Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste (2024)

Even better than the first! Love Josh!

I can’t wait to cook as many recipes as I can from this book. I recommend reading all the none recipe sections (which are quick and short) before jumping to the recipes. :)

Love the science behind food!

"Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste" is a standout culinary masterpiece that easily earns a five-star rating. As a culinary enthusiast, I found this book to be an exceptional journey into the world of cooking, focusing on an often-overlooked but crucial aspect of culinary arts: texture.

Joshua Weissman, known for his innovative approach to cooking, brilliantly showcases his expertise in this book. The concept of prioritizing texture in cooking is both unique and insightful. Weissman dives deep into the idea that texture plays as significant a role as taste in creating memorable dishes. This perspective is refreshing and eye-opening, providing a new dimension to cooking and food appreciation.

The recipes in "Texture Over Taste" are carefully curated and beautifully presented. Each dish is a testament to Weissman’s commitment to culinary excellence, with clear instructions and tips on how to achieve the perfect texture. The range of recipes is impressive, catering to various skill levels and tastes. From crunchy and crispy to smooth and velvety, the book explores a wide array of textures, making each recipe an adventure in itself.

Weissman's writing style is another highlight of the book. His passion for cooking and teaching shines through in his engaging and approachable narrative. The book is not just a collection of recipes; it’s a comprehensive guide that educates the reader about the importance of texture in cooking and how to master it. His anecdotes and personal insights add a personal touch to the book, making it enjoyable to read even for those who aren’t avid cooks.

The photography in "Texture Over Taste" is stunning, with each dish beautifully captured in a way that emphasizes its unique texture. The visuals are a feast for the eyes and serve to inspire readers to try the recipes and experiment with textures in their own cooking.

Moreover, the book goes beyond recipes and delves into the science of texture in food, offering a deeper understanding of how it affects the overall dining experience. This educational aspect of the book is both informative and fascinating, adding to its value as a culinary resource.

"Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste" is a remarkable and innovative culinary book that offers a fresh perspective on cooking. It’s a must-have for any home cook or professional chef looking to elevate their culinary skills and explore the often-underrated element of texture in food. Weissman has created not just a cookbook but a culinary guide that will change the way you think about and experience food.

You may have seen his videos on YouTube, which is how I discovered him. While I am not a hardcore fan, but I have watched a video of his here and there and enjoy the ones that I have watched. When I saw he had this cookbook published I was excited to read about it.

This cookbook is a little different from others, where, as the cover says, it is about texture over taste. It was interesting to think about, although it makes sense: what's more disappointing than to find you have soggy fries or that your fried chicken is not very crispy? When you have lumps in your gravy or your veggies are mushy? So this cookbook is a little unique in discussing this angle, which I do not think is one that I've seen often. Then again, I'm not an expert cook either.

That is pretty much it. As mentioned, I am not a diehard fan so I am unsure if these recipes are repeats from his channel and/or videos, although some negative reviews say they are repeats. I am also unsure how difficult they are, since I did not try them myself. From other reviews, though, it appears he took feedback regarding his previous cookbook to change and adapt accordingly.

I think if you're a cook who maybe is unsure or find it useful to learn things in different medias (videos vs. text, etc.) this might be a really great compliment to his channel. If you're someone who likes his works and wants to see new stuff from him, this may disappoint. If you like cookbooks and want to think about texture in cooking in general (which is certainly an issue for some people), this could be a helpful read, even if you're just looking for tips and hints, et.

I borrowed this from the library and that was best for me.

I like most of the recipes. Just can't stomach the schtick.

Positives:

A fairly good mix expected and unexpected. Though, 95% of the recipes are covered in better books without the added tang of the wanna-be-hipster act. He achieved the 1-star by including the Mezcal Tanghulu- and by virtue of there being no zero-star option. I liked the recipes, but they are commonly found in 100s of books in one form or another. Tres Leches? Potato Salad? Smoked salted caramel candies? Come on. Tired and insulting.

Negatives:

The format is pretty much a new take on 'Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat'. This time 'texture, crunchy, chewy, aerated, creamy, fluid, fatty'. A bit of a stretch to make texture a 'new' category. This just in: texture has been around for quite a while.

Photography was DOA. Uninspired and no production value or imagination devoted to that element of the book.

The author's tone is way to beta-boy-look-at-me for my tastes, as well.

A cookbook should be about the recipes and not the overly curated look and personality of the author.

Which is to say, he is TikTok through-and-through and #bohemian has, according to Bing ' garnered a whopping 537 million views'.

DK and this guy must know their audience.

Hopefully, in the near future, this toxic narcissism barely hiding behind a 'quirky' appearance or act will disappear from world culture.

