It’s been a while since we’ve done a cookbook review! However, since the latest episode of Geek Eats was all about Life Day, we figured this was a good opportunity to review a cookbook that’s been on our shelf for a while! We tested two of the recipes and one of the crafts from the Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook. Read on to find out what we thought!
The publisher describes Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook as: “In this follow-up to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook, the acclaimed chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs returns to bring you authentic Life Day recipes from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Guaranteed to help you spread Life Day’s message of fellowship and love, this cookbook will be a scrumptious and festive mainstay in your kitchen!”
We really loved the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook; therefore, we had high hopes that Insight Editions would deliver another fun and immersive cookbook based around the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, the difference in authors meant a difference in the quality of recipes. Whereas the Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook felt like recipes you might find on Batuu, the Life Day Cookbook lacked a similar depth. This largely could be because it didn’t have as much lore to build upon, but sadly, this isn’t where the problems with the recipes end.
Pickled Mynock
The recipes as presented didn’t seem to be tested. The pickled mynock recipe we tried was difficult to assemble as directed. It directed you to place the shrimp and lemon slices in the jar and pour the brine over them. Unfortunately, the shallots that were sliced lengthwise created a sort of blockage. This meant we had to push things down with a chopstick and even then, the capers, garlic, and shallot didn’t really make it throughout. I would have directed the recipe maker to do it in layers. There were no photos of this recipe; this meant there was nothing to reference in terms of how big or small the lemon slices or shallot slices should have been.
We also tested the Life Day Orbs recipe. This called for agar-agar, sugar, and water. There were no specifics given for the agar-agar powder. The one we bought ended up having sugar already in it. Using it with sugar and the amount of water in a spherical ice cube mold, as the recipe recommended (it said a spherical mold), did not work despite letting it set overnight. We tried it again just using the package recipe (we weighed out how much powder would be needed for the amount of water in the cookbook’s recipe). This was more of the dry ingredients than the cookbook suggests. The package also recommended a shallow mold or dish. So we used the halves of the ice cube molds not put together. This set almost immediately. Interestingly enough, the photo for this recipe appeared to have two halves put together as well, despite the recipe not suggesting this.
Life Day Orb
In terms of flavor, the pickled mynock (shrimp) were probably better but not by a lot. They were very oily, and the dill combined with the olive oil flavor overpowered just about every other ingredient. The Life Day Orbs were fairly devoid of any flavor aside from sweet. They are a purely decorative recipe. They look cool, but I’m not sure I’d want to serve them or the pickled shrimp to guests. My Geek Eats co-host, Mr. Daps, also had similar issues with the recipe he tried. One of the ingredients in his recipe was completely omitted from the recipe instructions.
Overall, I think the idea of the Star Wars: Life Day Cookbook was sound; this just felt rushed. Even the craft I made felt untested and ill-considered. If you want more in-depth thoughts, give our Life Day episode of Geek Eats a watch. I may try more recipes from this one, but I think if you want more immersive recipes, the Galaxy’s Edge Cookbook is a better bet. Have you tried any recipes from this cookbook? If so, which ones and what did you think? Also, are there any other cookbooks you’d like to see us review? Let us know in the comments below!
*The Geeks were not compensated or given any comped items to facilitate this write-up and interview. All opinions are wholly our own. View our Disclosure Policy for more info.
