The shelves of your local bookstore are loaded with the newest cookbooks. Which ones should you choose, though? Cookbooks are expensive. Here are my thoughts on some of my favorites to make your shopping easier.
Grilling isn't just about flipping burgers. Grilling is the oldest form of cooking and is both an art and an science. Grilling is practiced around the world and key to many cuisines. Looking for the perfect grilled steak or something more creative? Here are ten wonderful books (in no particular order) on grilling that will satisfy your passion for outdoor cooking as well as your taste buds.
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have created a masterpiece of culinary work with What to Drink with What you Eat. This book is destined to be the definitive guide to matching foods to beverages for many years to come, not only for consumers but also restaurant professionals. Anyone that calls himself a food lover must have this book.
Susanna Foo is the executive chef and owner of Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine in Philadelphia. She has been called the greatest Chinese chef in America and responsible for elevating Chinese food to gourmet status. Susanna’s latest book, Susanna Foo Fresh Inspiration, is aptly named. She has indeed found fresh inspiration and has succeeded in communicating it beautifully to her readers.
The first line of Anthony Bourdain’s new cookbook reads, “This is not a cookbook.” Hmmm? It’s full of recipes, it has the word ‘cookbook’ in the title, and if you go to your local bookstore, you’ll probably find a copy in the cookbook section. It is indeed a cookbook, but more importantly, it is also an insight into how Bourdain thinks and acts as a chef.
The Arrows Cookbook is more than a collection of recipes. It is a celebration of food and the tradition of growing products for your own use. The idea of fresh, organic, locally grown foods is paramount to the authors’ conception of true cooking. Their cookbook reflects this in so much as the book contains a good amount of information on gardening and using products seasonally.
If the culinary world had a king, Jacques Pépin would be him. No one is more respected or more well known than Chef Pépin. Pépin has written numerous cookbooks throughout his illustrious career, but if I could own only one, Jacques Pépin’s Complete Techniques would be my first choice. Complete Techniques brings together Pépin’s two great passions: cooking and teaching. Whether you are an amateur home cook or a professional chef, no kitchen should be without this classic manual.
What if Julia Child had never introduced the American public to French cooking? Would the entire menu of a typical home today consist of frozen TV dinners and leftover casseroles? Perhaps this bleak picture is a bit heavy to lay on the shoulders of one person. Without a doubt, however, Julia Child has had an enormous affect on how Americans eat.
The true genius of Thomas Keller can only be experienced through his food. His passion, however, comes out clearly through the pages of his cookbook, The French Laundry. This cookbook is not just a collection of recipes, but the story of his life.
