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Alton Brown picks cookbooks

16 years ago

The Wall Street Journal has a Saturday feature called 'Five Best' in which an authority picks the five best books on a given subject. A WWII historian might pick his five favorite novels about WWII, for instance.

FWIW, this week Alton Brown picks his five favorite cookbooks. I have two of them, am familiar with a third and I haven't heard of the other two. I can definitely give a hearty second to the Marcella Hazan cookbook.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alton Brown's five favorite cookbooks

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Comments (8)

jimster
16 years ago
"Ratio" is a new book and, when I heard a review of it, I put it on my want list. It suits my way of cooking. Thinking in ratios rather than recipes gives me an understanding of a preparation that long lists of ingredients measured in all sorts of dissimilar units and fractions of units does not.

Jim
cookingrvc
16 years ago
Ratio sounds like an interesting read.

Sue
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Well, I'm going to buck the trend here. (What else is new?) I adored Julia Child, but when I was 21, I had no interest in taking on that level of book. It was too intimidating. And I've never used my Joy of Cooking, which I didn't even consider buying until I was in my mid-30s and felt l "should" have a copy. It's probably a godsend if you entertain formally or have a family to feed, but it's never suited my style or circumstances. As much as I dislike her on TV, Sara Moulton's "Sara Moulton Cooks at Home" is a good cookbook - simple recipes but appealing to a younger, move novice cook than the "old standards". The Fannie Farmer Cookbook (the version edited by Marion Cunningham) or Marion Cunningham's "learning to Cook" are both good. (The second one is written for adults in spite of the misleading name.) And the Martha Stewart publicantion we were talking about recently "Everyday Food" now has a cookbook out that looks good. The one I probably depended on more than any other when I was a new cook were Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens. I still have my BH&G.
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In no particular order, these are my go-to books for science of cooking/baking. Some are repeats of those above. -Grainlady 1. Understanding Food - Principles and Preparation by Amy Brown (2nd Edition). This is an expensive college textbook, but holds a wealth of information. 2. The Science of Cooking - by Peter Barham 3. The Inquisitive Cook (Discover How a Pinch of Curiosity Can Improve Your Cooking) by Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson (you can find it in paperback and it's one of my favorites) There used to be a web site by this author. This book explains how vinegar works in pastry. 4. I also like Harold McGee's works, as others mentioned, On Food And Cooking AND The Curious Cook (which is more kitchen science and lore). 5. BAKING 9-1-1 by Sarah Phillips. You can also learn a good deal from her web site http://www.baking911.com/ 6. COOKWISE - by Shirley O. Corriher (another of my all-time favorites - I also love to see her when she appears on Alton Brown's show) 7. BREAD A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman (Director of the Bakery and Baking Education Center, King Arthur Flour) I like this book as well as Crust & Crumb by Peter Reinhart. 8. The Bread Book - A Natural, Whole-Grain Seed-to-Loaf Approach to Real Bread - by Thom Leonard
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As usual, I find Rachelellen's post full of wisdom. It gives me some of the guidance I want. Cooking the same cuisine (not the same dishes) for one week straight would be no hardship at all for me. When I returned from a one week trip to Italy I cooked nothing but northern Italian food for at least three weeks. There was nothing monotonous about it. That experience has faded. I need another trip to Italy for a refresher course. I don't see the need to limit the experiment to a single cookbook, although that could be an effective way to do it, given the right book. Books I would recommend are: Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy These books are similar in approach and format although about different cuisines and by different authors. They provide a solid foundation for cooking each cuisine. Again, I say that switching to another ethnic cuisine for an extended period of time is a fine idea. Those for whom that is their native cuisine eat it daily year after year don't they? Jim
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My recommendation for her AND for ANY parent sending a child off to their own apartment or dorm is: "The Kitchen Survival Guide", by Lora Brody Wm Morris and Co., Inc. New York, publisher, ISBN 0-668-10587-4, mine is the '92 copyright version. I suggest this book because it is "a hand-holding kitchen primer with 130 recipes to get you started". PLUS, she gives great kitchen basics and backgrounds every consumer should know, via these 3 categories: Setting up and Equipping your kitchen. Setting up and Stocking Up Getting Ready to Cook. Then breaks everything down in easy to understand terms, and also covers such interesting things as: How to read and understand a recipe. How to roast and carve a chicken or turkey, and make Gravy! How to set a table. How to tell if eggs are fresh. How to put out a kitchen fire! Now THAT is good to know!! How to make granola. WHY grocery lists are important. How to substitute ingredients. How to choose a supermarket. How to make chicken soup just like Mom's. Which foods can and can't be frozen. How to cook a live lobster. You can see how valuable these lessons would be to a novice cook. Plus, while many of the recipes are geared towards a youthful palate...pizzas, tacos, lasagna, fruit shakes, and the like...the book then also includes items to spark the education and appreciation of fancier fare, such as chutney dip, butterflied leg of lamb, crustless quiche, and more. So all in all, I think it is a great first book, and it is a fun reading experience too! I'm just so GLAD they want to cook....there is too much consuming already fast prepared, sodium and preservative full pre-made foods nowadays. Have fun with all your choices!!!
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sally2_gw
16 years ago
I heard the author of Ratio interviewed on Splendid Table, and have been interested in his book since. It's such common sense.

