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For true food lovers, you don't just
love cooking and eating great food - you
love reading about it as well. There is great
reading to be had out there on food, that
extends well beyond the cookbook 'collection of
recipes' format. From non-fiction tales by
chefs and foodies to instructive guides on
techniques and the science of food, here are
our favorite picks for the best food
books:
On Food and
Cooking: the Science of Food and
Cooking.
By Harold McGee (Scribner,
Rev. Upd. Edition 2004)
A staple of any chef
or home cook's library, On Food and
Cooking turns technical food-science into
cook-friendly kitchen science. This book
breaks down the composition of different
ingredients, and provides in-depth insight into
how food transforms during the cooking process.
Incredibly detailed, this can be an
overwhelming read at first, but you will find
over time that you've absorbed tremendously
valuable tips and new appreciation for what's
actually taking place when you cook.
Heat: An
Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line
Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a
Dante-Quoting Butcher in
Tuscany. By Bill Buford (Knopf,
2006)
Heat is an
incredible illustration of the passion of
the foodie. Buford, a former New
Yorker fiction editor, tells the story of
his pilgrimage to learn the mysteries of
Italian cooking - first becoming a volunteer in
the grueling kitchen of Mario Batali's 'Babbo',
then undertaking an extended
cooking apprenticeship in Italy. Highly
readable with a great thread of humor, this
book is both a wonderful homage to
Batali's incredible charisma and talent as well
as an examination of the dichotomy of
creating successful restaurant food
versus traditional, artisanal food.
Culinaria France (h.f.ullman,
2008)
A mix of traditional French cooking
history and recipes, this guide to French
cuisine covers a tremendous amount of ground
(literally). Organized by region, each
section highlight's the areas typical wines,
cheeses, meats, breads, pastries and more.
Large-format color photography brings
the content to life and shows useful
step-by-step demonstration of key cooking
techniques.
Like Water for
Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly
Installments with Recipes, Romances, and
Home Remedies. (Anchor,
1995)
In an untraditional format, each chapter of
Like Water for Chocolate begins with a
recipe. The integration of food and cooking
doesn't just end at how the author has
structured the book: this format reflects how
deeply food - its sensuality and role in
bringing family together - is in fact part of
the story of this Mexican rancher family. Do
not read on an empty stomach!
Have a favorite food book? Email us your
recommendations at amyandmike@easyfoodandwine.com.
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