Cookbook Review – The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book

Well it certainly did take me a while to finish up this cookbook, but it was a lot of fun getting through this one despite some of its downfalls!

Unlike most of the other cookbooks I reviewed, this recipe is entirely devoted one type of food: burgers. There’s a great variety of toppings and mix-ins, however, so you’ll definitely find something you like in here. While most of the burgers include ground beef, a handful are made of turkey lamb, tuna, salmon, or veggies instead. Many of the burgers come with side dishes as well, and there are even some cute little sliders!

Overall, however, this feels like a cookbook that was never thoroughly or efficiently reviewed before being released. The instructions are vague and I often found their cooking times to be off. They would forget to list an ingredient but then mention it later in the directions, or in other recipes they’d include something in the ingredients list and then forget to include it in the directions! There were spelling issues throughout, and frankly I was a little disappointed that most of the burgers were just plain beef formed into a patty.

Here’s an example: the first recipe in the cookbook and the first recipe I tried was the New Bacon-ings Burger. They forgot to list cheddar cheese as an ingredient, my fries burnt before they blanched even though I made sure the temperature was correct, and in the end the bacon fries were under-cooked despite being left in the oven for the longest amount of time.

Cost-wise, most of the recipes I tried were pretty average. There were some unique ingredients that can be challenging to find, though, which sometimes meant shelling out a bit of extra money so I could order it online. For example, the cheese curds used in the Poutine on the Ritz Burger or the Thai Basil (which I never ended up finding) in the Every Breath You Tikka Masala Burger.

All of these recipes are mentioned in the show, usually seen on Bob’s chalkboard in the background, so the names are definitely true to the show even if the burger recipe may not always be. They did a great job of creating fun and delicious burgers using ingredients that tie into the burger names from the show!

I don’t know that I’d recommend this book to others unless they’re a big Bob’s Burgers fan, or really enjoy experimenting with different flavor combinations. I found the instructions frustrating at times, but most of the burgers were pretty good. There were several recipes that I really enjoyed and will be saving! These include:

• Eggers Can’t Be Cheesers
• It’s Fun to Eat at the Rye-MCA Burger
• Bruschetta Bout It Burger
• Onion-Tended Consequences Burger
• Don’t Get Creme Fraiche With Me Burger
• Winter Muensterland Burger

Honorable Mention to the Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Zucchini Burgers! The only reason it didn’t make my list of favorites is the failed sweet potato fries that accompanied them.