I’m kicking off the 2024 Cozy Cookbook reviews with our review of the Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook by Noah Galuten. Many people have an overstuffed cabinet in their kitchen with ingredients purchased for a specific recipe months ago. This cookbook helps use some of those pantry items and helps people answer the question, “What am I supposed to eat?” We tried three recipes from the book. Here are my overall thoughts on the cookbook and who I think should grab a copy of this book.
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Background of the Book & Author
Noah Galuten is weirdly best known for being married to comedian Iliza Schlesinger. This professional chef is a James Beard Award nominee. He wrote a blog covering his adventure to eat 102 different types of cuisine around Southern California. This cookbook is his third and was inspired by the YouTube cooking channel that the couple does called “Don’t Panic Pantry.” It started as a live stream channel during the pandemic but remains active with almost 11,000 followers.
Galuten grew up in a household where it was expected that you could cook something for guests even if they showed up at the last minute. Keep your pantry stocked with the essentials, and you can cook all kinds of healthy and tasty meals. The book was released in 2023 and shares a collection of comforting, but healthy food.
What Grabbed My Attention
To be honest, I have had a bad habit since the pandemic lockdown of over shopping. I’m slowly working to unravel and make small grocery trips for just what we need because I cannot stand the idea of wasting food. I grabbed this cookbook, thinking it might help me cook through some of the things in my pantry. Plus, I was drawn to the note on the front that says, “Mostly Vegetarian Comfort Food that happens to be Pretty Good for You.”
Overall Cookbook Rating for Don’t Panic Pantry
Ease of recipes – 9/10
Knowledge of methods & accessible ingredients – 7/10
Fits the theme – 6/10
Taste overall of test recipes – 6/10
Quantity of recipes that generated excitement – 2/10
Overall rating – 6/10
Feedback from a lazy cook who hates a dish pile up and making dinner decisions:
This cookbook was pretty easy to follow. There were not any cooking techniques that I needed to google. The dish pile-up wasn’t too crazy, usually a pot and a pan, plus any prep work. Everything we made created leftovers, so we definitely got multiple meals out of each cooking session.
Feedback from an aspiring cook who wants to impress herself and learn how to do more:
I appreciated the vegetable usage, but I don’t think I’d add any of these recipes to my list of recipes to make for others. I was happy that I finally made a soup that I really liked, but it’s probably because it was more of a stew than a soup. There were a few lessons learned, but nothing that was life-changing.
Recipes I Cooked from the Cookbook:
Dish 1 – Broccoli Pasta
Adding vegetables to any and all pasta is a must in this household. We love carbs, so making any type of pasta is a plus for us. This recipe was easy to make and made tons of food. It fell a little short in flavor, so we would absolutely add more spices next time. This would be a great side dish at a BBQ instead of mac & cheese.
Changes made – none
Suggestions for next time – more crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese
Dish 2 – Mom’s Minestrone
This was a stew, and it was warm and comforting. It was definitely our favorite of the three recipes. There were so many vegetables, plus beans and potatoes. Our stew looked very different from the picture, but I think it’s because we cut the recipe in half and only used white beans. I loved the note that you should cook it until you think it’s done and then cook it for another hour. Each ingredient is added separately and given time to settle in. The prep was definitely worth the outcome.
Changes made – added spicy Italian sprinkle from Trader Joe’s and skipped the green beans
Suggestions for next time – make the full recipe (and freeze half for later) and add Kidney beans to darken the color a bit
Dish 3 – Forest Floor Oatmeal
I loved that this book had a big collection of breakfast recipes. This one specifically called out the desire to remove sugar from the American breakfast. I love oatmeal, so I was excited to try this. It’s a savory and filling bowl of oatmeal. I think I overtoasted the coconuts and almonds, which got slightly burnt. I could see us making this at least one more time this winter. It was simple and only took a few minutes.
Changes made – None
Suggestions for next time – Just make one serving for two of us, and don’t burn the coconut shreds.
Lessons Learned
- Stop buying shredded cheese. I know that it’s better in the block, but how Galuten explains it in this book has made me rethink ever purchasing shredded cheese. We own this shredder, which catches everything in a nice container, so it’s easy and the only real option going forward.
- Make fresh noodles for soup. I have always added the noodles to the soup when I’m cooking it initially, but Galuten explains that he makes noodles fresh each time the Minestrone gets reheated so they aren’t soggy and overcooked. He’s right, it’s way better, and then you more easily store the leftovers in smaller containers.
- Rolled oats are incredibly easy to prepare. I thought that the microwavable oatmeal was the easiest breakfast I could make, but using the bag of rolled oats and adding in whatever I feel like is so easy and will result in a lot less added sugar.
Who Should Buy This Cookbook
This book is for anyone who wants to be able to whip something together at a moment’s notice from the items in your pantry. But that only applies if you really have a stocked pantry.
Final Thoughts on the Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook
This was a great starter for this year. Even if I didn’t get any stand-out recipes from the sample we tried, I did learn some important lessons, and that’s really the purpose of trying so many new cookbooks this year. Plus, I feel like my soup ban is lifted, and I have made a soup/stew that is worthy.
Let me know if you’ve tried this cookbook or have watched the YouTube channel and tried anything. The next one on the list is Best of Vegan, so watch for another Cozy Cookbook Review soon!
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