Linda Larsen

Linda has had a lifelong love affair with cooking. She got her first taste of the culinary world at 7 years old when she started cooking at home. In college, she majored in food science and nutrition, wanting to understand the science behind what makes a recipe work and how to go about creating one in the most efficient manner. She has since developed a penchant for focusing on making trickier recipes more approachable, which was her main focal point when she was a contributor for About.com and The Spruce Eats from 2002 to 2017. 

With over 30 years of experience creating and testing recipes, many of her recipes and articles have been featured in online and print publications, including national publications such as The Spruce Eats, Pillsbury, Malt-O-Meal, Woman's Day magazine, Woman's World magazine, Quick & Simple magazine, and First magazine. She is also the author of cookbooks, editor at Food Poisoning Bulletin, member of the Association of Food Journalists, and shares recipes on her food blog: Linda's Best Recipes.

Linda's knowledge of food comes from her vast experience in her home kitchen, professional test kitchens, and photo studios, as well as from her collection of over 2,000 cookbooks. Other interests range from gluten-free cooking to specialty diets to slow-cooker cooking. Linda has also worked with Pillsbury for many years and has been involved in their yearly Bake-Off. 

Linda holds a B.A. in biology from St. Olaf College and a B.S. with high distinction in food science and nutrition from the University of Minnesota.

Awards and Publications

• "The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook" (Rockridge Press, 2016)
• "The Ultimate Vegetarian Slow Cooker Cookbook" (Sonoma Press, 2016)
• "The Starter Cook" (Lyons Press, 2011)
• "The Big Book of Paleo Recipes" (Adams Media, 2015)