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In Videos: 'Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Food'
I watched this while eating my lunch at work and almost spit out my food this cracked me up so much!!
meat from humanely raised animals
I read an article recently, (I think it was in Gourmet but I'm not sure), about the stance that Wolfgang Puck is taking regarding this issue. He has made the statement that his restuarants will only serve meat that has been humanely raised. Whether it is for publicity or a strong ideals regarding this issue I'm not sure. I do know that it is difficult for the average consumer to aquire humanely treated, hormone free etc.. meat. I know that I do whenever possible but sometimes it is very difficult and much more expensive. Maybe if this issue gets more press it will become easier for us regular people trying to feed thier family and make the ethical choices they believe in.
A little off subject but in the same vein I keep looking everywhere for wild caught shrimp, in my area of the world (MI) it nearly impossible.
Mail order food: yay or nay?
Specialty Food websites are a great way to purchase many hard to find, unique and or specialty foods such as truffles, fresh morels, aged balsamics, etc... The key is to work with a company that is reputable and offers good customer service, just as in a brick and mortar store. About.com has a nice write up (http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/wheretobuygourmetfoods/tp/bygourmetonline.htm)
on companies that are reputable. I do have to disclose that I work for one of the companies listed but I will not say who as I don't want to use this as an advertisment. I have also made purchases from several of these companies personally and found this to be a very convienient way to shop especially if you live in an area that does not have many choices.
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MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Well I Have lots of cookbooks and I love the two above mentioned but I have to say my very favorite is the Better Home & Gardens from the late 70's that was my Mom's. It is always just a good place to start with anything. I have my Grandma's from the 1940's and a recent pink ribbon update version that I also bought for my daughter.
They each have a little variance between recipes included and ingredients in the recipies but the consistency throughout them is they offer good solid recipes that even the most basic cook can follow. I hardly ever follow a recipe as written (unless it is baking) so it is a usually a nice guideline for quanities. Not Gourmet just good home Cooking. For Gourmet I like to buy specialties subject type cookbooks.
In Videos: 'Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Food'
I watched this while eating my lunch at work and almost spit out my food this cracked me up so much!!
meat from humanely raised animals
I read an article recently, (I think it was in Gourmet but I'm not sure), about the stance that Wolfgang Puck is taking regarding this issue. He has made the statement that his restuarants will only serve meat that has been humanely raised. Whether it is for publicity or a strong ideals regarding this issue I'm not sure. I do know that it is difficult for the average consumer to aquire humanely treated, hormone free etc.. meat. I know that I do whenever possible but sometimes it is very difficult and much more expensive. Maybe if this issue gets more press it will become easier for us regular people trying to feed thier family and make the ethical choices they believe in.
A little off subject but in the same vein I keep looking everywhere for wild caught shrimp, in my area of the world (MI) it nearly impossible.
Mail order food: yay or nay?
Specialty Food websites are a great way to purchase many hard to find, unique and or specialty foods such as truffles, fresh morels, aged balsamics, etc... The key is to work with a company that is reputable and offers good customer service, just as in a brick and mortar store. About.com has a nice write up (http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/wheretobuygourmetfoods/tp/bygourmetonline.htm)
on companies that are reputable. I do have to disclose that I work for one of the companies listed but I will not say who as I don't want to use this as an advertisment. I have also made purchases from several of these companies personally and found this to be a very convienient way to shop especially if you live in an area that does not have many choices.
Tricks to get kids to eat.
As a Mom I have found that kids like to be part of things, getting children involved in the preparation of thier meals is a great way to get them to try new things. There are lots of age appropriate tasks that can be performed starting as young as two with a simple stir.
This does require a bit of patience sometimes (especially after a long day at work) however the result in the long run is a kid who will eat most things. For me it has been time well spent.
I have never forced the kids to eat foods they don't like but encourage them to at least give things a try. I would not want someone to force me to eat something I despised.
What's your favorite STOREBOUGHT food gift?
Special Salts
Truffle salt, Fluer de Sel, an assortment of different salts is fun also.
Need a new Dutch Oven
I have a Lodge 8 Qt that I Love and use all the time. It is a very good value but not quite as pretty & "Cool" as the LC.
I did notice that my local Williams Sonoma had some of the LC colors on sale last week, about 25% off (still expensive though).
What are some of the best meals to freeze?
