(Part 3) Best culinary arts & techniques books according to redditors
We found 3,117 Reddit comments discussing the best culinary arts & techniques books. We ranked the 664 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 41-60. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen [A Cookbook]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61fwJbUG9vL.jpg)
Ruhlman's TWENTY is a good book for this. Also, I have to recommend Kenji's THE FOOD LAB because there's so much great info in there. The skillet chicken recipes section was a game-changer for me
Good food is mostly a function of good ingredients and as little prep as necessary.
Slow cookers and toaster ovens are your friend.
Beans are easy and cheap.
Rice is easier in a rice cooker.
Ground meat can be purchased in bulk, frozen in 1/3 or 1/2 lb increments and used as needed. I lived off of ground turkey bought in 10lb job lots clear through my junior year.
Spinach is cheap and good for you. Buy a bag of it and eat it raw and it will last forever. Buy a bag and wilt it on the stove and it will last one meal (but it'll be worth it).
Whole chickens are massively cheaper than chicken pieces, particularly boneless ones. A chicken can be baked in about an hour. Eat enough of it to be full, then pick the bones clean. Put them in a pot with a carrot (ideally one of the carrots you forgot about that is now all wilty) and maybe an onion and add water to the top. Simmer on low overnight to turn into broth. Freeze or not. Use to make rice, soup, whatever.
It might be a good idea to go to Ikea and buy their super-shite kitchen set of knives and pots'n'shit. They will suck but as you learn what you like, you can treat yourself by replacing things that you hate. A decent set of knives is empowering, as is a decent set of pots.
Most cookbooks are pure vanity and food porn. A decent cookbook hasn't been written in a long time. That said, the BHG is probably my favorite amongst the staples (and I collect cookbooks - I've got a 1st edition "Gentle Art of Cookery" from 1910 and the full-bore 1951 3 volume Gourmet). The one you really want if you're feeling overwhelmed, however, is Eduard de Pomaine's slim 1930 volume French Cooking in Ten Minutes. It, more than any other book, will teach you that a "recipe" is nothing more than a loose set of instructions on combining things that you should probably already have.
Food that has been warmed to room temperature sticks less in the pan.
Olive oil smokes when heated too high.
Save your bacon grease because you can cook anything in it.
Farmer's markets are often cheaper than grocery stores, have better produce, and are a cute place to bring girls.
Clip coupons.
One of my uncle's friends survived his undergrad by visiting the feed store and sampling from every bin. He found Reindeer chow (mostly honey-rolled oats) for $0.05 a pound and lived off of it for four years.
Ramen is really fucking bad for you.
Frozen pizzas are really fucking bad for you.
Pizza rolls are a bad bargain for the amount of food you get.
If you can find frozen burritos 10/$3, buy them. Otherwise, don't.
Eggs keep for damn near forever. Just remember to refrigerate them.
"Well-done" is anything but.
Kitchen experiments are only a failure if you render them inedible. Experiment when cooking for yourself so that when you're cooking for others it's a known quantity.
Amazing amounts of vodka can be hidden in vanilla milkshakes. Not that I'm suggesting that they be given to freshman girls. At the very least, not without telling them that there's "a little" vodka in them.
Don't buy a bunch of fancy dishes just because that girl is coming over to have dinner and study. She won't care and then you'll be stuck with a bunch of tacky Target stemware that will haunt you for years.
Yes, it will fuck with your brownies when your roommate passive-aggressively cooks a frozen pizza in the same oven you're using.
If your roommates are eating your food, make it abundantly clear that they're buying ingredients.
/r/frugal.
/r/cooking.
allrecipes dusts the fuck out of epicurious.
Now go get in trouble.
Sounds like Andoh's Washoku would serve you well. She talks a lot about tradition and philosophy. Tsuji's classic is also known for this, though I've not read that one yet myself. My sense from reviews and comments is that Andoh sticks to simpler homestyle food more than Tsuji, who's more composed and elaborate. But Tsuji is definitely on my wishlist.
However, as in other prosperous countries, what "normal people" eat has evolved a lot over the last 75 years. "Traditional" homestyle dishes have been augmented with popular street foods like takoyaki or okonomiyaki, restaurant favorites like tempura and sushi, and international influences from America, China, and Korea. So Washoku, for example, leaves out a lot of well-known Japanese dishes. If you want a book that tries the split the difference, maybe check out Morimoto's home cooking book. It's a nice mix of tradition and more modern, popular fare. Very readable and fun too.
There are a couple of good blogs/channels to check out - especially Just One Cookbook and Cooking with Dog on YT. But they don't tend to discuss philosophy and culinary tradition very much. I think the books will serve you better there.
The man's version.
Try this one first, I got it as a gift from my mother when she realized I will never learn to cook like a "normal" person: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Can-Microwave-Tasty-Meals/dp/157954892X
I'm not sure I would call it advanced, but I found Brewing Better Beer as an awesome companion to How to Brew.
While How to Brew focuses on science and techniques, Brewing Better Beer is almost a philosophy book - a zen approach to brewing. I enjoyed it very much, and got a lot out of it.
If I only had 3 books, it would be How to Brew, Brewing Better Beer, and Brewing Classic Styles.. You simply can't beat the recipes in BCS - they are perfect starting point for entry into any style.
He literally wrote the book on technique
http://www.amazon.com/La-Technique-Illustrated-Fundamental-Techniques/dp/0812906101
This is going to be the opposite of what you want to hear. But, you asked for it and I respect that. I think that there's no substitute for going about this old school and traditionally. The good news is that you can mostly do this for yourself, by yourself.
If you're disinclined (due to time or for another reason) to enroll in a culinary program get yourself either The Professional Chef or Martha Stewart's Cooking School
I know what you're thinking, "Martha Stewart? What am I? A housewife from Iowa?" Fuck that. I've been fortunate to have met and worked with Martha Stewart she's smart enough to know what she doesn't know and that particular book was actually written by a CIA alum and very closely follows the first year or so that you'd get in a program like that. It starts with knife work and then moves on to stocks and sauces. This particular book has actually been criticized as being too advance for people who have no idea what they're doing so, despite appearances, it may be perfect for you. If you want to feel more pro and go a little deeper, get the CIA text but know that it's more or less the same info and frankly, the pictures in the MSO book are really great. Plus, it looks like Amazon has them used for $6 bucks.
These resources will show you HOW to do what you want and they follow a specific, traditional track for a reason. Each thing that you learn builds on the next. You learn how to use your knife. Then, you practice your knife work while you make stocks. Then, you start to learn sauces in which to use your stocks. Etc. Etc. Etc. Almost like building flavors... It's all part of the discipline and you'll take that attention to detail into the kitchen with you and THAT'S what makes great food.
Then, get either Culinary Artistry or The Flavor Bible (Both by Page and Dornenburg. Also consider Ruhlman's Ratio (a colleague of mine won "Chopped" because she memorized all the dessert ratios in that book) and Segnit's Flavor Thesaurus. These will give you the "where" on building flavors and help you to start to express yourself creatively as you start to get your mechanics and fundamentals down.
Now, I know you want the fancy science stuff so that you can throw around smarty pants things about pH and phase transitions and heat transfer. So...go get Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking THAT is the bible. When the people who run the Ferran Adria class at Harvard have a question, it's not Myhrvold that they call up, it's Harold McGee. While Modernist Cuisine always has a long, exciting complicated solution to a problem I didn't even know I had, when I really want to know what the fuck is going on, I consult McGee and you will too, once you dig in.
