NPR’s Book of the Day — August 22, 2025

Episode: “‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ are new books from cooking stars”
Host: Andrew Limbong (A)
Featured Guests:

• Nadiya Hussain — “Cook Once, Eat Twice”
• Kristen Kish — “Accidentally on Purpose”

Episode Overview

This episode explores two fresh books from culinary stars Nadiya Hussain and Kristen Kish. The discussion centers on both practical and personal approaches to cooking: Nadiya’s resourceful focus on maximizing every ingredient and meal for family cooks, and Kristen’s thoughtful memoir journeying through her rise in the food world and personal identity. Listeners get insight into the authors' creative processes, values, and life stories, all tied together through the universal language of food.

Segment 1: Nadiya Hussain on ‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’

Interviewed by Sarah McCammon (C)
[01:24 – 09:17]

Main Topics & Insights

• Cookbooks that Prioritize Simplicity and Efficiency

  • Hussain’s new book “Cook Once, Eat Twice” is built around practical home cooking for families, especially those watching their budgets.
  • Chapters named “Back to Basics” and “Lovin’ your Leftovers” reflect her ethos of getting more from every effort in the kitchen.

    “I just love the idea of getting more mileage out of a round of cooking.” (C, 02:19)

• Batch Cooking & Meal Transformation

  • Hussain explains her method: make a large batch, then split and creatively repurpose for variety:
    • Examples include:
      • Beef stroganoff becomes stroganoff pie
      • Bolognese transforms into chili
      • Carrot soup becomes carrot and cod curry
      • Corn chowder turns into individual pies

    “So you've got something like a beef stroganoff, which I'll turn into a stroganoff pie, or a bolognese that I'll turn into a chili…” (D, 02:45)

• Home Cooking Demo & Practical Q&A

  • McCammon tests the “Chicken Curry” recipe, facing the common challenge of caramelizing onions (03:17).
    • Hussain advises patience and stronger heat, emphasizing the foundation onions give to a curry.

    “If you don't show your onions a little bit of love, you don't get the best out of them.” (D, 04:09)

• Meal Planning & Freezer Wisdom

  • Hussain encourages using freezers strategically: freeze leftovers, vegetable peelings for soup stock, etc.

    “There's very few things that you can't freeze. I love my freezer. It's one of the best ways to save money, to save time, to save ingredients.” (D, 05:41)

  • Examples: Using potato and root vegetable peelings for future soups.

• Food Waste Minimization & Frugality

  • Drawing from her upbringing in an immigrant household, Hussain stresses inventiveness and not wasting anything—be it food scraps or old clothes.
    • She details inventive uses: prawn oil, roasted garlic peels for homemade garlic salt, and even a banana peel curry.

    “I never chuck away my garlic peelings because you just pop them in the oven, roast those and then grind them down with some salt. And you've got instant garlic salt.” (D, 06:21)

• Aquafaba (Chickpea Water) for Vegan Meringues

  • Hussain raves about making meringues out of chickpea (aquafaba) water—the liquid usually discarded from canned beans.

    “And when you pour that liquid out, it looks very much like egg whites. And there's some magic that happens when you whip that up and add a bit of sugar.” (D, 07:31)

• Ramadan Traditions

  • Hussain describes favorite foods for breaking fast—especially homemade samosas—as a cherished family ritual.

    “Every culture has its own version of a pastry filled with delicious things. ...my kids absolutely love them. And I make them by the hundreds.” (D, 08:07)

• Nostalgic Family Dessert

  • She shares her father’s kulfi recipe, an Indian ice cream with rich textures from cream, spices, and bread, elevated beyond store-bought versions.

    “It's so much better than the prepackaged stuff, but I think anything that you make from scratch is always going to be better than anything you buy from a shop.” (D, 08:42)

Notable Quotes

• “I'm never, ever gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I'm never gonna say I can't do it. I'm never gonna say maybe… I can and I will.” — Nadiya Hussain (D, 01:45)
• “I love the challenge of asking myself, is there any way I can use that?” — Nadiya Hussain (D, 06:21)

Key Timestamps

• 02:45 — Hussain explains her “two dishes” approach
• 04:09 — Detailed advice on caramelizing onions
• 05:41 — The power of your freezer
• 06:21 — Frugal cooking roots and creativity
• 07:31 — Vegan meringues from bean water
• 08:07 — Ramadan and family food traditions

Segment 2: Kristen Kish on ‘Accidentally on Purpose’

Interviewed by Jane Clayson (E)
[10:09 – 19:35]

Main Topics & Insights

• Identity and Upbringing

  • Kristen Kish reflects on being an adoptee from South Korea raised in white, diverse Michigan, where her parents helped shape her sense of being “unique and special.”