Also: trite overly informal turns of phrase and cursing? Is that showing 'authenticity' and community-building with the common-folk? That is played out, as well. It insults the reader. DK should have known better.

By Joy of Cooking and save your dough.

I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, which I'd entered solely because I was intrigued by the title, and because sometimes I like to cook food.

Thankfully, it turns out there are a good variety of recipes included for both novice home cooks (like me), as well as experienced cooks with some more specialized kitchen equipment looking to level up (…or those novices who are up for a bit of adventure).

The book is divided into sections by texture. Each section includes some fascinating background/info/tips about the featured texture, followed by recipes, all focusing on how texture can really make or break a dish. The writing can best be described as accessible, with dashes of irreverent humor throughout. Do I feel like I could attempt at least 90% of the recipes despite my glaring lack of expertise? Yes. Do I want to make the giant baseball cookies or the mezcal tanghulu or the caramelized onion miso soup based on the full-page photos alone? Also yes. The trickiest part of this book is apparently deciding what to make first.

This is not just any cookbook. It is not just a reference for recipes, but a very in-depth analysis of what makes food enjoyable. Joshua's writing style is at times funny, at times a bit raunchy, but always informative and educational. As soon as it arrived I started reading until I had read it cover-to-cover. I don't think I've ever done that with a "cookbook" before. Every section gives "the science" of why that texture gives humans such pleasure, and every recipe has a blurb at the top and notes at the bottom to further illustrate how it fits into its category of texture.

Not necessarily as a criticism that would affect my five-star ranking, but about 25-30% of the recipes have ingredients that make me say "What the f____ is that?" I plan on Googling the ones I've never heard of and am pretty sure my local Giant grocery store doesn't carry. I will probably skip those recipes until I've made all the ones with ingredients that I can buy at the grocery store. Then, maybe, I'll order some of the unfamiliar things online and try those recipes too.

After an initial rocky start (see my review of An Unapologetic Cookbook), I've become rather inspired, even a fan, of Mr. Weissman. Does he still have the "hipster attitude" I groused about? Yeah, I think so. But it works - when you realize he's not just acting artisan to be cool... he's genuinely paid his dues, and he's here to challenge us to demand the best out of what we're experiencing, food-wise.
Anyhow, I had seen some of his videos, which are on the snarky-but-addictive-like-popcorn side of things, and of course he's promoting his book.
The title immediately grabbed me. One of my pet peeves is when I (or someone else) makes something, execution fails and the thing is soggy or hard or what have you, and you're comforted with "But it tasted good..." I think it's genuinely meant, but genuinely wrong. Weissman breaks down my hunches about what's so damnable about that cold comfort phrase.
Definitely worth the read!

I only discovered Joshua a year or so ago. But I have made an effort to backtrack and catch up on what he's put out into the world before that point. Going through some hardships recently, buying this book was shelved *Pun intended. But on my to-do list. Yesterday I was gifted it for my birthday. Best present received!

Now, I know this may come across as a fan boy, blowing smoke. But please don't take it as that. While there are some recipes that one may have seen from his YouTube or on Facebook. The books contents are far from being just a list of recipes. It has a clear intent and excellent delivery of that intent. (Texture over taste.. if that wasn't apparent.) between the knowledge he is passing onto the reader. And the wonderful delivery, in which you can hear his voice as you're reading. With all the little mannerisms and humour we have come to know and love.

This book is a wonderful addition to anyone's bookshelf, cabinet, or kitchen.

"Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste," by Joshua Weissman was a book I almost gave a 4 star review, then I realized, it's not my fault we don't have a Mandoline slicer for cutting and some of the ingredients are not readily available to us in our nearby stores.
I really did enjoy Chef Weissman's cookbook. It is one for adults to follow. (Heads up, it does have some adult language, so if that offends you as a reader, you may want to pass on this one.)
The chapter heads and explanations were spot on and entertaining. Joshua Weissman has quite of bit of scientific knowledge behind the recipes he shared which were very easy to understand.
One can pull him up on Youtube for a variety of tips and tricks to making great food.
I bookmarked many recipes, even if I saved them for just the sauces or for how to cook a particular item.
If you want to learn the ins and outs of creamy, chewy, or crunchy, etc., and great flavors, this book is for you.

Man, I don't know. My dad saw this and told me about it because I'm a texture freak on account of having to chew food a million times so I don't choke on it (gotta make the first bites count!! Eosinophilic esophagitis is as fun to have as it is to say and write!). Neither of us knew what we'd be getting into. This was a smarmy bro 2010s hipster chef guy take on "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," but the recipes aren't explained enough to back up the actually very good categorized chapters and explainers. The head notes are a joke. The recipes are, outside of texture, random and show-offy. The photography was beautiful and fun. The idea was unique. Everything else? Well, I'm not at all surprised to find out he's a YouTuber with a goatee after reading this book.

