Amazon.com Review

Since its first private printing in 1931, The Joy of Cooking has been teaching Americans how to cook. Craig Claiborne calls it “a masterpiece of clarity” and Julia Child says it’s the one book she’d keep if she could only have one English title on the shelf. The nearly 5,000 recipes are handily organized by meal and ingredient, and no cooking instruction goes unexplained, so you can finally understand the difference between poaching and braising. The book includes nutritional information as well as an extremely helpful list of measures and equivalents. You’ll find a version of every recipe your mother ever cooked, along with straightforward instructions for cooking more exotic specialties such as turtles and muskrats.

Review

James Beard

The classic work, which covers the entire gamut of kitchen procedures and is easy to use.

Cecily Brownstone

Important as is the information in this encyclopedic cookbook, it’s the imprint of Irma Rombauer’s and Marion Rombauer Becker’s personalities that makes Joy of Cooking the best loved cookbook to come out of these United States.

Julia Child

…it is definitely number one on my list…the one book of all cookbooks in English that I would have on my shelf — if I could have but one.

Craig Claiborne

The finest basic cookbook available. It is a masterpiece of clarity.

See all Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anderson, author of more than 20 cookbooks, dedicated almost four years to creating her latest collection of 300 uniquely Southern recipes—and her hard work, dedication and passion are evident throughout this extensive book. Along with classic dishes, Anderson shares stories about the South’s culinary history (such as the creation of Coca-Cola syrup in Atlanta, and the legend behind Tabasco sauce) and important food figures like Maryland native Frank Perdue and Krispy Kreme Doughnut founder Vernon Rudolph. Appetizer, soup, main course and dessert sections include popular favorites like Shrimp Gumbo, Smothered Pork Chops and Baked Virginia Ham. But the insider recipes like Shirt Tail Pies (fried apple turnovers), Tidewater Peanut Soup, Charcoal-Grilled Shad Roe and East Tennessee Stack Cake made with bourbon are what truly make this book special. Anderson’s instructions are easy to follow and The Language of Southern Cooking section is helpful, giving definitions of commonly used ingredients. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Readers, whether from the South or not, will love the warmly written and carefully researched A Love Affair with Southern Cooking. . . . The 434-page book includes 200 classic and contempoarary recipes, plus anecdotes and personal reminiscences, all smartly told.” (4 stars — Outstanding) — Baton Rouge Advocate

A New York Times Best Book of 2007 — “This treasurable book is plentifully studded with capsule essays (on the likes of Duke?s mayonnaise or RC Cola) and mini-profiles (Mary Randolph, George Washington Carver) as well as a running timeline of historical tidbits.” — New York Times

A fascinating journey through the rich, complex history of southern foodways. Southern Cooking is a classic. — William Ferris

A tome that will win over workaday cooks and budding food scholars alike. — John T. Edge, author of Southern Belly: the Ultimate Food Lover’s Companion to the South

Jean Anderson’s splendid, entertaining and most useful new book is her truly essential volume to all who enjoy southern cooking. — William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina

Jean Anderson?s splendid, entertaining and most useful new book is her truly essential volume to all who enjoy southern cooking. — William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina William C. Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina

Recipe after delicious recipe will have y?all gathering round the table to celebrate the South?s rich culinary heritage. — Ben and Karen Barker, authors of Not Afraid of Flavor: Recipes from Magnolia Grill

Superb…comes as close as I can imagine toward providing a detailed guide for the recreation of an ancient cuisine. — Reynolds Price, author of Kate Vaiden

[A] charmingly intimate, authoritative, and deeply soul-moving tribute to the peerless cookery of our beloved South. — James Villas, author of The Glory of Southern Cooking

See all Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month November 2007: Inspired by the Strunk and White classic, Michael Ruhlman’s The Elements of Cooking will quickly prove to be an essential culinary reference for both seasoned cooks and novices who might not know gravlax from gremolata. After a thorough “Notes on Cooking,” Ruhlman, a prolific cookbook author and popular blogger, settles in for an opinionated and informative A-Z roundup (from Acid to Zester) of cooking terms, lessons, and techniques reduced to their essential essence. Even with only one recipe (for veal stock), it’s a must-have for every kitchen library–a book that will help you re-think your approach to food. –Brad Thomas Parsons

