Nothing Fancy (cookbook)

Nothing Fancy is a 2019 cookbook by American cook and writer Alison Roman. The cookbook stresses casual recipes to prepare for friends.

Nothing Fancy
AuthorAlison Roman
LanguageEnglish
PublisherClarkson Potter
Publication date
2019
Media typePrint (Hardback)
ISBN978-0451497017

Development

Roman's first cookbook, Dining In, was published in 2017.[1] Dining In focused on recipes that "...had you thinking about eating inside just for yourself" where Nothing Fancy focuses on meals for larger groups and tips for successfully hosting multiple people.[2] The book stresses "unfussy" foods and recipes and the value of authenticity and connection when cooking for and hosting friends or guests in one's home, rather than traditional dinner parties, which tend to focus on presentation and etiquette.[3]

Structure and contents

Roman categorizes recipes into snacks, salads, sides, mains, and "after dinner" and intersperses the book with essays and commentary about food-related subjects, such as sardines and wine.[2] The book's structure mirrors the order in which Roman serves dishes to guests both for casual gatherings and more formal events such as Thanksgiving.[4] The book eschews presenting the reader with menus from its recipes, something often found in other cookbooks for hosting.[5]

Roman has said the book contains advice and recipes for an "attainable" life rather than an "aspirational" one.[6]

Reception and accolades

The Guardian included Nothing Fancy on its list of the "Best cookbooks and food writing of 2019".[7] Meera Sodha, who compiled the list, wrote that the book presents "...heart, soul and food frequently and unapologetically made using store-cupboard ingredients."[7]

Michele Moses recommended the book to readers of The New Yorker, writing: "Part of the appeal is her grasp of her audience: the financially unsteady millennial generation, which has turned “nothing fancy” into an aesthetic choice."[8] Moses also discussed the accessible persona cultivated by Roman in the book, and highlighted tips accompanying certain recipes that expressed annoyance with some expectations held by guests. Moses refers to Roman as "libidinous and a little bit mean," contrasting her with the "prim and gracious" personas of Ina Garten and Martha Stewart.

Megan Reynolds has "respectfully disagreed" with the sentiment that the book demonstrates an "attainable" rather than "aspirational" lifestyle, saying that "...the lifestyle as portrayed in Nothing Fancy is aspirational to a certain subset of Brooklyn women—clog-wearers and devotees of New York Magazine’s The Strategist."[6]

Commercial success

The book was a New York Times bestseller.[9]

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References
  1. Whitney, Christine (8 November 2017). "Alison Roman on Milk Chocolate, Clogs, and the One Lip Stain That Never Comes Off". The Cut. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. Grechko, Irina (22 October 2019). "Alison Roman's New Book Sings The Praises Of "Unfussy" Food". Nylon. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. Chittal, Nisha (14 October 2019). "Millennials have dinner parties, they just don't call them that". Vox. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. Davis, Wynne (18 December 2019). "With 'Nothing Fancy,' Alison Roman Aims To Rebrand Having People Over For Dinner". NPR. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. Daniel, Martha (18 October 2018). "Alison Roman Is Rebelling Against Dinner Party Tradition". Eater. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. Reynolds, Megan (22 October 2019). "Alison Roman Is More Than #TheStew". Jezebel. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. Sodha, Meera (30 November 2019). "Best cookbooks and food writing of 2019". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. Moses, Michele. "Alison Roman's "Nothing Fancy" and the Art of the Unpretentious Dinner Party". The New Yorker. Conde Nast. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  9. Regensdorf, Laura (1 November 2019). "Alison Roman Cures Her Ailments with Ginger Tea and Karaoke". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
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