Cooking in the Nude

The Cornwells had a simple idea: cooking together can be romantic, and romance can be playful, and playful can mean exactly what the title suggests. Cooking in the Nude is a legitimate cookbook with real recipes designed for two people to prepare together — the nudity is encouraged but optional, and the recipes are presumably designed to minimize splatter.

The book has spawned a series: Cooking in the Nude: For Playful Gourmets, Cooking in the Nude: Quickies, and several themed variations. This is either a testament to the concept’s durability or evidence that the Cornwells committed to their bit for a decade and a half, which is equally admirable.

The recipes themselves are apparently quite good — this isn’t a gag book with placeholder recipes. The Cornwells are real home cooks who built a real cookbook around an admittedly attention-grabbing premise. The dishes are romantic in the traditional sense (wine, herbs, things that can be shared), and the presentation leans into the playfulness without becoming genuinely inappropriate, which is harder to calibrate than it sounds.

What makes it a perfect gift is exactly the title. You can hand this to someone and watch the three-second journey from confusion to comprehension to laughter. It’s the rare cookbook that works both as a functional kitchen resource and as a conversation piece. Just, as noted, be careful with the frying.