Sunday, April 03, 2005

My Food and Wine Books

Pay no mind to the date above
Updated on 2/1/06


Alpha by Author or Editors
Eventually will have hotlinks to Amazon or othersites
for futher information


SO, these are the cookbooks that I have. There are more, but this is what I've had a chance to enter in so far! A few of these are J-lo's. Some books are true favorites and get used all the time. Some have never been used. Several books are hand-me-downs. There are a handful that are older than I! I love those books, with their stains and notes in the margins. There are also a few books that I have pick up in my moderate travels. I decided a few years ago that my gift to myself while traveling would be a local cookbook. That I have been able to do, for the most part. Ireland and Greece have been very good. Philly gave me a favorite! I hope to keep adding more as time goes by.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres

  • This author is the chef at Jaleo in Washington, DC, Bethesda, MD and Crystal City, VA. I got this for Christmas 2006 from Joyous. I know of a few things I do eventually want to make in this book.
Lidia's Family Table & Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
  • I first heard of Lidia when I caught her on PBS one afernoon. I loved her casual style and obvious knowledge and joy of the food she was preparing.

New Cook Book from Better Homes & Gardens

  • I don't think I've made anything out of this book, but I felt I needed to have it. It was an early cookbook that I purchased and it is filled with lots of classic simple recipes. A great starter for those looking to become familiar with a kitchen.

New Chinese Cookbook from Betty Crocker

  • I think this cookbook if responsible for some of J-lo's tasty stir fry, so "thanks" Betty Crocker.
A MUST HAVE!!
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
  • I haven't made an actual recipe from this book, but I do reference this book all the time to verify recipes and check on variations and things like that. I like this book and highly recommend it. Get this one for your bookshelf.

The Irish Cookbook by Carla Blake

  • When I travel, I like to get myself a book of local food, as my souvenir. I picked this up on our trip to Ireland in November 2002. This is my little thing. If I could afford art, I'd do that instead, but I can't, so I get books.

The I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken

  • This is a juicy little book from the mid-1960's that was given to me. It's an original. The cover is pretty beaten up and the inside is a bit stinky/moldy, but what fun! Ms. Peg is a saucy little thing! I need to spend some more time with this book...it's been a few year's since I've looked through it.

A MUST HAVE!!
I'm Just Here For the Food by Alton Brown

  • Alton Brown is a food God. An actor who took his passion for food and turned it into a career. This is part text book, part cook book and all good. The Science Behind The Food. As of now, you can get Alton on the Food Network Monday-Friday at 7pm!

Campbell's Quick & Easy from Campbell's Soup

  • This one came with J-lo, I don't know anything about it.

Julia Child & More Company by Julia Child

  • I picked this one up at an used book store on Capital Hill a few year's back. It was my first Julia book and I haven't done anything with it.
A MUST HAVE!!
Julia's Kitchen Wisdom
by Julia Child
  • This was recommended to me by a good friend about four years ago. It is awesome and IMHO, it is THE Julia Child book to own. This little gem contains the highlights of her lifetimes worth of foodie knowledge, and it really is a little gem. You'll get instructions on the best way to cook your veg, the perfect way to make the mother sauces, simple easy ways to cook meats, etc. Simple, easy, classic!!! Now, I must go on the defensive and say, I know the importance of Mastering The Art of French Cooking, so let's look at this book as if it is Cliffs Notes.

The New York Times Cook Book (1961), Clairborne, Craig

  • First note before I forget, the link to Amazon is for a revised edition. I have the 1961 edition, the first edition. This is another that I was given by someone a few years back. The only thing I've made from here was a loaf of bread and I think the recipe was off a little. That said, there are like a billion recipes in this book. If I can't find something in other books, I usually can find something in here, but not always.
ALL MUST HAVES!!!
The America's Test Kitchen (2002), Here in America's Test Kitchen (2003), Inside America's Test Kitchen (2004), America's Test Kitchen Live (2005), Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen (2006) from the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine

  • Get all of these immediately! These books are the companions to the PBS TV Series America's Test Kitchen, which is the companion to Cook's Illustrated Magazine. The basic layout of each book is this. The chapters follow each episode of the show. That means the recipes the make, how they came to what they feel is the BEST recipe, the mistakes they made getting there, the products they used and which ones are worth buying. They will then give you variations for each recipe. You'll learn what works and why it works or why it doesn't work and even if it's just a matter of taste. If you purchase the books from Amazon, they are about $20 a piece. If you were to get the subscription to Cook's Illustrated, it would be about $30, for 6 light, thin magazines, informative magazines, but not very hefty. These books are worth it! I've made many things from them and learned lots from watching the shows and going through the books!!!

CookWise, Corriher, Shirley O.

Everday Italian, de Laurentiis, Giada

Our Michigan: Ethnic Tales & Recipes, Eberly, Carole

Fannie Flagg's Original Whistle Stop Café Cookbook, Flagg, Fannie

Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen, Florence, Tyler

Food Network Kitchens Cookbook, Food Network

Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Garten, Ina

The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cooking (English Edition), Haitalis

Comfort Foods, Harris, Rita M.

