The New Cooks' Catalogue

The New Cooks' Catalogue by Burt Wolf


The New Cooks' Catalogue

Did I say I'm equipment centric as well? This book isn't perfect, but its the best book of its kind available.

Updated, expanded, thoroughly revised, and now in full color--the definitive guide to cooking equipment and utensils

This book offers detailed evaluations of more than a thousand items of kitchen equipment--from paring knives to grill pans to espresso machines--providing you with practical information about brands, models, size, function, and performance. Each entry is accompanied by a color photograph and includes features and tips on care and usage. Also included are sections on what to look for when purchasing, as well as recipes and sidebars by more than a hundred culinary celebrities.

Whether you are setting up a kitchen for the first time or adding to a long-standing collection, you will find The New Cooks' Catalogue an invaluable and entertaining guide to making the right selections.

This is the first time I have ever been motivated to write a review. I found this to be a complete waste of money. I own the wonderful original "Cook's Catalogue" with James Beard as one of the editors, and have referred to it frequently over many years. This "new version" might be helpful if you are completely inexperienced in the kitchen. Otherwise, direct your spending $$$ towards a nice saucepan.

Great Help and Sparks Good Ideas
This book was a great help in expanding some of our kitchen equipment. If you visit a bookstore or library, you may find thousands of books on cooking and not one on cooking equipment. This book fills that niche very nicely.

There were some items that we had acquired that we knew were really good -- the authors had done their research and it was encouraging that they found the same and for similar reasons. That gave me some reference as to their experience.

The book is up-to-date. They have equipment that is top-notch and widely available. The photos are excellent.

The book is also a great resource for items you may not have considered or known about. I know that we now have several more items on our list of equipment to buy. This makes it especially good as a gift to newlyweds or people starting out on their own and want to cook.

Not exactly a catalogue....
.....but more of an encyclopedia. This is a good book if you don't know what a certain kitchen tool does or would like a breif history lesson. This not the best consumer buying guide around, but a good buy none the less.

Crepes: Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook

Crepes: Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook by Lou Seibert



Crepes: Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Home Cook

I absolutely love crepes - and they are easy and functional. If you want a night off cooking, go to your nearest Cafe Brazil restraunt and order your custom crepe from them!

GREAT!
I bought this for my daughter for Christmas along with a crepe maker. We've used it THREE times since Christmas...three different recipes in three days and each has been DELICIOUS! Great pictures...wonderful recipes and tips!

Love this book!
I originally found this book at a library, but after checking it out over and over again -as I love it, I checked on Amazon and it was here!! Love it! It has such a wonderful variety of crepes, using different flours etc., sweet and savory, and so many tips and ideas. I share this book title with everyone at my cooking shows. Definitely worth the price and then some!

Just what I was looking for...
I took a crepe making class just to learn the technique and take the fear out of crepe making. While I took away from that class a few recipes, none were interesting enough to make at home. This book is wonderful--what closed the deal on purchasing it was when I saw that it included a recipe for blue corn crepes. While vacationing in Santa Fe, I fell in love with their blue corn pancake/muffin mix. I can't wait to make the blue corn crepes with the blue corn mix I brought back to Houston. The recipes in this book are exactly what I was looking for--diverse and simple to follow.

The Best Recipe

The Best Recipe by Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine


The Best Recipe

This is the 'consumer report' of recipes. Some repetition between this and Ms Anderson books are to be expected - Ms Anderson is a former executive editor of Cook's Illustrated.

Founded in 1980, Cook's Illustrated (formerly Cook's Magazine) has emerged as "America's Test Kitchen," renowned for its near-obsessive dedication to finding the best methods of American home cooking. Over the years, we've tested 80 recipes for chocolate chip cookies, more than 70 recipes for gumbo, 40 versions of the peanut butter cookie, and more than 20 versions of such simple recipes as coleslaw, roast chicken, and hash brown potatoes. The Best Recipe is a collection of the editors' picks from the pages of Cook's Illustrated. The recipes have been edited, organized, and annotated with in-depth descriptions of how we developed the "best" recipe. And they appear alongside dozens of equipment ratings and taste tests of supermarket foods, as well as more than 200 illustrations demonstrating the most efficient food preparation methods.

In The Best Recipe, we invite you into our test kitchen, where you will stand at our elbow as we try to develop the best macaroni and cheese or the best split pea soup. You'll discover how to make a foolproof yellow cake, a perfectly cooked prime rib roast, and homemade bread in under two hours. You'll find out how to solve the problem of watery coleslaw, overcooked turkey breast, acidic salad dressing, dull tomato sauce, sticky white rice, dry turkey burgers, tough scrambled eggs, and sunken birthday cakes. You will also find the secret to bakery-style high-rise muffins and the way to make that restaurant favorite, warm, fallen chocolate cake, at home, with only a few minutes of preparation.

