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Comfort Food Cookbooks That Actually Taught Me to Cook When I Was a Mess
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items You know those nights where you're stressed, sad, or just completely drained and the idea of cooking feels impossible? I used to just stare at the fridge and order pizza. But somewhere between a bad breakup and a job change, I started cooking my way ...
Sections
6
Cookbooks That Feel Like a Hug From a Friend
Pots and Pans That Make Cooking Feel Less Overwhelming
Baking Supplies for When You Need to Punch Dough Instead of a Wall
Spices and Staples That Make Simple Food Taste Like Love
Kitchen Tools for People Who Cry While Chopping Onions (Literally and Figuratively)
Cozy Extras That Make the Kitchen Feel Like Your Safe Place
Cookbooks That Feel Like a Hug From a Friend
I grabbed these on my worst days and they didn't judge me for not knowing how to dice an onion. Every recipe felt like someone was standing next to me saying ‘you got this.’
Grab this when you need a recipe that feels like Sunday dinner at your grandma's house. I made the biscuits during a particularly rough Monday and called my mom crying happy tears for the first time in months.
Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table, 1 EA, Assorted, Hardcover
Try this if you want comfort food but your brain is too fried for complicated instructions. Every recipe has like five steps max. Made the one-pot pasta the night I got laid off and it honestly helped more than the wine did.
Half Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy: a Cookbook
Keep this on your counter for the person who wants comfort food with actual personality. Her fried chicken recipe got me through three straight weekends of feeling sorry for myself, and I regret nothing.
Pre-Owned Cravings: Hungry for More Chrissy Teigen
Use this one when you're ready to stop following recipes blindly and actually understand why butter makes everything better. Took me from ‘I burned rice again’ to ‘I made risotto from scratch’ in about a month.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good
Pots and Pans That Make Cooking Feel Less Overwhelming
Bad cookware was half the reason I hated cooking. Everything stuck, nothing heated evenly, and I wanted to throw my old skillet out the window. These changed the whole vibe.
Switch to this from whatever nonstick pan you've been replacing every six months. I seared a steak in mine at 11pm after a terrible date and felt like a completely different person by the time I sat down to eat.
Lodge, Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet, 10.25 inch, Black
Toss everything into this on a Sunday and let it do the work. Braised short ribs in it the weekend after moving into my first solo apartment. The whole place smelled like home for the first time.
The Pioneer Woman Timeless Beauty Enamel on Cast Iron
Grab this set if you're starting from zero and don't want to think about which pans to buy individually. Saved me from the paralysis of standing in the kitchen aisle for 45 minutes.
T-fal Fresh Simply Cook 12-Piece Set
Use this for soups, sauces, and the kind of mac and cheese you make at midnight when you can't sleep. Heats evenly so nothing scorches while you're zoning out stirring.
Walmart
Baking Supplies for When You Need to Punch Dough Instead of a Wall
Kneading bread became my anger management. Rolling out pie crust became my meditation. If you've never stress-baked at 10pm, you're missing out on some seriously good therapy.
Get this before you try to knead bread dough by hand and give up after four minutes. I made cinnamon rolls the night before a big presentation and brought them to the office like a completely put-together human. Nobody knew.
KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
Pair these with any boxed cake mix when you need a win without the effort. Baked a birthday cake for myself during a lonely year and honestly it was one of the best things I've ever done.
(2 pack) Wilton Premium Non-Stick 6-Inch Round Cake
Keep two of these around because you'll use them for everything from roasting vegetables to making sheet pan cookies when your brain needs something simple. They don't warp, which my old ones absolutely did.
Nordic Ware Naturals 3 Piece Aluminum Sheet Pan Set
Try rolling out pie dough after a frustrating phone call with your insurance company. Something about the repetitive motion and the flour dust everywhere is weirdly calming. Way cheaper than actual therapy.
Farberware, Wood Rolling Pin with Classic Handles
Spices and Staples That Make Simple Food Taste Like Love
Plain chicken and steamed broccoli every night was making me more depressed. Turns out a few good spices can make a Tuesday dinner feel like something worth sitting down for.
Toss this on literally anything. Eggs, roasted potatoes, chicken thighs. I started adding it to everything after a friend's dinner party and suddenly my food tasted like I actually cared about feeding myself.
McCormick Gourmet Organic Smoked Paprika, 1.62 oz
Swap your regular butter for this and tell me your toast doesn't taste different. Spread it on warm sourdough at 7am on a slow Saturday morning and you'll understand why people get emotional about dairy.
Kerrygold Grass-Fed Salted Pure Irish Butter, 8 oz
Use a spoonful of this instead of water when making rice or soup. Turned my sad desk lunch into something I actually looked forward to. For anyone who thinks homemade stock is too much work, this is your answer.
Better Than Bouillon Gravy Recipe (5 Minutes)
Bring this into your kitchen if you grew up eating bland food and want to fix that immediately. Shook it on scrambled eggs one hungover Sunday and genuinely said ‘where have you been all my life’ out loud to a spice bottle.
Tony Chachere's, Cajun Creole Seasoning, 17 oz
Kitchen Tools for People Who Cry While Chopping Onions (Literally and Figuratively)
Dull knives and flimsy cutting boards were making every meal feel like a chore. Once I got the right tools, cooking stopped feeling like punishment and started feeling like something I chose to do.
Ditch whatever dull knife you've been sawing tomatoes with. First time I used a sharp chef's knife I actually gasped. Sliced through an onion so cleanly I didn't even cry, which was ironic given the week I was having.
Farberware Edgekeeper 8-inch Chef Knife with Self
Get the set so you stop using the same scratched-up board for raw chicken and fruit. Color coded, easy to clean, and they don't slide around the counter while you're aggressively mincing garlic at 9pm.
OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Everyday Cutting Board Set
Grab this for anyone who's been trying to whisk with a fork and wondering why their sauces are lumpy. Made my first real gravy with it on Thanksgiving and my sister asked if I hired someone. I did not.
KitchenAid Stainless Steel Wire Kitchen Whisk
Use actual measuring tools instead of eyeballing everything and wondering why your cookies taste different every time. Took the guesswork out and now I actually trust myself in the kitchen.
Pyrex 2 Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set, 1 and 2
Cozy Extras That Make the Kitchen Feel Like Your Safe Place
Cooking helped me process hard seasons, but the little extras turned my kitchen from a room I avoided into the place I went first when I needed to feel okay again.
Light this while you cook and your whole apartment smells like someone's been baking all day. Had it going during a snowstorm when I made chili from scratch and my roommate thought we'd been transported to a cabin somewhere.
Yankee Candle Kitchen Spice 22 oz Large Jar Scented
Swap your mismatched dollar store bowls for something that makes you smile when you open the cabinet. Sounds silly but cooking in pretty bowls made me feel like I was taking care of myself, not just surviving.
The Pioneer Woman Embossed Stoneware Serve Bowl Set
Toss your stained old towels and start fresh. Hung these on the oven handle and my kitchen looked like it belonged to someone who had their life together. Fake it till you bake it.
Mainstays 4-Pack 16 in x 26 in Woven Kitchen Towel Set
Snag this before the holidays so you're not trying to cream butter with a wooden spoon and a prayer. Whipped up mashed potatoes for Friendsgiving in about three minutes and felt like a cooking show host for exactly that long.
Hamilton Beach Electric Hand Mixer, 6-Speed Corded