I won this in a goodreads giveaway. I absolutely love this cookbook. I've tried recipes from each section, and every single one has turned out to be so delicious. I recently (aka tonight) made the chewy fudge brownies, and they look exactly like the picture in the book. The recipes range from easy to difficult, so I feel like there are recipes for people of every cooking level. I'm looking forward to making some of the more time-consuming, long, and difficult recipes because I know the results will be worth it. Another banger of a cookbook from Josh Weissman.

I really enjoyed this cookbook! I have been watching this guy's YouTube videos for maybe a year or more at this point and I really appreciate his content. I would not describe myself as a cook but this book has so many ideas for quick and easy snacks which is great for people like myself who struggle with enjoying the task of eating. The information is expressed very much like the videos with little tips and tricks I would not have otherwise thought of and now include them in my own cooking. Very much appreciated.

I received a copy as a giveaway winner from GoodReads. I was so excited when it landed on my doorstep! I devoured this cookbook and immediately made a new grocery list. I love and appreciate the balance of educating the importance of different aspects of food (crunchy, chewy, etc) and how to achieve them along with recipes to showcase each skill/quality. I am so excited to dive into trying so many of these recipes!

Can you rate a book solely for the manly squeal it elicits from your boyfriend when you pull it out of the box? No, okay, so Weissman's new book is half a technical breakdown of what textures are and how to better incorporate and appreciate them. The other half is recipes that don't have astronomical ingredient lists, i.e. not intimidating and moderately accessible. Everything is delivered with Weissman's signature open-style humor, accompanied by some bonus teasing with his wife.

This is way better than his first cookbook.

His first cookbook had a lot of stupid easy filler recipes that made us wonder how he chose a recipe to make a sandwich with his skills.

With this cookbook, he is actually listening. He even mentioned in this book that people wanted more challenging recipes. So that's what he did.

Super glad that he did this and can't wait to make things he gives recipes for.

I like this book. As an autistic person for whom texture is a critical component of a meal (and how one wrong or unexpected texture can ruin an entire meal or day)- this cookbook makes me feel /seen/.

I love the organization - by texture type, and the fact that most sections had recipes that were adaptable or inherently appropriate for many duets (vegetarian, gluten free).

This is one of those cookbooks you "read" - Josh has a lot of opinions and knowledge about food and cooking and his voice is loud but friendly. Not sure I will make any of the recipes (maybe the asparagus soup or the Texas toast smash burger) but it was fun reading his take on what makes food taste good.

A great cookbook from one of my favorite chefs, and with a ton of interesting info about why we like the textures that we do. You know it’s a good cookbook when you are thinking, “Why don’t I have a torch for my kitchen” and “I should buy a CO2 charged whipped cream dispenser just to have it around.”

I love this cookbook! It's filled with full-page photographs and some fun ones of Joshua Weissman, as well as delicious recipes! I can't wait to try them. I definitely recommend this cookbook!

I won this cookbook in a goodreads giveaway. Thank you very much!

The concept takes a little getting used to, but I'm here for it. Texture isn't talked about often enough in cooking, and Weissman does a good job telling readers about each of about half a dozen textures and how to incorporate them into cooking and onto the plate. I might be a little obsessed.

You don’t often find cookbooks exploring texture (as stated in the opening pages of the book), so this was a refreshing look into how to approach food when cooking. Really good recipes, but needed a few more, and perhaps a few ‘whole meal’ recipes would have been good as well.

I’d consider this more of an informational book than a cookbook, and there are only a couple of things I might actually consider making from the short list of recipes included. (But in all honesty I’m actually making 0.)

This is a very good cookbook. Sound knowledge about basic textures, and loads of good recipes. I haven't found an issue yet with any amount of ingredients (which was a plague with Joshua's previous cookbook).

The ginger beer is great! I like the opening of the cookbook on what is texture? It seems a unique way to chop the book into chapters on crunchy, chewy, aerated, creamy, fluid and fatty. I have not seen this done before.

Not very creative...you can get most of these online.

A totally different take on most cookbooks. The recipes are arranged by 'texture' rather than the traditional categories. But as usual, a fun read and has a place on my shelf with other cookbooks.

Repurposed recipes - EVERYTHING can be found online. Don’t waste your money.

This a great but challenging cookbook. I doubt many people will actually cook from it. But I’d eat almost everything in here if Josh made it.