Foodie books/magazines to check out!

Here are just a few great cookbooks I have come across (there are many many more). I have 3 favorite go-to books that I look at almost daily - Culinary Artistry, Food Lover's Companion and Larousse Gastronomique. If you are interested in expanding your repertoire and culinary ability, you'll find yourselves well on the way with these books.

“Culinary Artistry” by Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page

This book is amazing! It doesn’t have all the pretty pictures but it does have many lists of food pairing. It will give you an ingredient (ie. Lobster, chicken, artichokes) and tell you what to pair it with (ie. Spices, side dishes, herbs, veggies). Talk about a great reference! This is a book that allows you to play with your food without ruining it! FUN!

HEALTHY COOKING IN A HURRY, BY THE EDITORS OF EATING WELL MAGAZINE
Aside from having delicious recipes (150 recipes that can be cooked in 45 minutes or less), this cookbook is a reference lovers’ dream! It has sections on a well-stocked pantry, tools of the trade, basic cooking techniques, sauces in a hurry, sides in a hurry, substitutions and equivalencies. If you are at the bookstore, seek this one out and glance through it – you might learn something!

SCOTT CONANT’S NEW ITALIAN COOKING

I recently checked this book out at the library. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I wanted to try 90% of the recipes inside. Scott starts out with some basic staples to have on hand (such as lobster tomato broth) and builds upon them to introduce healthy and delicious Italian cooking for the everyday cook. Other recipes include Herbed Paillard of Chicken, Italian Fish Stew, Creamy Polenta, and Chocolate Soup.

Cook’s Illustrated (www.cooksillustrated.com):

Cook’s Illustrated does what we all wish we had the time and money to do – test every recipe changing every variable possible to get the very best it can be. With Cook’s Illustrated, you are guaranteed a recipe to please and impress and tips to make your life easier in the kitchen.

History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat

If you are interested in the history and the culture of food, this book is for you. In this book, you will find mythologies and stories about various elements of food. For example, did you know that the Koreans claim to have invented pasta? I find it all quite intriguing. I've been told there are some errors so take it with a grain of salt, sit back, and enjoy the cultural immersion into the food past!

“The Food Lover’s Companion”

For only $14 or so, you can have a food dictionary extraordinaire! The “Food Lover’s Companion” defines such little known things as what “The Provencal Style” refers to. It also provides common uses for ingredients. It is a jewel among books. It does not, however, provide recipes. You will have to turn to the much larger, and much more expensive ($54), Larousse Gastronomique for a dictionary and recipes.

I also enjoy Jamie Oliver's "Jamie's Italy," Saveur Magazine, La Cucina Italiana magazine and Michael Richard's "Happy in the Kitchen" to name a few.