The Best Recipe also gives you useful tips on purchasing cookware (based on extensive test kitchen evaluations), including pie plates, food processors, standing mixers, chef's knives, skillets, vegetable peelers, and Dutch ovens. We also explain the science of cooking (how to cream butter and why, how baking powder works, the difference between semisweet and bittersweet chocolate) and offer tips on purchasing canned chicken stock, canned tomatoes, flour, butter, and dried pasta.

The editors of Cook's Illustrated have performed thousands of hours of kitchen testing to bring you a cookbook that not only provides the best recipes but also tells you how they came to be that way. Let The Best Recipe become your one-stop cooking school and your favorite kitchen reference.

good standby
I searched this out for the biscuit recipe but have to say all the recipes I have used have turned out lovely. Each recipe is well explained, well thoughtout and overall it is a very easy cookbook to use.

Truly the best recipe!
This cookbook is one of my most ragged cookbooks. It is the one I look for when I want to fix something special or homey. The stew recipe is absolutely the best!
Elaine Littau
Author of "Nan's Journey"

Good..BUT!!!
Yes, this is an excelent book. I cant think of a single recipe that I have made from this book that has resulted in a failure. However there are a few things that get to me when using the book.
1. The Index: The index in this book is perhaps the most absurd index I have ever encountered. I dont know who formatted it but they should never be allowed to create an index for the rest of their career. The way things are tabbed, spaced, and positioned on the page makes it almost impossible to find what you are looking for without sitting down and seriously taking time to search.

2. Christopher "I am depressed" Kimball - At the intro to every single recipe he startes it out with some depressing horror story "Most apple pies turn out soggy, burnt, too crispy, too moist, rotten, dog food..." "most roast recipies turn out like cardboard cooked in a lava flow"

he is depressing.
but cookbook good

How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart

How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart by Pam Anderson


How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart

Just don't expect a thousand recipes.

A Must-have Cookbook
I admit to being a cookbook-aholic - some are fun to read yet I don't actually use them, some are the opposite. This one is both. It's one of those cookbooks that I end up tabbing so I can go back for a refresher. The recipes are imaginative and do-able, and range from ambitious to embarrassingly easy (best example of this is the Warm White Bean Spread that takes about 30 seconds to make and tastes heavenly).
I especially like the way the book is organized, which is by method. For example she goes through sautes ("If you've seen one saute, you've seen them all") with basic methods for sauteing various meats. Then she provides a basic method for pan sauces, followed by several variations that can be made using the basic method. If it sounds too dumbed down, think again - her recipes are delicious and make it possible to serve imaginative and delectable meals to my family even on weeknights.
I always prefer photos, but in this case, the descriptions and then successful outcomes far outweigh that consideration.
I first saw this book at a friend's house; I am guilty of sneaking peaks at bookshelves, trying to get an idea of what my good-cook friends are using. This one was food-stained and dog-eared, the best indicator of a well-used resource. Sure enough, it's starting to look the same on my bookshelf; it's like having a kindly aunty in my kitchen, giving me great ideas for meals and useful tips for success.

Pam makes it look easy--and it is!
How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart
By learning the basic techniques in this book, I'm able to sautee, for example, several different kinds of meats from my memory (and I don't have the greatest memory!) If I look anything up before sauteeing my meat, it's only to decide on a delicious sauce to accompany it. My family loves the Sauteed Boneless Pork Chops (cut from a boneless pork loin) with Orange-Dijon Pan Sauce with Rosemary.

The author covers everything from salads to side dishes to quick deserts. All of the chapters are fabulous, but I've personally gotten the most out of those dedicated to meat, chicken, and fish.

This book is wonderful and I'd recommend it as a starting point for novices as well as experienced cooks. I was an experienced cook looking for quick everyday meal ideas.

Must Have
This book is a must have and I have given it to several people as gifts and they agree. The recipes are straight forward, simple, and do not take much time or prep work. It is more of a "guide" to teach you how to use and expand on the basic recipes that she provides. I also love the "grocery list" that it provides telling you what to keep in your pantry to pull together a great dinner in minutes. She encourages you to bring in ingredients that you have or like and not to be afraid to experiment...within the guidelines that she provides.

Pam Anderson grew up watching her parents and grandparents make dinner every night by simply taking the ingredients on hand and cooking them with the techniques they knew.

