the flavor bible is the same book by the same two authors but is updated a bit. you should check it outOriginally Posted by rysara
Cookbooks aside, I still pick up Culinary Artistry. It's got a lot of information on technique and flavor profiles which can come in handy when preparing meals.
ive eaten at the french laundry, ad hoc, and bouchon and to be honest i enjoyed ad hoc the most. the laundry is and will always be one of the greatest memories in my life and i got to share it with my wonderful wife (also a very talented professional chef) on our honeymoon but the atmosphere is not what i like about going out to eat. that is why i can even compare the experience at ad hoc to that of the french laundry.
i feel that au pied de couchon would be just my place. that is how i cook and how i like to eat. rich, rich, rich...
hopefully i can get up there some day to taste picards food
Oooh thanks! I have been debating on if I was gonna pick that one up.the flavor bible is the same book by the same two authors but is updated a bit. you should check it out
The first cookbook that opened my eyes, about technique was, Shirley Corriher's "Cook Wise". John Thorne, a talented writer, shares his views on a variety of food topics, including recipes, in "Outlaw Cook". Alton Brown's work, t.v. shows and cook books, gives all sorts of insight on technique. Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio", has an interesting idea, that once you understand how the ratio between different ingredients work, you can work the ratio, until it meets your tastes. It's easier to write down or remember a ratio then it is a recipe. This stuff may be old news to people working pro kitchens, but its new to us home cooks.
Jay
May not fit the definition of cook book, as there are no "recipes", but my favorite is "Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman. Rather than recipes for specific dishes, Ruhlman gives us the basic ratios at the root of cooking, and the relationships of the components. 5 parts flour, 3 parts water, a little salt and yeast, equals...Bread. 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar equals vinaigrette. After than you just add your seasonings and adjustments, according to your own experience and intuition. He does this for doughs (bread,pasta,cookie, etc.), batters, sauces, stocks, sausage, custards, et al.
I recently bought one of these for myself and one for my daughter (who cooks professionally), and we both love it. For those of you who are so experienced that you already hold all this in your head, it my be redundant, but for many of us, this book is a godsend , if one wants to be able to cook "by the seat of your pants". Pros might find it useful as well since, after all, Ruhlman collaborated with Keller (French Laundry Cookbook) and Ripert (Return to Cooking), Michael Symon on his first cookbook (Live to Cook), and others, so I assuming he knows *** he's talking about. <g> At least to a humble home cook, this book is worth many times the eight bucks, incl. shipping, from Amazon. Here's a good review which describes it far beyond my capability.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mic...hlman_-_ratio/
I love cookbooks, have several hundred, & read them over & over-it's hard to single out favorites, but I'll try-Frog Commissary (one of my first, & favorites), 'Soul of a Chef'-Michael Ruhlman (I think I have most of his), southern-Frank Stitt, Louis Osteen, Bill Neal, Heritage of Southern Cooking, Thai-David Thompson, Kasma Loha-Unchit, John Thorne & Calvin Trillin, Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy, uh-oh-looking at my books, I can't even begin to break them down.
Ones that I'm looking at recently are 'Serious Barbeque'-Adam Perry Lang & 'BBQ Bible' & BBQ USA'-Raichlen, & 'Let the Flames Begin'-Schlesinger & Willoughby-I just got a Weber 22.5' Smokey Mt. smoker, & I'm trying to improve my smoked meats...
I have Keller's 'Bouchon', & have been going back & forth on 'Ad Hoc' for months, is it worth it?
Just discovered Adam Perry and have "Serious BBQ" on hold request at the library (which I always do before investing in a book due to S.S. income. ;-) Raichlen's condescending manner drives me crazy, especially when accompanied by his $20K worth of BBQ equip. and tools, not to mention his meal tips involving 150 bucks worth of lobster and tender loin....just add truffles. <g>
I know it has been mentioned before but I love the Ad Hoc cook book by Keller. Every recipe is relatively simple and very flavorful. He also includes a lot of tips and tricks that have helped me with my cooking over the last year and a half.
Marcella Hazan - Marcella's Italian Kitchen
Lynne Rosetto-Kasper - The Splendid Table - Recipes from Emilia-Romagna and The Italian Country Table.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall - The River Cottage Cookbook
Darina Allen - Forgotten Skills of Cooking
Fuschia Dunlap - Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
The aforementioned The Silver Spoon and Frank Stitt's Book are also great. I do love cookbooks.
Digging up an old thread... I have started reading books on the Ipad a while ago, and today I downloaded my first Kindle cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Pepi...cm_rdp_product
For under $10 that is quite a bargain IMHO as long as you are more interested in the recipes than the pictures. Also includes a dozen or so videos. Definitely recommended.
Stefan
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