The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook


Niki Segnit - 2010
    "Following the instructions in a recipe is like parroting pre-formed sentences from a phrasebook. Forming an understanding of how flavors work together, on the other hand, is like learning the language: it allows you to express yourself freely, to improvise, to cook a dish the way you want to cook it.""The Flavor Thesaurus "is the inquisitive cook's guide to acquiring that understanding--to learning the language of flavor.Breaking the vast universe of ingredients down to 99 essential flavors, Segnit suggests classic and less well-known pairings for each, grouping almost 1,000 entries into flavor families like "Green & Grassy," "Berry & Bush" and "Creamy Fruity." But "The Flavor Thesaurus" is much more than just a reference book, seasoning the mix of culinary science, culture and expert knowledge with the author's own insights and opinions, all presented in her witty, engaging and highly readable style. As appealing to the novice cook as to the experienced professional, "The Flavor Thesaurus "will not only immeasurably improve your cooking--it's the sort of book that might keep you up at night reading.""Cooking is an art, like writing or painting, and great cooks are artists. And although the ultimate source of creativity remains elusive, all painters have their color wheel, all writers their vocabulary. And now, in the form of this beautiful, entertaining and exhaustively researched book, cooks have their own collection of essential knowledge: "The Flavor Thesaurus."

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained


Robert L. Wolke - 2002
    Chemistry professor and syndicated Washington Post food columnist Robert L. Wolke provides over 100 reliable and witty explanations, while debunking misconceptions and helping you to see through confusing advertising and labeling.

A Good Bake: The Art and Science of Making Perfect Pastries, Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Breads at Home: A Cookbook


Melissa Weller - 2020
    As the head baker at some of the best restaurants in the country, her takes on chocolate babka and sticky buns brought these classics back to life and kicked off a nationwide movement. In A Good Bake, Weller shares her meticulously honed, carefully detailed recipes for producing impossibly delicious--and impossibly beautiful--baked goods. A chemical engineer before she became a baker, Weller uses her scientific background to explain the whys and hows of baking, so home cooks can achieve perfect results every time. Here are recipes both sweet (Pumpkin Layer Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream and Brown Sugar Frosting) and savory (Khachapuri with Cheese, Baked Egg, and Nigella Seeds); beloved classics (Croissants and Chocolate Babka) and new sure-to-be favorites (Milk Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies)--as well as Salted Caramel Sticky Buns, of course . . . all written and tested for even the most novice home baker to re-create. With gorgeous photographs by the award-winning Johnny Miller, and tutorials that demystify all of the stuff that sounds complicated, like working with yeast, sourdough starters, and laminating dough Weller's book is the one guide every home baker needs.

How to Make Coffee: The Science Behind the Bean


Lani Kingston - 2015
    But you're not just anyone. You are a coffee aficionado, a determined, fearless seeker of the best java. And this is the guide for you.                       How to Make Coffee provides an in-depth look at the art and science behind the bean. Learn the anatomy of coffee; the chemistry of caffeine; the best way to roast, grind, and brew the beans to their peak flavor; and what gadgets you really need (versus what gadgets are for mere coffee dilettantes). With illustrated, step-by-step instructions, How to Make Coffee is for the person who doesn't want to settle for anything less than the perfect cup.

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.

Tasty Latest and Greatest: Everything You Want to Cook Right Now (an Official Tasty Cookbook)


Tasty - 2017
    You've been mesmerized by their top down recipe videos, but there's still something about having a tangible album of edible deliciousness at your fingertips. Enter: Tasty Latest & Greatest. This cookbook is just that: 80+ winning recipes, anointed by fans like you, that have risen to the top of the heap, powered by likes and comments and shares and smiles and full bellies. They represent how you're cooking today. Whether it's a trend-driven dish like a pastel glitter-bombed unicorn cake or a classic like lasagna, every recipe has staying power. Now you can deliver on the promise of a great dish whenever the urge strikes. Get ready--your cooking is about to go viral.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking


Samin Nosrat - 2017
    Chef and writer Samin Nosrat has taught everyone from professional chefs to middle school kids to author Michael Pollan to cook using her revolutionary, yet simple, philosophy. Master the use of just four elements—Salt, which enhances flavor; Fat, which delivers flavor and generates texture; Acid, which balances flavor; and Heat, which ultimately determines the texture of food—and anything you cook will be delicious. By explaining the hows and whys of good cooking, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will teach and inspire a new generation of cooks how to confidently make better decisions in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients, anywhere, at any time. Echoing Samin’s own journey from culinary novice to award-winning chef, Salt, Fat Acid, Heat immediately bridges the gap between home and professional kitchens. With charming narrative, illustrated walkthroughs, and a lighthearted approach to kitchen science, Samin demystifies the four elements of good cooking for everyone. Refer to the canon of 100 essential recipes—and dozens of variations—to put the lessons into practice and make bright, balanced vinaigrettes, perfectly caramelized roast vegetables, tender braised meats, and light, flaky pastry doughs. Featuring 150 illustrations and infographics that reveal an atlas to the world of flavor by renowned illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will be your compass in the kitchen. Destined to be a classic, it just might be the last cookbook you’ll ever need. With a foreword by Michael Pollan.

Mowgli Street Food: Stories and Recipes from the Mowgli Street Food Restaurants


Nisha Katona - 2018
    Extremely healthy, beautifully simple and packed with fresh flavour, it's not your parents' Indian food.In 2014, barrister Nisha Katona had a nagging obsession to build a restaurant serving the kind of food Indians eat at home and on the street. The first Mowgli restaurant opened in Liverpool in late 2014, blowing away the critics and forming legions of fans.The simple dishes of a Mowgli menu are a million miles away from the curry stereotype. This unique collection of recipes and stories from the Mowgli Street Food restaurants brings you the best of their beloved menu, and much more. Try delicious snacks such as Fenugreek Kissed Fries or a Masala Wrap, and spice up your dinner with a whole host of delicious dahls. Discover how to recreate the iconic Angry Bird, the signature flavours of the House Lamb Curry, and of course, the secrets of the taste explosion that are Chat Bombs. And indulge in desserts, drinks and cocktails such as the Cardamom Custard Tart or a Sweet Delhi Diazepam.From the Mowgli Chip Butty to the iconic Yogurt Chat Bombs, Mother Butter Chicken to Calcutta Tangled Greens, this is the definitive collection of Mowgli's signature street food dishes to recreate at home.

Chai, Chaat Chutney: a street food journey through India


Chetna Makan - 2017
    Each area has subtle differences in ingredients and techniques, making the cuisine completely unique and full of character.In Chai, Chaat & Chutney, Chetna has taken inspiration from the street and created delicious recipes that are simple to cook at home. The result is a completely fresh take on Indian cuisine - try Tamarind Stuffed Chillis, Chana Dal Vada with Coconut Chutney and Sticky Bombay Chicken from the South or let your senses venture to the North for Chole, one of the ultimate curries, sweet Carrot Halwa, Pani Puri and Cardamom & Pistachio Kulfi.

The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea


Hannah Crum - 2016
    This complete guide, from the proprietors of Kombucha Kamp, shows you how to do it from start to finish, with illustrated step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting tips. The book also includes information on the many health benefits of kombucha, fascinating details of the drink’s history, and recipes for delicious foods and drinks you can make with kombucha (including some irresistible cocktails!). “This is the one go-to resource for all things kombucha.” — Andrew Zimmern, James Beard Award–winning author and host of Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods

Culinaria Spain


Günter Beer - 1999
    While to the north the traditions of the wandering herdsmen are still maintained and tracking dogs search out truffles, exotic fruits that entered the country with the Arabs flourish in the south. This Culinaria title whets your appetite to explore Spain with all your senses. It describes an incomparable panorama of cultural and culinary traditions, as well as an overview of the most important winegrowing regions of the land. Its 488 pages and more than 1,200 photographs clearly illustrate how landscape, climate, and various cultures have left their mark on the diverse cuisine of the country - from Alboraya in the Levant to Zaragoza in the north, from the omnipresent garlic mayonnaise alioli to zamburina mussels. More than 200 recipes drawn from every region ensure that the fascinating reading also becomes a feast for the palate.

