Cook the Book: 'How to Pick a Peach'
Posted by Adam Kuban, September 24, 2007 at 1:30 PM
This week's Cook the Book feature highlights How to Pick a Peach
by Russ Parsons. With the disconnect between consumer and producer that's developed in recent years, Parsons says that basic skills shoppers once had—knowing what's in season when and how to choose the best fruit or vegetable on offer—have atrophied. His book, with its detailed rundown on everything from apples to winter squash, will make you a produce-aisle expert in no time.
As with all weekly Cook the Book features, we've got a number of copies to give away. Ten (10) winners will be chosen at random from among the commenters below. All you have to do is answer the following:
What's your favorite fruit or vegetable for 1.) cooking and 2.) eating raw?
The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Comments are closed: 134 Comments:
Cooking--Tart cherries for sour cherry pie. Eating raw--bananas.
bobcatsteph3 at 1:59PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Swiss Chard (sauteed w/ garlic and oil)
Raw: Fennel
rickyticky at 2:14PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Potatoes
Raw: Carrots
J_in_Toledo at 2:19PM on 09/24/07
Cooking - zucchini
Eating raw - avocado
GoldenEel at 2:23PM on 09/24/07
cooking - broccoli
raw - mango
anon123 at 2:23PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Roasted Cauliflower
Raw: Ripe cherry tomatoes
chasgoose at 2:27PM on 09/24/07
This is a tough one
Cooking: I love love love roasted brussel sprouts
Raw: I will have to go with the tomato (but fresh green beens are a close second, i love them)
Spandrels at 2:27PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: onions
Raw: lemons
bluebird at 2:29PM on 09/24/07
I'm going to go with
Cooking: roasted cauliflower
Raw: fresh apricots, though the mangosteens I had in Thailand were incredible!
pfibiger at 2:31PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: corn - when in season
Raw: tomatoes - in season
elaine at 2:33PM on 09/24/07
My favorite vegetable to cook is potatoes. Eating raw is a tougher choice, with local strawberries, blackberries, and peaches in competition. However, I think I have to go with local vine ripened tomatoes, with just a little sprinkle of salt.
Nicholas H at 2:34PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Zucchini
Raw: Tomatoes!
sarayum at 2:34PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: red cabbage
Raw: apple
JEP at 2:40PM on 09/24/07
cooking: corn (if it has corn in it, I'll probably eat it)
raw: cantaloupe(I could go on and on all day about the cantaloupe my grandfather grew in his garden...)
feep at 2:41PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: zucchini and tomatoes (together!)
Raw: Nectarines
tkln at 2:43PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: onion, pear
Raw: cherries, fennel
malenky at 2:44PM on 09/24/07
for cooking: peppers, since you can roast and skin or simply saute them.
for eating raw: nectarines are my favorite fruit at the moment.
clumsycook at 2:45PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: potatoes
Raw: Apples
Jeana at 2:56PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: tomatoes
Raw: tomatoes
gmunger at 2:58PM on 09/24/07
cooking: asparagus
raw: plums
pezbabypez at 2:59PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: eggplant. Never had it growing up, recently discovered how much I love it.
Raw: tomatoes
Peasantwench at 3:05PM on 09/24/07
Cooked? Rhubarb.
Raw? Peaches.
That's just what popped into my head. I'm sure the answers would be different in jut a few minutes. I like any kind of cooked fruit as long as it's prepared well.
stu_spivac at 3:12PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: brussel sprouts, apples
Raw: cabbage, cherries
ricedream24 at 3:46PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: beets
Raw: strawberries
Ezmerelda at 3:48PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Rapini
Raw: Peaches
dikaryon at 3:51PM on 09/24/07
eggplant and tomatoes!
bottomlesspit at 3:52PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: plum (in stir frys)
Raw: Oh anything that is fresh and ripe. But if I HAD to choose, I'd say just about any apple.
jpolk at 4:00PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Onions (various types)
Raw: Strawberries
rudolfrassen at 4:01PM on 09/24/07
cooking: onions
raw: broccoli
SheRa at 4:04PM on 09/24/07
cooking: beets
raw: watermelon
purplesachi at 4:06PM on 09/24/07
Cooked: chile peppers...use them in everything
Raw: pluots (this season)
mozart23 at 4:07PM on 09/24/07
cooked: beets
raw: concord grapes
nyc28 at 4:14PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Potatoes (so versatile, the egg of vegetables)
Raw: Ripe, Red Watermelon (the essence of summer)
keihin at 4:14PM on 09/24/07
Cooked: beets
Raw: tomatoes!
