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The original cookbook thread was archived but I thought this forum warranted another round. I love getting and giving cookbooks as gifts. However at this point in my life I feel I've gone beyond just following a recipe and appreciate books that go into greater depth. Books that go beyond just a collection of recipes and into more technique are a little harder to come by. Here are some of my essential book and I want to see yours. Ruhlman's Twenty by Michael Ruhlman A great book that really goes into 20 different basic cooking ideas. Each of the 20 chapters focus on one main idea whether it is an ingredient (Salt, Water, or Butter) or a cooking method (Fry, Roasting, or Sauteing). Ruhlman gets a little whimsical at times but he really presents these basic ideas in a way that can be generalized to your own unique dishes. Ratio by Michael Ruhlman Another Ruhlman book. This one focuses on the common ratios found in everyday cooking, again with the idea being that once you understand the reasons why certain ingredients are used in certain quantities you'll be able to expand to your own ideas. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg There's not a single recipe in this book (as far as I can tell). Instead it serves as an index of what flavors pair well with others. The book let's you know which flavor combinations are superior than others in easy to recognize formatting. This book is great for when you have a farm share and might be working with unfamiliar flavors. The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt Probably the closest to an actual text book that I have. This one weighs in at over 900 pages but goes into incredible detail about why things are cooked the way they are. The book does side by side comparisons of recipe changes to help illustrate what might get your food to where you want it to be. Real great stuff if you're a food nerd. So what cook books do you find you either can't live without or won't stop recommending to others?
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Oct 17, 2016 21:18
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 11:38 |
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That's one of the things I really like about all of the Rulhman books I've used, that he usually cooks by weight. For me that's one of the things to look for to determine the quality of the book. The very first thing I look for is how long it tells you it takes to caramelize onions. If it says anything less than 30 minutes just put the book down and walk away.
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Oct 19, 2016 21:17
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