•7:51 AM
In October of 1989, my Grampa Smyth gave me my first (serious) cookbook. Until that time, I cooked using my mom's recipes, her cookbooks - which numbered two or three, perhaps - and a children's cookbook I had received as a Christmas gift when I was ten years old. I still have it, and it was important in the life of me because it taught me how to make Cinnamon Toast.
But my Grampa recognized my interest in cooking, and I suspect that it was the first time he acknowledged (to himself) that I was growing up. He would have wanted to ensure that I could cook a good meal for my future husband. So while home (from university) for a long weekend at Thanksgiving, he presented me with the book. We had all gathered for Sunday dinner at Grampa's apartment, and he handed me this book, which had been wrapped up, if I remember correctly. I think this memory is so vivid because I was shocked that he was giving me a present ... we didn't exchange gifts at Thanksgiving?? And then I was so touched that he had been able to see me as a person, as an individual instead of just his granddaughter. That cookbook gave me my start into the world of culinary experimentation and exploration.
The book of which I write is the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, and I absolutely adored it. I think I looked at every recipe, and then I tried lots of them. I perfected Cheesecake, homemade bread and pie crust and even made my own pasta occasionally. But it also served as a reference for roasting whole birds and (as Grampa always said) roast beast.
From that point on, my Grampa took credit for any and all my accomplishments in the kitchen.
"I gave her the first cookbook she owned," he would tell anyone who would listen, as he enjoyed a piece of my latest (dessert) creation. It was then that I became responsible for the dessert course at all family gatherings. But that is to be expected when you pump out the best apple pie on the planet, or homemade Cream Puffs.
The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook became my reference manual ... my cooking Bible.
Until I found Bittman, that is.
I have been wanting to buy How to Cook Everything (10th Anniversary Edition) by Mark Bittman for some time now. So, I finally did so a little earlier this summer, and I have not been disappointed.
Mark Bittman is a food journalist and an author. He is current, with an old fashioned sense of style. At least, that is how I think of him. He is a strong proponent of sustainable living and homecooking. He uses the freshest, most natural ingredients he can find, and his cookbook provides the reader with cool, hip recipes and some old-fashioned ones he has made-over.
How to Cook Everything is akin to a Journal or an Index of Cooking Information. It is my opinion that every kitchen should have this book ... even if you have been cooking for a number of years. Because you can always learn new things, right?
Bittman is a genius ... there, I said it. And I completely believe it, too. He makes food simple, but creates interesting, complex flavours. And he teaches technique as well. Most recipes are quick to make, with ingredients the average cook would have on hand.
One of the unique things about his cookbooks is that Bittman includes several variations for many of his recipes. For example, he will begin with a basic recipe for pasta or rice salad, followed by ten to fifteen different variations. Leave out this and this, and instead add that, that, and that ... totally different salad. And many times, he will give ideas on how take the same basic recipe and make it vegetarian by substituting cauliflower or a legume for the meat. It's really easy once you get the hang of it.
I'm sure you are familiar with the Apple campaign, "There's an Ap for that." Well, Bittman's marketing slogan could easily be "There's a recipe for that." Several times I have had an ingredient that needed to be used up so it would not spoil, and each time I have found a great use for it by consulting with Bittman. Just the other night I had some leftover corn-on-cob, and found a recipe for corn salad that was out of this world.
Don't let this turn you off ... but there are no photographs in this cookbook. Normally, the first thing I look for are great photos of the dishes you can create. Because we all eat with our eyes first, don't we? The only pictures in How to Cook Everything are instructional drawings. But, to be honest, I didn't really notice the lack of photos. I didn't need them, and you won't either. Because the more you make Bittman's recipes, the more you will come to trust him. He will not steer you in the wrong direction. Like the recipe for Watermelon and Tomato Salad ... it seems like the strangest combination of ingredients, but I cannot wait to try it. Especially since watermelon and field tomatoes are at all the local food stands.
If you are in the market for a new cookbook, please pick this one up. Look, this book has more than one thousand pages of recipes and ideas; so, if you cannot find a few good ones that would warrant the $40 you have to shell out for your own copy, then perhaps you should assign meal preparation to someone else in your family.
I think my Grampa would love it, and I wish I could surprise him with a copy of it. Why don't you? Surprise someone that you know with a fresh point of reference for their kitchen.