Times have changed. Today we have an overwhelming array of ingredients and a fraction of the cooking time, but Anderson believes the secret to getting dinner on the table lies in the past. After a long day, who has the energy to look up a recipe and search for the right ingredients before ever starting to cook? To make dinner night after night, Anderson believes the first two steps--looking for a recipe, then scrambling for the exact ingredients--must be eliminated. Understanding that most recipes are simply "variations on a theme," she innovatively teaches technique, ultimately eliminating the need for recipes.

Once the technique or formula is mastered, Anderson encourages inexperienced as well as veteran cooks to spread their culinary wings. For example, after learning to sear a steak, it's understood that the same method works for scallops, tuna, hamburger, swordfish, salmon, pork tenderloin, and more. You never need to look at a recipe again. Vary the look and flavor of these dishes with interchangeable pan sauces, salsas, relishes, and butters.

Best of all, these recipes rise above the mundane Monday-through-Friday fare. Imagine homemade ravioli and lasagna for weeknight supper, or from-scratch tomato sauce before the pasta water has even boiled. Last-minute guests? Dress up simple tomato sauce with capers and olives or shrimp and red pepper flakes. Drizzle sautéed chicken breasts with a balsamic vinegar pan sauce. Anderson teaches you how to do it--without a recipe. Don't buy exotic ingredients and follow tedious instructions for making hors d'oeuvres. Forage through the pantry and refrigerator for quick appetizers. The ingredients are all there; the method is in your head. Master four simple potato dishes--a bake, a cake, a mash, and a roast--compatible with many meals. Learn how to make the five-minute dinner salad, easily changing its look and flavor depending on the season and occasion. Tuck a few dessert techniques in your back pocket and effortlessly turn any meal into a special occasion.

There's real rhyme and reason to Pam's method at the beginning of every chapter: To dress greens, "Drizzle salad with oil, salt, and pepper, then toss until just slick. Sprinkle in some vinegar to give it a little kick." To make a frittata, "Cook eggs without stirring until set around the edges. Bake until puffy, then cut it into wedges." Each chapter also contains a helpful at-a-glance chart that highlights the key points of every technique, and a master recipe with enough variations to keep you going until you've learned how to cook without a book.

The Perfect Recipe

The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson



The Perfect Recipe

This book and the next one are great - they suit my way of thinking.

Pam Anderson roasted more than 40 turkeys, steamed and boiled more than three dozen lobsters, cleaned and cooked more than 100 pounds of greens,
baked more than 50 cobblers — all so you can have the perfect recipe . . .

Which comes first when mashing potatoes — the butter or the milk? What grade and grind of meat make the best hamburgers? How do you roast a turkey so the breast meat is as moist and juicy as the legs? For the tenderest muffins, should you use buttermilk, yogurt or milk? At what temperature should you cook prime rib for the most succulent results? Is it possible to create a fudgy, cakey, chewy brownie all in one?
Most of us don't have time to figure out the answers to questions like these. We need somebody to do the work for us and get our favorite recipes just right. In this book, Pam Anderson, the food editor of USA Weekend magazine, does just that. Painstakingly conducting test after test, Anderson arrives at not only the best recipe but frequently the most convenient and sensible one:
• A simple formula for a stir-fry that can be varied with different combinations of meat, vegetables and sauces
• French bread so easy it can be baked every day
• Chicken pot pie for weeknights, made with convenient chicken breasts rather than a whole chicken
• Macaroni and cheese as effortless as boxed, but three times as satisfying
• Pizza dough that rises in just one hour or throughout the day
• A cobbler that can be prepared with dozens of different fruits, making it 40 desserts in one.

THE PERFECT RECIPE includes more than 150 recipes in all, with dozens of step-by-step illustrations of techniques, comparisons of products and useful tips.

Simply the best cookbook you will ever buy!5
This book is full of test kitchen recipes that you really can use daily. The ways that they are explained and the mistakes they have made and show you how to avoid are priceless. My sister loved my book so much I had to buy her her own copy! Don't miss this one it is my favorite cookbook on the shelf and I collect them in the dozens!

Very nice "entry level" book for potential "Cook's Illustrated" fans4
This book's style and editorial format has a lot in common with Shirley Corriher's "CookWise" and the output of the Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen group, which isn't surprising since Anderson was once affiliated with CI. Anderson brings much of that same chatty, educational style to "The Perfect Recipe"; some people will like it, some people will hate it, depending on what they want from their cookbooks. I happen to really enjoy this kind of cookbook style, so I quite like it.

Other reviewers have mentioned that "Perfect Recipe" is practically a remake of CI's "The Best Recipe", but has far fewer recipes and represents a lesser value for the reader (although it also costs less). The criticism has merit, but I think this book still has a place if the libraries of some cooks. I am thinking here of novice and middling cooks who find the dense, cluttered potpourri layout of the CI books unappealing or intimidating. There are also cooks who couldn't care less about ingredient and appliance brand reviews that pad out every variation of CI/ATK books. For these reader, "The Perfect Recipe" offers a contrasting format with a much simpler and easier-to-follow style - even the typeset and margins are larger and any given page is usually only devoted to one variation of a recipe.

