readings

If you're like me, you've got a shelf full of cookbooks, but only one or two that you refer to again and again. It seems like every chef, restaurateur, and home cook thinks they know enough to write a great cookbook. Unfortunately, it takes a lot more than glossy photographs and a famous name to produce a book that is valuable for the home chef.

In the following list, I call out cookbooks that have stood the test of time in my kitchen, and that I would whole-heartedly recommend to friends. These cookbooks may not be from the most famous chefs and restaurants in the world, but they include appealing recipes that are straight-forward enough for the average cook to try at home, with ingredients that are readily available in most markets.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
by Deborah Madison (from Greens restaurant in San Francisco!)
Copyright 1997 Broadway Books, 752 pp
Buy it

This cookbook quickly became one of my favorites as soon as I brought it home. Every recipe that I've tried produces oustanding results that go above and beyond what I originally expected. Most recipes are very easy, and Madison is wonderfully specific with her details (melt the butter until the foam dissolves, use a potato about the size of a woman's fist, etc). As Madison states on the cover, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these recipes--you could add meat to many, and the book is worth keeping for its extensive section on vegetables and side dishes alone. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone covers most everything you could imagine, including breads, desserts, sauces, soy. If I had a kitchen fire, this is the cookbook I'd rescue.

Cookwise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
by Shirley O Corriher
Copyright 1997 Morrow Cookbooks, 544 pp
Buy it

This textbook-sized tome deconstructs the science behind our daily trials in the kitchen. Ever wish your pie crust was just a bit flakier, or your roast more tender? Ever wonder why red cabbage turns blue during cooking but red peppers don't? Corriher explains how our food cooks — or doesn't — and what you can do to achieve the exact final product you desire. Although this book isn't a traditional cookbook, Corriher does include over 200 excellent recipes that illustrate the techniques and theories that she's explaining. I keep this book by my bed and pore over it with a highlighter before falling asleep at night, since every page includes a trove of useful information.