The Don't Panic Pantry Cookbook: Mostly Vegetarian Comfort Food That Happens to Be Pretty Good for You by Noah Galuten

The Don't Panic Pantry Cookbook: Mostly Vegetarian Comfort Food That Happens to Be Pretty Good for You Reviews

• 
  Ashley

  I'm a big fan of cookbooks, even if I rarely get around to using them when it comes time to cook.
  Too often I freeze up at too many options and absolutely panic only to fall back on reliable recipes I've used for years, and then lament the fact that I never try anything new.
  
  "Don't Panic" and "Pantry" are both big draws for me in a cookbook title, it turns out. "Mostly Vegetarian" is a perk, given that my spouse has recently started trying to steer themselves toward a more veggie and less meaty diet.
  I absolutely loved the introduction's emphasis on 'don't panic' and 'trying matters'. I've recently found that reminding myself that 'better is enough' and 'perfection does not exist' helps a lot with my day to day life, so seeing those phrases right there, staring me in the face from the introduction, was delightful. "Learn how to make food you are willing to eat" is a phrase everyone needs to hear and sit with.
  
  I was also pleased to realize that Noah Galuten's wife is the comedian my mom recently told me about, emphasizing how much I would adore her and needed to go watch some stuff immediately. It looks like I'll be looking into their pandemic cooking videos first!
  
  I was quite pleased to see that most of the pantry staple recommendations are things I already have stashed around our kitchen and pantry, although I did jot down a couple of things that made sense to me that we don't keep on hand. I was also pleasantly surprised at how much of the book seemed to be variations on things I already do- I made so many notes of things to try out next time I panic and go to my tried-and-true recipes, so that I'll at least feel like I'm mixing it up when I'm not stepping entirely out of my comfort zone.
  
  I did copy down a few recipes in their entirety and am eager to get a chance to try those. I've been wanting to try my hand at pickling for a while and the "Ginger-Habanero Carrot Pickles" looked and sounded amazing! They'll likely be my first stop with this book, but I'm also eager to tackle some of those soups and salad dressings as well!
  
  Overall, I'll definitely be recommending this book to those who seem overwhelmed by our cookbook selection and to friends who express frustration at not knowing where to start.
• 
  Kris Springer

  I love to cook and I love to read cookbooks. I enjoyed the new ideas (new for me) The Don’t Panic Cookbook and look forward to trying a few. Author Noah Galuten uses a lot of tamari, miso, tahini, and chilies—items we use rarely in our house, but might make eating more fun. I enjoyed reading this and might watch Galuten’s web series from the pandemic (The Don’t Worry Pantry).
• 
  Michelle Ogden

  How did I miss The Don’t Panic Pantry during the CoVid quarantine! I really missed out on something amazing. A chef and his comedienne wife cook live on the internet using the staples we all stocked up on at the grocery store. Full of mostly vegan recipes there are some very delicious comfort food recipes that are also no sugar. The exceptions use chicken stock, chicken or fish. I plan on making the clam pasta recipe this week! The Sausage and Broccoli Stromboli is delicious and so are the soups and grain bowls. If you are looking for healthy and delicious recipes for your family this is the book you need.
• 
  Lesley Looper

  I borrowed the Kindle version from my local library via the Libby app. This was a good cookbook to go through, though I wish there were more photos.
• 
  T

  2.5 stars rounded up. While I liked this, and even found a couple of recipes I’d be willing to try, I once again have to rail against the bougie-ness of a cookbook. Food deserts and food insecurity are 2 very real things in this country and many of the recipes in this cookbook call for ingredients that will be hard to source for anyone who falls in those 2 categories.
  
  The author also dedicated many pages to decry the horrors of processed food and, look, from a health perspective I totally get it. However, not everyone has the resources - or the time - to not rely on food items from a box or a can.
  
  On the positive side, there were several pasta dishes that piqued my interest. Adding in the lists of fully veg, vegan, and gluten free recipes before the index is something I wish most cookbooks would do.
• 
  Emily G

  I wanted this to be the answer for all my friends who feel overwhelmed by cooking, and it wasn't. If you are someone who panics in the kitchen, this book may not be your answer. However, if you are someone who likes to maintain a kitchen/pantry of basics with which to build interesting dishes, this will be up your alley. Despite all that this was not, it will still be something I keep handy for meal planning and for when I want to make a vegetarian dish for friends and family.
• 
  Daniel Hardy

  I don't know the TV show that the book is based on (I thought it was a concept, " don't panic, we've got this")
  
  The first thing that struck me about this book was the shame run through it. In the introduction, before we even get to the content, the authors repeat, three times, their "guidelines" for food, more than half are shame based, black and white rules ("this type of food is bad."). There are more nuances in the text but when you couple the sentence "don't panic about nutrition" with the "bad foods" listed less than 5 sentences later, how much nuance is really present?
  