A good example of the cookbook's value is Anderson's chapter on roasting chicken. She shows how to "butterfly" a chicken for quicker/easier roasting, and gives several variations of the recipe, any one which will yield excellent results. I was basically afraid to try this method before reading this chapter (even after seeing Alton Brown's excellent show on the subject) , but Anderson's detailed instructions removed those qualms and left me raring and eager to try it. If a cookbook empowers me to try one new thing, I consider it worth the purchase price...so I am happy with "The Perfect Recipe". I am confident that other readers may well find that Anderson's style is just the ticket to help them get past their fear of other basic topics in food prep.

Weaknesses: For my taste, the chapter on "Special Occasion" foods (crown roast, Thanksgiving turkey, etc) was both too long and too short. Most of these recipes are of little use for a single bachelor - but if you are going to have them, you need more than just a few standards). But I understand that Anderson was making a judgement call on how to structure her book, and that other people will regard the chapter as a Godsend.

So if you are a hardcore cook with 200-300 volumes in your library (including some or all of the "Best Recipe" volumes) you probably won't need (or want) "The Perfect Recipe". But if you are a newer cook trying to upgrade your recipes to the next level, Anderson may provide you the entry you are looking for.

The Naked Chef Takes Off

Naked Chef Takes Off, The by Jamie Oliver


The Naked Chef Takes Off

If you liked the last one, you'll like this one too. I did.

Affable Essex boy Jamie Oliver continues the British culinary invasion with The Naked Chef Takes Off, the smashing follow-up to his bestselling The Naked Chef. For Oliver, the young Food Network import, food is all about "passing the potatoes around the table, ripping up some bread, licking my fingers, getting tipsy, and enjoying the company of good friends and family," and cooking up "what real people at home really want." The thing is, "real people" picking up cookbooks are often seeking easy-to-follow recipes. But that's not Oliver's bag. The layout of many of his recipes may frustrate traditional-cookbook readers--instructions often appear as one big chunk of conversational text with nary an ingredient or measurement in clear view--but that's part of the charm of Oliver's cookbooks. His commentary, tips, and cooking steps come across in a very approachable, colloquial style and leave plenty of room for individual flair or improvisation. Oliver's enthusiasm for cooking is infectious; the recipes and chapter introductions spill out like a best mate who just can't stop talking about food and how much fun--and simple--it can be to whip up these spectacular dishes. Oliver kicks things off by stocking your pantry with best-quality ingredients, and he's an apostle for fresh herbs, raving on about growing and drying your own at home. "Morning Glory" is a chapter full of dishes like Midnight Pan-Cooked Breakfast (bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausages, and eggs brought together in the "biggest nonstick pan available" and sopped up with buttered toast--a rustic one-dish cure for any oncoming hangover). "Tapas, Munchies, and Snacks" brings Slow-Cooked and Stuffed Baby Cherry Chili Peppers to the table (when you're done snacking on the chilies, you're left with a jar of terrific flavored oil, perfect for salads or pasta). There's Squashed Cherry Tomato and Smashed Olive Salad, and a Fragrant Thai Broth, infused with lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaves. Once you've mastered his basic risotto recipe you can turn out Shrimp and Peas Risotto with Basil and Mint, and likewise his basic bread recipe is the foundation for Chocolate Twister Bread. "Easy peasy" dessert ideas like Strawberries Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar or Malted Milk Balls and Ice Cream (bash a big bag of Whoppers into bits and sprinkle over quality vanilla ice cream) are a refreshing end to any meal. Now, be a "right little tiger" and get cooking--Seared Scallops and Crispy Prosciutto with Roasted Tomatoes and Smashed White Beans and other fabulous dishes await. --Brad Thomas Parsons

Another great one from Jamie Oliver
This book is a great addition to both our cooking library and our gardening library... Jamie's recipes are fabulously simple and delicious... We highly recommend this book.

Jamie Oliver's Best
Of all the Jamie Oliver cookbooks, this is my favorite. Its full of recipes that make you feel like a grown-up, but are wonderfully simple. His enthusiasm makes the recipes a fun read and the pictures will make your tummy talk. An added bonus is that my kids will eat anything that I make from this book. They love Jamie as much as I do. Naked Chef Takes Off is an essential primer for the inexperienced and the seasoned cook alike.

