Slow-Roasted Chicken with Schmaltzy Croutons (Photo: Haley Scarpino)
By Haley Scarpino
“Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files” by Deb Perelman is one of my favorite cookbooks, full of thoughtfully curated recipes that truly feel like keepers. What I love most about Deb Perelman is her warm and approachable writing. Her recipes are always reliable and deeply satisfying — just the type of meals I return to time and again.
I first discovered Deb through her blog, Smitten Kitchen, which she started in 2006 from her tiny kitchen in New York City. She’s a self-taught home cook with a background in psychology and art therapy. Her blog has grown into a trusted source for approachable recipes, and her voice feels like a friend in the kitchen.
Over the years, she’s released three best-selling cookbooks: “The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook,” “Smitten Kitchen Every Day” and “Smitten Kitchen Keepers.”
One of the things I admire most about Deb is how seriously she takes recipe testing. She works out of her own kitchen, using everyday tools and ingredients, and tests each recipe multiple times to make sure it works in a real home. She’s open about the tweaks and adjustments she makes along the way, and I love how transparent she is about what didn’t work. That honesty builds a real sense of trust, so I know if I follow one of her recipes, it will be perfect.
Her latest cookbook, “Smitten Kitchen Keepers,” which came out in November 2022, is a perfect example of everything I love about her style. She writes her recipes for busy home cooks, and her dishes are flavorful but never fussy.
Her latest cookbook, “Smitten Kitchen Keepers,” which came out in November 2022, is a perfect example of everything I love about her style. She writes her recipes for busy home cooks, and her dishes are flavorful but never fussy.
More recently, Deb teamed up with J. Kenji López-Alt, another favorite chef of mine, for a podcast called “The Recipe with Kenji and Deb.” It launched in early 2024 and gives listeners an inside look at how they develop and perfect their recipes. They talk through classics like pancakes, meatloaf and chicken soup, sharing their different approaches and what they’ve learned through testing. They break down the techniques and ingredients that contribute to a successful recipe. Perelman’s emphasis on practicality and flavor complements López-Alt’s scientific approach to cooking, providing a comprehensive understanding of recipe creation.
Whenever I read Deb’s blog, cook from her books or listen to the podcast, I’m reminded why I love her work — she makes cooking manageable, entertaining and, most important, delicious.
My dream menu from “Smitten Kitchen Keepers”
- Salt and Pepper Limeade (page 279)
- Slow-Roasted Chicken with Schmaltzy Croutons (pages 191-192)
- The Blondie Chipwich (pages 237-238)
One last note on that chicken: This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Once you’ve put croutons under a chicken while roasting it, you will never be the same, and you’ll never make roast chicken any other way. A dish at Zuni Café in San Francisco inspired the recipe. It’s one of my life goals to eat there one day!
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