  As someone who practices (or tries to) intentional eating, I strive to not hold any food as "good/bad" but rather that all food serves a purpose (processed food is amazing, when compared to more realistic option of 'just not eating' as opposed to "cook your meal from scratch').
  
  Similarly, the author encourages us to adapt the recipe, as he has to for his wife as she "has not this far properly explained " her food preferences. Does one need to justify a preference for or aversion to particular foods? Does one need to "properly " justify it?
  
  The saving grace in the book is, of course, the actual recipes. If you like vegetarian Italian-american food (it's not exclusively, but overwhelmingly the content), this book might be up your alley. There are several things here I want to try.
  
  But would I recommend it to my clients? Absolutely no. The food based shame in America is too strong without me suggesting a book that reinforces that toxic message.
• 
  Michelle

  Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.
  This one was not as useful as I had hoped, unfortunately. My guess is if you live in an urban coastal area this would be a much better cookbook choice; I kept running down the lists of ingredients and thinking about my small town Iowa grocery stores and sighing. One breakfast suggestion here needed 45 minutes to cook. How am I ever supposed to make it to work? Another one was called "health sludge" which is just kind of hard to get behind. Tbh, I am not going to be making all my own stock anytime soon. I'm sure that this will fit many readers much better than it did me.
• 
  Lauren Coffin

  Upon opening the cookbook, I stumbled across two recipes with meat in them. It seems a bit misleading to say “mostly”vegetarian. The illustrations and layout look nice, but I didn’t bother looking at the rest of the recipes.
• 
  Laura

  some classic easy food, although overall nothing really inspired and the flavor pallet seemed fairly uniform to me which is one thing I hate especially in vegetarian cooking. It feels so lazy when there are so many different veg flavors and textures to work with.
• 
  MountainsMama

  I have never heard of this cook, and so maybe the vibe of the book was lost on me…? I thought the recipes were fussy and not that unique, and the photos of the author and his wife felt unnatural and fake.
  
  This is an unkind review, but I really just think these recipes and this approach to cooking (upper middle class Hollywood Hills farmers market crowd) don’t bring much to advance good cooking for all.
• 
  Emily

  Most people don't read cookbooks cover to cover. My mom and I do. This one is simple, delicious, and beautifully written. I like Noah's prose and his cooking philosophy. This is a good library borrow if just to read his guidelines and browse the recipes. More beans and greens!
• 
  Michelle

  Not for me
• 
  Laura

  Completely devoid of helpful advice about navigating the galaxy, let alone what to serve at Vogon poetry slams. Very disappointing.
• 
  Julia

  Not one good recipe
• 
  Jaime

  I would have liked a few more pictures and a few more vegetarian bean recipes but there are a ton of veggie, vegan and gluten free recipes! I’m also excited to try the oven method for cooking beans!
• 
  Beka

  Some good ideas overall.
• 
  The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori)

  
  Full Review on The Candid Cover
  
  3.5 Stars
  
  The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook by Noah Galuten is a cookbook that attempts to help you take the stress out of cooking. Many of the recipes in the book are vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, and will fit with the needs of many trying to eat healthier. While this book may not solve the dilemmas that inexperienced home cooks face, it does provide a lot of insight into what items every pantry needs.
  
  Quite often when deciding what to make for dinner, I open the pantry and hope that inspiration will leap out at me from the shelves. Sometimes this works, but I usually just gravitate to the same old recipes. This cookbook has given me a few new options and I have also added a couple of new staples to my pantry shelves.
  
  ❀ CONTENTS: THE DON’T PANIC PANTRY COOKBOOK BY NOAH GALUTEN
  
  Foreword by Iliza Shlesinger
  Introduction
  Marcella and Camus
  More About Thos Guidelines
  My Pantry
  Actual Pantry
  Within Arm’s Reach
  Fridge and Freezer
  Helpful Kitchen Tools
  Pantry Prep
  Breakfast
  Healthful Snacks
  Vegetables
  Salads and Dressings
  Pasta and Noodles
  Soups and Stews
  More Things in Bowls
  Almost Entirely Proteins
  
  ❀ DOES NOT SET OUT TO SOLVE HOW NOT TO PANIC IN THE KITCHEN
  
  The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook by Noah Galuten has some great ideas for what to include in your pantry and a wealth of interesting recipes. While the images are stunning and the book has an easy to follow format, it doesn’t set out to solve how not to “panic” when it comes to cooking. However, it will be useful to anyone looking for pantry ideas and vegetarian recipes.