    “They made me feel unique and special… that really helped me shape my identity and give me the permission to explore the parts of me that were different.” (F, 10:53)

• Early Work and Lessons Learned

  • Kish discusses working fast food and mall jobs as a teen—formative for her sense of responsibility and work ethic.

    “They taught me responsibility… doing my job that challenged me to find a new definition and a new bar of what my best was…” (F, 11:40)

• Finding Belonging in the Kitchen

  • The kitchen offered her a unique space ("mise en place") where confidence came naturally, unlike elsewhere in her life.

    “I found that confidence because I didn't have to think so hard about trying to be good at my job. It just came naturally to me…” (F, 12:17)

• Self-Confidence and Growth

  • Kish is candid about long-standing struggles with self-confidence and social anxiety—a thread she still works on.
    • Cooking and competition, especially on Top Chef, changed her self-perception.

    “I can be both confident and also insecure in different spaces.” (F, 12:59) “The thing that Top Chef really showed me is that I can do something that I never thought I could ever do and still be good at it.” (F, 13:50)

• On Representation and Public Identity

  • Kish discusses embracing her many “labels”—adoptee, person of color, queer woman—and viewing her public role as a privilege, not a burden.
    • She values authenticity, aligning with projects that let her fully be herself.

    “It doesn't feel like a weight to me. It feels like a privilege, an honor. Like I, I get to do this.” (F, 16:32)

• Lightning Round: Personality and Culinary Quirks

  • Favorite fast food: Arby’s chicken fingers, curly fries, with ranch and BBQ
  • Indispensable tool: Y-shaped peeler

    “It's the shape of the peeler, and I feel like it's more ergonomically designed for a quicker and more efficient peeling of vegetables.” (F, 17:59)

  • Reflects on the joy of guiding “Top Chef” contestants through life-changing moments, having been there herself

• “Accidentally on Purpose” — The Memoir’s Title and Life Theme

  • Kish reflects that many accidents in her life led to purpose and meaning, inspiring the book’s title.

    “There are so many accidents that defined my purpose, that allowed me to see purpose, and that defined what purpose meant for me in my future going forward.” (F, 18:54)

Notable Quotes

• “I have to be for myself, for my job, for people around me, for people watching me… perhaps look at me to represent themselves. There's so many reasons why I have to do it, and I've gotten much more comfortable at doing it.” — Kristen Kish (F, 15:05)
• “I'm not playing a character of a television Host. I'm me holding the role of a television host.” — Kristen Kish (F, 16:32)

Key Timestamps

• 10:53 — Kish on identity and feeling “unique”
• 11:40 — Lessons from fast food jobs
• 12:17 — Kitchen as place of confidence
• 13:50 — Winning “Top Chef” and building self-belief
• 15:05 — On shrinking herself and learning to take up space
• 16:32 — Embracing public identity as privilege
• 17:28 — Lightning round (fast food, kitchen tool, TV hosting)
• 18:54 — “Accidentally on Purpose” — the philosophy and title story

Memorable Moments & Speaker Highlights

• Nadiya Hussain’s resolve on overcoming self-doubt:

  “I can and I will.” (D, 01:45)

• Kristen Kish on representing multiple identities:

  “It doesn't feel like a weight to me. It feels like a privilege, an honor.” (F, 16:32)

• Both authors: Share the joy and confidence they find through food—not only nourishing others, but finding and embracing their own stories through cooking.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode offers deliciously practical cooking ideas from Nadiya Hussain for anyone seeking efficiency and zero-waste meals at home, plus encouragement to find creativity in constraints. Kristen Kish shares a moving look at how food and kitchens can become nurturing spaces, where even the most uncertain can grow into confident leaders. Both segments will inspire you to see cooking as a place of endless possibility, resilience, and self-discovery.