Fiksu at 4:15PM on 09/24/07
cooking? definitely blackberries for a delicious, sweet and tart pie
raw? tomatoes-- a perfectly ripe, raw tomato tastes like nothing else
stonehengegirl at 4:16PM on 09/24/07
cooking: onions
raw: apples hands down
zekks at 4:24PM on 09/24/07
cooking: onions
raw: avocado
Dee at 4:25PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: spinach
Raw: golden kiwifruit
platecleaner at 4:31PM on 09/24/07
Cooking Vegetable: Carrots (roasted with dill)
Raw Vegetable: Celery (especially with peanut butter!)
Cooking Fruit: White Peaches (grilled)
Raw Fruit: Watermelon
dmbfanmd at 4:43PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: artichokes
Eating raw: apples (yay fall!)
LiveToEat at 4:52PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: asparagus
Raw: apples
EmilySC at 5:54PM on 09/24/07
Eggplant makes me swoon. Thai eggplant, baby eggplant, globe eggplant, striped eggplant - I roast, curry, saute, broil, stir fry, and bake it. I stuff it with peanuts, or lentils, or tomatoes, or rice. I have a baingan bharta complex. So yeah, eggplant.
My favorite raw fruit? Blueberries ripe from the bush, warm from the sun. They remind me of childhood berry-picking on my grandparent's farm - a pure, simple, hand-and-tongue-staining pleasure.
KarynMC at 6:20PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: onions
Raw: Peaches
dowbits at 6:33PM on 09/24/07
Cooking-- plums or pears. Eating raw- crisp, sweet apples.
Christina at 6:35PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: broccoli rabe
Raw: Fuji apples
PattyCho at 6:53PM on 09/24/07
To cook: Sweet Potatoes
To eat raw: any type of berry
happybites at 7:27PM on 09/24/07
Cooked: tomato
Raw: tomato
Yup, I'm a tomato freak!
jackiecat at 7:30PM on 09/24/07
Cooked: Collard Greens
Raw: Peaches.
spanklin at 7:59PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Onion. Can't imagine life without onions.
Eating Raw: Avocado.
madball911 at 8:40PM on 09/24/07
Lemon and tomato - and vice versa
Aurore at 8:45PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Kale
Raw: Golden Pluots (taste like cream soda to me)
kyleduanehebert at 9:02PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Asparagus
Raw: Asian Pears
Phil W. at 9:06PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Peaches & Cream corn, broccoli
Raw- White peaches, raspberries, honeycrisp apples
Erinay77 at 9:45PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: Brussels Sprouts
Raw: Apples!
logographic at 10:10PM on 09/24/07
I'm boring. Cooking: tomato Raw: tomato
It just must be that time of year...
Teachertalk at 10:25PM on 09/24/07
Cooking: fava beans
Raw: apples
Holly at 10:52PM on 09/24/07
1) tomatoes and onions (they make the base for 95% of the stuff i cook)
2) mango
anado at 11:10PM on 09/24/07
favorite fruit to eat raw: pluots. favorite fruit to cook: tomatoes. favorite veggie to eat raw: green beans. favorite veggie to cook: shallots!
tortor at 11:29PM on 09/24/07
Cooked: Yams!
Raw: Peaches
speedotan at 12:12AM on 09/25/07
cooked: broccoli...but blanched really al dente
raw: apples
chefrich at 12:22AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Artichoke
Raw: Figs
ErisianSaint at 12:39AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Broccoli
Raw: Nectarines
pipan at 12:44AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: red capsicum (bell pepper)... preferably roasted and smoky
Raw: a ripe, juicy, perfumed nectarine
duncan_syrupandtang at 5:02AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: onions-- olive oil and onions start everything I make!
Raw: a beautiful, beautiful peach, or a bright orange baby globe tomato.
philoserine at 5:53AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: asparagus(I have 3 acres of it)
Raw: strawberries or blueberries
ksdidi at 8:07AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Zucchini. Lots of fun stuff you can do with it!
Raw: Northern Spy apples.