Another one to consider which does a great job is the America's Test Kitchen Science of Good Cooking this will give you the fundamental "why's" or what's happening in practical situations and provides useful examples to see it for yourself.
Honestly, if someone came to me and asked if they should get MC or McGee and The Science of Good Cooking and could only pick one and never have the other, I'd recommend the McGee / ATK combo everyday of the week and twice on Tuesdays.
Good luck, dude. Go tear it up!
The hardest part is wanting to change, so you're already partway there.
I'm quite fond of Christopher Styler's "Working The Plate: The Art of Food Presentation." It's not super well-reviewed on Amazon, but I own it and rather enjoy it. Great food photography, so it's a nice mix of information and pictures to enjoy.
Also available (although I can't vouch for it as I haven't read it) is this one.
Because it's an entertaining video that came to the same conclusion as other well-respected food writers including J. Kenji López-Alt, Nathan Myhrvold, and Thomas Keller.
Totally bare bones, unappealingly stoic, washoku breakfast. A more normal spread for this type of breakfast might look like this. Some of the principals for a balanced meal include number of dishes (a main dish, two side dishes, a broth, and rice) and color balance (red, yellow, green, white, and black/brown). You can see that the more elaborate spread has all of the above. Washoku also prepares food in a variety of ways - broiling, stewing, steaming, fresh, frying. I highly recommend the book Washoku for a detailed description of how this all works in the philosophy of Japanese meal preparation.
The one here has miso, rice (a good start), and then just... pickled daikon and a pickled plum.
No main.
It's got the range of colors for balance, but no main dish. No variety. Just pickles. Sour, sour pickles.
I'd start by tweaking a recipe from Brewing Classic Styles or Clone Beers. Then read Designing Great Beers somewhere down the road.
You might want to buy Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. Its a book about cooking techniques that I think is precisely the book you are looking for.
Also honorable mention for The Food Lab and The New Best Recipe books as well, those are more recipe based, but they have great info on techniques and ingredients. Both get into the science behind cooking and explain why they picked a specific recipe which helped me learn how to cook without recipes and be able to know when certain things are done(I now judge if something I am baking is done more by smell than time now) and how to save emulsions when to add salt and acids etc. The author of the food lab is also pretty active on the Serious Eats subreddit and will answer questions about his recipes.
Salt Fat Acid and Heat is also pretty good as well, I have not read this one personally though as the first part is waaaaaayyy too much personal narrative from the author for me and I turned off the audiobook after listening to her life story for 10 minutes, so get the print book so you can skip right to the cooking parts.
28 day vegan challenge. The author and challenge were also mentioned in game changers. Engine 2
This is the answer. Cooking isn't about recipes. It's about technique and knowing your ingredients.
I'd strongly recommend Michael Ruhlman's book: Ruhlman's Twenty. The book takes 20 cooking techniques (braising, sauteeing, roasting, making dough, etc) and then connects them with recipes and ingredients and teaches you to think about cooking from that perspective. It's an excellent book for a beginner cook.
My "starter" cookbook was the Better Homes & Gardens one. I still use the quiche recipe in there regularly.
Ruhlman's Twenty
Excellent book not only gives good recipes - but also discusses important techniques. Will show you how to make amazing dishes AND discuss why you are doing what you are doing. Must have IMO. Also echo stra24's suggestion to The Joy of Cooking - those two books are all I use apart from internet recipes.
I really like the book Washoku. It's pretty much exactly what you ask in that it's about Japanese home cooking rather than the popular restaurant dishes. It has sections on equipment, ingredients, techniques, and recipes, but it also has a lot about the culture and ethos of Japanese cooking.
Washoku is an absolutely stunning cookbook and everything I have made from it is wonderful. It also has a whole chapter on what a Japanese kitchen would have for ingredients and tools as well as some philosophy of Japanese cooking.
If you love to read, then I completely back up those who recommended J Kenji Lopez-Alt's "The Food Lab". He also spends some time on /r/seriouseats, which I think is really great. Food Lab is great because it explains not only HOW to make a recipe, but the WHY a recipe works the way that it does, and allows you to expand your cooking skills. His is not the only book that does this, but I've read Salt Fat Acid Heat and The Science of Cooking and a good portion of the tome that is Modernist Cuisine, but Kenji's style of writing is exceptionally approachable.
But my actual suggestion to someone who wants to go from never cooking to cooking healthy meals at home is to watch the recipes on Food Wishes, because he shows you what each step of the recipe is supposed to look like, and his food blog is not filled with flowery stories, but helpful tips.
Another great online resource that I used when I started cooking about 5 years ago was The Kitchn. They offer up basic technique videos on how to cook proteins and vegetables that are really simple to follow for beginners.
My advice to you is this: don't feel like you need to dive immediately into recipes. First learn how to season and cook a chicken breast or steak consistently, and roast the different kinds of vegetables. Then just start jumping into recipes that you want to try. And don't be afraid to ask questions here :)
If you're a member of the AHA, you have access to a ton of recipes that have medaled in the National Homebrew Competition. I think that if you're not a member, you can still see some recipes, but not the winners. Here is a link.
Brewing Classic Styles is always highly recommended, especially if you're an extract brewer.
I've also been paging through Modern Homebrew Recipes and enjoying that. It's mostly just a recipe book, but he gives his reasoning behind each recipe and gives suggestions on how you might want to modify it to fit your taste and equipment. I've found it to be very informative and the one beer I've made from a recipe in the book turned out great.
Also, I know you are looking for something outside of Homebrewtalk, but just in case you haven't seen it yet, this is a helpful spreadsheet of the top 100 recipes there with tabs to sort by either style or rank.
La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812906101/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_T9nMAbQFWKW20
My wife and I try to cook at least one meal a day from scratch. We have old favourite recipes to fall back on and love to try new ones.
It's a great way to get good food, spend time together and learn new skills. It's actually cheaper that pre-prepared meals too. Jack Monroe's cookbook is a great place to start.
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Plate-Art-Food-Presentation/dp/047147939X
If you have a culinary school nearby, find out if they offer recreational classes. It's a chance to interact with a real chef and ask all the questions you want.
I actually read Rip Esselstyn's book on health in the department. He is a vegetarian advocate and retired Houston FF. But he talks about the health of fellow firefighters and the general public. They had a BP test at work for a competition and I believe they discovered one FF was a walking heart attack which got them to listen about health and nutrition, especially when you know how fireman like to cook at the station.
His book is called The E2 Diet.
this could go one of 2 ways. either :
a pack of ramen and a bottle of soy.
or the Escoffier Guide de Culinaire
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Escoffier-Cookbook-Guide-French-Cuisine/dp/0517506629
Auguste Escoffier is the Godfather of classic french haute cuisine. It's more fascinating than it is practical.
So I went and read that report you referred to (or at least, what they said in the Washington Post about it):-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/04/03/the-hidden-crisis-on-college-campuses-36-percent-of-students-dont-have-enough-to-eat/?utm_term=.dd26d35d9f78
I must admit that some things do sound a little odd to me. For example, here is one passage from the Washington Post article:-
>“I’m not going hungry per se, but there are days I’m just not going to eat,” she said. “Today, I am kind of hesitant to buy food, because I have less than $100 and I need to do laundry. Do I want to do my laundry or do I want to eat today? That is the kind of question I’m dealing with.”