Don't judge a book by its title
This cookbook is just The Return of the Naked Chef with a new title. I already owned The Return of the Naked Chef, so now I have two. I really dislike publishers who mislead us by changing titles or changing covers just to get us to buy that which we already own.

The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Naked Chef, The by Jamie Oliver


The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

This is a nice book - more motivational than instructional though.

There are a few British television chefs, such as Delia Smith and Nigel Slater, who know exactly what viewers want. They cook food that is simple to prepare but looks and tastes delicious. That's probably the reason why the BBC appointed Jamie Oliver as the presenter of its series The Naked Chef (which airs on the Television Food Network in the U.S.). A working chef at London's celebrated River Caf+, Oliver cooks simpler versions of the fare you would find on the restaurant's menu. It's basically modern Italian food using ingredients that can be found by almost anyone who is reasonably interested in food shopping. Like the television show, the book is titled The Naked Chef. In Oliver's words, this sums up the idea: "It's basically stripping back to the bare essentials." He applies this to all his recipes--from salads to roasts, desserts to pastas. He doesn't use culinary jargon or time-consuming processes. In the book you'll find suggestions for ingredients to keep in your larder (pantry) and herbs to grow on your windowsill. Recipes include Warm Salad of Radicchio; Gem and Pancetta; and Beetroot Tagliatelle with Pesto, Mussels, and White Wine. There are also tips on how to cook live lobsters, how to make gravy, preparing dry beans for cooking, and how to make the perfect roast chicken. Several photographs accompany some of the recipes, with step-by-step instructions. Oliver's recipes for bread are particularly good--a tribute to his training at Carluccio's, the Covent Garden deli. This is the perfect book for anyone who doesn't want to spend much more than a half-hour preparing meals and is not willing to compromise on innovation or taste. --Dale Kneen, Amazon.co.uk

Fantastic Cook book
The book is really good. I love this so much I bought Happy Days with the Naked Chef too. The recipes I have tried out so far have worked every time and the instructions are clear. Although I loved cooking, I was not what anyone would call a professional in the kitchen. I would have balked at anything that sounded too complex. The mushroom risotto and the chickpea and leek soup are two of the recipes I make most often. I also tried the Roasted butternut squash in a risotto just as he suggests. It was brilliant and had to be one of the most economical meals I have made. Spotted Dick pudding, minestrone, Fruit crumble, marinated chickpeas, roast chicken have all turned out very well. Such an encouragement for me.

Essentials of Cooking

Essentials of Cooking by James Peterson


Essentials of Cooking

I love to be technique centric with my hobbies - this book is a great reference, and really well illustrated. You can use it as a coffee table book too.

In this unrivaled practical guide, one of America's most widely respected cookbook authors distills his vast knowledge and experience into the 100 essential techniques that every cook needs to know. Seven hundred and fifty photographs unravel the mysteries of the method and provide practical application on the spot.

Each technique is further explained in terms of how it makes the food taste: What happens, for example, if you cook the fish in butter versus oil? Why does roasting make vegetables taste so good? How do you decide whether you want to make a chicken stew or sautT?

Here are answers to just about every cooking question, from the simple to the sublime: how to boil an artichoke or cook a soft-boiled egg, or how to clean soft-shell crabs or even butcher and roast a whole saddle of lamb. Knowing how to execute a technique makes you efficient; knowing why you've chosen that technique makes you a master.

beginners
Good cookbook for beginners. Touches on all essentials needed to cook almost anything. Great gift for newbie without much experience.

Home chefs this is for you
Peterson's book is illustrated with high quality color photograhs that show the reader exactly how to prepare a wide variety of meals using basic methods that professional chefs routinely use. This is not a cookbook per se; rather an excellent technique of cooking book for meats, fish and vegetables. Great book for a new or experienced cook.

The best "basic techniques" book on cooking
The Essentials is the best book on basic techniques I've found in 20 year of cooking for friends and family. It's my go to gift for nieces/nephews graduating from college and anyone else who wants to learn more about some of the things they've had at our house.
After this, you don't need a lot of other cook books - you can make your own recipes based on the techniques.

The Way to Cook

The Way to Cook by Julia Child


The Way to Cook

Start dreaming about cooking, and learn proven techniques in the process. This book is also a great reference.

In this magnificent new cookbook, illustrated with full color throughout, Julia Child give us her magnum opus--the distillation of a lifetime of cooking. And she has an important message for Americans today. . .

--to the health-conscious: make a habit of good home cooking so that you know you are working with the best and freshest ingredients and you can be in control of what goes into every dish
--to the new generation of cooks who have not grown up in the old traditions: learn the basics and understand what you are doing so cooking can be easier, faster, and more enjoyable
--to the more experienced cook: have fun improvising and creating your own versions of traditional dishes
--and to all of us: above all, enjoy the pleasures of the table.