The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life


Timothy Ferriss - 2012
    It’s a choose-your-own-adventure guide to the world of rapid learning.#1 New York Times bestselling author (and lifelong non-cook) Tim Ferriss takes you from Manhattan to Okinawa, and from Silicon Valley to Calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world’s fastest learners and greatest chefs. Ferriss uses cooking to explain “meta-learning,” a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. That is the real “recipe” of The 4-Hour Chef.You'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. Featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this “cookbook for people who don’t buy cookbooks” is a guide to mastering cooking and life.The 4-Hour Chef is a five-stop journey through the art and science of learning:1. META-LEARNING. Before you learn to cook, you must learn to learn. META charts the path to doubling your learning potential.2. THE DOMESTIC. DOM is where you learn the building blocks of cooking. These are the ABCs (techniques) that can take you from Dr, Seuss to Shakespeare.3. THE WILD. Becoming a master student requires self-sufficiency in all things. WILD teaches you to hunt, forage, and survive.4. THE SCIENTIST. SCI is the mad scientist and modernist painter wrapped into one. This is where you rediscover whimsy and wonder.5. THE PROFESSIONAL. Swaraj, a term usually associated with Mahatma Gandhi, can be translated as “self-rule.” In PRO, we’ll look at how the best in the world become the best in the world, and how you can chart your own path far beyond this book.

The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket


Trevor Corson - 2006
    With the same eye for drama and humor that Corson brings to the exploits of the chefs, he delves into the biology and natural history of the creatures of the sea. He illuminates sushi's beginnings as an Indo-Chinese meal akin to cheese, describes its reinvention in bustling nineteenth-century Tokyo as a cheap fast food, and tells the story of the pioneers who brought it to America. He shows how this unlikely meal is now exploding into the American heartland just as the long-term future of sushi may be unraveling.The Zen of Fish is a compelling tale of human determination as well as a delectable smorgasbord of surprising food science, intrepid reporting, and provocative cultural history.

The Fat Duck Cookbook


Heston Blumenthal - 2009
    With a reduced trim size but an identical interior, this lavishly illustrated, stunningly designed, and gorgeously photographed masterpiece takes you inside the head of maverick restaurateur Heston Blumenthal. Separated into three sections (History; Recipes; Science), the book chronicles Blumenthal's improbable rise to fame and, for the first time, offers a mouth-watering and eye-popping selection of recipes from his award-winning restaurant. He also explains the science behind his culinary masterpieces, the technology and implements that make his alchemical dishes come to life. Designed by acclaimed artist Dave McKean-and filled with photographs by Dominic Davies-this artfully rendered celebration of one of the world's most innovative and renowned chefs is a foodie's dream.

The Doctor's Kitchen - Eat to Beat Illness: a Simple Way to Cook and Live the Healthiest, Happiest Life


Rupy Aujla - 2019
    Accompanying the advice there are 80 new delicious recipes.Following on from Dr Rupy’s bestselling cook book The Doctor’s Kitchen, Eat to Beat Illness distils actionable ideas for daily life to teach you how to use food to trigger and amplify your defences against illness. Accompanying the advice there are 80 new delicious recipes.In Dr Rupy’s second book he builds on the message that what you choose to put on your plate is one of the most important health interventions you can make. Food can not only affect our likelihood of disease but it can lengthen our lives, change our mood and even affect the expression of our DNA.The first section of the book explains how our bodies can better fight off illness through eating well and how we can heal our bodies through simple lifestyle changes including exercise, stress reduction, sleeping well and finding purpose in our lives.It is now scientifically proven that certain foods and food groups are beneficial for staving off illness and here Rupy will look at key conditions such as cancer, depression, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, stress and explain what to eat to increase our chances of staying healthy.Complemented by 80 new recipes, full of tempting international flavours such as Roast Golden Beets with Italian Greens and Hazelnut Pesto; Bangladeshi Cod CurrySpatchcock Poussin and Middle Eastern Ful Madames; Iranian Dizi Stew; Garlic Chilli Prawn and Black Bean Stirfry with Bokchoy and Silverbeet; Pea and Broccoli Orecchiette Japanese Togarashi Mix, to name just a few, eating well for has never been so easy and delicious.