You can read Bittman's NY Times column, The Minimalist, here.
You can check out his blog here.
But my Grampa recognized my interest in cooking, and I suspect that it was the first time he acknowledged (to himself) that I was growing up. He would have wanted to ensure that I could cook a good meal for my future husband. So while home (from university) for a long weekend at Thanksgiving, he presented me with the book. We had all gathered for Sunday dinner at Grampa's apartment, and he handed me this book, which had been wrapped up, if I remember correctly. I think this memory is so vivid because I was shocked that he was giving me a present ... we didn't exchange gifts at Thanksgiving?? And then I was so touched that he had been able to see me as a person, as an individual instead of just his granddaughter. That cookbook gave me my start into the world of culinary experimentation and exploration.
The book of which I write is the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, and I absolutely adored it. I think I looked at every recipe, and then I tried lots of them. I perfected Cheesecake, homemade bread and pie crust and even made my own pasta occasionally. But it also served as a reference for roasting whole birds and (as Grampa always said) roast beast.
From that point on, my Grampa took credit for any and all my accomplishments in the kitchen.
"I gave her the first cookbook she owned," he would tell anyone who would listen, as he enjoyed a piece of my latest (dessert) creation. It was then that I became responsible for the dessert course at all family gatherings. But that is to be expected when you pump out the best apple pie on the planet, or homemade Cream Puffs.
The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook became my reference manual ... my cooking Bible.
Until I found Bittman, that is.
I have been wanting to buy How to Cook Everything (10th Anniversary Edition) by Mark Bittman for some time now. So, I finally did so a little earlier this summer, and I have not been disappointed.
Mark Bittman is a food journalist and an author. He is current, with an old fashioned sense of style. At least, that is how I think of him. He is a strong proponent of sustainable living and homecooking. He uses the freshest, most natural ingredients he can find, and his cookbook provides the reader with cool, hip recipes and some old-fashioned ones he has made-over.
How to Cook Everything is akin to a Journal or an Index of Cooking Information. It is my opinion that every kitchen should have this book ... even if you have been cooking for a number of years. Because you can always learn new things, right?
Bittman is a genius ... there, I said it. And I completely believe it, too. He makes food simple, but creates interesting, complex flavours. And he teaches technique as well. Most recipes are quick to make, with ingredients the average cook would have on hand.
One of the unique things about his cookbooks is that Bittman includes several variations for many of his recipes. For example, he will begin with a basic recipe for pasta or rice salad, followed by ten to fifteen different variations. Leave out this and this, and instead add that, that, and that ... totally different salad. And many times, he will give ideas on how take the same basic recipe and make it vegetarian by substituting cauliflower or a legume for the meat. It's really easy once you get the hang of it.
I'm sure you are familiar with the Apple campaign, "There's an Ap for that." Well, Bittman's marketing slogan could easily be "There's a recipe for that." Several times I have had an ingredient that needed to be used up so it would not spoil, and each time I have found a great use for it by consulting with Bittman. Just the other night I had some leftover corn-on-cob, and found a recipe for corn salad that was out of this world.
Don't let this turn you off ... but there are no photographs in this cookbook. Normally, the first thing I look for are great photos of the dishes you can create. Because we all eat with our eyes first, don't we? The only pictures in How to Cook Everything are instructional drawings. But, to be honest, I didn't really notice the lack of photos. I didn't need them, and you won't either. Because the more you make Bittman's recipes, the more you will come to trust him. He will not steer you in the wrong direction. Like the recipe for Watermelon and Tomato Salad ... it seems like the strangest combination of ingredients, but I cannot wait to try it. Especially since watermelon and field tomatoes are at all the local food stands.
If you are in the market for a new cookbook, please pick this one up. Look, this book has more than one thousand pages of recipes and ideas; so, if you cannot find a few good ones that would warrant the $40 you have to shell out for your own copy, then perhaps you should assign meal preparation to someone else in your family.
I think my Grampa would love it, and I wish I could surprise him with a copy of it. Why don't you? Surprise someone that you know with a fresh point of reference for their kitchen.
You can read Bittman's NY Times column, The Minimalist, here.
You can check out his blog here.
1 comments:
Grampa Smyth would be so proud of all your accomplishments ---in the kitchen and elsewhere.