Publishers Weekly has posted a great list of The 10 Weirdest Cookbooks, just in time to remind you that whatever you're stuck eating this Thanksgiving, it could always be worse.Seriously. Much worse.
Labels: Cookbooks
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The holiday meal of your nightmares
Publishers Weekly has posted a great list of The 10 Weirdest Cookbooks, just in time to remind you that whatever you're stuck eating this Thanksgiving, it could always be worse.Seriously. Much worse.
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posted by Yulianka at 10:18 AM
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0 comments
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Big book, big price
Baking Bites has posted a largely-positive review of the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, which apparently boasts over 2,000 recipes from the magazine's twenty-year history.The book costs forty dollars, so I'll be waiting for it to go way, way on sale. (Like, 50% off.) I have a lot of respect for Cook's Magazine, but for forty bucks I'd want the book to come with actual food.
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 2:41 PM
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0 comments
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Tuesday, August 02, 2011
State-ordered indulgence
It's National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, guys.
And, as always, David Lebovitz is here for us.
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Gort79 at 3:10 PM
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Thursday, November 18, 2010
Cookbooks lie.
Jesse Wegman has posted an article on Slate.com about the inaccuracy of cooking times advertised in cookbooks. The author explores a variety of theories, including three possibilities suggested by various well-known food writers:1. Ruth Reichl of Gourmet points out "that each recipe in Gourmet was tested by cooks who made it many times over, and also by a "cross-tester," who made it only once." However, the printed time came from the repeat cooks, who would, presumably, have gotten much faster at making that particular dish.So take comfort, dear readers, when the four hours you've budgeted for making Thanksgiving dinner turn into seventeen. You're not alone!
2. Mark Bittman suggests that maybe he's just that good. (You'll probably never compare.)
3. And Chris Kimball, editor of Cook's Illustrated, says that printed cooking times are "Utter bullshit", and assures readers that "Thirty-minute recipes are never 30 minutes... It's marketing." (Note that Cook's Illustrated has published a 30-minute meal cookbook... which I've used, and is actually pretty accurate.)
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 8:10 AM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Cookbook porn
The Atlantic has posted a lengthy review (complete with two recipe links) of The Gourmet Cookie Book, the latest and last title from the now-defunct Gourmet magazine. The review is good, but get a load of this cover. I have never wanted a jam thumb-print so much in my entire life:
I chose the largest image option, just for you.
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posted by Yulianka at 10:12 AM
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
America's Test Kitchen tightens its belt
If you're a fan of America's Test Kitchen's line of cookbooks, they've recently released their third loose-leaf, binder-style epic. Behold:
The Healthy Family Cookbook's 800 recipes feature smaller portion sizes, fresh ingredients, and health-conscious cooking methods. Unfortunately, this shift in focus makes the ATK staff's legendary finickiness even more pronounced—their healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe, for example, requires both browning butter and carefully arranging chocolate chips atop each lump of dough.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather just eat fewer chocolate chip cookies.
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 2:12 PM
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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Eating like it's 1896
NPR has a great article up about Fannie's Last Supper, the newest book from Chris Kimball, host of PBS's America's Test Kitchen and founder of Cook's Magazine. Kimball apparently spent two years working with his staff on re-creating one epic meal: an insanely elaborate 12-course dinner based on recipes from Fannie Farmer's 1896 book The Boston Cooking School Cook-Book. In addition to the Victorian menu, Kimball's team limited themselves to Victorian cooking technology—all 12 courses were prepared on a 67-inch stove from the 1880s.I'm a vegetarian, so it's highly unlikely I'll ever be re-creating the (undoubtedly delightful) recipe for "Lemon Jelly Made With Calf's Foot Gelatin"... but if you have any calves' feet lurking in your refrigerator, now's your chance to knock the socks off of any judgmental in-laws!
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 4:12 PM
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0 comments
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Cookbooks for the ages
The Guardian has assembled a list of the Top 50 Cookbooks Ever. (Here's the top ten, for readers in a hurry.) Turns out I don't own a single one of 'em.
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posted by Yulianka at 1:42 PM
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Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Deliciousness ahoy
I knew Publishers Weekly reviewed cookbooks, but I didn't realize they featured recipes, too—particularly not recipes with names like "Kate's Impossibly Fudgy Brownies with Chili and Sea Salt" (from Melissa Clark's upcoming cookbook In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite). These suckers are moving to the top of my to-do list: there are several World Cup matches I'm planning on watching in the immediate future, and nothing improves my enjoyment of watching super-fit dudes sprinting around in shorts like a recipe involving two full sticks (plus two extra tablespoons!) of butter.Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 1:40 PM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Awesome and awesomer...
When I saw the cover art for the upcoming 50th anniversary edition of Peg Bracken's classic I Hate to Cook Book, my only thought was How adorable. But now I've seen the original version, featuring cover art drawn by Hilary Knight (the dude who drew the Eloise books) and I think updating it was actually a mistake. Here's the new cover:
Cute, huh? But how could anyone improve upon this?
That frown, the glassy, grumpy stare, the flushed-with-rage cheeks... I want one! That's totally how I look in the kitchen!
Labels: Book Covers, Cookbooks, Reprints
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posted by Yulianka at 2:26 PM
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2 comments
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Monday, January 25, 2010
I may not be a princess, but...
My concerns about costs remain valid, but I happened to run across Barbara Beery's Green Princess Cookbook the other day, and I have give her credit: the recipes in this book look crazy delicious.
In fact, I think the juvenile cover art really does this book a disservice, because I can think of plenty of teenagers (and, uh, fully-grown-up book critics) who would enjoy these eco-friendly treats.