Of course, I have Joy, but I don't think I have the one with the advice on skinning a squirrel. I might have had The Frugal Gourmet at one time, but I may just remember watching his show all the time. (It's awful what happened with him. I didn't know about that.) The others I haven't heard of, either, but the Italian one sounds quite interesting.

Sally
tropicals9b
16 years ago
LOL. This post made me order Ratio and The Flavor Bible. Used my $10. gift cert. (from ebates.com) and got free shipping so only $34.00!

Both books sound great and I can't wait to read them. BTW, another truly fantastic book for cooks and newbie cooks is The Food Lover's Companion. I love, love, love this book. I have never looked for something and found it missing. Has solved many food/ingredient/technique arguments! Here's a synopsis:

The brand-new fourth edition of this widely praised reference guide has been updated with new information for everyone, including lovers of ethnic foods and health food aficionados. The authors have added many all-new entries on exotic produce and other unusual ingredients. An earlier edition of The New Food Lover's Companion was hailed by Bon AppÂ©tit magazine as "one of the best reference books we've seen, a must for every cook's library." This new edition has even more to offer! Among the myriad foods and culinary subjects defined and explained are cooking tools and techniques, meat cuts, breads, pastas, international foods, cheeses, eggs and omelets, herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables, candies and desserts, wines and cocktails, and literally everything else related to good food and enjoyable dining. Handy and helpful appendices cover a wide range of food-related topics. They include suggestions for substituting recipe ingredients, high-altitude baking adjustments, a microwave oven conversion chart, recommended safe cooking temperatures for various meats and fish, a guide to reading food package labels, seasoning suggestions to enhance favorite dishes, a food additives directory, and much more. The New Food Lover's Companion is a reference guideÂnot a cookbookÂbut it includes hundreds of cooking tips plus an extensive bibliography of recommended cookbooks and other food-related literature. Here in one volume is an invaluable companion for cooksÂand for everybody else who loves good food. More than 6,700 entries plus line art that shows retail cuts of lamb, pork, beef, and veal.

Thank you for posting this.
annie1992
16 years ago
Like Alton Brown, I grew up watching Jeff Smith and I have three of his books. Two of them were sent to me in a swap by Robin, I miss her, I need to send her an email. Anyway...

Jim, "Ratio" sounds like it would drive me crazy, LOL.

So, anyway, I have two books on Alton's list, "The Joy of Cooking", which was written right here in Michigan, and "The Frugal Gourmet".

Annie
User
16 years ago
I too have the Joy of Cooking and the Frugal Gourmet. I might try and find Ratio, sounds useful. It might be easier to visualize making something from ingredients on hand if I had a better idea of how there can be used.
Ideefixe
16 years ago
I think the older editions of Joy are superior to the newer ones and I can't stand Jeff Smith. I think the recipes are dumbed down.
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
16 years ago
Marcella Hazan's book is the first time I learned that Italians put milk in their tomato sauces!

But Jeff Smith? On par with pedophile priests, won't support him in any form whatsoever.
I agree that the older Joy's are the best.

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