"cookbook" news and stories

For foodies and off-work cooks, Twitter is a way to share recipes for the tactfully short-handed and poetically brief. (See: Eric Ripert, Ruth Reichl and Ian Knauer). Most recipes are simple or merely state the components of a dish for inspiration, but some people tweet full recipes within the allotted 140 characters. Amateur cook Maureen Evans got pretty good at it -- so good, in fact, that she developed the first-ever Twitter cookbook.

Released just last month, Eat Tweet (Artisan, $14.95) compiles more than 1,000 tweeted recipes from Evans' @cookbook account, which she still updates with new creations, like Whisky Apples, Roasted Tomato Sauce or Eggs Berlin: shallots, thyme, lemon, pumpernickel and poached eggs. Or should we say: "3c shallot/⅓c olvoil h@low; +6c zuke 20m@low to tender; +¼t thyme/lem&garlc/s+p. Top 4pce pumpernickel tst; +4poachedegg/basil."

For those who might be wary of translating what she calls Twitterese, Evans has posted eighteen decoded recipes on her Huffington Post blog, including Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. Check out the condensed version of that one.

If there were a Guinness World Record for heftiest, most expensive cookbook, there would be no question that this new arrival would own the slot. At a whopping $625, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, the 2,400 page creation of scientists-inventors-cooks Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, is a six-volume guide to molecular gastronomy.

Renowned for his own hand in the movement, Ferran Adrià has already given his blessing, offering a statement on the book's website that "this cookbook will change the way we understand the kitchen."

The volumes are divided as such:
• 1 - "History & Fundamentals"
• 2 - "Techniques & Equipment"
• 3 - "Animals & Plants"
• 4 - "Ingredients & Preparations"
• 5 - "Plated-Dish Recipes"
• 6 - "Kitchen Manual"

Is Jennifer Aniston's next starring role going to be that of chef?

Reports from India that the former "Friends" star is planning to write a cookbook with Jamie Oliver are apparently false, Eat Me Daily reports.

In September, the "Marley and Me" actress told Conan O'Brien she wanted to open a Mexican restaurant in New York City.

"Cause I love Mexican food, and usually a great night is had in a Mexican restaurant, no?" she said on Sept. 15.

Aniston's rep told Gossip Cop the cookbook claim is false, Eat Me Daily says.

Would you buy a Jennifer Aniston cookbook? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via Eat Me Daily]

"The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon"
By Ann Lee
Photography by Julie Fay
Insiders' Guide -- 2006
Buy it on Amazon

Though exotic cuisines may be daunting endeavors for many cooks due to foreign and sometimes costly ingredients, "The Little Saigon Cookbook" is a clear, straightforward cookbook that sheds light on the culture while making its cuisine approachable and delectable.

Interspersed with interesting stories about Vietnamese culture and traditions, the book is a well-thought out tribute to Vietnamese foodways -- with delicious recipes to boot, ranging from the obvious dishes to lesser-known exciting ones like the Shaking Beef Salad with Watercress and Tomatoes or Pork Braised in Caramel Sauce.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

'The Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition'
By Diane Morgan
Photography by John A. Rizzo
Chronicle Books -- 2001
Buy it on Amazon

Though Thanksgiving may be conceptually about unity and giving thanks, the feast is often anything but -- be it from menus predominantly meat-centric or overwhelmingly vegetarian that rely upon traditional recipes or adventurous ones, to lively affairs or smaller, more austere gatherings prone to the usual family quibbles.

But with the help of this book and guide, the meal itself is at least guaranteed to go smoothly, with preparation and decoration ideas as well as recipes to suit eaters and appetites of all kinds. Catering to the variety of the holiday's staples -- the smells, the anticipation, the flavor, the feel -- this book is virtually all you need to host the most perfect, memorable Thanksgiving.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.