Bookshelf

	Dozens of essays on subjects such as handling raw fish, the power of vinaigrette, the virtues of Tabasco, shallots, and lemon confit enhance this eminently practical book's richly flavorful recipes. The recipes in this cook book are as decadent as the pictures, which make this collection coffee table worthy. I love to reference this book for food styling.
	In the course of his extraordinary career as a baker, culinary instructor, and author, Peter Reinhart has dedicated himself to exploring the passions and techniques behind the great breads of the world. His most recent pursuit has been pizza—a seemingly simple food that has been hotly debated since Italian immigrants brought it to America more than a century ago. I reference this book before and after I make a pie, and almost all of my dough recipes derive from this one source.
	Drawing on The Culinary Institute of America extensive expertise, it shares all the basic information on equipment, ingredients, and techniques needed to become a great home cook, from proper knife skills to cooking methods such as braising, grilling, sautéing, and stewing.
	The chefs of The Culinary Institute of America bring their culinary skills outside to the grill with instruction and tips on technique, as well as sharing flavorful national and international recipes for all to enjoy.
	Ray Daniels provides the brewing formulas, tables, and information to take your brewing to the next level in this detailed technical manual. Not only does Ray provide a detailed history of each beer style, he dives into the ingredients and techniques that will help you make better beer.
	The renowned Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is beloved by bikers, blues musicians, and barbeque aficionados for its famous barbeque and colorful regulars. Killer bar-b-que from upstate New York. I know, it sounds odd but it is true.
	Knives are the most common pieces of equipment in the kitchen, yet few cooks know the basic techniques that can allow them to carve, chop, slice, and mince effectively. Anyone who has spent time in the kitchen has cut themselves, usually because your knife is dull or being used in an incorrect manner. Save your fingers, they'll thank you for it.
	Focusing on the Italian-American kitchen—the cooking Lidia Bastianich encountered when she first came to America as a young adolescent—she pays homage to this “cuisine of adaptation born of necessity.” But she transforms it subtly with her light, discriminating touch, using the authentic ingredients, not accessible to the early immigrants, which are all so readily available today. The recipes in this book make me think about filling the table with family and friends for Sunday dinner.
	On Cooking is essentially an entire cooking course contained within an 1152 page book. This encyclopedic culinary book covers every imaginable topic from identification of foods, to demonstrating how to properly hold a knife to techniques and procedures (like cutting vegetables and grilling meats to roasting poultry and preparing sauces) and most importantly, creation of successful recipes. This really is a textbook and may be hard to find, but the search will be rewarded many times over.
	Julia Child builds on the foundations of her earlier books with simple but effective instruction for the home cook. I came to appreciate Julia later than I should have, but I can't imagine continuing on without her guidance and unique outlook on life and living.