OK, so I'm a bit confused here. Does doing your laundry in a laundromat cost the best part of $100 in the USA?
Is food really so expensive in the USA? If I walk down to my local British equivalent of Kroger or Walmart I can easily find a 16 ounce frozen spaghetti bolognese or chicken curry with rice or shepherds pie that is going to cost me a pound (US$1.40 - and that's including tax) that I can quickly do in the microwave in four minutes without any problem.
Do these sort of things not exist in the USA? The spiritual home of fast food?
Then. I know that it can be a real pain to cook for yourself while at university - but there again I managed it living with three other guys and we didn't starve or live off take outs (apart from a Saturday night kebab [gyro for Americans] after a couple of beers).
I think that u/horse19 referred to this in another reply but it is certainly more than possible to live spending US$100-150 per month on food.
For example, there is an English food blogger, author and activist by the name of Jack Monroe (she's also done a TEDx talk here )
This is a bit about her on Amazon:-
>Jack was a cash-strapped single mum living in Southend. When she found herself with a shopping budget of just £10 a week to feed herself and her young son, she addressed the situation with immense resourcefulness, creativity and by embracing her local supermarket's 'basics' range. She created recipe after recipe of delicious, simple and upbeat meals that were outrageously cheap. Learn with Jack Monroe's A Girl Called Jack how to save money on your weekly shop whilst being less wasteful and creating inexpensive, tasty food.
https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Called-Jack-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0718178947
and this is the blog:-
https://cookingonabootstrap.com/
There is a similar author in the US that I'm aware of by the name of Leanne Brown:-
>Cheap Eats: A Cookbook For Eating Well On A Food Stamp Budget
>
>When Leanne Brown moved to New York from Canada to earn a master's in food studies at New York University, she couldn't help noticing that Americans on a tight budget were eating a lot of processed foods heavy in carbs.
>
>"It really bothered me," she says. "The 47 million people on food stamps — and that's a big chunk of the population — don't have the same choices everyone else does."
>
>Brown guessed that she could help people in SNAP, the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, find ways to cook filling, nourishing and flavorful meals. So she set out to write a cookbook full of recipes anyone could make on a budget of just $4 a day.
>
>The result is Good and Cheap, which is free online and has been downloaded over 700,000 times since Brown posted it on her website in June 2014. A July 2014 Kickstarter campaign also helped her raise $145,000 to print copies for people without computer access. And on July 21, the second edition was published with 30 new recipes.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/27/426761037/cheap-eats-a-cookbook-for-eating-well-on-a-food-stamp-budget
It's also available on Amazon:-
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Cheap-Eat-Well-Day/dp/0761184996
Now before anyone starts saying that the recipes are likely to all be tofu and lentil burgers - no that isn't the case. I just had a quick check on her blog and one of the latest recipes was Sausage & Bean Casserole which, quite frankly, was exactly the sort of thing I lived on in university.
She claims that this recipe would feed four people at a cost of 60p (84 cents including tax) each. If this was a family of four with two children I could quite believe it but, if it were teenage guys living at university then it would probably only feed three. But there again, that still only works out at 80p (US$1.13 including tax) each.
I certainly remember that I had to be very careful indeed about what I spent my money on - are things really that significantly different nowadays? Or are students choosing Netflix over food?
SALSA ARRIERA, from the book "Tacos" by Chef Alex Stupak
This book is awesome.
3 cloves garlic, skins on
15 serrano chiles
1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 medium white onion, minced
Take a cast iron skillet and place it on medium heat for 5 minutes. Place 3 cloves of garlic (with the skins still on), and 15 serrano chiles (uncut, with the stems) on the heated skillet.
Roast on the skillet for 6 minutes, turning occasionally.
Turn off the heat, remove the peppers and garlic from the skillet, and set aside to cool until room temperature. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the garlic and discard the skins.
Place the roasted garlic into a molcajete/mortar pestle with 1 tsp of salt an crush to a paste.
Add 1/2 white onion (minced) and crush until coarse.
Remove the stems of the peppers and roughly chop. Add to molcajete/mortar pestle. Add 5 Tbs water.
Continue working salsa to a coarse texture.
Season with another 1/2 tsp salt and stir to combine.
Salsa will keep up to 3 days.
EDIT: There is a sidenote included w/ this recipe that says, "If you don't have a molcajete, prep all of the ingredients as instructed and add them all at once to the jar of a blender. Pulse to combine and season with salt."
Some cookbooks that I use or are on my wishlist:
Great British Chefs also has some recipes from Michelin starred restaurants.
What Einstein told his cook
Every aspect of cooking could be called molecular gastronomy. When you put a steak on the grill, something is happening at a molecular level to the protein. When you cream butter and sugar to make cookies, the sugar is incorporating into the fat at a molecular level.
check this book out
Just know that molecular gastronomy is cool and all, but it is also a fad. Make sure you're using these chemicals and techniques to contribute to the overall success of your menu and not just because they look neat.
Could not agree with you more!!
If you are just starting out I personally recommend purchasing the textbook used by many culinary institutes.
When I first became interested in preparing my own food, a friend lent me his copy. It contained a large amount of unnecessary information that was geared more towards running a professional kitchen (who would have guessed from its title?) but it also contained a vast amount of information regarding food preparation and most importantly, technique.
Damn, I feel like I just spammed your comment with an advertisement...Oh well, happy cooking!
I recommend The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller:
https://www.amazon.com/French-Laundry-Cookbook-Thomas-Library/dp/1579651267
His book covers foundational French cooking technique with fine dining application. He has such a beautiful talent for teaching and communication.
I was particularly drawn to the methodical, scientific approach he takes to cooking. But there's no mistaking his emotional investment and passion at the same time.
Truly one of the greatest chefs and culinary teachers the world has ever known.
As for designing your own recipe - pick a style you like, then do some research on it by reading it's respective chapters in Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels and Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer (other sources are great as well, those are the two I most often go to).
The potato thing isn't really true. See What Einstein Told His Cook, by Robert L. Wolke. The potatoes will absorb some of the broth, but not extract salt from the broth. Actually, here's his column on this.
Your other tips are great, though.
This isn't focused purely on baking, but I'm fond of the Better Homes & Garden Cookbook. Each section has relevant guides/tips - how to do certain cuts, canning, etc.
Blogwise - I love the Pioneer Woman. She lists her recipes with several photos and detailed guides. A quick search turned up these Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls that combines some of your fav's. Happy baking!
Julia Child is great, but that really isn't the best resource. Have a look at these three books. Together they will tell you more than almost any other resources about French cuisine, recipes, technique, history, everything.
Larousse Gastronomique
http://www.amazon.com/New-Larousse-Gastronomique-Hamlyn/dp/0600620425/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
The Escoffier Cookbook
http://www.amazon.com/Escoffier-Cookbook-Guide-Fine-Cookery/dp/0517506629/ref=pd_sim_b_4
On Food and Cooking
http://www.amazon.com/On-Food-Cooking-Science-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=pd_sim_b_6
3 I'm curious, what does Rød grød med fløde mean??
The book. https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat-Mastering-ebook/dp/B01HMXV0UQ
Thomas Keller's French Laundry it's quite a complex cookbook that would be perfect for someone studying culinary because it teaches you to look at food in a different way and is brings forth culinary creativity.
