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Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the European Series. I really appreciate the effort that you put into each class, from the menus/recipes to the background pages. It really helps to have the historical reasons behind the cuisine. |
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—Student of our Summer Cuisine of Europe Series |
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Recommended Cookbooks: Food Reference
Having food reference books on hand is an excellent way to improve
as a cook. You're reading a recipe and you don't recognize an ingredient or a technique. Learn
what that is and you're advancing your culinary knowledge. Without the tools to increase your
knowledge of food and cooking, you're stuck in the same place. Reference books kept
handy—and believe me, each of these is close to hand here at CC—allows you to easily
expand your culinary lexicon and thereby your cooking abilities.
Please note that the books below are selected VERY carefully. Each one of these volumes is a book
we own and use regularly; selection is limited because we truly believe in and back each book.
The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon
Tyler Herbst
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You may be amazed at how often you consult this small paperback volume. We look at it at least
four or five times a day, and we pride ourselves on having perhaps a more broad culinary
vocabulary than the average bear. Definitions are simple and easy to explain; each entry has
a pronunciation guide, and there are over 6,000 entries, from abalone to zwieback.
(Ever wonder what a slumgullion is? It's a stew made from leftovers; the term originated in
California Gold Rush days.)
The appendices are valuable, too: equivalents, substitutions, smoke points, metric conversions,
the Food Guide Pyramid, food label info, charts of meat cuts, and tons more.
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The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan
Davidson
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This book is really an encyclopedia of food, with detailed descriptions and often illustrations
of foods from the world over. From basic ingredients—fruits, veggies, herbs, meats,
seafood, grains, etc.—to classic dishes from culinary traditions around the world, this
book has it all in a very thorough and detailed manner. An imposing and worthwhile volume.
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Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by
Deborah Madison
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We so often turn to this book as a guide to fruits and vegetables that we had to include it in this
list. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is a truly fabulous book in its own right as a
cookbook and compendium of really great, well-thought-out, creative recipes. But it also
excels as a guide to all types of produce, with an alphabetical listing of fruits and
veggies. Each description contains info about how to tell ripeness, how to store, and best
methods for cooking. This is a really great book.
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The Food Lover's Guide to Seattle by
Katy Calcott
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Any idea where to go for the ingredients for your next Persian dinner party? How about for
Seattle's best cheese selection, the coolest fishmonger in town, or an Asian grocery in your
neighborhood? This book is really cool for Seattlites who like to cook, especially those
who are interested in branching out and need to source ethnic ingredients. It's basically a compendium
of ethnic and gourmet food purveyors, from bakeries and superstores to ethnic foods of all kinds.
The book covers Seattle proper and the east, north, and south sides and includes a very personal
description of each and every venue, even down to the friendliness or lack thereof of proprietors.
It's a really valuable guide.
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Back to the Recommended Cookbooks main page
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