From Publishers Weekly

Ruhlman’s slim 12th book, inspired by Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style, would more accurately have been titled Selected Elements of French Cooking. Organized in dictionary format, the book offers short definitions of culinary terms most likely to be encountered in a Continental restaurant kitchen: à la ficelle, jus lie, lardo, mise en place, oblique cut, oignon pique, rondeau, roulade. Entries for ladle, rolling pin and other common implements seem almost superfluous, while international items such as wok, tandoor, udon and cardamom are nowhere to be found (though to be fair, nam pla, kimchi and umami are included). An opening eight-page section announces, with finger wagging, that veal stock is the essential and discourses on eggs, salt and kitchen tools. Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) is an elegant writer and the entries he does include can be useful and sometimes entertaining. The real problem is the idiosyncratic, highly personal approach: you just don’t know what you’ll find in this book and what you won’t. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Book Description
“For me, there are few things that are more relaxing than lingering at the table with good friends… But I know that for a lot of people, putting together a meal, especially for guests, is the opposite of relaxing… I’m here to tell you: It doesn’t have to be that way.”–from the Introduction

Aussie Curtis Stone, host of TLC’s Take Home Chef, is best known for his laid-back approach to cooking. Though he’s worked as head chef in several Michelin-starred London restaurants, some of his most memorable meals are the ones he’s shared with friends at home. Now, Curtis shows you how to have as much fun in the kitchen as your guests are sure to have over a comfortable, unforgettable meal.

In Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, you’ll find everything from “First Thing in the Morning” bites and “Brunches to Blow Their Minds” to “Weekend Lunches” and “Something to Eat on the Sofa.” With the home cook in mind, Curtis avoids off-putting culinary lingo and hard-to-find ingredients. Instead, he picks what’s in season and just around the corner. This down-to-earth approach results in wonderfully interesting and flavorful taste combinations that are perfect for parties or just hanging out with a close friend or loved ones.

Recipes include:

• Caramelized Nectarines with Yogurt and Honey
• Crispy Tortilla with Ham, Chile, Spinach, and Fried Eggs
• Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad with Pepper-Crusted New York Steak
• Pan-Fried Calamari with Roasted Asparagus Salad
• Homemade Salted Caramel Popcorn
• Baby Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives
• Sticky Chicken Drumsticks
• Red Curry with Lobster and Pineapple
• Veal Cutlet Coated in an Aged Jack Cheese Crust
• Slowly Cooked Brisket with a BBQ Bourbon Sauce
• Creamy Mascarpone and Parsley Polenta
• Brownie Cupcakes

These delicious recipes and Curtis’s infectiously easygoing attitude are all it takes to end your entertaining stress and get you and your guests into a relaxing mood.

From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone: Fresh Linguine with Garlic Shrimp and Homemade Pesto

This satisfying dish just takes minutes to put together. Despite the speedy preparation, it seems really indulgent and tastes fresh and healthy at the same time. When making pesto, you can vary the consistency to match the purpose: Make it nice and thick to spread over bruschetta, or thin it with extra olive oil so it’s easy to toss through pasta, as in this version.

Ingredients

For Pesto:

• 1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves

• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Linguine:

• 12 cherry tomatoes on the vine

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 9 ounces fresh linguine (from the dairy case)

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• Parmesan shavings, for garnish

(Serves 4)

Directions

To make the pesto: Grind the basil, pine nuts, and grated Parmesan cheese with a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste forms. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, use a food processor instead.) Slowly add the olive oil, grinding until a smooth sauce forms. Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. Then cover and set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the vine of tomatoes in an ovenproof skillet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the oil over the tomatoes, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 8 minutes, or until heated through.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking, for about 2 minutes, or until al dente.

While the linguine cooks, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are just cooked through and the garlic is tender. Stir the pesto into the shrimp mixture.

Drain the linguine, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the linguine in a large bowl with the shrimp-pesto mixture, adding enough of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the sauce so that it coats the pasta evenly.

Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some pasta around the fork. Slide it off the fork, letting it mound in the center of a plate. Repeat. Arrange the shrimp and the roasted tomatoes around the pasta. Garnish with the cheese and serve.

From Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone: Lazy Asparagus Omelet

One of my favorite parts of going on holiday is heading down each morning to the hotel’s breakfast buffet. I always make a beeline for the omelet station–even a chef loves having someone else man the omelet pan sometimes! Back at home, I make this much easier version and find it has all the flavor of those yummy holiday omelets. Taleggio is a creamy cheese similar to Brie, with a slightly stronger flavor; it pairs really well with asparagus. Serve this with some hot, grainy toast.