Herve This, Molecular Gastronomy might be what you’re after. Wonderful book and hugely influential.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Science-Traditions/dp/0231133138
You may want to look at Ruhlman's 20 - the entire point of the book is recipes to teach fundamental techniques.
https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138
A little technical perhaps, and not for someone without a background in chemistry, but Molecular Gastronomy by Herve This is pretty interesting.
Just a some that likes cooking alot here. Maybe pick one of these bad boys up and start playing.
http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Chef-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0470421355
http://www.amazon.com/Ad-Hoc-Home-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579653774/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-1&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Bouchon-Bakery-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579654355/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-2&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/French-Laundry-Cookbook-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579651267/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-3&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Bouchon-Thomas-Keller/dp/1579652395/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-4&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Pressure-Cooking-Sous-Vide/dp/1579653510/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-6&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Momofuku-David-Chang/dp/030745195X/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373677797&sr=1-9&keywords=thomas+keller+cookbooks
http://www.amazon.com/Ratio-Simple-Behind-Everyday-Cooking/dp/1416571728/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373678139&sr=8-1&keywords=ratio
Check out Brewing Classic Styles. It gives a pretty good run down of each recipe and whats going on in it.
If you're just starting, you might want to check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook. It's got a good overview of what a well stocked pantry needs and the a really wonderful variety of recipes from easy to complex. There's also some nice recipes for condiments that can be used for any dish.
> microwave cooking for one
If anyone can't find it at Goodwill, it's available on Amazon.
Other great microwave cooking books:
250 Best Meals in a Mug: Delicious Homemade Microwave Meals in Minutes
125 Best Microwave Oven Recipes
A Man, a Can, a Microwave: 50 Tasty Meals You Can Nuke in No Time
If you want to build your knowledge as you go, why not buy one of the textbooks used by a culinary school and work your way through it? This is the Culinary Institute of America's textbook:
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Chef-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0471382574/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1481746531&sr=8-3&keywords=professional+chef
Also, don't worry about buying the newest one: the basics haven't changed much in the last...well...couple of hundred years.
Checkout the book Working the Plate. Its a book on food presentation for culinary professionals. Amazon link here: http://www.amazon.com/Working-Plate-Art-Food-Presentation/dp/047147939X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290192924&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335042671&sr=8-1
its an amazing book!
Ruhlman's 20: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto did it for me.
I made this recipe out of a book, pretentiously called Tacos: Recipes and Provocations. I strongly recommend this book if you want to have a treasure trove of authentic and fusion taco recipes at hand (I am not affiliated in any way).
I don't wanna post the full recipe, but the general process for the taco filling was this:
First, I made some red chorizo. I toasted a bunch of spices (mexican oregano, canela, black pepper, clove, coriander) and a bunch of dried guajillo peppers. I soaked the toasted peppers in hot water to soften, then strained the liquid. I blended the peppers with some roast garlic and vinegar, then ground the toasted spices to a powder. I mixed all of this into ground pork.
To make the filling, I seared a bunch of sliced onions and garlic in a deep sauce pot using lard. Once soft, I added about a cup and a half of the chorizo, and cooked until crumbly. Then I added 3 12oz cans of lager, mixed, and then added a cow tongue (cut into three pieces so that I could submerge them). I simmered this for four hours, then removed the tongues, to let them cool. I added some diced potato, and simmered for 30 minutes. Finally, I peeled the tongue, diced it, and threw it back into the pot. I mixed it all up and seasoned with salt.
Probably the best lengua I've had ... ever.
I have two books that I'm finding quite helpful for learning techniques. http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Cooking-School-Lessons/dp/0307396444 This one I recently bought and its pretty amazing. And this one http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BbiuM0IcL.jpg is the one I grew up with that has a ton of help for classic foods.
I actually used the Martha Stewart book last night to learn how to roast veggies to attempt to make a veggie soup. And it tasted pretty good for once!
I clicked the link thinking What Einstein Told His Cook, but after reading your description, I think the closest I have for this category is Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates.
I'd start with Esselstyn's book.
Then take a look at Engine 2 Diet. He actually has a new book out too: My Beef with Beef - though I haven't read this one yet.
Lastly, check out Colin Cambell's China Study.
Also anything by Neal Barnard & John MacDougall. All these and other related books are available at libraries!
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Plate-The-Food-Presentation/dp/047147939X
That one is a good start. It's slightly (only slightly) dated, but it's a solid book. There should be some similar books that are recommended which are worth a look.
Don't get wrapped up in rules. It's more of a philosophy that makes plating good or not so good. There ought to be a reason for what you do on the plate.
Buy this book: Herbs & Spices, The Cooks Reference.
It has huge pictures of all the herbs and spices you're likely to find in the spice section, a description of their flavors, and foods they can be paired with.
(While you're at it, pick up a used copy of The Professional Chef.
(and a calculator, because all of those recipes will be like "serves 20"))
Read through those, then go to a Penzey's store (if there's one nearby) and snort all their samples. Go hungry. Buy something that your nose says "this would taste good with [whatever]", and then pick up some [whatever] on your way home.
And don't forget that often, salt and/or sugar enhance spice flavors.
Couple of books that I found interesting and informative...
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393329429/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_nfpIAbT1ETDMW
Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1569767068/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_FgpIAbWYYMYXZ
I use Wyeast 3068 for hefeweizens a lot (my wife's favorite beer), which I've heard is close to an identical strain to WLP300. I follow the advice I read in Brewing Classic Styles, which is to ferment low, even slightly lower than recommended, at 62F for the best flavor (for 3068, the recommended fermentation temperature by the lab is 64F to 75F). I've followed that and I love the results.
La Technique by Jacques Pepin is quite possibly the closest thing you'll find to a holy grail of cooking instruction.
It doesn't have to be one or the other. Grab a book like La Technique and choose a food group. You'll practice the relevant techniques properly, and cook dinner at the same time.
I got mine used off amazon and it’s just called the Beer Making Book. Has 52 seasonal recipes
Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer Making Book: 52 Seasonal Recipes for Small Batches https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307889203/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FHAtDbB8PRMN9
he's probably reading info from Caldwell Esselstyn and the like. there's a lot of research & application of preventing & reversing heart disease, etc with plant-based diets.
his son Rip Esselstyn is also an author and activist. i've read his book and it's pretty interesting what he was able to do on a micro scale with the firefighter's he worked with. his TED talk is pretty neat.
the documentary Forks Over Knives is based on the premise.
I don't remember all of the details, but the variations of salt are covered in the book What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke. The biggest thing that I came away with was the fact that larger salt crystals have more of a taste impact because they come in contact with a larger surface area on the tongue. For example, if I'm eating a slice of tomato, I use coarse grain salt. If I'm just adding salt to a soup, I use fine grain as the salt is just going to dissolve anyway. The whole book is really interesting and something that I've been meaning to go back and read again.
Edit: added the second half of the title
I look for balance. So when I think of lobster in a light summery setting, I want a beverage that's similarly light but bright without muddling the taste of my main course — that's the acidity of a white wine, dry and crisp, preferably not lemony or it'll compete with the lemon that's (probably) somewhere with the actual lobster. If it's a buttery lobster, then a wine that's more smooth and buttery like a Chardonnay would be more appealing to me.
