Obsessed with the Best

“Ella Quittner gets it. She’s done the exhausting work for you so you can skip straight to cooking with confidence. Ella breaks down techniques with the nerdy, obsessive detail I live for. Her writing is witty and honest, because perfectionism is exhausting but it also makes for really good recipes.” — Sohla El-Waylly, author of Start Here”Ella channels her compulsive curiosity into a year of culinary experiments, testing every variable—from butter temperature to bacon thickness—in pursuit of perfection. The result is part recipe collection, part cultural study, and a wholly entertaining reminder that obsession can be delicious.” — J. Kenji López-Alt , author of The Food Lab“Ella’s book is a master class in obsession—the research, the writing, the photography—plus its entirely unique recipes and structure. This is much more than a cookbook—it’s a delicious feast of a beautiful mind.” — Dan Pelosi, author of Let’s Eat“Ella really wants to teach her audience. Anyone can hand over a stack of recipes, but it takes someone who cares (or in this case is slightly obsessed) to communicate such a level of detail. This book is a wealth of knowledge made approachable thanks to her wit, humor, honesty, and infectious enthusiasm.” — Meredith Hayden, author of The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook“Obsessed with the Best is a modern culinary odyssey! How lucky we are to have Ella as our guide. I am equal parts charmed, fascinated, and enlightened.” — Nicola Lamb, author of Sift”The recipes in Obsessed with the Best are gleaned from her maniacal dedication to recipe testing; [Quittner’s] dishes and desserts are rounded out by funny, incisive essays about the feverish societal chase for the ‘best.’ This is a book for anyone who’s ever doubted the rigor behind recipe writing, or who wants validation of their own tendency to spiral into rabbit holes.” — Eater

Ella Quittner is a journalist, screenwriter, and humorist who writes about obsession, culture and food. She has contributed to New York Magazine, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Baffler, T Magazine, Food52, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food & Wine, and many other publications. Ella grew up back and forth between the West Coast and East Coast. She has explored much of the United States and beyond, stopping to find the best bite every single place she goes (even La Guardia).

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