Founder update: On intuitive and intentional cooking
Hi friends of PB,
I love discovering a good recipe – one that's rooted in creativity, uses quality ingredients, and offers nourishment at its core. But so many of today's recipes feel commodified, crafted to cater to trends, rack up clicks, or dazzle with perfect visuals. It’s easy to get swept up in this constant flow of newness, which often blurs the line between what's truly authentic and what’s just designed for the moment.
When I need a reset, I turn to my trusted cookbooks and blogs – a way to slow down, reconnect, and savor recipes passed down through generations or created with real intention. Lately, my go-to rotation includes:
Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian: recipes that make for unforgettable dinner parties while underscoring the powerful connection between home, memory, and flavor.
Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen: a gentle reminder of the value in doing things by hand and the simple joy of foraging.
David Lebovitz: traditional and original recipes from his life in Paris that never fails to bring me a little joie de vivre.
Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach: a lovely reflection of family cooking in all its imperfect, joyful reality.
When defining the types of recipes we wanted to share at Primary Beans, I focused on those rooted in personal expression, community, and accessibility. From Sofia and Francisco of Tamoa’s go-to enfrijoladas to the Italian beans and greens from Alex DeSimone’s childhood, we aim to showcase diverse, inspired voices through our recipes. I’m truly proud of the recipe index we’ve built at Primary Beans!
Perhaps most importantly, our recipes are designed to build confidence and intuition in the kitchen – so that next time, you might not even need a recipe! From the start, we’ve encouraged home cooks to develop their own “bean palates” by discovering which varieties they prefer in different dishes and experimenting with flavors and textures. In a world dominated by trends, we believe it’s quite radical to cook based on knowing your personal needs and desires.
One of my all-time favorite customer reviews perfectly illustrates this: “Primary Beans has completely changed the game for our family's weekly meal prep. We just get produce to complement the beans of the week, spend some time each Sunday cooking up beans, chopping veggies, and making sauces for the week ahead. We've never eaten as healthily, cost-effectively, or easily as we have these last few weeks. We're planning on getting on a quarterly rotation with the All the Beans set and seeing how the recipes we make with each of them change with the seasons.”
Even if you’ve mastered the bean basics, I encourage you to revisit our cooking guide from time to time (I do it too!). It’s a helpful reminder that beans are a blank canvas, allowing you to create meals inspired by your cravings and whatever’s in your fridge.
And I’d love to hear – what’s your proudest wing-it moment in the kitchen? And where do you turn for those authentic, nourishing recipes?
Until next time,
Lesley
