Not sure which new cookbooks are worth investing in this year? Take the guesswork out of your decision and follow along with food52's Tournament of Cookbooks. The competition -- run by this new home-cooking Web site's founders (former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser and food writer Merrill Stubbs) -- pits 16 of this year's best books against each other, to be cooked from and judged by 17 venerable chefs and food writers.

Tournament rounds will play out over the course of 4 weeks, with a decision announced every weekday beginning Wednesday. For the first challenge in the bracket, "My New Orleans," by John Besh was bested by "Real Cajun," by Donald Link, as judged by Daniel Patteron. The winning book will take home the first Piglet trophy and be feted at the Astor Center in New York City on Nov. 9, 2009.

After the jump, see list of the cookbooks and judges in play. ...

Won't mid-week lunches pack so much more panache if a star chef like Alice Waters, Grant Achatz, Tom Colicchio or Mario Batali has a hand in 'em? You'll still have to make your own PB&J, but now you can tote it along in celeb-stamped style with a one-of-a-kind lunchbox decorated by your favorite chef.

"The Lunchbox Auction presented by Gourmet which benefits hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa, kicks off live on the World Wide Web at www.thelunchboxauction.org on Thursday, December 11th at midnight and continues through Thursday, December 18th at noon. Almost 100 celebrities from film, television, fashion, art, music and the culinary world have united to remind us that food matters and that hunger is an on-going problem.

Each lunchbox reflects the personal style and individual flair of the person designing the box and no two lunchboxes are alike. Collectors will find that each box is signed and numbered, and some will even contain hidden surprises inside. The collectible lunchboxes make a great gift for the holidays!"

I've already been outbid on Grant Achatz's stainless steel and tension wire armature, and Ruth Reichl's epicurean treasure trove, yet still hold out hope for Michel Richard's mustard-gilded, postprandial bonescape. Mostly because I'd have a chance to say "mustard-gilded" all the darned time -- for charity.

[via: thelunchboxauction.org]

For your ever-so-gently-surreal Thanksgiving viewing pleasure, Alinea's Grant Achatz breaks down and sous vides a turkey -- just like Grandma used to. No vacuum sealer or immersion circulator needed. Sadly, there's no nitrogen-blasted green bean casserole or marshmallow and yam alginate spheres on the menu this time, but hey -- there's always Christmas.

Watch Part 2 -- Sous Vide Stuffing and Deep-Fried Bourbon Pumpkin Pie on a Flaming Cinnamon Stick on YouTube and sign up for free recipes at alinea-mosaic.com.

If you read one magazine article this week, definitely check out the New Yorker profile of Chicago chef Grant Achatz. The wunderkind behind the molecular gastronomy mecca Alinea, Achatz is currently running the show without a sense of taste. In what must be one of the worst cases of irony ever, the 34-year old was diagnosed with Stage IV tongue cancer earlier this year. Though he refused the standard treatment that would have involved removing most of his tongue, radiation therapy has nonetheless zapped, at least temporarily, most of his taste buds.

Still, Achatz presides over the Alinea kitchen, guiding his employees in the creation of his trademark outrageous confections - desserts of strawberry, olive, and violet essence; squab candy bars; pea and smoked salmon lollipops. Slowly, his sense of taste is returning - he can now taste salt and sugar again, and expects regain the ability to detect more subtleties as the months pass. He even hopes the experience will make him a more creative, edgier chef. Though coming from the man who served dehydrated bacon suspended from a silver scaffold during opening week, I'm not sure what that means.

I don't know how I didn't catch this one yesterday.

Grant Achatz, chef at Chicago's Alinea, and one of the most notable young chef talents out there, reported yesterday that he has cancer. He told NY Times Dining Editor Pete Wells that he has an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and says the following about it via his publicist:

"I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to the largest extent possible. Alinea will continue to perform at the level people have come to expect from us - I insist on that. I have received amazing support from friends, family, and everyone who has thus far been told of the disease, and I look forward to a full, cancer-free, recovery."

Slashfood will be thinking of you as you go through treatment and are looking forward to your full recovery, Chef Achatz!

[via: Eater]

As we gear up for Slashfood's Sandwich Day, you better believe we have one sandwich on our minds. It is known as a classic pairing -- peanut butter and jelly. But what if you wanted a perfect pairing of wine for peanut butter and jelly?

It sounds strange, sure, for when is there ever an occasion that you'd be sitting down to a white-clothed table laid out with the finest silverware, crystal, and china holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? If you're in Chicago, you would have found the "PB&J" as part of the multi-course tasting menu at Grant Achatz's Alinea, a single peeled grape coated with peanut butter and wrapped in the thinnest toast wafer. And paired with it? Sercial "Charleston" Madeira from The Rare Wine Company. The Chicago Tribune's Food and Wine section this week has a selection of additional wines that pair with the classic sandwich.

Maybe tonight your special dinner "in" will be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a bottle of 1997 Tommasi Recioto della Valpolicella Vigneto Fiorato.

More interesting wine pairings:
Wine to pair with popcorn and pretzels

Is it a close-up of a cornflake? Or a piece of coral from the bottom of a tropical sea? Perhaps a tiny nugget of 24 karat gold?

No. No. No. It is from Ideas in Food, and it's what you might call a "cracklin' " - something like a fried pork rind, but better. It is made from kimchee. Inspired first as a child by Cheetos, then "puffed" Japanese snacks and chips, and now professionally by puffs/crisps produced by Grant Achatz at Chicago's Alinea and Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Ideas in Food has created a Kimchee "Cracklin" made from tapioca flour, kimchee, and kimchee juice.

Hey it might not be a real nugget, but kimchee to snack on sure sounds like pure gold to me.

You know the restaurant Alinea in Chicago, right? If you don't , well, where the hell have you been for the last year?!

We've seen photo reports before, we just can't get enough. Fatemah of San Francisco-based blog Gastronomie recently dined at Alinea and is taking her time posting about her experience there, with a an entire post dedicated to each course. The above is the first course of a warm potato (among other things) impaled on an acupuncture needle over a bowl of chilled potato soup. Pictures, of course, are beautiful, but her descriptions and reactions are fun to read, too.

Watch out Geroge Foreman - this anti-griddle will knock you out.

In the spirit of Grant Achatz's uber-technological cuisine, PolyScience has what they call the Anti-griddle, a cooktop that, instead of heating foods to cook, freezes them. The "cooking" surface can reach down to creativity-chilling -30F, freezing foods on contact. According to PolyScience, it allows imaginations create "tantalizing dual-textures [that] help satisfy increasing consumer demands for new dining experiences."

Not sure if this is something you'd want in your home kitchen, but if you're innovative enough, and you have $845, you just might.

[via BoingBoing]