Where to Start with Tyler Malek
Tyler Malek co-founded Salt & Straw with his cousin Kim Malek in Portland, Oregon in 2011. Starting from a single pushcart, the company grew into one of America’s most celebrated ice cream brands, known for inventive seasonal flavors that draw on local farms and unexpected ingredients. Malek serves as head ice cream maker and developed the company’s signature approach: a simple no-cook base that takes five minutes to prepare, paired with elaborately crafted flavor additions. His combinations, like Honey Lavender, Pear and Blue Cheese, and Arbequina Olive Oil, helped push artisan ice cream into genuinely creative territory. He published the “Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook” (2019) with co-writer JJ Goode, followed by “America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams” (2024), which reimagines classic regional American ice cream flavors.
Start here
Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook
Tyler Malek and JJ Goode · 240 pages · 2019 · Moderate
Themes: artisan ice cream, creative flavors, seasonal ingredients, portland food culture
The first cookbook from Portland’s most inventive ice cream company, built around a brilliantly simple concept: one five-minute, no-cook base recipe that serves as the foundation for dozens of creative flavors. Tyler Malek shares the recipes behind Salt & Straw’s most beloved creations, from the approachable Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons to the adventurous Buttered Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.
Why Start Here
This is Tyler Malek’s defining work and the book that best captures what makes Salt & Straw special. The no-cook base recipe removes the biggest barrier to homemade ice cream: you do not need to make a custard, temper eggs, or wait hours for a hot mixture to cool. The base takes five minutes to stir together, and from there you can build in any direction.
The recipes are organized by season, which teaches you to think about ice cream the way a professional ice cream maker does. Spring brings delicate floral and herbal flavors, summer highlights ripe fruit, autumn leans into warming spices and comfort food, and winter goes rich and indulgent. Malek explains the inspiration and technique behind each flavor, so you learn principles rather than just following instructions.
What to Expect
A 240-page cookbook with beautiful photography and a seasonal structure. The base itself is genuinely easy, but the flavor additions range from simple stirring-in to more involved processes like making caramel, roasting fruit, or preparing brittle. Some recipes call for specialty ingredients. An ice cream maker is required. The book rewards curiosity and a willingness to try unexpected combinations, and Malek’s enthusiastic writing makes even the more ambitious recipes feel achievable.