Labels: Cookbooks, Kids' books
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posted by Yulianka at 8:17 AM
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0 comments
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Monday, November 02, 2009
Inquiring minds
Is it just me, or have cookbooks gotten crazy expensive lately? Or were they always crazy expensive, and I just never bought cookbooks and therefore didn't notice? Because I was all set to buy a copy of Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking this weekend, but then I noticed it cost forty dollars. Why?!? I can see that the original book was a hugely labor-intensive project*, but A) it features illustrations rather than photographs, which should lower printing costs, and B) this edition is a reprint! How much could it possibly have cost to update a book that was first published less than 20 years ago**? And wouldn't the publishers sell way more copies if it went for, say, $25***?*800 pages, 500+ recipes
**So it's not like they have to update measurements from 1837.
***Even $30! I would have paid thirty bucks for it!
[Note: These are not rhetorical questions. I totally want to know.]
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 2:53 PM
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0 comments
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Friday, September 25, 2009
Baking Bites goes big-time
Nicole Weston, whose Baking Bites blog has been destroying diets since 2004, has decided to release a cookbook. The book is self-published and will ship in late October. It contains 51 recipes, each accompanied by a full-page, full-color photo. If you buy the book directly from the Baking Bites site it costs $16.95 and includes free U.S. shipping. Even if you're not in the market for a new cookbook right now, dear readers, I seriously encourage you to check out this woman's site. Her stuff is awesome, and I for one fully intend to celebrate my Friday with some of those Halloween M&M cookies.
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 9:30 AM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, April 01, 2009
This not an April Fools' joke.
...but it might as well be:
Some lucky Slashfood writer picked this charming 1974 cookbook up at a New Jersey booksale, and I am so jealous.
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posted by Yulianka at 8:00 AM
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0 comments
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Thursday, January 15, 2009
But will there be snacks?
Award-winning cookbook writer Mark Bittman, author of the bestselling books How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, is going to be visiting Powell's Books in Portland tonight, chatting about his new release Food Matters, a book described as "a plan for responsible eating that's as good for the planet as it is for your weight and your health". If any of our readers attend, could you please ask Mr. Bittman why they didn't feature any middle-aged ladies/hot young guy combos on that stupid show?
Labels: Cookbooks, Events, Powell's Books
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posted by Gort79 at 2:10 PM
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0 comments
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Thursday, December 18, 2008
More contest news, too!
I know, I know: we've had contests coming out of our ears. But this one's a little different: we're pointing you guys in the direction of the 5th Annual Menu For Hope, an annual fundraising event in support of the UN World Food Program. Each year, food bloggers from all over the world join forces to host a massive online raffle, offering an array of food-related prizes. Each ten (American) dollar donation buys a raffle ticket towards the prize of your choice—and there are some seriously awesome prizes, dear readers, including loads of cool-looking cookbooks. While the winners won't be announced until Monday, January 12th, don't you think this would be a fun twist on the idea of giving a charitable donation as a gift? The recipient would get both the donation in their name AND a shot at winning whatever prize you think they'd like best.
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posted by Yulianka at 1:57 PM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
America's Test Kitchen books on the cheap
PRE-THANKSGIVING REMINDER:
Fans of the fine people at America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Magazine take note: you can get several of their cookbook titles for remarkably low prices at Overstock.com. Titles including The America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook, The Cook's Country Cookbook, and the just-released The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book are all $22.84, marked down from $34.95. Combine that with whatever online coupons you can scrounge up (ALWAYS check for online coupons, dear readers!) and Overstock's extremely low shipping fees, and you too can enjoy slaving over some insanely finicky America's Test Kitchen recipes during the upcoming holiday season!
Labels: Cookbooks, Wordcandy on the cheap
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posted by Gort79 at 4:45 PM
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0 comments
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
Cook like a spy
Or, at least, cook like a titan-haired teen sleuth:
I wonder if this is actually a shiny new reprint of this?
Labels: Cookbooks, Nancy Drew
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posted by Yulianka at 8:34 AM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"Spain—On the Road Again", or: "The Insufferably Smug Take a Road Trip"
I finally caught an episode of Spain—On the Road Again, the PBS food/travel TV series featuring cookbook authors Mario Batali and Mark Bittman and actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Bassols. Unfortunately, it was profoundly irritating. I've never been a Paltrow fan—she appears to ooze self-satisfaction from every pore—but I was surprised by how obnoxious I found Batali, Bittman, and the show's central premise. If this show is supposed to be a serious production, did these celebrated authors really need the infinitely hotter and younger travel buddies? And if the hotter, younger travel buddies were absolutely necessary, couldn't they include a middle-aged female chef accompanied by a beautiful young man, thereby allowing the objectification to work both ways? (Like, Sara Moulton could travel with Diego Luna. I'd totally watch that.) As it is, I felt like I was watching a midlife crisis packaged as a travelogue.
Labels: Cookbooks
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posted by Yulianka at 9:00 AM
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0 comments
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Easy-bake evolution
The New York Times is currently featuring an article about a publishing boom in the children's cookbook genre. According to the author, the market for books aimed at youthful cooks is increasingly customized by age (teach your toddler to make lettuce wraps, etc.), and will soon include several books from celebrity chefs. I love the idea of child-oriented cookbooks, but I have to wonder if parents will be willing to let their children experiment in the kitchen as food prices go up and the desire to eat organic, locally-grown food increases. It's one thing to let your kid burn some toast, but it's quite another to watch them experiment with a six-dollar cube of organic butter....
Labels: Cookbooks, Kids' books
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posted by Yulianka at 10:33 AM
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1 comments
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