Revisit "classic" partners (herbs with seasonal flavor profiles, meats and wines, what calls for parmesan vs. mozzarella, etc) that are tried and true for a reason, even if it's the "why" that you're currently searching for — they've existed this long for a reason, you can begin to make guesses why in your own cooking. In terms of lobster, lemon and butter are almost always on the table in some way because they highlight and round out the light flavor of a white seafood meat without changing the flavor, or worse, drowning it out entirely. Think Salt Fat Acid Heat. You don't want the elements of your meal to challenge each other and fight for the spotlight, you want flavors that complement and make you notice the others.
Then there are simple guidelines like eating things that grow in the same season together, and fruits/courses in order of sweetness so nothing tastes bland by comparison (or having some type of palate cleanser between courses if it's that kind of affair). You can extend that to big/bold flavors in general, so if you want the entree to shine, don't serve it with a meaner hotter louder side — think of how a good meatloaf alone with the quieter palate of mashed potatoes is fulfilling, and similarly, steak and potatoes. The steak should hopefully speak for itself but your bite needs heft that isn't all meat, so it's paired with an uncomplicated starch but not like, mashed avocado.
Honestly, just eat a lot of your own food (because we're our worst critics) and pay more attention to what you eat when you're out. Notice if there's an unusual ingredient you've never heard of/tried, and what it did for the end product that was either expected or not, and you'll start to realize where things like acidity, texture, spice, juiciness etc come in. Question why you make the choices you do when you have them (ie grain bowls, why do you want which grain with what kind of veggies/sauce) and you'll start to understand more about your tastes as well as the food you're eating.
2 suggestions:
White Trash Cooking: Surprisingly interesting both in recipes and accompanying text.
The Escoffier cookbook: The absolute classic that few people have. Good for recipes, amazing as reference.
In my experience, encyclopaedic cookbooks like The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything are generally quite mediocre - "jack of all trades, master of none." Frankly, Joy is hopelessly outdated in the age of the internet.
Of the ones on your list, I think The French Laundry and Ad Hoc books aren't very practical, as /u/cheery_cherry says.
Julia Child's book is probably your best bet. It was written with the American home cook circa 1961 in mind - not too many obscure ingredients or equipment, well-explained techniques, straightforward. It also helps that many of her recipes really stand the test of time (boef bourguignon in particular!)
One other suggestion is The Professional Chef, which serves as the Culinary Institute of America's textbook. It provides reliable recipes with detailed instructions and plenty of photos. Unlike Joy, it strives to teach you the fundamentals, in order to become a better chef over-all.
Edit: Forgot to add that any cookbook by America's Test Kitchen will be excellent, reliable, and well-written!
The Food Lab
Molecular Gastronomy
Professional Chef by Culinary Institute of America
I own, and use all three regularly.
​
Her book with the same title is beautifully written and illustrated and is so inspiring. Would highly recommend it, especially with the series in mind! I'm right there with you in terms of cooking dreamily in a countryside kitchen in Italy and effortlessly making pasta from scratch.
Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto $2.99
Suggested by JuanOrTwo
If you want to feed him, cook for him but don't be giving him money because you can't trust his judgement.
This will help: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Called-Jack-delicious-recipes/dp/0718178947
Brooklyn Brew shop has some
books
that are pretty good. Ive done a couple of the recipes. Sometimes the yeast suggestions are pretty basic. One of the books has a few recipes done with breweries. Like a clone of Evil Twin's Christmas Eve At A New York City Hotel Room.
My new favourite book to just read and get lost in is Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. If you want more technical reading, I like Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor by Herve This. My favourite food history book is A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat. That should keep you going for a bit.
Tacos spends some time on this topic. But I'm on the road and don't have access to my copy right now.
You can also check your local Mexican grocer to see if they offer fresh masa. It's good for 2 or 3 days in the fridge.
I would start with this book:
Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals
Dead simple, and years later I still have many of the recipes in my rotation. He really gets delicious easy cooking. The salmon tikka knocks people's socks off. Any of the stews are great. Something like this is good as well:
This is a Cookbook: Recipes For Real Life
There's this book called Washoku that I really like. It has tons of great pictures and goes into good detail about ingredients that a westerner wouldn't have come in contact with.
'The Professional Chef' is a great textbook for not only plating, but all basics of cooking. I would highly recommend for any novice like myself.
New hardcovers are a little pricey, but you can get a great deal on used copies.
Really?
http://www.amazon.com/La-Technique-Illustrated-Fundamental-Techniques/dp/0812906101
I'd suggest to search for food styling more than food design. This is my favourite: Working the Plate: The Art of Food Presentation
http://www.amazon.com/Working-Plate-The-Food-Presentation/dp/047147939X
Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto is a pretty great beginner cook book. It focuses on simple and often used techniques and why they work and why things fail when you don't do them properly.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruhlmans-Twenty-Techniques-Recipes-Manifesto-ebook/dp/B0064BXCEK
Brompton folding bike
Culinary Institute Textbook
*netbook
And giving the non-vego's: Candied Bacon Fudge
I really like Washoku
This book will help you
There is even an extra easy version
Shit.
Cheap eats
More cheap eats
Even more cheap eats
Low effort.
I've been doing a lot of BIAB 1 gallon recipes lately. It's fun to experiment and it's so cheap for the ingredients!
Highly recommend this book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0307889203?pc_redir=1411852628&robot_redir=1
Might be a mobile link but here
Edit: link fixed
Also nice to have: Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book - the classic one with the plaid cover. It has so much of the basics it's invaluable. I use it all the time.
I have been using this book, my goal is to try brewing most of the styles once.
Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C1AJX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_p6KKAb52544YZ
If you want to eat better food, try a cook book like "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" by Samin Nosrat. It's about learning to cook intuitively, rather than just reading recipes.
Or just buy the book.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HMXV0UQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XJCkDbBNBR2F2
Search this subreddit. This question gets asked far too often for you not to be able to find good advice in the other threads.
As for the specific question about Ramsay's books, you probably want Home Cooking as an amateur. I believe this is an updated version of the cookbook for his Ultimate Cookery Course TV series.
This has been getting good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Tacos-Recipes-Provocations-Alex-Stupak/dp/0553447297
A recipe I like:
Skirt steak: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/09/steak-tacos-charred-corn-sriracha-recipe.html
While it won't help you convert down, I am using a book from the Brooklyn Brewshop that is designed for small batches. Amazon link.
Each recipe also gives instructions on how to make a 5 gallon batch if you want to go bigger.
I'm by no means an expert, I've probably only made sushi about five times, but I started less than a year ago. However, based on my limited knowledge, I would highly recommend the book that helped me get started, Sushi: Taste and Technique.
The book helped me learn how to make rice, different types of rolls, nigiri, etc. It has many pleasant illustrative photographs of prepared sushi (and ingredients, recipe steps, etc.), and can serve as a mini "coffee table book." It also has a guide to many different types of fish and other toppings, which has been interesting to look through, but not as useful for me, since the store I go to only has a few types .
I've recently bought Washoku: Recipies from the Japanese Home Kitchen to supplement my sushi knowledge with other elements of Japanese cuisine (though the book covers sushi also). I haven't used it much yet, however, and although it also has very nice photographs, it has a far lower photograph-to-page ratio than the aforementioned book.
$20. I don't know how people are taking this seriously.
It's cool that Gordon Ramsey is sending a fan a book but it's not like the guy couldn't have just found a similar recipe online.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455525251/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_FDMeAb3FYHG79
For books, I'd recommend Brewing Classic Styles.
My dad recommended What Einstein Told His Cook to me recently, but I haven't read it myself yet so I can't say if it's any good.