In this spirit, Julia has conceived her most creative and instructive cookbook, blending classic techniques with free-style American cooking and with added emphasis on lightness, freshness, and simpler preparations. Breaking with conventional organization, she structures the chapters (from Soups to Cakes & Cookies) around master recipes, giving all the reassuring details that she is so good at and grouping the recipes according to method; these are followed--in shorthand form--by innumerable variations that are easily made once the basics are understood.

For example, make her simple but impeccably prepared sauté of chicken, and before long you're easily whipping up Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream, Chicken Provençale, Chicken Pipérade, or Chicken Marengo. Or master her perfect broiled butterflied chicken, and next time Deviled Rabbit or Split Cornish Game Hens Broiled with Cheese will be on your menu.

In all, there are more than 800 recipes, including the variations--from a treasure trove of poultry and fish recipes and a vast array of fresh vegetables prepared in new ways to bread doughs (that can be turned into pizzas and calzones and hamburger buns) and delicious indulgences, such as Caramel Apple Mountain or a Queen of Sheba Chocolate Almond Cake with Chocolate Leaves. And if you want to know how a finished dish should look or how to angle your knife or to fashion a pretty rosette on that cake, there are more than 600 color photographs to entice and instruct you along the way.

A one-of-a-kind, brilliant, and inspiring book from the incomparable Julia, which is bound to rekindle interest in the satisfactions of good home cooking.

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman



How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

The modern day reference that is perhaps less demanding than Julia Childs book above.

Great Food Made Simple
Here's the breakthrough one-stop cooking reference for today's generation of cooks! Nationally known cooking authority Mark Bittman shows you how to prepare great food for all occasions using simple techniques, fresh ingredients, and basic kitchen equipment. Just as important, How to Cook Everything takes a relaxed, straightforward approach to cooking, so you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and still achieve outstanding results.

Praise for How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman:

"In his introduction to How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman says, 'Anyone can cook, and most everyone should.' Now, hopefully everyone will -- this work is a rare achievement. Mark is in that pantheon of a few gifted cook/writers who make very, very good food simple and accessible. I read his recipes and my mouth waters. I read his directions and head for the kitchen. Bravo, Mark, for taking us away from take-out and back to the fun of food."
-- Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the international public radio show "The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper"

"Mark Bittman is the best home cook I know, and How to Cook Everything is the best basic cookbook I've seen."
-- Jean-Georges Vongerichten, award-winning chef/owner of Jean-Georges

"Useful to the novice cook or the professional chef, How to Cook Everything is a tour de force cookbook by Mark Bittman. Mark lends his considerable knowledge and clear, concise writing style to explanations of techniques and quick, classic recipes. This is a complete, reliable cookbook."
-- Jacques Pepin, chef, cookbook author, and host of his own PBS television series

"Sometimes all the things that a particular person does best come together in a burst of synergy, and the result is truly marvelous. This book is just such an instance. Mark Bittman is not only the best home cook we know, he is also a born teacher, a gifted writer, and a canny kitchen tactician who combines great taste with eminent practicality. Put it all together and you have How to Cook Everything, a cookbook that will inspire American home cooks not only today but for years to come."
-- John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger, coauthors of License to Grill

Essentials for Great Cooking

10 Piece Set - All-Clad Stainless (Set only)



Buy new: $639.95

These will last a lifetime. If you are leery about the stainless steel surface and still want some non-stick pans for eggs, pancakes, etc., just buy a few non-stick pans to supplement your collection. These are the best pots and pans and they are virtually indestructable.

Silpat 11-5/8-by-16-1/2-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat


Buy new: $15.99

This reusable lining for your baking sheets allow you to make cookies, biscuits, and even some breads without extra oil (no greasing the pan!). Food browns evenly and lifts effortlessly from your baking sheets.

OXO Salad Spinner


Buy new: $22.93

The easiest way to wash and dry your salad greens and herbs. Easy to clean, too!

KitchenAid Artisan 5-qt. Stand Mixer

This one is a classic. Well worth the purchase price, it should last a lifetime. Even if you don't bake, you can use this mixer for whipping mashed potatoes, kneading bread, or use any of the available attachments to change this machine into a juicer or even a meat grinder.

Cuisinart DGB-600BC Grind and Brew, Brushed Chrome


Buy new: $128.72

The carafe is insulated, so your coffee doesn't burn while you wait to drink the pot. Insert whole beans and this machine grinds them immediately before brewing your pot of coffee. You can set the timer to wake up to the smell of fresh coffee on a workday.

Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice-Cream Maker, White


Buy new:
$49.95
/ Used from:
$35.00

It's incredibly easy to make your own ice cream (some recipes have as few as 4 ingredients) and homemade tastes so much better than store bought. Fresh ice cream in 30 minutes, without that old school rock salt and hand crank.

Cuisinart BFP-703CH SmartPower Duet Blender/Food Processor, Chrome


Buy new: $89.95

Great blender and adequate food processor. If you are making salsa, chopping veggies, or any other basic task, the food processor function is great. The blender standard size and is great for milkshakes and other frozen drinks.

Brita Deluxe Water Pitcher


Buy new: $24.51

I don't have a water filtration system built into my fridge, but with this pitcher I always have fresh filtered water ready for cooking, coffee, or drinking. Buy refill filters in bulk so you're never stuck without them.

MIU 4-Piece Silicone Spatulas Set, Pastel Colors


Buy new: $9.95

Silicone spatulas won't melt under normal cooking conditions. They also won't scratch the non-stick surface of your pans. Consider also purchasing silcone "spoonulas" as well.

Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again by Ina Garten



Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$13.84

Beautiful photographs, delicious food, great stories, easy to follow instructions. I'm a fan of every one of Ina Garten's books (and her Food Network show).

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten


Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$16.78



Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family by Ina Garten


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$23.10
/ Used from:
$16.92


Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals by Rachael Ray



Buy new:
$12.70
/ Used from:
$2.63

Rachel gives you a standard shopping list and then gives fast recipes that can either be made from your pantry or with a few ingredients purchased in the "express lane" on your way home from work. I love that she doesn't rely on convenience food. This book has convinced me not to rely on take out and fast food, even when I've had a rough day at work.

Mexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time") by Rick Bayless


Buy new:
$19.77
/ Used from:
$11.98

Beautful photos, simple recipes, great story. I love Mexican food and these recipes use ingredients that I can find at my grocery store or a local Latin American market.

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis


Buy new:
$21.13
/ Used from:
$16.30

Another beautiful cookbook. I love Italian food as well and Giada offers the expected and the unexpected in this book. Bonus, all of the ingredients are at my local grocery store.

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman



Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$8.91

This book was recommended by a friend and it's a great find. The recipes are fine, but what I really love is the detailed descriptions of food and cooking techniques in plain language. Never cooked with leeks? This book defines leeks, explains how to select tasty ones, and even diagrams how to cut and clean them. This is an excellent reference book for any home kitchen.

Tags: cookware, cook book, kitchenware

Books to read about kitchen

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain



Buy used from: $0.90

I love Bourdain's show on The Travel Channel and I've gotten lots of positive word of mouth reviews. (and his recent appearance on Top Chef was brilliant. How could you not love a guy who called one chef's food a mixture of "Betty Crocker and Charles Manson"?)

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran


Buy new:
$17.13
/ Used from:
$3.65

This got a good review from Entertainment Weekly and I confess I was hooked just by the title.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan


Buy new:
$10.20
/ Used from:
$6.78

Promiscuous plants. What's not to love?

The Pilot's Wife (Oprah's Book Club) by Anita Shreve



Buy new:
$10.19
/ Used from:
$0.01

I'm kind of wincing about choosing an Oprah's Book Club choice (altho I've read others I've liked-let's keep that between us.) But sometimes a good depressing novel is just the thing when you are bummed out about something in your own life.

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen


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$10.17
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$0.01

I've planned to read this several times and it keeps getting bumped for one reason or another. Sometimes it's fun to experience extreme discomfort vicariously.

Allure: Confessions of a Beauty Editor by Linda Wells


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$16.49
/ Used from:
$6.45

Ok....it's not exactly Dosteovsky but I can't wait to get my hands on this guilty pleasure. Love the magazine and Linda is supposed to be a relatively nice, down-to-earth girl.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks



Buy new:
$16.47
/ Used from:
$5.00

I will watch almost any movie with zombies in it. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. Zombies=quality. It's Rule #1 of fiction.

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter


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$17.82
/ Used from:
$1.85

Mr. Carter is possibly the greatest ex-President in history. I look forward to being inspired by his ideas on progress in Palestine.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins


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$17.82
/ Used from:
$3.94

The book I would write if I were a brilliant scientist and talented writer instead of a bleached blonde from Ohio who reads Allure magazine.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris



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$10.19
/ Used from:
$0.11

Love Sedaris on NPR and loved "Me Talk Pretty One Day." Laugh-out-loud sheer loveliness.

A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain


Buy used from: $8.08

I probably won't be able to read parts of this since I'm a wimpy vegetarian but I still can't wait to read about Bourdain eating that cobra heart.