DuncanHusky at 8:16AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Fresh, in-the-shell butterbeans
Raw: Perfect, just-ripe, just-pick apricots
Julie at 8:57AM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Onions. I love the smell of cooked onions.
Raw: Sweet, juicy peaches.
ehirschklau at 9:19AM on 09/25/07
Ok... cooking I love love love onions.
And raw I love apples, in particular the Granny Smith or winesap. I love the crisp crunch and tart sweetness of them.
IhavaKnif at 9:49AM on 09/25/07
cooked: eggplant
raw: cherries
angfarrell at 1:24PM on 09/25/07
Favorite fruit to cook: mango
to eat raw: peach
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 1:43PM on 09/25/07
carrots cooked, nectarines raw
hedgehog at 1:46PM on 09/25/07
cooked: jalapeños, onions, kale, Brussels sprouts, corn, tomatoes
raw: carrots, jalapeños, onions, lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, apples, oranges, grapefruit, cherries
intheyearofthepig at 1:56PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Butternut Squash for vegetable, kumquat or pomegranate for fruit
Raw: Avocado or bell pepper for vegetable (though I suppuse it's really a fruit), nectarine, fig, or boysenberry for fruit.
lorrior at 2:20PM on 09/25/07
cooking: huckleberries
raw: granny smith apples
rhino876 at 2:21PM on 09/25/07
cooking: squash blossoms
raw: perfect strawberries
stiritup at 2:34PM on 09/25/07
cooked: onion, raw: tomato
mazzio at 2:49PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Asparagus. Always my favorite part of summer.
Raw: Fuji Apples. I generally eat at least one a day.
hdaemon at 3:01PM on 09/25/07
cooking-sweet potato
raw-apple
psychsarah at 3:09PM on 09/25/07
Cooking - Artichoke
Raw - Apricots, followed closely by tomato and oranges
dna90048 at 3:11PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: tomatoes
Raw: peaches, berries, apples .. most fruit!
mrsbao at 3:29PM on 09/25/07
cooking: eggplant
raw: bananas
ceforrester at 3:57PM on 09/25/07
Cooking - cherries.
Raw - cherries.
miso at 4:03PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: cauliflower (roasted)
Raw: Comice pear (with cheese, yum)
foodmomiac at 4:08PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: Broccoli
Raw: Watermelon
semper083 at 4:11PM on 09/25/07
Tomatoes are by far my favorite and the most versatile. I'll eat them raw until I get sick, and cooking makes them even better a lot of the time.
That said, Chinese broccoli is my favorite cooked vegetable. Sorry, tomatoes. No hard feelings, I hope.
LoDega at 4:17PM on 09/25/07
cooking: eggplant
raw: strawberries
lekkercraft at 4:33PM on 09/25/07
to cook, potatoes, because they're so versatile
to eat, oof...so hard to decide...but probably tomatoes, the freshest of course, preferably from my grandfather's garden in Iowa
harlem_panadera at 4:40PM on 09/25/07
Fruit--- cooked- freshly picked peaches and blackberries, in a crisp. (yes, I live where you can do that!) Raw--dark bing cherries.
Veggies-- Both cooked and raw, spinach and cauliflower.
tooslimnc at 5:42PM on 09/25/07
Cooking: tomatoes seem to lend themselves best to that method.
Raw: It has to be >ripe
beano at 6:21PM on 09/25/07
Cooked: gai lan (Chinese vegetable)
Raw: pears
kwanito at 8:36PM on 09/25/07
cooked: spinach
raw: strawberries OR peaches
krispychikin at 10:06PM on 09/25/07
cooked: swiss chard or other leafy greens
raw: strawberries
Littlebluesiren at 12:35AM on 09/26/07
I love apples for cooking and for eating raw. My favorite variety is Rubinette.
amylou61 at 12:58PM on 09/26/07
cooking: berries in a crisp or wild rice
eating raw: Braeburn or honey crisp apples
Kimberly at 1:28PM on 09/26/07
For cooking: potatoes
Eating raw: watermelon
cherierj at 3:07PM on 09/26/07
So difficult! I love all fruits and veggies so much! But since I have to pick favorites:
Cooked: Brussels sprouts
Raw: A perfectly ripe summer nectarine
KitchenKore at 4:57PM on 09/26/07
cooking - spinach, raw - apples or nectarines, fresh carrot and shelled peas
Stushi at 5:18PM on 09/26/07
Pick just one for each?!?!
