12,300+ cookbooks Ships from the US · 30-day returns
👤 My Account
🍳 Cooking & Technique

Confidence in the Kitchen: How to Feed Your Family, Wow Your Guests and Master the Perfect Red Lip!

✍️ MacCarthy, Emmylou
Reader Score
4.4
(1 review)
$29.95
Backordered — usually ships in 1–4 weeks
📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A debut cookbook by Emmylou MacCarthy focusing on confident cooking and entertaining.

MacCarthy combines her media presence with culinary instruction to create a resource for everyday cooks. The book prioritizes accessibility, offering strategies to overcome kitchen anxiety through structured chapters like Weeknight Favourites and Entertaining. It includes specific recipes she has received the most requests for, along with advice on presentation and mindset. The approach links food preparation with personal style, suggesting that confidence in cooking mirrors confidence in fashion. This connection aims to make the process feel less daunting and more enjoyable for the average home cook.

Key Themes
Weeknight Favourites Entertaining techniques Desserts and Cakes
Literary Context

Emmylou MacCarthy is an Australian lifestyle figure known for empowering women through television and social media. This 2021 publication arrives during a period where digital personalities increasingly influence domestic trends, merging online persona with practical home economics advice for a broad audience.

Difficulty
● Easy
Recommended For Fans Of
Nigella Lawson · Yotam Ottolenghi · Bon Appétit Magazine
🍳
Cooking & Technique
🏛 Plum 📅 2021 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781760785734

📝 Description: Confidence in the Kitchen: How to Feed Your Family, Wow Your Guests and Master the Perfect Red Lip!

Emmylou MacCarthy brings her background as a television presenter and social media influencer to this debut cookbook, aiming to help readers cook with assurance. The text blends culinary instruction with lifestyle advice, reflecting her reputation for making cooking and fashion accessible. It targets those seeking to improve their weeknight meals and entertaining skills while embracing a confident approach to daily life. The volume is organized into distinct sections that guide the reader through various meal types. Chapters include Weeknight Favourites for quick dinners, Entertaining for hosting guests, Salads for lighter options, and Desserts and Cakes for sweet finishes. MacCarthy shares her most requested recipes alongside practical tips and tricks designed to simplify food preparation. The content emphasizes simple yet impressive dishes suitable for sharing with loved ones. This paperback edition contains 224 pages of content published by Plum in January 2021. It appeals to home cooks who value straightforward techniques and clear guidance over complex culinary theory. Readers looking for advanced gastronomic science or historical deep dives may find the focus on confidence and simplicity more relevant than technical depth. The book stands as a practical guide for those wanting to feed their families and wow guests with ease.

💎 Expert review

“
🍳
Eatbook Family editorial team
Cookbook desk
This debut cookbook serves as a practical guide for everyday cooks rather than an advanced culinary text. It prioritizes accessibility and mindset, aiming to reduce the intimidation factor of hosting and daily meal preparation. While it succeeds in offering straightforward techniques and reassuring advice for beginners, it explicitly lacks the gastronomic science or historical depth sought by serious food historians or technical chefs. The tone is encouraging and lifestyle-oriented, making it a suitable companion for those viewing cooking as part of a broader personal aesthetic.
✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Home cooks who struggle with kitchen anxiety will find this book particularly beneficial. It offers a structured approach to meal planning through dedicated sections for weeknight dinners, entertaining, salads, and desserts. By combining practical recipes with lifestyle advice, it helps readers build confidence in both the kitchen and their personal style. The focus on accessible techniques makes it ideal for those seeking reliable, impressive dishes without complex theory. Readers who value clear guidance and straightforward execution will appreciate the emphasis on simplicity and enjoyment over technical depth.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Eatbook Family —
⭐ eatbookfamily.com editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5
★★★★★
Home cooks seeking to overcome kitchen anxiety and build confidence in everyday meal preparation. Ideal for those who want structured guidance for weeknight dinners or simple entertaining strategies. Perfect for readers interested in linking culinary skills with personal style and presentation…

Reader rating

4.4
Based on 1 reviews
5
0
4
1
3
0
2
0
1
0
E
Eatbook Family editorial team

This debut cookbook serves as a practical guide for everyday cooks rather than an advanced culinary text. It prioritizes accessibility and mindset, aiming to reduce the intimidation factor of hosting and daily meal preparation. While it succeeds in offering straightforward techniques and reassuring advice for beginners, it explicitly lacks the gastronomic science or historical depth sought by serious food historians or technical chefs. The tone is encouraging and lifestyle-oriented, making it a suitable companion for those viewing cooking as part of a broader personal aesthetic.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Yes, it includes specific recipes the author receives the most requests for, along with strategies for entertaining in dedicated chapters.
224 pages, paperback.
Published in 2021 by Plum.
Orders ship from a US warehouse. The shipping cost is shown before you pay, and returns are accepted within 30 days.

