NAGI MAEHASHI, PAN MACMILLAN, $49.99

Who doesn’t dream of throwing away the day job and making their dream come true? Nagi Maehashi did just that, leaving behind the world of finance to make it as a food blogger, and with a following of 5m on social media she has the Australian market cornered when it comes to solid recipes done well, ‘helped’ by a cute golden retriever. She says she hates wasting time, hates wasting money and hates wasting food, so when you tie on your pinny and head to the kitchen with one of her recipes you know you’ll have all the tips and tricks to make sure you get it right every time. Nagi has tested every step, getting it right and getting it wrong – she claims her vanilla cake took 89 test bakes to get it right – so you can just get on with it. There are few cheffy flourishes, just clearly written instructions for getting good food on the table (and when the technique gets a bit complicated each recipe comes with a video to walk you through it). Here you’ll learn how to get caramelised edges on your noodles in pad see ew, taste how a teaspoonful of sugar takes the sour edge off canned tomatoes in a spag bol, discover that a combo of mozzarella and gruyère will give a super creamy sauce to your mac n cheese, and that orange juice is the secret ingredient in Mexican marinades. I think Nagi has come up with the only legitimate use for orange, plastic-wrapped cheese slices? No, I’m not going to tell you what it is.
TRACY WHITMEY