Ladies and gentlemen, start your burners. The cooking season has begun.
The good news: Whether you’re a seasoned pro or breaking in your first set of pans, a new crop of cookbooks (just in time for the holidays) are designed to help you navigate the stormy seas of at-home cooking.
Because as much as we all may love watching the Food Network, buying chef-quality kitchen gear (we’ll never use) and drooling over glossy food porn magazines, decent cooks are a dying breed. Blame it on take-out menus, overworked moms and the lack of home-ec questions on standardized tests, but for people obsessed with food, most of us draw a blank when it comes to scratch cooking.
So dust off those whisks, strap on an apron and vow to put an end to boxed, prepared or even half-homemade dining. The truth is, anyone can cook if they’ve got a good teacher and a little inspiration. Here are three books to get you started...
Ad Hoc at Home
Thomas Keller $50 (Artisan)
The Pitch: “Family meals and everyday stables, delicious approachable food, recipes that are doable at home. No immersion circulator required. No complicated garnishes. I promise!” according to Chef Thomas Keller, best known for his, well, complicated dishes at The French Laundry. Plus, lots of goofy photos of the usually-reserved Keller hamming it up. Watch out Rachel Ray.
The Prof: There’s no doubt Keller knows how to cook, but this is the first time most of us will be able to actually cook the recipes. Inspired by his family-style meals of buttermilk chicken, braised short ribs and rustic soups from Ad Hoc in Yountville.
Skill Level: Sophomore. You probably aren’t going to be throwing together a dinner of buttered faro and duck confit after work. But homey plan-ahead recipes for chicken potpie and marinated skirt steak are well-within reach for most cooks. Many of the recipes include sub-recipes for sauces, brines or other special preparations, so these aren’t 30-minute meals. The lush cookbook includes lots of “bright ideas” — tips from Keller on everything from seasoning to removing pomegranate seeds.
Carpe Diem Dish: Buttermilk fried chicken
Plausible Pantry: 7/10. Most items are readily available at higher-end grocers, but unless you regularly stock things like Spanish pardina lentils, apple pectin and baby leeks, you’ll probably need to make a special trip to the store.
Counter-Cred: 10/10. Expect to get it pinched.
Holiday Helpfulness: 8/10. Turkey no. Duck, beef and gift-worthy relishes, yes.
Get Cooking
Mollie Katzen, $24.99 (Harper Studio)
The Pitch: 150 simple recipes to get you started in the kitchen.
The Prof: Moosewood Cookbook author goes omnivore, breaking down her years of experience in the kitchen to create a lexicon of tasty, simple recipes to the beginning cook. Best known for her vegetarian cooking, many of the recipes include vegan options.
Skill Level: Freshman. Crazy-simple recipes with easily-acquired ingredients.
Carpe Diem Dish: Homemade mac and cheese, roasted butternut squash and apple soup (Katzen is ever the queen of soups).
Plausible Pantry: 9/10
Counter-Cred: 8/10. Katzen’s meticulously-tested recipes have been classics since the 1970′s. Minus: Missing are her trademark illustrations, replaced by ho-hum photos by the author.
Holiday Helpfulness: 7/10. Meats aren’t Katzen’s strength, but you’ll find lots of ideas for tasty sides.
The Illustrated Quick Cook
Edited by Heather Whinney ($35, DK)
The Pitch: Time saving tips, after-work recipes, cheap eats
The Prof: No big names, just a collection of really practical dishes
Skill Level: Freshman. The book is organized into two main sections: Everyday (Speedy Suppers, Everyday Chicken, faster Pasta, etc.) and Food for Friends (Simple Startes, big-Pot Gatherings, Barbecue), making it easy to find exactly what you’re craving.
Carpe Diem Dish: “10 ways…” sections feature a favorite ingredient (cheese, steak, salmon, eggs, turkey) and offer up mix-and-match preparations.
Plausible Pantry: 9/10 Most dishes go with simple pantry staples, but can be accessorized with fancier ingredients
Counter-Cred: 6.10 Though it doesn’t immediately grab the eye, you’ll have to wrestle it away from friends who get sucked in by the hundreds of step-by-step and finished-dish photos. Total eye-candy that inspires you to want to cook.
Holiday Helpfulness: 10/10. How to roast turkey plus recipes for turkey leftovers and sides.
What cookbooks do you love?
me and my mom always love to cook and eat delicious recipes-”.
That was truly interesting, i agree with many of the things you mentioned. I have recently searched and found people having similar ideas http://www.rapidsloth.com/Stephen-Stills.html
Useful information!
Momofuku is in my hot little hands. Stay tuned for thoughts within the next couple days. It’s pretty stellar, but since I’ve never eaten at any of the restaurants, the hype is a bit abstract for me.
Momofuku is in my hot little hands. Stay tuned for thoughts within the next couple days. It’s pretty stellar, but since I’ve never eaten at any of the restaurants, the hype is a bit abstract for me.
someone got me the ad hoc home fried chicken “kit” from Williams Sonoma a few months ago… or I could just go to the restaurant on a monday.
eat_gator I think you are referring to the Keller piece originally published in the NYT? If so I agree– a touching story and a lovely piece of writing.
I just read the PD article on Chef Keller, good story and a great job by the PD.
H – Have you seen the new Momofuku cookbook just released? I Need to hit the bookstore and get cookin!
I know Keller is a great chef but, I don’t want any of MY staples coming from a stable!!