📖 Who should read this

Home cooks seeking to overcome kitchen anxiety and build confidence in everyday meal preparation. Ideal for those who want structured guidance for weeknight dinners or simple entertaining strategies. Perfect for readers interested in linking culinary skills with personal style and presentation without requiring advanced technical expertise.

📜 Historical context

This debut work by Emmylou MacCarthy joins the growing market of accessible cookbooks designed to demystify home cooking. Published in 2021, it aligns with trends prioritizing mental ease and practical strategy over complex techniques. It serves as a resource for everyday cooks looking to blend culinary instruction with lifestyle advice, focusing on overcoming fear through structured chapters.

🏛 Books from this publisher Plum

All books from this publisher →
Dinner in 5: Super Easy Family Meals with 5 (or Less!) Ingredients
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Evans, Pete
Dinner in 5: Super Easy Family Meals with 5 (or Less!) Ingredients
$29.95
78
Family, Food & Feelings
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.5
Berry, Kate
Family, Food & Feelings
$29.95
78
Lunch Box: 60+ Healthy Meals, Snacks and Treats for on the Go
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
Evans, Pete
Lunch Box: 60+ Healthy Meals, Snacks and Treats for on the Go
$18.95
87
The Yoga Body
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Berry, Lola
The Yoga Body
$26.95
83
Lola Berry's Little Book of Smoothies and Juices: 60 Super-Fast Recipes for Radiance and Wellbeing
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
Berry, Lola
Lola Berry's Little Book of Smoothies and Juices: 60 Super-Fast Recipes for Radiance and Wellbeing
$18.95
88
Beauty Food
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.3
Berry, Lola
Beauty Food
$18.95
69
Eat Clean: Feel Great with 100 Recipes for Real Food You Will Love!
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
Hines, Luke
Eat Clean: Feel Great with 100 Recipes for Real Food You Will Love!
$29.95
89

You might also like

See more →
Lunch Box: 60+ Healthy Meals, Snacks and Treats for on the Go
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.7
Evans, Pete
Lunch Box: 60+ Healthy Meals, Snacks and Treats for on the Go
$18.95
87
The Yoga Body
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.6
Berry, Lola
The Yoga Body
$26.95
83
Family, Food & Feelings
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.4
1
Berry, Kate
Family, Food & Feelings
$29.95
78
Yummy, Easy, Quick
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.4
1
Preston, Matt
Yummy, Easy, Quick
$29.95
78
Happy and Whole: Recipes and Ideas for Nourishing Your Body, Home and Life
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.4
1
Roze, Magdalena
Happy and Whole: Recipes and Ideas for Nourishing Your Body, Home and Life
$29.95
78
Perfect Table Settings: Hundreds of Easy and Elegant Ideas for Napkin Folds and Table Arrangements
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
Vivaldo, Denise
Perfect Table Settings: Hundreds of Easy and Elegant Ideas for Napkin Folds and Table Arrangements
$29.95
91
The Necromunchicon: Unspeakable Snacks & Terrifying Treats from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
Slater, Mike
The Necromunchicon: Unspeakable Snacks & Terrifying Treats from the Lore of H. P. Lovecraft
$30.00
91
The Gift of Gathering: Beautiful Tablescapes to Welcome and Celebrate Your Friends and Family
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
Doucette, Bre
The Gift of Gathering: Beautiful Tablescapes to Welcome and Celebrate Your Friends and Family
$30.00
91
Organic Cooking: Eating Well: 300 Simple Organic Gourmet Recipes for a Healthier Life
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
World School Publication
Organic Cooking: Eating Well: 300 Simple Organic Gourmet Recipes for a Healthier Life
$28.49
91
Of Morsels and Marvels
★★★★★
★★★★★
4.8
Conde, Maryse
Of Morsels and Marvels
$27.50
91
Home Genres
Cart
Wishlist