Mad Genius Tips: Over 90 Expert Hacks and 100 Delicious Recipes

by Justin Chapple, Food & Wine Magazine

The star of Food & Wine's Mad Genius video series shares his best kitchen tool hacks for creating easy, fun, and delicious recipes.

Did you know you can use a muffin tin to poach a dozen eggs at once? Or transform a Bundt pan into a rotisserie? Or truss a chicken with dental floss? Discover unexpected new uses for everyday tools, clever time-saving tips, and fantastic recipes in a cookbook that's as useful as it is entertaining.

Each of the 20 chapters is dedicated to a different tool, including resealable baggies, wine bottles and plastic takeout-container lids. With step-by-step "how-to" photography, Justin explains hacks for over 100 delicious dishes. An index organizes recipes by food category so readers can easily search for breakfasts, appetizers, entrees, and more.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Food and Drink, How To

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[ReGina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love learning new things, especially handy tips. This book is chock-full of them. While some of them are ridiculously obvious (if you own kitchen scissors, I have absolutely no idea why you need to be told to use them to cut herbs), most of them are fantastic ideas you probably haven't considered. I never thought about using string to make gnocchi or using a wine bottle to pit cherries (and then saving the pits to make infused vodka!). To accompany these handy tips, Chapple has included several recipes in which you can use each tip.

This is a good staple for any well-used kitchen; you'll be glad you made your life easier!

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an early release ARC of this book, free, through the Amazon Vine program.

This cookbook is filled with neat tips for using common household items in novel ways that extend their use as kitchen tools. I have been an avid cook/foodie for years and a few of these tips I have already been using and love! Other tips were new to me, but are going to be quite valuable!

Each tip or hack is well explained in detailed, easy steps. There are also tons of pictures. This book is filled with pictures of helpful new ways to use dental floss, cheesecloth, wine bottles, bundt cake pans, kitchen shears, takeout drink cup lids, muffin pans, loaf bread, and more.

The recipes are fairly simple; I would say beginner to intermediate level, and they should have wide appeal. Ingredients are fairly common and easy to find.

Personally, I am always happy with a cookbook that teaches me something to save time and effort, offers at least a couple of recipes that my family likes, and is fun for me to read. I like pictures too- the more the better. This one has all that.
Using rolled out white bread to make appetizers, and my box grater to make quick pasta for soups were a couple of my favorite tips and recipes. I never would have thought to use bread in ways like this book shows!

Update November 4, 2016 The loaf bread hack in this book that is used to make mozzarella sticks has become a family favorite. They are better than anything Farm Rich has ever made; I serve them with a side of marinara sauce.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically use internet searches and blogs I subscribe to find recipes. My husband has a massive, out of control, too many to find what you need mostly hardcover cookbook collection.

But something about the description of this book made me borrow it from the library and while I'd probably already seen 90% or more of the tips, some of the recipes sound fantastic!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book to have in the kitchen. There are some things that are common sense and then there are some you just have to try! I liked that he paired recipes with each trick and most were with healthy ingredients.

[Ligaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some new hacks, but many I already knew. I checked this book out from the library for the hacks, not for the recipes so I can't speak to that side of the book (which is the majority). Nice photography. Good book for a beginner.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tips! I'm not sure about a few of them, but there are others that I am definitely incorporating into what I do.
Thanks!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew a lot of the tips. But a good book for starter cooks.

Made one recipe.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly refreshing book with fantastic tips and worthwhile recipes.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to try the Braised Leeks with Fennel Bread Crumbs, the Pasta Bundt Loaf, and the Apple Pie Rose recipes.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these tips are just common sense and things I've heard of before (mug cake, DIY noodle soup), but others are pretty cool, like baking hard shell tacos and taco salad bowls on an upside down muffin pan, roasting a chicken on an upside down bundt pan, etc.. Good recipes too--made the Candied Bacon with Aleppo and it was delish.

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book for the hacks, not so much for the recipes.