Cookbooks should have a theme that ties them all together. While I love all themes, my favorite is the ability to use one tool to make everything in the book. Hot Sheet is a cookbook featuring recipes made on a sheet pan. I couldn’t resist, and I was pleasantly surprised how many recipes looked terrific, so let’s dive into the Hot Sheet review.
Grab a copy of Hot Sheet and support your local indie bookshop (or grab one on Amazon.)
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Background of the Book & Author
Hot Sheet is written by Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine. Sanaë started working as a cookbook editor at Phaidon and ended up at Olga’s desk. She looked through many of her old files and notes and emailed her to introduce herself. Their friendship grew while they bonded over their love of cooking and eating. While their cooking styles differ, they both love a sheet pan, so they created an entire cookbook around that standard kitchen tool.
The book is divided into eight chapters that help organize the recipes. There are sections for breakfast, appetizers, desserts, and pantry staples. The main dishes are broken down by the protein base, and I love the names of the chapters—From the Low Sky (poultry), From the Land (beef, pork, lamb), From the Sea (fish and shellfish), and From the Garden (plant-based).
What Grabbed My Attention
I loved the idea that every recipe in this book could be thrown onto a sheet pan and put in the oven. Sure, some other steps and dishes might be used, but it’s nothing too complicated. I don’t often grab a cookbook with meat featured on the front, but this cookbook had so many meat-free options to choose from. I put my two sheet pans to work and found some options that are in the rotation now.
Overall Cookbook Rating
Ease of recipes – 8/10
Knowledge of methods & ingredients – 7/10
Fits the theme – 10/10
Taste overall of test recipes – 9/10
Quantity of recipes that generated excitement – 7/10
Overall rating – 8.2/10
Feedback from a lazy cook who hates a dish pile up and making dinner decisions:
This is a great cookbook for anyone who hates dish pile-ups. In many recipes, there is just one sheet pan to clean, making cleanup simple.
Feedback from an aspiring cook who wants to impress herself and learn how to do more:
The variety of cuisine was pleasantly surprising. Pick from many different flavors and exciting ingredient combinations when choosing recipes from this book.
Recipes I Cooked from the Cookbook:
Dish 1 – Cauliflower Steaks with Parsley-Shallot Sauce
This isn’t the first time I’ve made “steaks” out of cauliflower, but the sauce was the game changer on this recipe. Cauliflower is pretty bland, so adding a combo of mustard, parsley, and other flavors that pack a punch helped make this a fantastic dinner.
Changes made – none
Suggestions for next time – I would serve this with some sides because it wasn’t as filling as I thought it would be.
Dish 2 – All-the-Crispy-Bits Mac & Cheese
If this is the first cookbook review of mine you’re reading, you should probably know that I will rarely skip a mac and cheese recipe if it might teach me a new variation for our usual rotation. Bread and cheese? Those are two of my favorite things. This recipe promises some crispy bits, and it delivered.
Changes made – I reduced the amount of shredded cheese a bit.
Suggestions for next time – I would make it the same way. We will definitely eat this recipe again. You could probably add some broccoli or peppers for some vegetation as well.
Dish 3 – Gnocchi with Broccoli and Lemony Ricotta
This was my favorite of the recipes we made. The gnocchi had an even better texture than I’m used to, with a bit of crisp. We typically have these ingredients on hand, so this will be something we will return to in the future often. I often use more pasta than vegetables when making recipes like this, but it’s unnecessary. The broccoli was just as good as the tiny potato pillows.
Changes made – None this time.
Suggestions for next time – Broccoli is great, but I could see swapping this out for any vegetable in the fridge that needs to be eaten.
Dish 4 – Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Dates and Yogurt
We made this as a main dish, but it’s also a perfect side dish. It would be a perfect option to bring for a holiday dinner with a big group and impress your loved ones. Sweet potatoes work with so many combinations, but this one was fantastic. The pistachios cannot be skipped because they add an excellent salty bit.
Changes made – None
Suggestions for next time – I would not eat this as a main dish, but serve as a side.
Lessons Learned
- The sheet pan is underrated. I can do much more than roast veggies with it and need to embrace it. It makes everything a bit crisper than other ways of cooking.
- Sauces are meant to be experimented with. The parsley-shallot sauce on the cauliflower steak was the best, and my food deserves more flavorful sauces.
- It’s completely normal for your sheet plans to have spots and splotches after lots of wear and tear. The authors made me feel better about the way our pans look.
Who Should Buy This Cookbook
This cookbook would be an excellent gift for anyone, whether you’re looking for a housewarming gift for a cooking mastermind or someone who has possibly never made anything more complicated than a box of mac and cheese. It’s easy to understand but interesting enough to offer something new to the people who spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Pair it with a new sheet pan; it would be perfect.
Grab a copy of the book here. (Amazon link here)
Final Thoughts on the Hot Sheet Cookbook
This cookbook was wonderful and provided us with some recipes we will make repeatedly. I don’t think I’d buy it myself because there are so many meat-based recipes I wouldn’t make, but I absolutely loved how it’s written and laid out. There are great hot tips on many recipes and ideas to swap things out in a pinch. Grab your sheet pan and get cooking.
And if this book is interesting, check out the review on PlantYou or the review on Salad Seasons.