Edit: Television shows... Check out Two Greedy Italians or even No Reservations
Books. Has he/she mentioned a cookbook or food reference book lately that he/she wants? Good cookbooks are awesome as gifts, since most cooks don't often have time to make it into a bookstore. Just as long as you get a good one (no Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee bullshit).
If your chef friend doesn't already have one of these books, any of these are a good gift:
Food Lover's Companion
On Food and Cooking
River Cottage Cookbook
French Laundry Cookbook
Also awesome, a subscription to Lucky Peach magazine.
What kind of restaurant/cuisine does your friend cook for? I have suggestions for more cookbooks if you want, but a little bit more information would be helpful.
Edit: Forgot to mention Art Culinaire, a hardback quarterly for chefs and cooks.
Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists
by The A.V. Club
Imponderables
by Dave Feldman
Why Things Are: Answers to Every Essential Questions in Life
by Joel Achenbach
Don't Know Much About Geography: Everything You Need to Know About the World but Never Learned
by Kenneth C. Davis
The Jinn from Hyperspace: And Other Scribblings--Both Serious and Whimsical
by Martin Gardner
Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience
by Martin Gardner
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained
by Robert L. Wolke
Everyone can cook, just grab some Jamie Oliver's recipes book, illustrated with all the tips to actually cook healthier.
http://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Olivers-Meals-Minutes-Revolutionary/dp/1401324428/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323524229&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Jamies-30-Minute-Meals-Jamie-Oliver/dp/0718157672/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323524229&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Jamies-Food-Revolution-Rediscover-Affordable/dp/1401310478/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1323524229&sr=8-3
Just look at the recipes and do them. Although some recipes gets a lot of olive oil and stuff that seems to have too many calories, it doesn't, the average calories count of these recipes is around 700kcal.
I've started to cook my own meals, although I knew how to cook some basic things, these books and the app for iPhone (20 minute meals) just got me kicking. I'm eating a lot healthier and tastier food than ever.
P.S.: broccoli and garlic rules. :P
This is THE cookbook you want.
http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Illustrated-Fundamental-Techniques-Cooking/dp/0812906101
Ruhlman's Twenty is a fantastic starting textbook. It goes over the stuff that all the other books assume you already know, while having quite a bit of depth. It also strikes a great balance of giving you 200 really useful recipes while saving lots of room for tips and theory.
http://www.amazon.com/Ruhlmans-Twenty-Techniques-Recipes-Manifesto-ebook/dp/B0064BXCEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393985907&sr=8-1&keywords=ruhlman%27s+20
Zero recipes, only plating.
It is a fantastic resource for that because it is open to interpretation.
The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery is a good companion.
New Larousse Gastronomique has many recipes and is an essential reference book
Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique: The definitive step-by-step guide to culinary excellence also a fantastic resource.
I find the recipes by Jack Monroe to be delicious as well as very cheap to cook. They're on the website Cooking on a Bootstrap but I think the book A Girl Called Jack is definitely worth the money.
/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/
Honestly, you don't have to go out of your way to actually cook fresh food, as a lot of it can be eaten raw if you're busy or don't know hw to cook. You can make big salads with lots of stuff on them. You can take fruits and vegetables (cut up) to school or work with you. You can eat cut up fruit and yogurt/cottage cheese for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
If you want to learn how to cook from fresh, you can get more gourmet-stye cookbooks instead of Betty Crocker or Joy of Cooking style cookbooks.
One good advocate of people changing their cooking habits is gourmet chef Jamie Oliver. He cooks simple guy-gourmet style meals, often using stuff out of his garden. He has several books that teach cooking from fresh for people who want to (1) learn gourmet cooking and (2) learn how to cook from fresh.
If you are honestly out to learn how to cook,
I recommend the food lab
This book has been absolutely amazing and explains everything at a very good scientific level. I sense you might be the type to enjoy it if it was explained it that way.
If not, Gordan Ramsey's Home cooking is pretty good.
I recommend Jaques Pepin's http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Pepin-More-All-Time-Favorites/dp/0547232799
Or http://www.amazon.com/La-Technique-Illustrated-Fundamental-Techniques/dp/0812906101.
And pretty much anything by ATK: http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982
http://americastestkitchen.buysub.com/cook-s-illustrated-cookbooks/6e69de31ebb0aae9b4e8e7dccb8cb8d4.html
HTH! :)
I finished with a bachelor's degree in food science at Oregon State University in the U.S. It was fantastic. There are so many directions you can go with food science. OSU's program focuses on the food chemistry side as opposed to the nutrition side of things. There are students specializing in beer, wine, cheese, meat and food in general. Each specialty means different classes. If you're into wine, you study varying degrees of viticulture. If you're studying meat, you get into farming. Students and professors have a vast array of cross-disciplinary experiences. Another great thing about food science is industry involvement. Before you even leave college you can meet industry members through your local IFT chapter. That really provides another dimension to your education if you can take advantage of. I love asking people about their jobs and what they're doing. The thing that pulled me in initially was the high rate of employment after school. I've been out two years and am working as a research technician at a manufacturing plant. I love it.
Edit: Oof, guess I went off on a tangent there. The thing I find most motivating are books like this The kitchen as a laboratory and this Molecular Gastronomy
https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138
This is a great book!
Not a cookbook, but definitely something she might enjoy if she's studying gastronomy:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/e71f/?srp=2
Also good:
http://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Gastronomy-Exploring-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231133138/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331915990&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Building-Meal-Gastronomy-Constructivism-Perspectives/dp/0231144660/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1331916059&sr=8-4
As far as food pairings look into a copy of the Flavor Bible. There’s also a similar book by them called What To Drink With What You Eat if you want to get into pairing basics as well.
As for plating, just look at nice cookbooks from restaurants and chefs, like The French Laundry,
Sean Brock,
Bluestem,
or basically any other example of food you want to produce. Follow the restaurants, go eat there if you can.
Also examine your platings from the perspective of the diner. Where is your eye drawn first? Is it the focal point or is your plating distracting from that?
I definitely agree with that book recommendation. This is a good one too, by the same authors and also has the footnotes for scaling up to 5 gallons.
If you can find a copy of "The Professional Chef", snatch it up! It's the textbook used by the Culinary Institute of America. It has a ton of recipes, but also explains the different methods of cooking in detail. It's broken down into chapters like dairy, seafood, meat, grains and legumes, etc. I found an older edition at a garage sale for $1. It's a great resource to have. The only thing is that recipes are sometimes made for large-scale batches, so you'd have to do a little math to break it down into a reasonable amount. Nobody needs 40 poached eggs in their home at a time.
I have this one and this one. I like the first better, it's the one I used in my culinary school. The second is the one I got at the garage sale.
If you're starting him off young, honestly, get him the Escoffier cook book: here's a link. It's nice to get an appreciation for the classical elements and how they've changed, I think.
It's been a delight learning culinary the classical route.
I'm saving for Guide Culinaire :K it'll be a nice christmas present, thanks student loan!!
he has some recipes from different books on his website, but if you want those recipes from the show you can get the book
Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course or
Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking: Everything You Need to Know to Make Fabulous Food there you can find 120 recipes including the 100 from the show. I'm getting the Ultimate cookery book whenever it comes in the mail.
I got that kit for my boyfriend last year, we really enjoyed how easy it was for two complete novices. We then bought this recipe book, which is really awesome after you want to try brewing without a pre-made mix. 52 small batch all-grain recipes, I'm brewing up the Winter Wheat right now!
