Hi, I’m Kenji López-Alt. I’m a cookbook author, children’s book author, New York Times columnist, and restaurateur. You can read more about me here, if you really want to.
Want to keep up with what I’m doing? Sign up for my newsletter (you will only get newsletters when there is actual news to report), subscribe to my YouTube Channel for cooking videos, or follow me on Instagram or Twitter.
My children’s book, Every Night is Pizza Night, is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold, though if you purchase it through my shop on bookshop.org, not only will a portion of sales go towards independent book shops across the country, but my full commission (10% of revenue) will also be donated directly to charitable causes. Currently those funds are being used to produce and distribute meals to folks who are in need during the ongoing pandemic.
Every Night is Pizza Night is an illustrated story about inclusivity, community, family, and pizza. It is illustrated by my wildly talented partner Gianna Ruggiero, without whom the book would have been a few hundred black and white words. She is the one who brought the story to life. I hope you enjoy reading it with your family as much as I do.
Pipo thinks that pizza is the best. No, Pipo knows that pizza is the best. It is scientific fact. But when she sets out on a neighborhood-spanning quest to prove it, she discovers that "best" might not mean what she thought it means.
Join Pipo as she cooks new foods with her friends Eugene, Farah, Dakota, and Ronnie and Donnie. Each eating experiment delights and stuns her taste buds. Is a family recipe for bibimbap better than pizza? What about a Moroccan tagine that reminds you of home? Or is the best food in the world the kind of food you share with the people you love?
Warm and funny, with bright, whimsical illustrations by Gianna Ruggiero, Every Night Is Pizza Night is a story about open-mindedness, community, and family. With a bonus pizza recipe for young readers to cook with their parents, Every Night Is Pizza Night will make even the pickiest eaters hungry for something new.
A grand tour of the science of cooking explored through popular American dishes, illustrated in full color.
Wildly popular from its inception in 2009, the Food Lab column on SeriousEats.com has explored the science of home cooking with recipes and experiments every week. Now it's coming to you in a gorgeous new book form with all-new material and recipes lavishly photographed in over 900 full-color pages.
Ever wondered how to pan-fry a steak with a charred crust and an interior that's perfectly medium-rare from edge to edge when you cut into it? How to make homemade mac & cheese that is as satisfyingly gooey and velvety-smooth as the blue box stuff, but far tastier? How to roast a succulent, moist turkey (forget about brining!)―and use a foolproof method that works every time?
As Serious Eats's culinary nerd-in-residence, J. Kenji López-Alt has pondered all these questions and more. In The Food Lab, Kenji focuses on the science behind beloved American dishes, delving into the interactions between heat, energy, and molecules that create great food. Kenji shows that often, conventional methods don’t work that well, and home cooks can achieve far better results using new―but simple―techniques. In hundreds of easy-to-follow recipes with over 1,000 full-color images, you will find out how to make foolproof Hollandaise sauce in just two minutes, how to transform one simple tomato sauce into a half dozen dishes, how to make the crispiest, creamiest potato casserole ever conceived, and much more.
With a foreword by Jeffrey Steingarten
“The Food Lab explains the mysteries of cooking in real-life terms. I devoured Kenji’s book, fascinated and engrossed in every single page—and you will be too.”
WINNER: JAMES BEARD AWARD, GENERAL COOKING
WINNER: IACP COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER: TASTE TALKS COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLER
AN AMAZON COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
A LIBRARY JOURNAL COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
Advance praise for The Food Lab
“Chemistry and physics underlie all cooking. In this book, home cooks will learn techniques to make new recipes, and, more important, they will understand why these techniques are successful.”
“Rare is the work that combines extraordinary passion with such obsessive scientific rigor. The Food Lab is an uncommon and invaluable contribution to our food literature.”
“With this book—precise and serious, witty and relaxed—Kenji joins the glittering constellation of men and women who have, over the past thirty years, brought the ancient human art of feeding ourselves into the scientific age.”
“Kenji has long been a go-to resource when we are working in the kitchen and want to gain a better understanding of what we are doing. His extensive research on everything from getting the most from a pressure cooker to the science behind a better burger makes him an invaluable asset. His writing combines thorough analysis with a sense of humor, which is why we consult him all the time!”
“This opus is a kitchen necessity. I’m putting mine on my shelf right next to my Julia Child books.”
“Every time I think I’m an expert on an ingredient, a dish, or a technique I’m inevitably schooled all over again after reading Kenji’s thorough and detailed writing.”
“Kenji is the most important recipe developer to come along in a generation.”
“The Food Lab is inventive, enthusiastic, and a true joy to read and use in the kitchen.”
“The Food Lab successfully (and unpretentiously) helps the reader navigate the world of food science without sounding textbook-y or overly professional.”
“The Food Lab is a monumental achievement. This is sure to become a must-read for anyone who cares about cooking better food.”