Food Network chefs & their cookbooks

At Home with Michael Chiarello: Easy Entertaining by Michael Chiarello


Buy new:
$26.00
/ Used from:
$12.29

My personal fave! Daytime Emmy winner 2005 as host of "Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello" derives his unique style by fusing flavors from California wine country & his family's native Italy.

Napa Stories: Profiles, Reflections, and Recipes from the Napa Valley by Chiarello Michael



Buy new:
$40.15
/ Used from:
$3.23

This book is a fine complement to Michael's other show, "NapaStyle," running concurrently on Fine Living channel (a Food Network sister station from Scripps network).

Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello


Buy new:
$26.40
/ Used from:
$8.93

Recipes from an earlier television series (on PBS), "Michael Chiarello's Napa." This book comes from the second season, which focuses on casual cooking & everyday entertaining.

Recipes from Michael Chiarello's Napa: From the Public Television Series hosted by Michael Chiarello, Napa Valley chef and author by Michael Chiarello


Buy used from: $12.50

This booklet covers season one of "Michael Chiarello's Napa." Although it's listed as out of print here at Amazon, it's usually still available for purchase through his website, NapaStyle.com .

The Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello



Buy new:
$26.40
/ Used from:
$4.32

From Michael's acclaimed Napa Valley restaurant Tra Vigne comes this collection of its most popular recipes, organized to celebrate the fresh flavors of each season.

Flavored Oils: 50 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils by Michael Chiarello


Buy used from: $0.01

Specialty book from Michael details how to create your own gourmet cooking oils, to keep for yourself or to give as gifts to others, and which dishes highlight their flavors best.

Flavored Vinegars: 50 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Vinegars by Michael Chiarello


Buy used from: $0.27

Another specialty book, this one for gourmet vinegars to jazz up your cooking.

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis



Buy new:
$21.13
/ Used from:
$16.30

Giada De Laurentiis previously worked at Wolfgang Puck's Spago before starting her own food & catering biz. Her first cookbook is the companion guide to her popular series "Everyday Italian."

Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis


Buy new:
$21.45
/ Used from:
$10.95

Giada's second cookbook is due out in April 2006.

The Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali


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$26.40
/ Used from:
$17.48

In addition to hosting three FN series ("Molto Mario," "Mario Eats Italy," and "Ciao, America"), Mario Batali regularly shows off his skill in Italian cuisine on "Iron Chef America: The Series."

Mario Batali Holiday Food by Mario Batali



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$23.00
/ Used from:
$7.75

Mario's suggestions for a robust holiday meal, not least of which is the traditional Italian "Feast of Seven Fishes"; rich cookies and desserts polish off the menu.

Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages by Mario Batali


Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$11.75

Batali demonstrates regional specialties in authentic recipes from his "two villages," one in Northern Italy and the other, Greenwich Village, NY.

Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali


Buy new:
$23.07
/ Used from:
$16.58

Fourth book from Batali shifts gears into food better suited to everyday eating, with straightforward recipes intended for at-home meals.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten



Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$16.78

Ina Garten's well-received show "The Barefoot Contessa" is named after her specialty food store of the same name in the Hamptons. This is her original cookbook which was a top seller in '99.

Barefoot Contessa Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family by Ina Garten


Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$16.92

General cookbook covers a variety of basic dishes for everyday meals.

Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun by Ina Garten


Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$11.94

This "Barefoot Contessa" installment is geared specifically toward throwing parties and entertaining. It includes hostess tips in addition to recipes.

Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home by Ina Garten



Buy new:
$23.10
/ Used from:
$14.44

Another specialty book showcases Garten's picks for French-flair cuisine and settings.

NAKED CHEF, THE by Jamie Oliver


Buy new:
$25.51
/ Used from:
$3.80

No need to cover your eyes.. it's the food that's naked, not the chef! Food Network also runs Jamie Oliver's original British series.

NAKED CHEF TAKES OFF, THE by Jamie Oliver


Buy new:
$23.07
/ Used from:
$1.56

Book #2 has more recipes to suit the "stripped-down" philosophy of the Naked Chef series.

Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver



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$23.07
/ Used from:
$2.66

Yep, more Naked Chef cooking!

The Return of the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver


Buy used from: $5.94

And still more!

JAMIE'S KITCHEN by Jamie Oliver


Buy new:
$26.37
/ Used from:
$4.48

In the brief reality series "Jamie's Kitchen," chef Oliver trains 15 unknown Londoners in a new restaurant. Here's the show's companion book. (And he also stars in the newer show "Oliver's Twist.")

Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbook by Jamie Oliver



Buy new:
$23.07
/ Used from:
$14.00

New approach differentiates this set from previous efforts: family-friendly dishes with one eye on the clock & the other on budget.

Tags: nake chef, cooking book, recipes