Ingredients

• 15 thin asparagus spears (about 6 ounces total), tough ends trimmed

• 12 large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 2 ounces Taleggio cheese, shaved into thin slices

(Serves 4 to 6)

Directions

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Cut the tips of the asparagus spears into 3-inch lengths; then cut the remainder of the spears into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for 30 seconds, or just until it becomes bright green. Drain the asparagus and submerge it in a large bowl of ice water until cool; drain again.

Preheat the broiler. Using a fork, whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to blend well. Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat, swirling the pan to coat it with the butter. Add the eggs and asparagus, and gently stir with a silicone spatula to lift the cooked egg off the bottom of the skillet and stir it into the uncooked portion (be careful not to overstir the omelet). As the omelet begins to set, give it one last gentle stir. Then scatter the cheese slices over the top. Place the pan under the broiler and cook for about 1 minute, or until the omelet is set on top and the cheese has melted. Using the silicone spatula, loosen the omelet from the pan, slide it onto a platter, and serve.

Review

“Curtis shows that making beautiful, delicious, satisfying food can also be fun. With recipes like these, you’ll be inviting people over a lot more often.”
—Todd English

See all Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Knowing how to cook has challenged lots of men. Women, too. What most people learn is a specific recipe: how to make this pasta sauce, or that loaf of bread. What about learning how to cook in general? And not just the ‘how’ but the ‘how come?’ That requires a technique book.

What you’ll find in this book is an alphabetical list of sixty-five recipe-driven, technique-centered explications that build out into hundreds of dishes.

Armed with the knowledge of the simple mechanics of a dish, the five or so steps it takes to make it, you can walk into the market, find what’s fresh (or on special), bring it home, and have dinner on the table without any worries, any overly romantic pretensions, or any cookbooks piled on the floor: fresh every time—and your way, too.

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from Cooking Know-How: Gratin

A Visual Guide to Preparation

1) For the best gratin, peeled Russets should be sliced as thinly as possible.

2) A gratin is a layered casserole; the potato slices perform the same dividing act noodles do in lasagna.

3) The potato slices, kept in water to halt discoloration, are placed in an overlapping layer in the baking dish.

4) The liquid—here, cream—is poured over the casserole, moistening the top layer as it soaks into those below.

5) As a gratin bakes, press down occasionally with a large spoon to scoop up juices that then baste the top layer.

6) Those juices will brown the potatoes as the casserole bakes.

7) Garden Vegetable Gratin

Gratin Recipe
Makes 8 side-dish servings

A layered potato casserole, a gratin (French, grah-TAN) is named for both the technique and the dish it’s baked in: a fairly shallow, oval, oven-safe baking dish. Nonetheless, you can make it in a standard 9 x 13-inch baking dish, more in keeping with standard American kitchenware. Perhaps this use of a standard baking dish is why the casserole’s gotten hitched to “scalloped potatoes” in the United States. In fact, the real thing is less thick, has no cheese, and is more a center-piece for the potatoes themselves.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350[dg]F. Peel and thinly slice 3 pounds Russet potatoes, place them in a large bowl, cover with cool water, and set aside.

Russets are the best varietal for the best gratin. Sometimes called Russet Burbanks, they’re an American hybrid with white flesh, brown skin, and plenty of natural sugars; they are also full of starch, making them quite fluffy when cooked. That starch will also make a gratin exactly what it is: a casserole thickened with the potatoes’ starch, sort of a potato version of Risotto.

The potatoes need to be cut into slices about 1/8-inch thick–cut lengthwise, to boot, so the strips are as a long as possible. There are three ways to do this:

