Pure, informative delight . . . Segnit not only covers continents but also makes deft, slyly humorous work of connecting their dishes. Each chapter, or 'continuum,' offers basic recipes for starting points, followed by a 'leeway' section for adaptations and 'flavors and variations' to spark creativity . . . Segnit effortlessly glides readers up and over her culinary Everest. They descend as confident, improvisational cooks, with a base knowledge of the relationship between dishes that allows them to adapt recipes from other books, make bread from memory and let the ingredients lead. 'It's a question of confidence, ultimately,' she writes. 'Nail the daily loaf and brioche feels like less of a challenge.' Even if nailing the daily loaf isn't at the top of your list of 2020 resolutions, reading the work of this culinary powerhouse most certainly should be.

New York Times Book Review

Food writer Segnit (The Flavor Thesaurus) brings a vast breadth of knowledge to this massive and quietly playful exploration of the art and science of cooking . . . Her mission is to present intuitive cooking as a learnable skill, one that can be developed through an understanding of how certain foods relate to each other in terms of how they are prepared . . . This extraordinary cookbook provides a treasure map full of both straightforward satisfactions and rewarding detours.

starred review, Publishers Weekly

It is hard to convey just what a staggering achievement Lateral Cooking is . . . Despite its encyclopedic reach, it is conversational in tone and beautifully written. I can lose myself in it any time, from any page, and you could cook from it over a whole lifetime, and still be learning.

Nigella Lawson

This book shares the same spirit of learning rules and formulas in order to branch out and make your own meals-but there are indeed recipes here too; in fact, with simple tweaks, one morphs into another (flatbread becomes crackers or scones with only minor changes, for instance). It's a natural companion to Segnit's previous book, 'The Flavor Thesaurus,' and a solid foundation for anyone to stand on in the kitchen.

Chowhound, "Best New Cookbooks for Fall 2019"

A delightful resource… Anyone looking to feel generally inspired by the concept of cooking while giving oneself a rest from the usual format of recipe and photo should check it out.

Alison Roman, T: NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE

For creative cooks serious about developing their own recipes, look no further . . . a practical handbook that reads like a novel, and gets the creative juices flowing on every page - no photos required. 'Cooking sideways' is its premise, with each chapter showing how a fundamental recipe, such as unleavened bread, can lead you to master biscuits, then croissants, and on and on.

Atlanta Journal Constitution