California Wine Lover's Cookbook, Hebert, Malcolm

The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst

Backen aus der tute (German desserts, entirely in German), Hohner, Axel

Great Wine Made Simple, Immer, Andrea

Great Tastes Made Simple, Immer, Andrea

Everday Dining with Wine, Immer, Andrea

The Cornbread Book, Jackson, Jeremy

Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks : 5,000 Ingenious Kitchen Hints, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Solutions, Joachim, David

The Way We Cook, Julian, Sheryl

The Kitchen Detective, Kimball, Christopher

Thomas Jefferson's Cook Book, Kimball, Maria

Hot Drinks for Cold Nights, Krissoff, Liana

LaBell Cuisine, LaBelle, Patti

Emeril's TV Dinners, Lagasse, Emeril

Nigella Bites, Lawson, Nigella

Forever Summer, Lawson, Nigella

Feast, Lawson, Nigella

The Wine Bible, MacNeil, Karen

Classic American Food Without Fuss, McCullough, Frances

The Treasury of White Trash Cooking, Mickler & Mickler

Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, Moulton, Sara

The Silver Spoon, Phaidon Press

30 Minute Meals, Ray, Rachel

30 Minute Meals 2, Ray, Rachel

Get Togethers, Ray, Rachel

Cooking 'Round the Clock, Ray, Rachel

365: No Repeats, Ray, Rachel

The All New Joy of Cooking, Rombauer, Irma S., et. Al

What to Cook: When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat, Schwartz, Arthur

The German Cookbook, Sheraton, Mimi

The Ground Beef Cookbook, Southern Living

The Low-Cost Cookbook, Southern Living

The Quick and Easy Cookbook, Southern Living

The Southwestern Cookbook, Southern Living

The Fondue and Buffet Cookbook, Southern Living

Entertaining, Stewart, Martha

Marth Stewart's Hors D'Oeuvres Handbook, Stewart, Martha

The Martha Stewart Cookbook, Stewart, Martha

Mrs. Field's Cookie Book, Time Life Books, editors

Great Dinners from Life, Time Life Books, editors

White Dog Café Cookbook, Wicks & Von Klause

Asian, Williams-Sonoma

Bread, Williams-Sonoma

Chicken, Williams-Sonoma

Dessert, Williams-Sonoma

Ice Cream, Williams-Sonoma

Italian, Williams-Sonoma

Mexican, Williams-Sonoma

Pasta, Williams-Sonoma

Potato, Williams-Sonoma

Risotto, Williams-Sonoma

Salad, Williams-Sonoma

Cakes, Cookies, Pies & Tarts, Williams-Sonoma

Essentials of Baking, Williams-Sonoma

Thanksgiving Entertaining, Williams-Sonoma

5 comments:

Lady Brandenburg said...

Wow, you are a bevy of cookbooks! I wonder... can you do a quick rating for each one...? Not to make your life more complicated... but maybe just a quick * asterisk next to the ones you really recommend? Or a quick three star rating system - "highly recommend," "recommend," "can live without?"

I find that I like cookbooks that have at least some photos and have at least some recipes that are uncomplicated - a mix between some complicated recipes, for Sunday cooking when you have all the time in the world and you have time to drive to the store to find that one weird ingredient, and uncomplicated, for weeknights when you're too tired to think.

Dancer in DC said...

Well I know right away that he'll say the America's Test Kitchen books are recommended, and I agree.

We started collecting the Williams-Sonoma books as a part of our wedding registry, and keep buying them. They have gorgeous photos, and always some fun new recipes to try, as well as old favorites.

I do like Scott's idea of buying local cookbooks. I brought him home the one I picked up in Michigan. The wonderful one from Philly is from the White Dog Cafe, which Em has taken us to.

And for those who do like Rachael Ray, I think her second 30-minute meals is the best of the bunch.

ScottE. said...

I could to a rating system of 1, 2 or 3 spoonulas?!?!

Kidding.

I do plan on adding notes and a rating system of MUST haves and other notables. That said, quickly noted....J-lo's right...the America's Test Kitchen books are MUST HAVES!!! They have some photos, but really user friendly recipes. The Williams-Sonoma cookbooks have great photos! The books are about $16 each and you can pick and choose your favorite foods or styles. Others that you should have: The Joy of Cooking, Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, The Silver Spoon, How to Cook Everything and for the winos, The Wine Bible.

Brunette said...

What a collection! I'm awed... and a little bit intimidated.

I'll join the chorus here- America's Test Kitchen is brilliant. In fact, the Brunette family Christmas dinner for several years now has been Beef Wellington from an ATK recipe. You just can't go wrong with them- they make all the mistakes so you don't have to.

One of the best cookbooks I've ever seen is "Vegetarian Planet." My former veggie roommate introduced me to it and it contains hundreds of delicious, satisfying recipes. That's high praise coming from a committed meat-eater!

Anonymous said...

whoa.

that's impressive/scary/inspirational all at the same time. you're missing a cheese book! cheese primer by steven jenkins is an excellent resource. it has a couple recipes in, but i use it more as a reference before i head out the door for a visit to the cheese store.