‘The Official Netflix Cookbook’ Is Perfect For Foodies Who Want To “Netflix and Cook” Before They “Netflix And Chill”

On the face of it, The Official Netflix Cookbook seems like a weird idea. As a rule, TV-inspired cookbooks come from shows that have loyal followings, like The Sopranos or Yellowstone. Most humans think of the tv shows they watch in terms of the programs, not the streaming platform. “Let’s watch some Hulus!” said no one ever. As such, it’s easy to imagine that a Netflix cookbook might have the same kind of weird vibes as Rob Lowe wearing a hat with the NFL logo to the 2020 NFC title game.

 

But! In spite of the somewhat wonky premise, this is a solid collection of recipes. Once again, I was not allowed to monopolize the Decider Test Kitchen to do a Julie/Julia style cookthrough of all 70 recipes, but they all read like recipes that make sense, which is rare for any cookbook. 

I am not sure which Netflix exec greenlit this project, but they did very well to enlist Anna Painter as the one who actually wrote the recipes. Chef Painter has experience both in the kitchen and at the keyboard, with several other cookbook projects under her belt, as well as a current collab with none other than Martha Stewart, and bylines in Food & Wine. 

As with any other TV cookbook, making connections between TV and food can be challenging. I get the sense that the powers that be at Netflix wanted to be sure that some of their signature programs were included. Ozark is a great show, but not really loaded with foodie thrills, so we end up with Ozark represented via pancakes for dinner, which happened on the show. 

The good news is actual food shows have long been a Netflix staple, and they are well represented. As a Samin Nosrat Stan, I am very excited to try the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat buttermilk chicken sandwich. Having written about Chef’s Table and Ugly Delicious for Decider, it’s exciting to  cacio e Pepe and braised short ribs from those shows. As someone who has cooked their share of Cubanos, the Street Food USA recipe is super legit, and is on deck for this weekend’s football games. (Look for a handsome bearded gentleman wearing a hat with the ACC logo.) 

As you might expect from a cookbook with cool recipes and a weird premise, the organization is kind of chaotic. We begin with a section called “Tudum, small plates.” Tudum is the transliteration of the noise your TV makes when you turn on Netflix. This is kind of a grab bag, with posers like mushroom risotto bites for Inventing Anna (something with cocaine would seem more in keeping with the heroine of that show, but that might raise some legal issues). The aforementioned food show recipes get their own section followed by more catchalls like “All in the Family Food,” “Flavors From around the World,” and “Holiday Fare.” The final section is “Sweet Inspirations,” including mixed berry hand pies for Bird Box fans. Fun! If you ask me, not calling this section “Netflix and Chill” was a big swing and a miss, but this may be why I am not the one writing the cookbooks. 

Interspersed, however, are the watch party menus that really make this a cookbook worth giving. Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Bridgerton get the watch party treatment, unlike, say, the Glass Onion onion rings, it’s easy to imagine fans of one of these shows going all out on one of these menus for a re-watch party. In my book, the most exciting one of these is the menu for Squid Game, featuring steak toasts, Ttekbokki, Perfectly Stamped Dalgona Candy, Bibimpbap, and Red Light, Green Light Soju gelatin shots (see above for the recipe, you’re welcome!). If you live within driving distance of an H-Mart, treat yourself. 

Both this cookbook and the official Yellowstone cookbook low-key overcome a slightly daunting premise to be surprisingly solid cookbooks. In both instances, these are cookbooks backed by entities with the time and money to get it right. Unfortunately, not all cookbooks have this level of attention to detail. Perversely and ironically, these two TV cookbooks are fundamentally better cookbooks than many cookbooks that chefs crank out to build their brands. I asked a Beard-winning chef I know a little bit why there was no cookbook yet, and he quite reasonably said it would not be his food, because his food required the skill and resources of a restaurant. If my house caught on fire, The Official Netflix Cookbook is not the first cookbook I would grab, but I will be cooking from it more than I would have guessed. 

The Official Netflix Cookbook (Insight Editions) is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or a bookstore near you.

Jonathan Beecher Field was born in New England, educated in the Midwest, and teaches in the South. He Tweets professionally as @ThatJBF, and unprofessionally as @TheGurglingCod. He also writes for Avidly and Common-Place when the mood strikes.