1. A sharp knife. You need a hefty knife, no cleaver of course, but a chef’s knife for sure. The weight of the tool will help keep the slices even; your steady hand will keep them thin. If you haven’t sharpened the knife in a while, now’s the time to get out the sharpener–or at least get out the steel and hone the blade. Slice off about 1/2 inch from one pointy end of the peeled potato, so it will stand up on the cutting board. Now spray the knife blade with nonstick spray so the starchy potato doesn’t stick to it. (You may need to do this several times during slicing if you notice pieces sticking.) Slice down in slow, steady, thin cuts, about as thick as a piece of elementary-school construction paper. Remove each slice before making the next.
2. A mandoline (pronounced MAN-doh-lin but not to be confused with the stringed instrument, a mandolin). This kitchen tool is an angled plane with an adjustable, razor-sharp blade; items are run repeatedly down the slope and over the blade, thin slices falling through the crack and onto the counter below. Set the blade to [1/8]-inch thickness and use a food grip to run the potatoes their long way over the blade, thereby making long, thin strips. Unlike the technique for using a knife, there’s no benefit here in going slowly[md]indeed, it’s a hindrance. Instead, run the items across the blade at a good, steady clip, pressing down gently but firmly so they come in contact with the blade. Do not attempt to slice the potatoes without using the food grip; many a person has shorn the skin off their fingers thanks to a mandoline (and probably to a mandolin, too). Cheap knock-offs are sometimes sold without the safety grip; invest in a higher-end, professional mandoline or work with a metal glove that can resist the blade.
3. A food processor fitted with the 2-millimeter slicing blade. Place a potato in the slot, turn the machine on, and use the plunger to press the spud down over the spinning blades. You won’t be able to get long slices; the potato will have to go in short end first. And the food processor will “juice” the potato somewhat, its moisture leached out of the whacked-open cells. Still, it’s hard to argue with convenience.
   Put the potato slices in water to leach a little of their starch and help them remain white, rather than oxidizing to a pale brown in the open air. But not too long because too much starch will be lost. Just keep them in the water while you make the following vegetable sauté.

Step 2: Heat 3 tablespoons fat in a large skillet over medium heat.

In general, if the gratin will be made with milk or cream, use unsalted butter; if it will be made with broth and/or wine, use either olive oil, an untoasted nut oil, or a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil. However, a broth-based gratin made with butter is silky and smooth; a milk-based gratin with olive oil is light and less palate-drenching. Just remember that the fat you use will also probably be the one dotted or drizzled over the dish just before baking. In all cases, stay away from toasted nut and seed oils. And that all said, many a traditional French gratin is made with duck fat, then dotted with unsalted butter. Wow.

Step 3: Add 4 cups packed diced aromatics, a mirepoix; cook, stirring often, until softened, from 3 to 8 minutes.

The mix here is entirely dependent on what you want the final effect to be. Treat all these vegetables as the “spices” of the gratin. How about shredded Brussels sprouts, diced onion, diced zucchini, and shredded carrots? Or a shallot and one or two peeled, cored, and diced apples? Or some chopped, stemmed chard with about 2 ounces chopped bacon? All these bring new flavors to the gratin–some sweeter (carrots and the like); others, more bitter (like Brussels sprouts and chard). None will be used to excess; all must be cooked until almost ready to eat so they continue to dissolve in the casserole as it bakes.

Wet vegetables–sliced mushrooms, diced summer squash–must give off their moisture over the heat; dry, hard vegetables–carrots or seeded winter squash–must be diced into very small pieces so they’ll cook quickly. Oddly, 2 cups diced onion and 2 cups sliced mushrooms will actually take longer over the heat than 1 cup diced onion and 3 cups diced carrot because of the difference in moisture content, the time it takes for the mushrooms to give off their liquid. Since leafy greens are mostly air, you’ll need a double amount because of the way they cook down over the heat. Chopped, they fill the pan too full; add them in batches.

Yes, you can make a gratin with tomatoes, but they must be cooked down thoroughly so as not to water-log the casserole. In truth, if you want a tomato taste with the potatoes, it’s easiest to add tomato paste or sun-dried tomatoes in the next step.

Step 4: Add some minced garlic, perhaps a chopped flavoring agent like pitted olives or sun-dried tomatoes, and up to 2 tablespoons minced herbs and/or 1/2 teaspoon dried spice–as well as 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook for 30 seconds to warm through. Then layer the vegetables and the drained potatoes in a 10-cup au gratin dish or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Garlic is almost irresistible with potatoes; just make sure it’s minced so it doesn’t dot the casserole with nose-spanking bites. Also consider other flavorings: a minced, seeded fresh chile; some sliced sun-dried tomatoes; a dab of tomato paste; a minced, jarred, roasted red pepper; some minced peeled fresh ginger; chopped, pitted black olives; or even a minced anchovy. No more than 1 or 2 tablespoons of any, just as a flavoring. This is a potato dish, after all. Everything else is ornamentation.

