Books worth Checking Out

There are many books that I use on a regular basis, and I would like to highlight the few of them that are openned nearly everyday, in one form or another, if only for reference.  My challange really comes in following a recipe directly, as most of my cooking is holistic and intuitive, so I often use my books for ideas and references.  For this, the best book available is Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the the Kitchen."  Hands down the most informative and easy to read tome on food science.  Following closely in this regard is Cooking Illustrated and the America's Test Kitchen publications.  They are very good at connecting the scientific know-how with the colloquial comprehension of the common American Cook.

When it comes to cookbooks, there are the staples, of course, such as Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."  I consider the French Laundry Cookbook by Thoman Keller to be another of these staples, and cannot recommend it highly enough for ideas, recipes and pictures.  In tandem I love to use Rick Tramonto's discourse on "Amuse Bouche" from the restaurant Tru in Chicago.  This publication is a seasonal book of ideas for quick bites and stomach tantelizers.  I recently found Rick Stein's "The Complete Seafood" and am completely engrossed.  Step by step instructions for the how to, not to mention 7 chapters of amazing recipes.

Honestly, beyond these books and your basic refernce guides, like the "the Food Companion" and "Wine Companion" or for myself the edible foraging and mushroom guides refenced in the fall on this blog, there is so much information available online, that I often cross reference many sources before settling into the kitchen.  Have fun reading and keep the ideas flowing.  It is a good idea to write your own recipes down, and sooner than you imagine, you will have a book full of both your successes and your failures.