An Air Force wife created the ultimate kitchen companion to help others feel confident while cooking.
Author and food blogger Bri McKoy knows firsthand about the value of creating connections as a transient military family. She is sharing tips in her new cookbook, “The Cook’s Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master Everyday Cooking,” that uses food to bring others together.
“We do not have the luxury of waiting a year to meet the neighbors, right?” said McKoy, who has PCSed with her husband seven times. “We have to dig deep and dig fast.”
“One day I was like, you know what? We’re just going to start feeding people. We’re going to start inviting people over for meals.”
She and her husband did, and deep friendships began to blossom over food.
“There’s something magical happening here,” McKoy acknowledges after recounting a dinner that led her to learn about a new friend’s hardships. “I think there’s something vulnerable about eating in front of someone else that allows you to open up a little bit more.”
Over time McKoy has come to realize it’s “nice to have a little confidence in the kitchen so I’m not stressed out about if our new neighbors are going to get dried out chicken.”
She adds, “If I could be more confident, I’d probably be more at ease.”
In “The Cook’s Book,” McKoy shares mistakes she has made in learning to cook over the years. She’s the first to admit the experience of cooking for others is more about sharing the food than the quality of it, but her goal in writing it is to help uncertain cooks gain confidence in the kitchen so that hosting meals becomes a delight.
“The Cook’s Book” takes the reader from the very start of the journey to becoming a confident cook, sharing tasty recipes while teaching essential skills. McKoy says her top three tips (which are further detailed in her book) are:
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Learn to cook food without it sticking;
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Bring all your senses to your cooking;
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Have one to three go-to recipes in your back pocket.
McKoy said she mastered early on her first hello pasta to have a quick and reliable recipe to turn to when inviting someone new over. She knows it’s delicious and can adapt it for dietary requirements with confidence, so she’s able to enjoy her time with her guests.
“Food is a great gateway,” McKoy said, as it’s a way to connect with others through all phases of life. We can whip up an easy meal at a friend’s house while the kiddos run around or drop off chicken pot pie soup for a meal train or use meals as an excuse for spouses of deployed service members to check in with each other. McKoy organizes weekly dinners with her friends to find camaraderie on the loneliest nights of deployments.
“The Cook’s Book” includes everything needed to host meals confidently, including recommended equipment, differences between salts, flavorful recipes, and everyday wine pairings. Visit Bri McKoy’s website to search recipes and order a copy of her new book.