Fresh herbs work best–parsley, rosemary, oregano, or a simple combination–but there’s no reason not to pair them with a little dried spices, particularly the sweeter ones like ground mace, grated nutmeg, ground ginger, or ground cumin.

Once you’ve got the vegetable medley softened and aromatic, layer the casserole. Start by blotting the potato slices dry on paper towels to remove any moisture that will increase the cooking time and leach too much liquid into the casserole. Place an overlapping layer of slices in the bottom of the baking dish. Then spread 1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable mixture over the potatoes. There’s no reason to get crazed over amounts, but remember that this is not a true layer as in, say, a lasagna. Rather, this is a flavoring to the potatoes.

Keep layering, pressing down and compacting as you build the dish, overlapping the slices and using small amounts of vegetable filling each time. There’s no way to say exactly how many layers you’ll make: the potato slices may have been different sizes and there may be slightly different amounts of the vegetable mixture, depending on which vegetables you used. When you see you have enough potato slices for one more layer, add the rest of the vegetables, spread them evenly over the slices, and top with an overlapping layer of these last potato slices.

Step 5: Pour 4 cups (1 quart) milk, broth, or an enhanced version of either over the contents of the baking dish; drizzle or dot with 2 tablespoons fat. Bake uncovered, basting occasionally, until golden and most the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 hours.

Either milk (regular, low-fat, or even fat-free) or chicken, beef, or vegetable broth (avoid fish broth) can be enhanced with up to 1 cup dry white wine, dry sherry, dry vermouth, or heavy cream. However, bear this in mind: too much wine and the dish will be too sweet; too much cream, too heavy.

The fat that goes over the top of the dish is most likely the same one you used to cook the vegetables. However, feel free to mix it up: unsalted butter to cook the vegetables and untoasted walnut oil over the top layer of potatoes; olive oil for the vegetables, unsalted butter over the top.

Gratin Recipe Variations

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In this unconventional, friendly cookbook, Weinstein and Scarbrough, the authors of the Ultimate cookbook series, have selected 65 basic savory dishes that, taken together, make up a diverse, international repertoire of nightly dinners. A How to Use section orients readers to the particular style of the book and some important considerations for translating the general explication to the specific recipe. Each general dish, be it a bean soup or tagine, begins with a description of the basic technique, with photos illustrating each step. Included in the description are suggestions for the cook who wants to improvise with different spices or needs to use up that lone parsnip in the refrigerator. Following the recipe is a chart with multiple variations: eight different versions of enchiladas (including turkey and walnut) or eight different meals cooked in parchment packets, such as ratatouille-style fish and Japanese-style chicken. The recipes are structured without being fussy and the majority are relatively easy. This is a welcome rarity, imparting a useful, innovative framework as well as the confidence to depart from it. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Description

About the Author
Cooking Light, America’s leading epicurean magazine and authority on healthy cooking, is dedicated to helping its more than 12 million readers eat smart, be fit, and live well. With a staff of registered dietitians and culinary professionals-and over 20 years of experience-Cooking Light is unrivaled in identifying emerging food trends and providing flavorful and healthful recipes as well as detailed information about healthy cooking techniques and tips. 

Review

“Fans of Trader Joe’s have been waiting a long time for a book like this.” –Sacramento Bee

“Cooking With All Things Trader Joe’s provides fast and easy dinner solutions for neophytes and kitchen veterans alike” -San Diego Union-Tribune

“The ‘fusion cooking’ in this collection makes it much easier to create sophisticated, fun, eclectic yet accessible meals. This is a delightful cookbook…The bottom line is that this collection is perfect for cooks who are short on time but want healthful meals that are long on taste” -Tucson Citizen

“Authors Deana Gunn and Wona Miniati deliver the goods — in this case, all from Trader Joe’s…The recipes are modern and sensible and include lots of substitution ideas, in case an item is no longer in stock or you simply feel like experimenting. I’ve already made three dishes, and they were all winners.” -The Pioneer Press

“This cookbook is genius!” Sam Zien, TV host and author of Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes (Back Cover)

Product Description

Love Trader Joe’s? This new independent cookbook features recipes that use ingredients all from Trader Joe’s. By combining Trader Joe’s unique products with fresh ingredients, Deana and Wona create clever shortcuts to quick and easy gourmet meals that are delicious and exciting. The recipes in this book treat Trader Joe’s like a “prep kitchen”–using the great selection of unique sauces, mixtures, and prepped items to make flavorful, natural, homemade food in a snap.