Stuffed Pasta Shells
Whenever I make stuffed shells (one of my daughters favorite meals) I always make double the amount I need. I fill the shells with the cheese filling, place in a devilled egg plastic container that I have and keep in the freezer. On the day I want to cook them for dinner, I take them out of the freezer and put in the fridge before I go to work. When I get home from work they are ready to pop into the oven. I also usually have some marinara sauce thawed as well. It makes for an easy yet delicious work night meal. Also a very nice treat for a friend with a new baby or medical condition.
Yucky foods of the past
Raw Onions
Now I love onion. Especially Slices of nice purple onion on a Steak & Blue Cheese Salad!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Hands down, my favorite cookbook of all time is Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. It is brilliant, completely useful in everyday life and with one single exeption (the pear cake thing) every thing I've made from it has come out great. And I've made almost everything in it over the years. It is what I give new brides. It is what I give the young people I know who are starting out on their own.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
If you're conserving "real estate" in your home, here are a few suggestions...
Martha Stewart's Cooking School
I'd also get books of your favorite ethnicities. They round out a cookbook collection nicely.
Bottom line - get books you'll USE. I love baking bread and have several books on the subject but if you're not interested in baking bread, skip it. I like Italian baking as well and have books by Nick Malgeri on the subject. (Baking w/Julia is an "all around" baking book it has a little bit of everything from some of the brilliant minds in baking.)
You might visit a library and/or bookstore and thumb through some to get an idea if you'll like them. Don't forget to visit USED book sites. Some things strike readers as "out of my league" so they bail and sell the book with nary a splat of olive oil on it. I beefed up my cookbook collection via used book sites.
Happy shopping!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Kenny Shopsin's Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin, hands down. Really changed how I think about cooking.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
I would have to say Professional Cooking...the massive amount of info in it is amazing! lots of step by step pictires and detail instructions. Although you have to know some professional terminology to use it. Measurements both in metric and u.s.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@BlueIris - You're right about thrift stores as a great source for cookbooks.
Try used book stores too, and check out the spiral-bound Junior League-type collections. They can have great regional recipes and a real sense of place. Charleston Receipts is one of my favorites. And I still use the "Silver Palate" cookbooks. I know, very 80's, but they make everything sound like fun.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
As a collector of cookbooks for many years, my dislikes are anything artha Stewart or Bobby Flay. My all time favorites chefs are Julia Child and James Beard tho my really best favorites are "Two in the Kitchen" by Joe & Jeanne Anderson published in 1974; "With a Jug of Wine" by Morrison Wood published 1949. I agree with @cibercita that Laura Colwin's two books are wonderful and so sad she died so young. So many good recipes and so little time to cook.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@ Stephie: new cookbooks are expensive. You may want to start with the library if you can find any cookbooks that aren't checked out.
Also, thrift stores often have good old reliable cookbooks for very little. Every once in a while I take some in as donations and buy a few more. Kind of rotate my stock. ;-)
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
moosewood! mollie katzen is a fave of mine. also anything by Ina Garten
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
I'm going to go along with all the Barefoot Contessa fans. I own all of them, and they are indispensible to me. I use them for grilling, baking and cooking. Her style is simple, good ingredients done to satisfy the beginner and the expert cook. I own about 150 cookbooks, but these are the ones with food stains on all the pages!!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
@Angie_Earthy: I'm with you. My fave is Better Homes and Gardens from the 70's. So great! My mom made the mistake of letting me "borrow" it, 9 years ago. Never giving it back. She has since stopped asking for it back. I also bought the newer edition that's pink. I wanted to buy it because it supported Breast Cancer Research and to see if there were any new recipes. It's a good one as well.
