The Kitchen Studio: Culinary Creations by Artists

“I have thousands of cookbooks and the truth is I never cook from them. I read the recipes and look at the pictures,” writes Chef Massimo Bottura in his introduction to this freewheeling compilation of recipes from more than 70 artists. Mirroring that sentiment, the entries here—described by Bottura as “self-portraits”—are more for looking at than they are for actual cooking. Jam-making instructions are shared in the form of a collage, while Nicolas Party’s illustrated two cherries “recipe” begins, “Choose a sunny afternoon in July.” Several contributors wear their refusal to provide measurements as a badge of honor. Others’ recipes are deployed as statements: Martha Rosler’s red, white, and blue gelatin salad is embedded with army figurines, and Michael Rakowitz’s recipe for a sandwich of tahini, cheese, and date syrup references UN sanctions against Iraq and etymology. More practical takes include Subodh Gupta’s chickpea pancakes with step-by-step photographs. Visual humor runs throughout, often with cartoonish flair: Nikolai Haas’s mixture of goat cheese and cream cheese is smeared onto “something round” and studded with vegetables to approximate a head, and Olaf Breunning’s food faces are Instagram-ready. There’s lots to visually enjoy, but home cooks should be forewarned this is more about ideas than recipes. (Sept.)