Many of the recipes are vegetarian or can easily be made vegetarian. Ethnic dishes like Saag Paneer Lasagna are scattered throughout, as well as classic comfort foods like Comfy Chicken Pot Pie. Crowd-pleasing recipes include Peanutty Sesame Noodles, Black Bean Soup, Macho Nacho, Seafood Paella, Curried Chicken Pitas, Wilted Spinach with Attitude, Honey I Ate the Chocolate Bread Pudding, and All Mixed Up Margaritas.

People who don’t know how to cook or don’t want to cook will appreciate the Bachelor Quickies section, featuring frozen and ready-to-heat selections that are matched to create complete and impressive menus.

With full-color photographs for every recipe, wine suggestions, humorous personal stories, and cooking tips sprinkled throughout, this collection is a must for any Trader Joe’s fan.

Review

“At last a cookbook is coming that makes natural food appear glamorous and desirable…” — United Press international, February 21, 2007

Swanson goes a long way toward helping “whole” foods shed their stale, hippie stigma… — Salon.com, March 6, 2007

The evocative photographs, most of which were taken by Swanson, lure you into the book. — Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 10, 2007

Product Description

Everyone knows that whole foods are much healthier than refined ingredients, but few know how to cook with them in uncomplicated, delicious ways. Using a palette of natural ingredients now widely available in supermarkets, SUPER NATURAL COOKING offers globally inspired, nutritionally packed cuisine that is both gratifying and flavorful. With her weeknight-friendly dishes, real-foodie Heidi Swanson teaches home cooks how to become confident in a whole-foods kitchen by experimenting with alternative flours, fats, grains, sweeteners, and more. Including innovative twists on familiar dishes from polenta to chocolate chip cookies, SUPER NATURAL COOKING is the new wholesome way to eat, using real-world ingredients to get out-of-this-world results.

See all Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month November 2007: Inspired by the Strunk and White classic, Michael Ruhlman’s The Elements of Cooking will quickly prove to be an essential culinary reference for both seasoned cooks and novices who might not know gravlax from gremolata. After a thorough “Notes on Cooking,” Ruhlman, a prolific cookbook author and popular blogger, settles in for an opinionated and informative A-Z roundup (from Acid to Zester) of cooking terms, lessons, and techniques reduced to their essential essence. Even with only one recipe (for veal stock), it’s a must-have for every kitchen library–a book that will help you re-think your approach to food. –Brad Thomas Parsons

From Publishers Weekly

Ruhlman’s slim 12th book, inspired by Strunk and White’s classic The Elements of Style, would more accurately have been titled Selected Elements of French Cooking. Organized in dictionary format, the book offers short definitions of culinary terms most likely to be encountered in a Continental restaurant kitchen: à la ficelle, jus lie, lardo, mise en place, oblique cut, oignon pique, rondeau, roulade. Entries for ladle, rolling pin and other common implements seem almost superfluous, while international items such as wok, tandoor, udon and cardamom are nowhere to be found (though to be fair, nam pla, kimchi and umami are included). An opening eight-page section announces, with finger wagging, that veal stock is the essential and discourses on eggs, salt and kitchen tools. Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) is an elegant writer and the entries he does include can be useful and sometimes entertaining. The real problem is the idiosyncratic, highly personal approach: you just don’t know what you’ll find in this book and what you won’t. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Frustrated by wasting food you just can’t eat or ingredients you can’t use up? Tired of trying to figure out how to scale down a recipe so it doesn’t serve an army?

For this innovative cookbook, the editors and cooks at America’s Test Kitchen thought big but cooked small. We revamped our best recipes from the year to serve two. You’ll find everything from simple weeknight fare to special occasion dinners to salads, soups, sides and desserts. Birthday cake for two? We’ve got you covered!

A great gift for empty nesters, newlyweds, single people, young families (because new moms & dads are sick of eating mac-n-cheese) and more. Cooking for Two includes our guaranteed and much-loved equipment recommendations, Notes from the Test Kitchen feature, and ingredient ratings. The Smart Shopper’s Guide in the front of the book instructs your grocery shopping and meal planning by helping you make the most of ingredients.