Named one of the five favorite culinary books of this decade by Food Arts magazine, The Professional Chef is the classic resource that many of America’s top chefs have relied on to help learn their cooking skills. Now this comprehensive “bible for all chefs” (Paul Bocuse) has been thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the way people cook and eat today.

The book includes essential information on nutrition, food and kitchen safety, and tools and ingredients, as well as more than 640 classic and contemporary recipes plus variations. 131 basic recipe formulas illustrate fundamental techniques and guide cooks clearly through every step. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you the innovative type, the cook who marches to a different drummer — used to expressing your creativity instead of just following recipes? Are you interested in the science behind what happens to food while it’s cooking? Do you want to learn what makes a recipe work so you can improvise and create your own unique dish?

More than just a cookbook, Cooking for Geeks applies your curiosity to discovery, inspiration, and invention in the kitchen. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do we bake some things at 350 F/175 C and others at 375 F/190 C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if we overclock an oven to 1,000 F/540 C? Author and cooking geek Jeff Potter provides the answers and offers a unique take on recipes — from the sweet (a “mean” chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (duck confit sugo). Read the rest of this entry »

A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar.

McGee has taken his slightly outdated volume and turned it into a stunning masterpiece that combines science, linguistics, history, poetry and, of course, gastronomy. He dances from the spicy flavor of Hawaiian seaweed to the scientific method of creating no-stir peanut butter, quoting Chinese poet Shu Xi and biblical proverbs along the way. Read the rest of this entry »

PreSchool-Grade 1–Smiling oranges, mushroom “men”, pepper “people”, bananas that look like giraffes, eggplant penguins, and cauliflower sheep are just a few of the delightful food sculptures that grace the pages of this fun, educational offering.

Freymann explores various concepts including shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites with the help of his signature vegetable and fruit characters. The concepts are well executed, and although the triangular carrot does not have perfectly straight lines, its shape is recognizable. Children will thoroughly enjoy the clever artwork and adorable characters.

The concept is similar in that fruits and vegetables are used to recreate things such as faces, animals or vehicles. It is quite different from fast food, however, in that this is more of a “dictionary”/”encyclopedia” type. There are several sections on letters, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. that are illustrated via the well-known fruits and vegetables. This makes this book considerably longer, and it lacks the rhymes of “fast food”. In its category, this is an awesome book. It shares the quality and beauty of “fast food”, the clever idea. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritional prescription is a greatly-needed antidote to the US way of eating which has become a leading cause of disease and premature death. Despite all the sophisticated medical technology available today, the sobering truth is that the greatest tools for preventing and reversing disease are your fork and spoon. This way of eating will greatly benefit those in poor health as well as healthy persons desiring optimal wellness and vitality. Further, unlike most weight-loss approaches based on will-power and difficult to sustain, Dr. Fuhrman’s approach corrects the underlying causes of excessive hunger and cravings, resulting in permanent, naturally-occurring weight loss.

Hundreds of medical doctors utilize Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat For Health system in their medical practice. It is because all diets fail, for vast majority, in the long-run, unless there is an adequate understanding of nutrient density of food and how low-nutrient-eating leads to food cravings, food addictions and fuels overeating behavior. Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat For Health is a medical breakthrough because without this fascinating information you are essentially destined to be struggling with dieting forever, compelled to consume excess calories, and not be able to comfortable and permanently maintain a lighter, healthier weight. Read the rest of this entry »

The newest cookbook from De Laurentiis straddles two continents with wonderful recipes from Italy and California. Chapters of this friendly and inviting book are titled by course, such as Appetizers and Desserts, as well as by ingredient and occasion (e.g., brunch). The author includes straightforward instructions for classic Italian fare, such as steak involtini; Chianti-marinated stew; pecorino and bean salad; and limoncello granita, as well as a selection of such modern dishes as grilled asparagus and melon salad; pea pesto crostini, and lemon hazelnut tiramisu.

Chock-full of mouthwatering dishes for easy entertaining (Italian fried olives; whole wheat pita chips with mascarpone-chive dip; and vegetable parmesan), this appealing collection is supplemented with informative, short essays on ingredients including olive oil and dried and fresh herbs. Read the rest of this entry »

Thomas Keller, one of America’s most acclaimed chefs (The French Laundry; Bouchon), shifts his focus from fine dining to family-style meals for the home cook in this accessible and dazzlingly beautiful book based on the fare served at his Ad Hoc restaurant, in Napa, Calif. He does not disappoint, providing a thorough primer on the foundations of cooking, offering clear and easy-to-follow instructions on techniques such as butchering and trussing chickens and tying a pork loin.

Thomas Keller also includes a section on becoming a better cook, which helps fine-tune the cook and instructs on using salt properly, learning to make one really good soup and getting organized. Throughout are helpful sidebars that clarify potentially murky subjects, including brining fish and meat, salad basics and using fats. Dishes such as braised beef short ribs, buttermilk fried chicken, and fig-stuffed roast pork loin highlight a vast array of offerings that range from crab cakes to shortbread cookies. Read the rest of this entry »

A former steak lover himself, Chef Tal struggled for years on a vegan diet that left him hungry and filled with cravings for butter and meat. By applying traditional French culinary techniques to meatless cuisine, he found that he could gratify his cravings for rich flavor and fat.
The Conscious Cook shows readers that avoiding the health risks and ethical dilemmas of eating meat and dairy does not mean sacrificing taste and appetite. This is not a cookbook of sprouts and tofu burgers, but of mouth-watering, hearty meals that keep the protein at the center of your plate. Featuring 75 original recipes that will satisfy the fussiest foodies and the most dedicated of carnivores, The Conscious Cook is a breakthrough in meatless cuisine that will revolutionize the way readers experience food.

This is an extremely sincere high-end vegan cookbook. In the past, vegan cookbooks produced average to sub-average results and include recipes that involve either mixing vegetables (cooked or raw) in various combinations, using frozen pie dough and wonton skins in a couple obvious ways, and simplistic tofu/tempeh recipes that don’t taste very good. Read the rest of this entry »

Longtime Knopf editor and executive Jones follows up her recent food memoir with this civilized, unfussy guide to cooking—and cooking well—for solitary diners, for those… who want to roll up [their] sleeves and enjoy, from day to day, one of the great satisfactions of life. Forming and revising cooking strategy is a cornerstone of her digressive, folksy approach, so she provides lists of equipment deemed essential, suggestions for dealing with packaging that coerces individuals into buying—and then wasting—more than necessary, and tips for storing spoilage-prone foods.

Her other key to enjoying cooking—while reducing the costs of eating—is flexibility. She shares her personal credo about culinary language and exactness, and with many protein-based dishes includes ideas for variations and second and third rounds, as she refers to leftovers. Read the rest of this entry »

The Instinct Diet is breakthrough, a diet based on impeccable research. A diet that genuinely deals with problems like feeling hungry or deprived. A diet unequivocally healthy for you, grounded in the metabolic, genetic and psychological workings of the human body. A diet where the dieter gets to eat delicious foods like Orange-Crumbed French Toast, Tuscan Minestrone, Cajun Cod and Chocolate Bread Pudding or opt for tasty no-cook meals.

And it’s a diet that works, combining proven strategies from Dr. Roberts’ research at Tufts—where volunteers lost 10 to 50 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year—with the latest cutting-edge research from around the world.
The secret of The Instinct Diet lies in understanding that five built-in food instincts control our eating habits, and then in learning how we can control the controls. Read the rest of this entry »