I have a friend who likes to cook, so for Christmas I plan to get him a cookbook and a Whole Foods gift card. He secretly watches The Real Housewives of New Jersey, so I thought it’d be funny to get him Teresa’s book.
I had just a couple minutes to spare last weekend so I skimmed through the book, it seemed like there was a lot of writing, but not many recipes. Does anyone have the book? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Would you recommend it?
Bonus: What cookbook *would* you recommend? A book with some Italian and/or Chinese food recipes would be lovely. He’s new-ish to cooking, but he’s very capable.
Thanks a in advance
Jayden's ♥Aunt♥ - said
June 23 2011 @ 21:25
I haven’t read it, but I wouldn’t get a celebrity cookbook, darling…all too often, what you get is little more than a personal marketing device with a recipe or two in it, but no substantial cooking information.
For a new-ish cook, you’d probably want to get something that focuses on techniques as well as recipes, since a good grounding in technique can help him have more fun and feel more confident in the kitchen, and can get him to the point where he’s not tied to recipes. You can find a lot of entry-level, lavishly-illustrated cookbooks with a lot of technique information incorporated into the recipes from a number of respected chefs (I’ve got Jacques Pepin’s "Basic Techniques" and I have to confess that I find it kind of dry).
I’ve got a lot of cookbooks – a whole bookcase of them – with a lot of standard texts (The Joy of Cooking, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, etc., up to the Larousse Gastronomique), but when I looked at them to see if I could recommend one specifically for Italian or Chinese food, nothing jumped out at me. However, I did notice my well-thumbed-over collection of old Bon Appetit magazines and thought that – in addition to a regular cookbook – I’d suggest that you get him a subscription to Bon Appetit or another foodie-p0rn magazine. I learned a lot from Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, Gourmet, Saveur, and the like, and I still use a lot of the recipes from my old copies.
(((Cassie)))
Added: I absolutely agree with darling eric – always, always pick something Pepin did with Julia over something he did on his own! He’s got all of the right information and skills, but on his own he lacks the charisma and charm that they had together.
(((eric)))
Pronky Fruit - said
June 23 2011 @ 21:25
dont have experience with that book
eric k - said
June 23 2011 @ 21:25
Aside from the usual suspects like "Joy of Cooking", Julia Child’s books for novices, and "The French Laundry Cookbook" (lol, don’t buy him that!) I really like Alton Brown’s, "I’m Just Here for the Food". Not exactly what you’re looking for, but I’ll put the plug in anyways.
For some simple Italian dishes, I like Batali’s "Molto Italiano" http://www.amazon.com/Molto-Italiano-Simple-Italian-Recipes/dp/0060734922/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291352148&sr=1-11
I have a friend who recommend this one by Jamie Oliver: http://www.amazon.com/Jamies-Food-Revolution-Rediscover-Affordable/dp/1401323596/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1291353119&sr=8-7
I watched a few of the accompanying videos on Youtube, and they might be what your friend is looking for, especially on the easy Asian side of things. I made the chicken chow mein, it turned out really well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti9du13iG6I Check out the other video recipes and if that matches what you think your friend wants.
Schmecky would have some good ideas. If he doesn’t see this, email him.
Honestly, I would steer clear of a celebrity cookbook; they’re usually a way of cashing in. There may be some good recipes, but you can serve a budding cook better with something more substantial and thought out. Following recipes is easy, learning the hows and whys is harder but far more beneficial in the long run.
Hope all that helps.
(((Cassie)))
Edit: Agreed with Jayden’s Aunt. Pepin’s "Techinque" IS a great book, covering a wide range of subjects, and the illustrations are very helpful when attempting to visualize exactly where one’s fingers should go in relation to an extremely sharp 8-inch chef’s knife, but it does get "textbooky" in spots. Shame it isn’t suffused with the charm he displayed whenever Julia was around. (((Jayden’s Aunt)))
going postal - said
June 23 2011 @ 21:25
I have had some experience with skinny Italians but I don’t know anything about the cookbook.
india lima foxtrot - said
June 23 2011 @ 21:25
Is it anything like French Women Don’t Get Fat? I liked that book. It was mostly writing too, with a few recipes. There is a companion cookbook, so maybe there is one for Skinny Italian too?
How about The Joy Of Cooking or Julia Child’s book (Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I think it’s called)?