# Molly Baz and Reinventing the Cookbook I'm a big fan of finding recipes that look/sound dope on YouTube and whipping them up. One of my staples is [Molly Baz](https://mollybaz.com). I learned about her from her Bon Appétit days. What's not to love about the [[Salt Queen Molly.gif|Salt Queen herself]]? The other week, I watched this [crispy, spicy orrechiette video](https://youtu.be/kaTV0zVjevA?si=0jHVn5USHe_u0Dac) and knew I'd want to cook it. As a part of promoting her second cookbook, Molly showed off a QR code that links to an audio cook along. In her first cookbook, Molly used QR codes to link to videos that showed basic techniques or helped answer possible questions that may arise in a certain recipe. I was curious about this audio cook along idea, since I haven't picked up *More is More* yet.[^1] So when it came time to cook this crispy pasta, I decided to scan the code and give it a shot. I was taken aback at how much more I enjoyed the audio version than the video or a written recipe. It was chilled out. I was focused on the cooking more, because I wasn't listening to a podcast or a video. Molly walks through the recipe much slower than a video, often repeating herself to give the audience time to actually cook. She starts timers and plays classical music while you slice a shallot. It is an entire and well thought out experience. On the technical side, the QR code takes you to this [webpage](https://mollybaz.com/more/crispy-orrechiette-audio/). The audio is really just embedded videos you have to open in full screen and then pick the next video to hear the next part. It's clunky, but the overall experience is so well designed that it smooths some of that out. But I could not help but think of how this would make a perfect podcast. These audio cook alongs are designed audio experiences. The have chapters. There can be links back to the book or videos on techniques. Show notes that detail the recipe, tools, etc. There's a synergy between the book, the YouTube videos, and these audio experiences. This idea is begging to be podcastified. I'm not sure if some other chef is out there making a cook along podcast quite like this. If not, someone should be. This has all the makings of a killer show that could drive listeners back into your bigger business of cookbooks and merch. As for Molly, I appreciate the ingenuity behind her two books. She's leveraging modern tech and ideas to redefine the idea of a cook book with the goal of meeting folks where they are at, whether a visual or auditory learner. You should give both the audio cook along and this recipe a shot. [^1]: My typical cooking process is grabbing the recipe, importing it into [Mela](https://mela.recipes/)—an incredible recipe app that cuts through the abhorrent design of recipe websites and just gets the recipe—and following the recipe on my phone.