The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook


Deb Perelman - 2012
    It’s as simple as that. She isn’t a chef or a restaurant owner—she’s never even waitressed. Cooking in her tiny Manhattan kitchen was, at least at first, for special occasions—and, too often, an unnecessarily daunting venture. Deb found herself overwhelmed by the number of recipes available to her. Have you ever searched for the perfect birthday cake on Google? You’ll get more than three million results. How do you choose? Where do you start? What if you pick a recipe that’s downright bad?So Deb founded her award-winning blog, smittenkitchen.com, on the premise that cooking should be a pleasure, and that the results of your labor can—and should be—delicious...every time. Deb is a firm believer that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes. She has dedicated herself to finding the best of the best and adapting them for the everyday cook—the ones with little time to spare, little money to burn on unpronounceable ingredients, and little help in the kitchen. And now, with the same warmth, candor, and can-do spirit her blog is known for, Deb presents her first cookbook—more than 100 new recipes, plus a few favorites from her site, all gorgeously illustrated with hundreds of Deb’s beautiful color photographs.The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is all about approachable, uncompromised home cooking: stepped-up comfort foods, stewy dishes for windy winter afternoons, an apple cake that will answer all questions: “What should my new signature dessert be?” “What is always welcome at a potluck?” “What did Deb consume almost single-handedly a week after having a baby?” These are the recipes you bookmark and use so often they become your own; recipes you slip to a friend who wants to impress her new in-laws; and recipes with simple ingredients that yield amazing results in a minimum amount of time. Deb tells you how to host a brunch and still sleep in—plus what to make for it!—and the essential items you need for your own kitchen. From salads and slaws that make perfect side dishes (or a full meal) to savory tarts and pizzas; from Mushroom Bourguignon to Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies; from Buttered Popcorn Cookies to Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake, Deb knows just the thing for a Tuesday night, or your most special occasion.

Simply Ramen: 70 Tempting Noodle Dishes for the Ramen-Lover in You


Amy Kimoto-Kahn - 2015
    Enjoy steaming hot pork, chicken, or beef ramen dishes. Or branch out with seafood, vegetarian, or super spicy soups. There's even a host of recipes for cold ramen and other specialty ramen meals.Looking to please a lot of people? Amy Kimoto-Kahn will help you to "build-your-own-ramen" and show you how to start with one basic soup and then add a myriad of toppings to please a crowd. You'll even learn how to use instant ramen for delicious, but quick and easy dinners.Try your hand at:- Kobe Beef Tsukemen, ramen dipping noodles topped with quickly seared kobe beef, daikon radish, quail egg, lemon and shiso leaf served with a separate Shoyu (soy sauce based) soup infused with horseradish. - Lobster Ramen with lobster shell infused Shio (salt based) soup topped with fresh lobster, spinach, arugula, shredded purple cabbage, roasted garlic and lemon zest. - Oven Broiled Karaage Curry Ramen, topped with Japanese fried chicken, mizuna lettuce, marinated half-cooked egg, charred red onion and garlic chips in a Miso curry soup - Spicy Pork TanTanMen, a no soup version of the Szechwan style Dan Dan noodle with chili oil, sesame paste, numbing spices, topped with green onions, crushed peanuts and diakon radish sprouts. - Kamo Matcha Ramen topped with tea and shoyu (soy sauce) marinated smoked duck, marinated half-cooked egg, sliced pear and cilantro in a matcha infused Shio (salt based) soup. - Crispy Greens Ramen topped with broiled swiss chard, kale, and brussels sprouts with a coconut soup, topped with a poached egg, green onions and garlic chips in a Tonkotsu (pork bone based) soup. - Slow Roasted Tomato and Miso Spinach Chilled Ramen topped with herb roasted tomatoes, miso spinach, poached egg and toasted sesame seeds with a cold noodle broth. Why wait? Simply Ramen has all the recipes to make a comforting, steaming bowl of ramen to serve for dinner tonight!

Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking


Julia Child - 2000
    But which book do you go to for which solution? Now, in this little volume, you can find the answers immediately.Information is arranged according to subject matter, with ample cross-referencing. How are you going to cook that small rib steak you brought home? You'll be guided to the quick saute as the best and fastest way. And once you've mastered this recipe, you can apply the technique to chop, chicken, or fish, following Julia's careful guidelines.And here is equally essential information about soups, vegetables, and eggs, and for baking breads and tarts. It's all waiting for you in this delicious, priceless, comforting compendium of Julia's kitchen wisdom.

Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods


Sandor Ellix Katz - 2001
    Cheese. Wine. Beer. Coffee. Chocolate. Most people consume fermented foods and drinks every day. For thousands of years, humans have enjoyed the distinctive flavors and nutrition resulting from the transformative power of microscopic bacteria and fungi. Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods is the first cookbook to widely explore the culinary magic of fermentation."Fermentation has been an important journey of discovery for me," writes author Sandor Ellix Katz. "I invite you to join me along this effervescent path, well trodden for thousands of years yet largely forgotten in our time and place, bypassed by the superhighway of industrial food production."The flavors of fermentation are compelling and complex, quite literally alive. This book takes readers on a whirlwind trip through the wide world of fermentation, providing readers with basic and delicious recipes-some familiar, others exotic-that are easy to make at home.The book covers vegetable ferments such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and sour pickles; bean ferments including miso, tempeh, dosas, and idli; dairy ferments including yogurt, kefir, and basic cheesemaking (as well as vegan alternatives); sourdough bread-making; other grain fermentations from Cherokee, African, Japanese, and Russian traditions; extremely simple wine- and beer-making (as well as cider-, mead-, and champagne-making) techniques; and vinegar-making. With nearly 100 recipes, this is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging fermentation cookbook ever published.

How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Beer Right the First Time


John J. Palmer - 2006
    This book includes ingredients, methods, recipes and equipment information. It provides reference to intermediate techniques like all-grain brewing variations and recipe formulation.

The Home Creamery: Make Your Own Fresh Dairy Products; Easy Recipes for Butter, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Creme Fraiche, Cream Cheese, Ricotta, and More!


Kathy Farrell-Kingsley - 2008
    With simple step-by-step instructions that don’t require complicated aging techniques, you can add a wonderful range of tart, sweet, and nutty flavors to your cooking. From fresh buttermilk for mouthwatering pancakes to creamy mozzarella in a refreshing Caprese salad, you’ll soon enjoy the fresh flavors of your homemade dairy creations.

The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen


Cook's Illustrated - 2012
    Unlike other food science books, we make a direct and practical connection between the science and the cooking. We divide the book into 50 core principles, support them through detailed yet friendly explanations, bring them alive with color illustrations and inventive experiments, and reinforce them through recipes that put the principle to work. At Cook's Illustrated, we've been asking why in the kitchen for over 20 years and often find our answers in science. We believe good science makes great food and that understanding basic science will make you a great cook.

Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round


Marisa McClellan - 2011
     Popular food blogger and doyenne of canning, Marisa McClellan, is using small batches and inventive flavors to make preserving easy enough for any novice to tackle. If you grew up eating home-preserved jams and pickles, or even if you're new to putting up, you'll find recipes to savor. Sample any of the 100 seasonal recipes:In the spring: Apricot Jam and Rhubarb SyrupIn the summer: Blueberry Butter and Peach SalsaIn the fall: Dilly Beans and Spicy Pickled CauliflowerIn the winter: Three-Citrus Marmalade and Cranberry KetchupMarisa's confident, practical voice answers questions and quells any fears of accidental canning mistakes, and the book is written for cooks of any skill level. Stories of wild blackberry jam and California Meyer lemon marmalade from McClellan's childhood make for a read as pleasurable as it is delicious; her home-canned food-learned from generations of the original "foodies"-feeds the soul as well as the body.

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science


J. Kenji López-Alt - 2015
    Kenji López-Alt has pondered all these questions and more. In The Food Lab, Kenji focuses on the science behind beloved American dishes, delving into the interactions between heat, energy, and molecules that create great food. Kenji shows that often, conventional methods don’t work that well, and home cooks can achieve far better results using new—but simple—techniques. In hundreds of easy-to-make recipes with over 1,000 full-color images, you will find out how to make foolproof Hollandaise sauce in just two minutes, how to transform one simple tomato sauce into a half dozen dishes, how to make the crispiest, creamiest potato casserole ever conceived, and much more.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen


Harold McGee - 1984
    Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious. Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. As compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new On Food and Cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment.On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books have now been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques.Among the major themes addressed throughout this new edition are:Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food qualityThe great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredientsTips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfullyThe particular substances that give foods their flavors and that give us pleasureOur evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foodsOn Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.

One-Hour Cheese: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Chèvre, Paneer--Even Burrata. Fresh and Simple Cheeses You Can Make in an Hour or Less!


Claudia Lucero - 2014
    Or you're whipping up quesadillas for a snack, using your homemade Triple Pepper Hack. Or the dinner party's in high gear and out comes the cheese plate—and yes, you've made all the cheeses on it. Even better—you made them all earlier that day.In a cookbook whose results seem like magic but whose recipes and instructions are specific, easy-to-follow, and foolproof, Claudia Lucero shows step by step—with every step photographed—exactly how to make sixteen fresh cheeses at home, using easily available ingredients and tools, in an hour or less. The approach is basic and based on thousands of years of cheesemaking wisdom: Heat milk, add coagulant, drain, salt, and press. Simple variations produce delicious results across three categories—Creamy and Spreadable, Firm and Chewy, and Melty and Gooey. And just as delicious, the author shows the best ways to serve them, recipes included: Squeaky “Pasta” Primavera, Mozzarella Kebab Party, and Curry in a Hurry Lettuce Wraps.

Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home


Sam Calagione - 2006
    There is no in-depth science to absorb and all the recipes are easy to follow and malt-syrup based, with variations for partial-grain brewing. Extreme Brewing is rooted in the brewing tradition of Belgium with a unique emphasis on hybrid styles that incorporate fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices to create unique flavor combinations. Not only will you learn to make delicious beer, you will also receive guidance on presentation, including corking, bottle selection and labeling. You'll be taught the basics of brewing ingredients and processes—so you'll be equipped to start with the basic knowledge you'll need. There is an overview of the many general beer styles from ales to stouts and porters. This book contains tips on how to use all your senses to become a confident beer taster. Not only will you personally benefit from the brewing techniques presented, your friends will benefit from tasting your delicious homebrews. Detailed information on food pairings for beer and cheese and even chocolate and fun ideas for themed dinners will allow readers to share their creations with family and friends.

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes


Giada De Laurentiis - 2005
    And here, in her long-awaited first book, she does the same—helps you put a fabulous dinner on the table tonight, for friends or just for the kids, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of flavor. She makes it all look easy, because it is. Everyday Italian is true to its title: the fresh, simple recipes are incredibly quick and accessible, and also utterly mouth-watering—perfect for everyday cooking. And the book is focused on the real-life considerations of what you actually have in your refrigerator and pantry (no mail-order ingredients here) and what you’re in the mood for—whether a simply sauced pasta or a hearty family-friendly roast, these great recipes cover every contingency. So, for example, you’ll find dishes that you can make solely from pantry ingredients, or those that transform lowly leftovers into exquisite entrées (including brilliant ideas for leftover pasta), and those that satisfy your yearning to have something sweet baking in the oven. There are 7 ways to make red sauce more interesting, 6 different preparations of the classic cutlet, 5 perfect pestos, 4 creative uses for prosciutto, 3 variations on basic polenta, 2 great steaks, and 1 sublime chocolate tiramisù—plus 100 other recipes that turn everyday ingredients into speedy but special dinners.What’s more, Everyday Italian is organized according to what type of food you want tonight—whether a soul-warming stew for Sunday supper, a quick sauté for a weeknight, or a baked pasta for potluck. These categories will help you figure out what to cook in an instant, with such choices as fresh-from-the-pantry appetizers, sauceless pastas, everyday roasts, and stuffed vegetables—whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll be able to find a simple, delicious recipe for it here. That’s the beauty of Italian home cooking, and that’s what Giada De Laurentiis offers here—the essential recipes to make a great Italian dinner. Tonight.

Naturally Sweet: Bake All Your Favorites with 30% to 50% Less Sugar


America's Test Kitchen - 2016
     White sugar is one of the most widely demonized health threats out there, even more than fat, and consumers are increasingly interested in decreasing the amount of sugar they use and also in using less-processed natural sweeteners. But decreasing or changing the sugar in a recipe can have disastrous results: Baked goods turn out dry, dense, and downright inedible. We address these issues head-on with 120 foolproof, great-tasting recipes for cookies, cakes, pies and more, that reduce the overall sugar content by at least 30% and rely solely on more natural alternatives to white sugar."

The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables [a Cookbook]


Tadashi Ono - 2011
    In this bold cookbook, chef Tadashi Ono of Matsuri and writer Harris Salat share a key insight: that live-fire cooking marries perfectly with mouthwatering Japanese ingredients like soy sauce and miso.Packed with fast-and-easy recipes, versatile marinades, and step-by-step techniques, The Japanese Grill will have you grilling amazing steaks, pork chops, salmon, tomatoes, and whole chicken, as well as traditional favorites like yakitori, yaki onigiri, and whole salt-packed fish. Whether you use charcoal or gas, or are a grilling novice or disciple, you will love dishes like Skirt Steak with Red Miso, Garlic-Soy Sauce Porterhouse, Crispy Chicken Wings, Yuzu Kosho Scallops, and Soy Sauce-and-Lemon Grilled Eggplant. Ono and Salat include menu suggestions for sophisticated entertaining in addition to quick-grilling choices for healthy weekday meals, plus a slew of delectable sides that pair well with anything off the fire.Grilling has been a centerpiece of Japanese cooking for centuries, and when you taste the incredible dishes in The Japanese Grill--both contemporary and authentic--you'll become a believer, too.