"cooking" news and stories

When I was in high school, I had a love-hate relationship with science classes. Geology was fine, biology was okay, and chemistry...well, chemistry was hell. Mrs. Olech, the troll who taught the class, regularly flunked half her students and had a teaching manner that made Alan Greenspan seem bouncy and exciting.

Ironically, while I flunked chem, I aced my cooking classes. Even at the time, I thought that this was a little weird; after all, what is cooking if not a chemical process? The subtle adjustment of flavors, the cultivation of certain bacteria, the measured combination of leavening chemicals are all, basically, a mix of applied chemistry and biology. However, cooking class captured my imagination and attention in a way that chemistry didn't.

Reading a recent profile of Alton Brown, I realize that the problem lay with Mrs. Olech and her ilk. The simple fact is that science can be a lot of fun, if it is applied in a way that is relevant and exciting. I was surprised to learn that, like me, Brown found his science classes "boring beyond words." Even now, as he has built his own store of scientific knowledge, he admits to having discarded academic journals and scholarly papers because of their inability to engage his interest.

If you're reading Slashfood right now, chances are that you're a foodie. In my experience, if there's anything a foodie likes besides eating/cooking, it's reading a book about eating/cooking. These are a few of the books I consider the best cooking books, but we all have strong opinions on this subject. What are some of the cooking books that you think should be on the list?

1. Larousse Gastronomique , the classic food encyclopedia.
2.Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking
3. Cookwise (I can't wait for Bakewise) From Shirley Corriher
4. Julia Childs' classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking
5.The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
6.Jeffrey Hammelman's Bread: A Bakers Book of Recipes and Techniques
7. The United States of Arugala is a history of American foodie-ism by David Kamp
8. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

The feature story this week is on the Bay Area's small-batch coffee roasters.

Spring-time calls for salads made of young greens. Recipes are for: Parsley Salad with Green Onions, Cherry Tomatoes & Spicy Lime Dressing, Truffley Salad of Arugula, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Salad with the Herbs of Spring.

The Working Cook turns to cous cous, coming up with two recipes with three kinds of cous cous: Warm Salad with Couscous & Grilled Coriander Chicken and Sea Bass with Seared Asparagus, Little Pasta & "Beurre Blanc".

East to West lets out the seaweed secret with a recipe for Wakame Cucumber Salad.

On a Chef's Night In, Jamaican is comfort food: Jamaican Curry Chicken and Jamaican Rice & Peas

Taster's Choice this week tests multi-grain waffles, and Van's eggless, dairy-free waffles come out on top.

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If you saw my post on Tuesday about One Local Summer, but were disappointed that you didn't live in the Mid-Atlantic region (the only area of the country that Farm to Philly had committed to handling), I have good news for you! Nicole at Farm to Philly has decided to open up One Local Summer to everyone (national and international). That's right, regardless of whether you live in Pennsylvania, Montana or Ontario, you can sign up to cook one locally sourced meal a week this summer and write about it.

The project starts on Sunday, June 1st and runs through August 31st. You can find all the details and sign up information here.

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Chef Paul Prudhomme was setting up his tent at the Zurich Classic (golf) in New Orleans when he felt something on his arm and thought he was stung by a bee.

When he opened his shirt sleeve, a .22 calibre bullet fell to the ground!

Fortunately for Chef Prudhomme, the bullet was apparently not aimed at him, but had simply fallen, probably shot from somewhere within a mile-and-a-half radius of the golf course.The chef's shirt was torn and his skin was cut, but he was back to cooking within five minutes.

So he wasn't shot at, but I still like to think that chefs, given what they do in their tiny restaurant kitchens, are invincible.

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