There is a British one. A Girl Called Jack don't buy it from amazon, check ebay and other 2nd hand book places. Or keep an eye on the amazon kindle price (she's knocked it down to 99p a few times).
It's the premise of the entire book, and a later one called cooking on a bootstrap.
If you really can't afford it, check out her website. She archives all of her recipes on there, she also blogs political stuff aimed at the austerity stuff in the uk, because she's been there. But you don't have to read through it to get to the recipes.
Any techniques she mentions that you're not sure on, have a look as t the BBC Good Food website, they usually have tutorials for anything little bit complicated.
I wish she'd been writing cookbooks when I was in that position!
She's gone vegan in recent years, but not all of her recipes are because she started writing cookbooks before she went vegan, and she still writes non-vegan recipes because she is writing for her audience. Although, there's not loads of meat because its expensive.
Her newest book, tin can cook, is aimed at people who are relying on food banks, most of which give out tinned food to people, so if you are in that situation, there are recipes for that too.
And I'd also head over to r/frugal to help get through your financial stuff, if you haven't already. Most of us have been there and it's shite, but you can get through it. I think the best advice I ever got was to sit down and deal with it head on, make a full list of how bad it is so you can make a plan to deal with it.
Good luck and if you just need to talk to someone, to vent or anything, I'm only an inbox away x
https://www.amazon.com/Plating-Gold-Dessert-National-Championships/dp/1118059840
I asked him and he said this is the book I was referring to. This other one is one I used back in high school. It's short, but teaches basic concepts pretty well.
https://www.amazon.com/Working-Plate-Art-Food-Presentation/dp/047147939X/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_1/138-5228499-9387854?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=047147939X&pd_rd_r=207ab7bf-9c80-49a0-93fa-37aed4a53a77&pd_rd_w=zS0nI&pd_rd_wg=sW6OI&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=5WZZHFHKCRR9FBV5JWTR&psc=1&refRID=5WZZHFHKCRR9FBV5JWTR
La Technique, Jacques Pépin
Good Things in England, Florence White
Home Made, Sandra Oddo
Feasting Naturally, Mary Ann Pickard
Pépin is well-known, the rest are a little obscure, but excellent cookbooks that deserve a wider audience. Good Things in England has recipes dating back about 700 years. Home Made not only has recipes, but a lot of household tips and home remedies. It will teach you some food preservation, too. Feasting Naturally has wonderful recipes for simple, natural foods.
I know they only have a handful of reviews on Amazon, but these are not the usual suspects when cookbook requests are made. If you want to try something different, here you go. I especially love Oddo’s Home Made. It has been on my coffee table for the past five years or so.
Pépin’s book is out of print and a little pricey used, but you should be able to get all of the rest for under $20 total. Please pick them up and give them some love - you’ll be happy with the results.
Coincidentally, I was thumbing through A Man, A Can, A Microwave just last night. I have yet to try any of the recipes, but they seem like they might be helpful here.
Allow me to recommend this cookbook. It truly teaches you why you're using the ingredients and methods you are rather than just telling you what to do.
https://www.amazon.com/Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat-Mastering-ebook/dp/B01HMXV0UQ
https://www.amazon.com/Escoffier-Cookbook-Guide-Fine-Cookery/dp/0517506629
I am getting a book on tacos and a tortilla press for my family's cooking-themed white elephant. I might throw in a bottle of spice mix and/or masa harina to round it out.
As others have said, I think your best bet would be lots of pasta (cup ramen was pretty staple during college). You could also use the blender to make lots of creamy soups from cans.
Also, you should thumb through this book or one like it at your local bookstore for some more ideas.
I own Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook and found it to be very easy to read and informative. I may have to pick up her baking book as well.
Although I don't like Martha Stewart, her Cooking School book is a great reference tool. The book has a lot of photos and goes through many basic techniques...but some of the recipes do get rather complicated (don't be discouraged). A large portion of the book is dedicated to meat preparation and cooking methods which I've found very helpful in the past. Even with the in-depth recipes, I think the book is worth the money and something you'll refer to if you decide to buy it.
I was about to list out all my favorite resources, the ones where, looking back, I can point to as being the bedrock of all the cooking knowledge I've cobbled together over the years, and I noticed they have one thing in common: PBS. The cooking shows that air on PBS (and their companion materials) are just awesome. They're not gimmicky, they don't have puppets or catch phrases, but they're reliable. There are other great sources of food knowledge, but if somebody's on PBS, you know they're the real deal.
If I had to learn it all over again starting today, here's what I'd be looking at, in rough order:
Martha Stewart's Cooking School
Martha's got a great new show and companion book to go along with it. The reason I'd start here is because it's structured the way you want it: an emphasis on technique, with clear goals for each lesson. Just about every one of your topics listed above is covered in here, and the recipes are almost secondary. Like, a show or chapter will be about braising, not about boeuf bourguignon. Pretty heavy emphasis on French and European cuisine, but some nice forays into other cuisines, too. Covers all the basics: equipment, stocks, sauces, cuts of meat. Lots of good reference sections, too, like charts on cooking techniques for different rices and grains.
It's mostly pretty traditional stuff. No "hacks" or "science", but she will occasionally throw in some neat updates to a traditional technique. In particular, her hollandaise method is the best I've ever come across. Almost completely traditional, double-boiler and all, but she uses whole butter instead of clarified. Really easy and probably tastes better, too.
Incidentally, most of the substance of the show probably comes from editorial director for food at Martha Stewart Living, Sarah Carey, who happens to have an awesome YouTube channel.
Julia Child
Julia needs no introduction. She made French cuisine accessible to us servantless American cooks half a century ago, and I don't think anyone has done it better since. You'll want to watch every episode of The French Chef you can get your hands on, and also grab a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
You could start with Julia, but her show seems to focus on the recipe first, followed by the technique. So Julia's episode on boeuf bourguignon will be about boeuf bourguignon. She'll teach you all about technique, too, of course, but I think it's easier to start with Martha if you want a run-through of the basics of a technique.
Jacques Pepin
Probably the most talented cook to ever appear on television. The man elevates mincing an onion to an art form. Probably the best shows of his are Essential Pepin, Fast Food My Way, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at home (which used to be on Hulu, if you have that).
Every show he'll cook through a bunch of recipes, and he'll make these off-the-cuff comments on why he's doing what he's doing. How to peel a carrot. How to puree garlic with a chef's knife. Adding a splash of water to a covered skillet to steam the contents from the top while cooking them from below.
There's also a lot of his older stuff on YouTube that will show particular techniques: parting and deboning a chicken, preparing an omelet, and so on. He's remarkably consistent, so if you just watch enough of his stuff you'll get the spiel on every topic eventually.
Jacques does have a compilation of technique, but frankly I think Martha's is better. The photography in Jacques' book is pretty poor, and he devotes an awful lot of space to techniques that have probably been out of fashion for forty years. That said, there's a lot that's still useful in there, so it's worth at least checking out from the library.
(By the way, while you're at it, you should read My Life in France and The Apprentice, Julia's and Jacques autobiographies, respectively.)
There's a lot more to learn, but if you start with Jacques, Julia, and Martha, you'll have a rock-solid foundation upon which to build. Once you've got the basics down, my favorite new-fangled cooking resources are Serious Eats and ChefSteps.
Happy cooking!
