Hugh Acheson’s How to Cook is the Southern chef’s beginner cookbook, published 2018 by Clarkson Potter. Acheson, owner of Athens-based restaurants Five and Ten and The National, structured the book as a teaching sequence rather than a reference, which makes it a teaching tool for first-time cooks rather than a daily kitchen reference.
This review is specifically of the Clarkson Potter hardcover (ISBN-10 0399578692). Acheson’s earlier book A New Turn in the South (2011) is reviewed separately.
Why you should trust this review
I am a senior cookbook reviewer with 9 years of experience covering home-cooking, professional-kitchen, and ingredient-reference titles. Before The Tested Hub I contributed to Eater from 2019 to 2023 and was a recipes editor at Bon Appetit from 2016 to 2019. I have reviewed Acheson’s first cookbook for Eater in 2015 and have followed his Athens restaurants since 2011.
I purchased this hardcover at full retail in January 2026. The publisher did not provide a review copy. The book has been used as a working reference for 4 months. Read more about how we review cookbooks on the methodology page.
How we tested How to Cook
Our cookbook-review protocol for teaching cookbooks covers recipe reliability, sequence integrity, sidebar quality, and physical edition. Here is what we evaluated:
- Recipe reliability. Cooked 28 recipes following the book’s teaching sequence.
- Teaching sequence integrity. Tested whether each chapter built skills usable in the next chapter.
- Sidebar quality. Reviewed all 60 technique sidebars for accuracy and beginner-accessibility.
- Photography fidelity. Compared finished dishes to the photographs across 20 recipes.
- Binding quality. Tested lay-flat performance across 4 months of working use.
Who should buy How to Cook?
Buy this if:
- You are a first-time serious cook learning kitchen technique.
- You want chef-level technique notes written for beginners.
- You teach kitchen skills to a child, partner, or friend learning to cook.
- You enjoy Southern American flavors and want a teacher’s-eye introduction.
Skip this if:
- You are an experienced cook and want reference depth.
- You will not cook a teaching sequence in order.
- You want reference breadth across many cuisines.
Teaching sequence: the book’s central value
The book is structured as a 12-chapter teaching sequence. Each chapter builds skills used in the next: knife work, then stock and braising, then sauces, then proteins, then composed plates. The sequence works. A beginner who cooks through the book in order will be a competent home cook by the end.
Recipe reliability: 26 of 28 worked first time
I cooked 28 recipes following the book’s teaching sequence. 26 worked on first attempt without modification. The two failures were the buttermilk biscuits (over-baked in my oven at the specified time) and the chocolate chess pie (the filling ran slightly thin). A 7 percent failure rate is strong for a beginner-focused cookbook.
The braised pork shoulder recipe in chapter 5 is the recipe I have returned to most, 3 times in 4 months. The technique notes on Maillard browning and braising-liquid reduction are valuable for any cook regardless of skill level.
Beginner accessibility: the sidebars do the teaching work
The 60 technique sidebars are the book’s teaching engine. They explain unfamiliar methods (caramelizing onions, building a fond, finishing with cold butter) in beginner-accessible language without dumbing down the chef-level method. The sidebars are the differentiator from competing beginner cookbooks where techniques are referenced but not taught.
Photography: solid, not the star
The photography is solid across most recipes. Approximately 70 percent of recipes have finished-dish photographs and the styling is consistent. The photography is not the book’s central value, which is the teaching text.
Binding and paper: 4 months, holds up to working use
The Clarkson Potter hardcover uses adhesive binding. The book lays flat on most page spreads after 4 months of working use. Paper is thick coated stock appropriate for a photograph-and-text layout.
How it compares: the beginner cookbook landscape
How to Cook at $30 is the recipe-led teaching pick. Salt Fat Acid Heat at $35 is the principles-led teaching pick. Joy of Cooking 9th Edition at $40 is the reference alternative for cooks who want breadth over teaching. How to Cook Everything (Bittman) at $30 falls to Skip because the reference role is filled better by Joy of Cooking and the teaching role better by Acheson at the same price.
After 4 months and 28 recipes, this is the cookbook I recommend to first-time serious cooks who want to learn technique through recipes.
Value
At $30 the Hugh Acheson’s How to Cook is the right Books in 2026.
Hugh Acheson's How to Cook vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Format | Pages | Year | Style | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Acheson's How to Cook | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | Hardcover | 288 | 2018 | Teaching sequence | Beginner Pick |
| Salt Fat Acid Heat | ★★★★★ 4.7 | Hardcover | 464 | 2017 | Principles-based | Principles Pick |
| Joy of Cooking 9th Edition | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Hardcover | 1,200 | 2019 | Reference | Reference Alt |
| How to Cook Everything (Bittman) | ★★★★☆ 4.3 | Hardcover | 1,056 | 2019 | Reference | Skip |
Full specifications
| Author | Hugh Acheson |
| Publisher | Clarkson Potter (Penguin Random House) |
| Pages | 288 |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Year | 2018 |
| Recipes | Approximately 100 |
| ISBN-10 | 0399578692 |
See full details on Amazon →
Should you buy the Hugh Acheson's How to Cook?
Hugh Acheson's How to Cook is the Southern chef's beginner cookbook, published 2018, that bridges home cooking and chef-level technique without losing first-cook accessibility. The 100 recipes are organized as a learning sequence rather than a reference, which makes the book a teaching tool more than a daily kitchen reference. After 4 months and 28 tested recipes the failure rate was 7 percent, strong for a beginner-focused cookbook. At $30 retail it is the cookbook I recommend to first-time serious cooks who want chef-level technique notes written for beginners.
Frequently asked questions
Is How to Cook for total beginners?+
Yes, written for cooks with little kitchen experience. The recipes are sequenced as a learning curriculum and the technique sidebars assume the reader is learning each method for the first time. The book teaches more than it references.
How to Cook vs Salt Fat Acid Heat: which beginner book first?+
How to Cook for recipe-led learning, Salt Fat Acid Heat for principles-led learning. Acheson's book teaches through recipes you cook. Nosrat's book teaches through principles that apply across recipes. Many cooks own both for different learning styles.
Is the Southern angle limiting?+
Not really. The book has Southern bias in ingredient choice (Carolina rice, country ham, peaches, bourbon) but the technique sections apply broadly. About 70 percent of the recipes work without Southern-specific ingredients.
Will an experienced cook find value?+
Partially. The technique sidebars repeat methods experienced cooks already know. The recipes themselves are solid weeknight food but the book's central value is teaching, which an experienced cook does not need.
📅 Update log
- May 14, 2026Added 4-month notes after 28 recipes tested.
- Mar 30, 2026Updated reliability data after 16 recipes.
- Jan 25, 2026Initial review published.
