Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation

Author, podcaster, and blogger Perelman continues to delight home cooks with this new audio companion to Smitten Kitchen Keepers, a cookbook detailing her favorite everyday recipes. The audio companion is fittingly billed as a “Kitchen Counter Conversation,” and this is exactly what it feels like. Perelman draws listeners in with the same engaging charm and relatable asides that have brought millions of readers to her blog since 2006. As she walks listeners through cookbook highlights, it is impossible to tell where the original text ends and the audio-exclusive content begins, as the entire experience is akin to a casual conversation with a friend. Adding to this is Perelman’s ability to make instructional elements feel personable and realistic through details like eliminating extra dishes or using up forgotten half-packages of ingredients. The transitions between chapters include musical interludes that set the scene. Listeners may want to avoid listening on an empty stomach, as they will surely be inspired to cook—a feeling that Perelman fosters by urging them to drop everything to make whatever dish she is extolling at that moment.