‘Cook Once, Eat Twice’ and ‘Accidentally on Purpose’ are new books from cooking stars

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

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Summary

Nadiya Hussain and Kristen Kish are winners of two of the most popular cooking shows on television – and they’re both out with new books about life and food. First, Hussain won The Great British Baking Show in 2015. Her latest cookbook Cook Once, Eat Twice is about simplicity, efficiency, and turning one dish into two different meals. In today’s episode, she speaks with NPR’s Sarah McCammon about a two-part recipe from her cookbook. Then, Kristen Kish won season 10 of Top Chef, but says she wasn’t always comfortable being showcased. Her new memoir Accidentally on Purpose tells the story of that journey. In today’s episode, she talks with Here & Now’s Jane Clayson about growing up adopted, working at fast food restaurants, and filling in for Padma Lakshmi on Top Chef.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Even among the people I know who turn their
0:07.8	noses up at reality TV, they mostly make an exception for cooking shows. There's something
0:14.1	warm and comforting about them. The competition ones in particular are as thrilling as any other
0:19.6	TV show, and yet you feel safe to have them on
0:22.3	when family is around. And if you are one of these people who's into watching people cook on TV,
0:29.4	today's episode is just for you. Up ahead, Top Chef winner and host Chris and Kish has a new
0:34.4	memoir out. But first, Nadi Hussein was a winner on the Great British
0:38.3	baking show. And she's got a new book out titled Cook Once, Eat Twice, which is focused around
0:43.7	practical cooking for your family, especially for those of us on a budget. In this interview
0:48.7	with Empire Sarah McCammon, she talks about challenging herself to not waste anything from
0:53.5	garlic skins to banana peels.
0:56.0	That's ahead.
0:57.3	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
1:02.1	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.
1:08.7	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:16.0	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:22.1	The Great British Baking Show, or Bakeoff, as it's known across the pond, has featured many contestants who've
1:28.4	become fan favorites for surviving breadweek and battling pies prone to soggy bottoms.
1:34.2	But perhaps none is more beloved than the mom of three who wowed judges with her triple-tiered
1:39.6	lemon drizzle wedding cake, 2015 winner Nadia Hussein.
1:43.4	I am never, ever going to put boundaries on myself ever again.
1:46.3	I'm never going to say, I can't do it.
	...

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