Have you ever wondered about why it's important to salt your food at various stages of the cooking process? Or wished for someone to talk you through a good technique for poaching an egg with humor and understanding? If so, Michael Ruhlman's 2007 book, The Elements of Cooking should be given a place in your kitchen as this book has the answers and guidance you seek.This is a book that walks you through basics, gives you insights into the ways in which chefs think and offers lots of little things you can do to make your home cooking more successful and delicious. It is the best-written and most instructive book I've clapped eyes on in a long time. If my educational texts in college had been this engrossing, I probably would have stayed a student for ever.
In addition to offering lots of immensely helpful tips, there are also a handful of recipes scattered throughout the book, mostly tucked in the A to Z section. They might not look like recipes as you're used to seeing, as they come in narrative form, but they are there, in the form of instructions on how to macerate berries or make lemon confit. I can't say enough good things about this book, I just recommend that if you have any interest in learning more about cooking and the food you eat, you should check it out.
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-21-2008 @ 12:56PM
alli said...
I just started this last week and can't put it down!
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7-22-2008 @ 4:27AM
Kitt said...
Definitely on my wishlist! I enjoy Ruhlman's blog, too, and his other books. Even "Walk on Water," about pediatric cardiologists, is a fascinating read.
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