Cooking will have to be fava beans... just slightly blanched then cooled.
Raw is spinach.
nicdonn at 7:23PM on 09/26/07
Cooking: potatoes
Raw: Um, lots--tomatoes, green beans, apples, pears, carrots, fennel, etc.
Eilen at 9:44PM on 09/26/07
cooking: tomato
raw: apple
savvy savorer at 10:13PM on 09/26/07
cooked potatoes raw strawberries
peticook at 11:44PM on 09/26/07
steamed corn on the cob, fresh nectarines.
secreteater at 12:09AM on 09/27/07
Cooking would be onions; eating raw...mmm...oh.....a good ripe pear does it for me every time.
EmmaC at 8:57AM on 09/27/07
Cooking = Broccoli
Raw = Tomatoes
jkiller5150 at 10:56AM on 09/27/07
Cooking = Tomatoes
Raw = green beans
Pierogi at 12:12PM on 09/27/07
Cooking: Potatoes
Raw: Apples
gscherr at 12:35PM on 09/27/07
I love eating raw radishes and I love cooking roasted asparagus
sln123 at 1:20PM on 09/27/07
1) peashoots
2) mango
foodinmouth at 1:38PM on 09/27/07
cooking: tomato
raw: strawberry
protest at 5:29PM on 09/27/07
1) spinach
2) sweet corn
chairmantao at 5:50PM on 09/27/07
cooked: baby bok choy
raw: pears
lexophile at 8:48PM on 09/27/07
cooked: roasted cauliflower
raw: perfect cantaloupe
wisekaren at 9:32PM on 09/27/07
1. Guanábana
2. Soursop
lardarium at 1:38AM on 09/28/07
cooking: brussel sprouts
raw: tomatoes
sunmoonstars75 at 1:48AM on 09/28/07
cooking: sweet potato
raw: avacado
jenjacobs at 8:33AM on 09/28/07
Cooking (at the moment): delicata squash
Raw (at the moment): apples
mainegirl at 8:54AM on 09/28/07
Cooking: Eggplant
Raw: Heirloom Tomatoes or Zucchini...it's a toss-up.
StudentStomach at 10:52AM on 09/28/07
Cooking: Tomatoes. So versatile.
Raw: Granny Smith apples. Love the tang and crunch.
nellopea at 1:45PM on 09/28/07
Cooking: potatoes
Raw: Heirloom tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt and pepper - there's nothing better!
SaraK at 3:12PM on 09/28/07
Cooking: apples,spinach,
Raw: blueberries, tomatoes in season, watermelon
Mich23 at 4:05PM on 09/28/07
Cooking: sweet potato
raw: pears
jedimtb at 5:03PM on 09/28/07
cooking: tomatoes
eating: tomatoes; raspberries
earlgreyt at 5:09PM on 09/28/07
broccoli
just ripe nectarines
cher48603 at 8:34PM on 09/28/07
Cooking: Potatoes or Tomatoes
Raw: Carrots
LilacButterfly at 1:15AM on 09/29/07
Cooked: snow pea shoots
Raw: wax apples (found in asia. known in mandarin as "lian wu")
thehungryrose at 1:39AM on 09/29/07
fruit raw & cooked
1.) pear
2.) pear
or...
I CAN"T BELIEVE NOBODY HAS SAID IT?!
vegetable raw & cooked
1.) garlic
2.) garlic
tyronebcookin at 10:59AM on 09/29/07
My favorites are:
Raw: plums
Cooked: spinach
xalexx at 5:30PM on 09/30/07
Cooking: chard
Raw: Mango
hreisig at 7:04PM on 09/30/07
Cooking: fennel
Raw:Blueberries
ErikaWaz at 7:54PM on 09/30/07
Cooking: Carrot
Raw: Pears
urbanmike at 10:46PM on 09/30/07
Cooking: Broccoli
Raw: Raspberries
BitterSweet at 10:59AM on 10/01/07
Cooking: Kabocha Squash
Eating: Durian - sorry, but it's true. I love this stuff.
holybasil at 1:57PM on 10/01/07
Thanks to everyone for commenting and congrats to our winners: tkln, bluebird, pezbabypez, JEP, nellopea, lorrior, dmbfanmd, jkiller5150, lekkercraft, lardarium.
roboppy at 2:46PM on 10/08/07