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I am a budding foodie and reluctant food blogger. I've only recently joined Slashfood, and unlike many of my colleagues, I don't have any particular knowledge about the foodie world. I don't watch the Food Network (that would require me getting cable, and nyaaaah). I don't know much about fine cuisine. I wouldn't know a truffle from a button mushroom (or maybe I would, if somebody would buy me a truffle). And indeed, although I love food, love being in the kitchen and (trying) to feed my friends and family, the learning curve is daunting. But I want to learn! And since I'm at least another year away from actually taking a cooking class, I've done what most writers do: I've hit the books. I thought I'd share them with you, while I'm educating myself on all things culinary.
Food is the new black. Or at least it seems that way, given the mass media interest in food and its preparations. It's not hard to compile a sizable reading list. I've culled mine mostly from suggestions on the food blogs, and here they are, in no particular order. The list isn't complete by any means, but it's a start.
My Life in France, by Julia Child -- Oh, to be a 6-foot American woman in France in the 50s. Maybe then I wouldn't be so scared of the French. I keep trying to work my way through this book, but I keep coming up against the unpronounceable. Many, many reputable food bloggers have cited this book as essential reading. Who am I to argue?
Fork it Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater, by Alan Richman. Funny stuff by GQ's food critic, who, if I'm to believe the first few stories, is not only a neurotic mamma's boy, but doesn't know how to boil an egg himself, either. Which makes him a man after my own heart.
Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses, by Isabel Allende -- Food, sex. Sex, food. How can you go wrong there?
Third Helpings, by Calvin Trillin -- Yeah, the book is almost 20 years old, and I don't think Trillin writes about food anymore. But anything this well-known, very funny New Yorker writer pens is worth digesting.
Letters to a Young Chef, by Daniel Bouloud -- A delicious peek into what it would take to become a world-famous chef...and proof beyond doubt that I don't have it. Still, I'm always one to live vicariously if I can.
Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess, by Gael Greene -- New York Magazine's food critic takes a romp through her days covering the Foodie Revolution, whatever that is. As debauched as Richman is straight-laced. I wonder if they ever met?
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as a Kitchen Slave...etc., by Bill Bufurd. Editor meets Mario Batali. Editor decides he wants to learn how to be a chef. Wacky hi-jinx ensue.
It must Have been Something I ate, by Jeffery Steingarten -- Vogue's food writer. Bodacious. Blue-blooded. And smarter than you. Fabulously bitchy essays on everything from gourmet salts to Toro sushi.
Tender at the Bone, by Ruth Reichl -- I read this years ago, but it's one of those books I enjoyed so much I keep it around just to relive the pleasure of reading certain passages. One day I may even try her recipe for apple dumplings and hard sauce. And won't that be a hoot? I love all of Reichl's books, but this one is by far the most charming.
The Art of Eating, by M.F.K. Fisher -- The Bible of foodie books. The book I should have read years ago. But I keep having to return it to the library. With all the late fees I've paid on this one, I could have bought my own copy by now.
The enviable writer/chef Michael Ruhlman's The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen just showed up on my porch last week from Amazon, and it's living up to its promise. Formatted much like Strunk and White's legendary "Elements of Style," I'm able to read what a trained professional thinks I need to know. About veal stock. About sauces. About eggs. True, it leaves me with more questions than answers, but it's a treasure chest of knowledge, and not just for beginners, either. So what's in your foodie library? What would you recommend?
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5-12-2008 @5:30PM Julie said... Great list Julie, there are a couple in there I have not read yet and look forward to reading. Back in January I had the pleasure of reviewing a cookbook called; "Cooking Jewish" which I highly reccomend. The recipes are terrific, the stories fill you with laughter and nostalgia it's just a really great read.
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/2008/01/truly-wonderful-cookbook-and-so-much.html
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5-12-2008 @7:16PM JackDangers said... I would highly recomment "The Fourth Star", by Leslie Brenner chronicling a year spent in the kitchen at Daniel Boulud's eponymous restaurant while they try to recapture the NYT's highest rating.
A little more of a reference book than anything, but "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee is one of my favorite books. They how's, what's, and why's of food and cooking techniques, with super-scientific detail. Just pick a random page and you'll find out some interesting tidbit you didn't know before.
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5-12-2008 @8:04PM Rachel said... I prefered Steingarten's "The Man Who Ate Everything" to "It must have been something I ate"
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5-12-2008 @9:04PM Kristen said... One of my favorites is American Pie: A Slice of Life (and Pie) from America's Backroads by Pascale la Draoulec. She and a friend went on a cross-country trip in search of great homemade pies. It makes me want to do the same. :)
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5-12-2008 @11:13PM Rita said... The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
It might not be a cookbook, but understanding where our food comes from, and understanding the various farming processes is just invaluable information.
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5-13-2008 @11:36AM MKW said... Also try Reichl's Comfort Me with Apples...I really love her Channing Way Shrimp Curry recipe in this book.
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