Looks like I am going to invest in Joy of Cooking for myself-my mom has a copy at her house. Oddly enough, she won't let me "borrow" this one :)
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
The go-to's are Baking by Dorie Greenspan, The Way to Cook, because nobody does it better than Julia and The Frog Commissary Cookbook because it's just a great cookbook.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
The Au Pied de Cochon and Le Halles are my favorites.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom and Beard on Food are at the top of my list and I use Jacques Pepin's books too. Lately, I've been using Books from Gourmet and Bon Appetit where they feature their all-time "best"
Must say I don't "use" a lot of recipes, except for baking, and read for ideas and then cook from what's in season and/or at hand. After cooking for a very long time and, now, scaling my favorites to a "cooking for one after work" format, my menus have changed a lot. I have a massive collection of my favorite recipes that I use a lot. Most of my favorite dishes are from many sources. Kitchen Wisdom is my book of choice for young cooks - if you had no other book, you'd be able to learn to cook without any other book. I am enjoying browsing the web too - versions of almost anything are there for the taking
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey - she's never failed me
(but if the veg thing puts you off you can get one of her meat friendly books)
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
My 70's edition of the "Joy of Cooking" is my go to when I'm trying something new. It gives the basics and the "why for" to most dishes and techniques. For decades, it was gifted to every set of newlyweds I knew. Even though I just dissed Betty Crocker, I must admit that I spend a lot of time with the Better Home & Gardens from the late 70's just as Angie_Earthy does and for the same reasons... Just plain good home cooking. I spend more time reading cookbooks than any other genre, save the Bible...
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Joy is always useful, and if I could only keep one cookbook that would be it. But during summer months I get alot of use out of my Bobby Flay cookbooks, and I reference the Dean and Deluca book alot as well.
But from a pure packaging point of view, I love the Balthazar cookbook. The cover binding, the font and photos are all a great match for the recipes contained within.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
my favorite books to cook from are not even cookbooks... laurie colwin's two books of food essays and amanda hesser's cooking for mr. latte have supplied a majority of the keepers in my recipe repertoire.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Thanks everyone! I don't know which to buy first, (I'd honestly like to get them all) they all sound great! I have a feeling cookbooks will quickly become my new passion.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
My favorite is the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I have the funny early 90's edition that has a microwave cooking section. Everything is a little old-fashioned, but the recipes are solid, and there are reference pages that teach you about foods and techniques.
Favorite baking book is Susan Purdy's A Piece of Cake, re-released as The Perfect Cake. I also like the Martha Stewart Pies and Tarts book for the pictures.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
The Gourmet Cookbook is my no-fail, go-to cookbook. Otherwise, it changes daily: at the moment I like Thomas Keller's Bouchon, and James Peterson.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
BIttman's How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian are spectacular resources.
Martha Stewart's books are indispensable, especially for baking, I've found.
Williams-Sonoma Baking book is fantastic and comprehensive, too.
I am also indebted to Mollie Katzen's (and Moosewood Collective) collection. These books are stupendous for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
I could go on and on...
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book -- because it is from this treasure trove of easy-to-follow recipes that I managed to bake FLUFFY 100% whole wheat bread (years after I had given up on this seeming "impossibility")!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
My copy of the 1947 "Womans' Home Companion Cookbook". Mom taught us out of this thing (it's like Joy but more homey), and she, my sister and myself all have original copies.
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
All these choice questions...Cookbooks are like potato chips, can't have just one, or pick a single fave!
I love my Joy of Cooking, 1975. (right on chiff0nade) it is practical and great for the basics, plus fun stuff that is not made as often anymore.
I have a couple 1930's books that I reply on for the neat stuff, like meat curing and sulphuring fruit.
I could not begin to label my favorite pastry book...though the Cake Bible is near the top for fun and yumminess.
I love my Mario Batali too...can't help it. Great pics, good instructions and nothing I have made has come out badly.
Guess I did not answer the question like I was supposed too..least fave was easier!
MOST favorite cookbook in collection
Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook, Spice and Spirit, and The Kosher Palate books are the ones I use most often.
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About Angie_Earthy
Website: http://www.earthy.com
Location: DeWitt, Michigan
About: Fun Loving "Foodie" both professionally & personally. Wife & Mom (kids & canine)
Favorite foods: Chocolate, Seafood, Steak
Last bite on earth: Chocolate of some sort.
Well I Have lots of cookbooks and I love the two above mentioned but I have to say my very favorite is the Better Home & Gardens from the late 70's that was my Mom's. It is always just a good place to start with anything. I have my Grandma's from the 1940's and a recent pink ribbon update version that I also bought for my daughter.
They each have a little variance between recipes included and ingredients in the recipies but the consistency throughout them is they offer good solid recipes that even the most basic cook can follow. I hardly ever follow a recipe as written (unless it is baking) so it is a usually a nice guideline for quanities. Not Gourmet just good home Cooking. For Gourmet I like to buy specialties subject type cookbooks.