These are the things I can't live without. I cook every night, and usually cook for my lunches as well and have a food blog:
1 really good chefs knife (look around the 100-150 range)
an immersion blender
set of mixing bowls
set of measuring cups / spoons
a great basic cookbook: Better Homes and Garden
In my opinion the internet (mostly) SUCKS at recipes. I do a few things:
I have OP's book, and the dough is unleavened. You don't want to use warm water here, because you're going for a flaky texture.
OP just needs to add a bit more water. Stupak actually addresses this in the recipe.
Along those lines, Brooklyn Brew Shop has a book with some great small batch recipes. Definitely worth checking out. I loved starting with their kit (for a batch) and then moving away from the kits but still using recipes before starting to make my own.
When I went to college I was given a book called "A Man, A Can, and A Microwave"
I made a peanut butter porter and it turned out surprisingly well. Recipe can be found in Brooklyn Brew shops beer making book. Think the secret was using natural peanut butter, which separates. I was able to drain almost all of the head and equipment hurting oils and the result was amazing. I even had a German drink it and he only hated it a little.
I really like Martha Stewart's Cooking School. It covers just about every kind of food and each way to prepare it, plus has tips on techniques and equipment.
I know this isn't porn or anything, but the cover alone would make me come all night long. ;-)
I followed this recipe, as well as following some outlines in Gordon Ramsay's Home cooking book. Everything went very smoothly up until the actual baking, I had to pop them back into the oven a few times to get the perfect medium rare.
When I finished watching this movie I said out loud, "I'm never eating meat again." Then I read The Engine 2 Diet and I've been vegan for 2 months now. I don't regret it in any way, and I've already dropped a decent amount of weight (without trying). I feel better, sleep better, and most importantly, think better. Hooray, anecdotal evidence.
My stuff were gifts actually. That being said, I know they were acquired at Wine Kits (as its right near our place). As for bottles, I bought $120 worth of Grolsch beer and have been reusing the bottles ever since (flip-tops, super easy to reseal). So far I've only made beer from kits (pre-made wort), but I want to venture in to realm of doing it from scratch. I got this book for xmas a couple years ago, and they explain the process really simply. http://www.amazon.ca/Brooklyn-Brew-Shops-Beer-Making/dp/0307889203 They even sell 1 gallon packages with everything you need at Indigo.
I did that too. Here's a tip: Buy a few good cookbooks! Not crazy gourmet ones that require lots of ingredients or big fat ones without any pictures, ones that are meant for beginners, students, young people, working moms, or single people. Keep in mind, lots of recipes are for a family of four. When cooking for yourself, just use half the ingredients and have leftovers for the next day!
I bought this book by Jamie Oliver (I gave you a US link, since I see from your shopping cart that you've chosen American snack food) for my roommate while in Germany. At age 30, he still hadn't learned how to cook for himself. Absolutely great, lots of pictures, easy, tasty, basic recipes that were surprisingly easy for him to tackle on his own.
Working the Plate is a very good BASIC guide to a more professional garnishing style.
My guess would be 6. I bet you're so excited to go to China and South Korea! Do you have anything in particular you're especially excited for?
Edibles: Lotte Pie No Mi/Kasugai Muscat Gummy Candies
Tea!
Convenient and/or fun lunch accessories
Food and culture
Thank you for the contest and I hope you have a safe trip! <3
You know? The one that drop me out of rush was Martha Stewart's Cooking School, being a culinary student this book helped me A LOT - like...big time. I actually kind of stole it from the first Chef I ever worked with (he later told me that it was a present from him,but never actually realized he didn't told me it was for me)
Maybe this book written by vegan firefighter rip essylstn in texas may help. It talks aboit manliness and plant based diet and recipes are super simple. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0446506699/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1485688488&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=Engine+2&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51hyKFE9SuL&amp;ref=plSrch
I remember seeing an incredibly strong vegetarian firefighter in the Forks Over Knives documentary. He had no problem finding good sources of protein for his diet. And it appears he has a book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0446506699?pc_redir=1404307160&amp;robot_redir=1
I recommend La Technique. Some of it is a bit old fashioned, but it's illustrated well, and gives you a lot of good basics. Cheap too, if you get it used.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0812906101?pc_redir=1404539451&amp;robot_redir=1
It's in the preview of the book on Amazon
Page 58
Jamie Oliver has done a lot of great cookbooks for home cooks. Jamie's Food Revolution has a broad range of recipes - all healthy, affordable, and easy. I also recommend his early Naked Chef books. I've been really into food and cooking since I was a kid, but I feel that Oliver really improved my technique and style more than any other cookbook author.
This is the one I have. But it might be a pain, it's British so you have to make some conversions.
I'm guessing that this is the same book but the American version.
I don't know how you feel about it but what I do is go to my library and take out loads of cookbooks and input the recipes I like into my recipe software. Three cheers for free recipes and if you're like me, not every recipe in a cookbook is a winner so you're not wasting your money.
This isn't bad either.
Holga 120N Medium Format Fixed Focus Camera with Lens
The Professional Chef [Hardcover]
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer
The Many Varieties of Beer Poster
Dr. Steve Brule T-Shirt
If I got any of these things I would be happy as fuck.
EDIT: Forgot about the Volvo prancing Moose magnet I'd put on my 740.
>Sous-vide cooking calls for some quite expensive equipment.
Sous vide can be done nearly free at home on a stovetop using a pot and a zip-loc bag, or a variety of other techniques, using some readily affordable options.
>Also, the recipes you'll find in cookbooks (and thus on the internet) are usually simplified.
Usually does not mean always. You can find the full-scale recipes if you're interested. There are plenty of resources out there for everything from stocks and sauces to molecular gastronomy, and there are plenty of people out there with sufficient time.
You might not be able to do it consistently, on a daily basis, in a timed manner, to serve multiple seatings with multiple entrees per night, which is where the skill of a professional chef comes in, but given a little practice, you can probably cook just about any single meal well enough to satisfy yourself and friends, for a tiny fraction of the cost.
TL:DR - Again, you can simulate (if not perfectly replicate) just about any meal offered anywhere given a little time and ingenuity.
I just made cheeseburger tacos for my gf the other night and she absolutely loved it. It's not as bad or lame as it sounds. I actually got the idea from this book , which I highly recommend if you're interested in authentic taco preparation and just for inspiration.
Basically what I did was take ground beef, mix in cumin, oregano, couple minced closed of roasted garlic, a little chipotle, salt. Made one big patty and cooked it in a skillet until it was about med/med-well. Then I threw a shit ton of basic "Mexican blend cheese" and chopped up the burger with the cheese. Recipe called for special Mexican cheese that I can't get at my local store. Put mayo and a chipotle sauce I made on the shell, hit it with the meat/cheese, topped with slices of tomato and avocado, minced shallot and roasted pepper strips.
My gf gave me a weird look when I said I was gonna make cheeseburger tacos.. After we ate, we went in the back and had great sex.
Edit: y'all can downvote me all you want, but I encourage you to be open minded. I was skeptical at first, but I'm so glad I tried making this.
https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Diet-Firefighters-Save-Your-Life-Cholesterol/dp/0446506699
These firefighters did it and didn't make excuses either. Hope you find your way!
Why don't you just invest the $10 and buy you a copy. Let the author get paid for his work and for a little over the price of a Double whopper with fries and a drink you've got a book that you can learn something from.
Brewing Classic Styles Kindle Version on Amazon.com