’s a study in understanding flavor, technique, and the quiet logic behind every movement in the kitchen.

This is a book that teaches you to ask why. Why salt now and not later? Why fold instead of stir? Why does one dish sing while another falls flat?

Through over a hundred recipes and a wealth of timeless techniques, Ben answers these questions with clarity, warmth, and remarkable generosity.

‍

‍

A Cook’s Curiosity

At its heart, How I Cook is a celebration of curiosity, of understanding the “why” behind every recipe.

Ben believes that good cooking starts with attention: to heat, to texture, to timing, to salt. He encourages you to pause and notice what’s happening in the pan, the small cues that turn cooking from repetition into instinct. This approach makes the book feel less like a set of instructions and more like a series of conversations between teacher and student.

His tone is calm and confident, shaped by years in professional kitchens but softened by the intimacy of home cooking. The result is a book that empowers rather than intimidates. Whether you’re a new cook or someone looking to refine their skills, How I Cook meets you exactly where you are.

Each recipe builds knowledge. A roast chicken teaches you about temperature and rest; a simple vinaigrette shows balance; a chocolate mousse becomes a lesson in patience. It’s a quietly clever book, one that teaches as it feeds.

‍

‍

Foundations of Flavor

One of Ben's great strengths is clarity. His writing is precise yet conversational, and his recipes are both functional and flexible. You can follow them exactly or use them as a jumping-off point for your own ideas, and that’s entirely the point.

He shares the kind of practical advice that feels instantly useful: how to read the signs of doneness rather than rely solely on timers; how to adjust seasoning throughout instead of at the end; why temperature, texture, and timing work together. These are the small but essential insights that separate good cooking from great cooking.

The opens with foundational recipes that establish essential techniques, searing, folding, whisking, roasting, and gradually moves into more complex preparations. But even the more advanced dishes retain a sense of ease. There’s no pretension here, just the steady guidance of someone who wants you to succeed.

‍

‍

Designed to Cook

How I Cook is as beautiful to look at as it is to cook from. The photography captures food in its most honest form, rustic, vibrant, and alive. You can almost feel the heat of the pan and the pull of the dough. Nothing feels staged; it mirrors the book’s belief that food doesn’t need to be perfect to be beautiful.

The design carries the same quiet confidence. Clean layouts, generous spacing, and understated typography let both the recipes and reflections breathe. It’s a book that invites you to read, not just follow instructions.

While How I Cook is built on technique, it never feels overly technical. The recipes are balanced and deeply appealing , dishes to cook on a weeknight or share at a long table with friends. Each one feels achievable yet refined, marked by the subtle touches of a professional chef who understands real home kitchens.

‍

‍

Final Thoughts

How I Cook it’s a guide to becoming a more confident, curious, and thoughtful cook. Ben has created something rare, a book that informs without preaching, inspires without overwhelming, and makes professional-level cooking feel entirely possible in a home kitchen.

With its generous teaching style, elegant design, and recipes that make you want to cook immediately, How I Cook feels destined to become one of those modern classics people return to year after year, a companion, not just a reference.