Best Gourmet Cooking

learning basics, such as how to use knives correctly and how to cut a flawless julienne; conquering classic recipes, such as crêpes suzette and hollandaise sauce; creating whimsical and elegant decorations, such as olive rabbits and tomato flowers; tackling inventive ways of becoming a culinary superstar, such as turning an old refrigerator into a makeshift smoker; and much more. The publication of Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques is sure to be celebrated by expert cooks and beginners alike. Here, the man Julia Child has called "not only a renowned chef, a foremost authority on French cuisine, a great teacher and. Braising Beef - Breading Veal Scallopine - Carving Poached Salmon - Stuffing Sausage - Making Chocolate Cigarettes - Cleaning and Boning Trout - Cooking and Presenting Lobsters - Filling Cream Puffs - Filleting Fish - Folding Napkins - Topping Fruit Tarts - Making Green Noodles - Grilling Poultry - Holding the Knife - Using Ladyfingers - Lining Cake Pans - Making Pepper Steak - Rolling Pie Dough - Poaching Eggs - Preparing Mussels - Peeling Onions - Using Fish Stock - Creating Apple Swans - Separating Eggs - Making Sole Meuniere - Stuffing Mushrooms - Trimming and Cooking Meat - Braising Chicken Livers - Frying Parsley - Poaching Salmon - Carving Rib Roast - Baking Country Bread and Baguettes - Making Fruit Cake - Flaming Bananas - Glazing Cake with Fondant - Seeding a Cucumber - Cleaning Salad - Fluting Mushrooms - Coating a Cookie Sheet - Folding in Butter - Icing a Vodka Bottle - Shucking Oysters - Peeling and Preparing Green Peppers - Braising Lettuce - Trussing Poultry .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"While the "nuclear science" sort of cook will find Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques helpful, it really was written for those of us who belong to the "guidelines" group. And then one day I happened across a show that Jacques Pepin and Julia Child did together - a holiday Cooking in Concert show where they produce a boneless stuffed turkey. Essential Pepin made my short list of the books I would grab on the way out the door in case of fire almost immediately and when Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques was announced I immediately put in my preorder. Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques is divided into a number of sections - Basics, Vegetables, Eggs, Fish & Shellfish, Poultry, Meat, Offal & Charcuterie, Carving, Bread & Pasta, Pastry & Dessert and Presentation - with each section clearly delineated by a band of color at the outer edge of the pages - convenient for finding the section you want quickly and easily. While Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques is not exhaustive (you'll find no techniques common to Asian cooking for example), it is extensive and strongly reflects Pepin's background & training. Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques is heavy on techniques not often covered by other authors - trimming your own meat, dividing a large cut into smaller portions, cutting up & boning your own poultry, (a great way to save money!). If you would like to learn to really cook well, then Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques will be a treasured addition to your library."
"This is one of those books that i would choose if I had to only pick 5 books from my HUGE cookbook collection."
"Love it love jack pepin!"
"A must for all chefs and home cooks."
"I have a good collection of Jacques Pepin cookbooks."
"Jacques is one of the great chefs of our time."
"Classic in every way..If you are serious about cooking, this is a must."
"Pepin will always be the master."

Deb is a firm believer that there are no bad cooks, just bad recipes. And now, with the same warmth, candor, and can-do spirit her blog is known for, Deb presents her first cookbook—more than 100 new recipes, plus a few favorites from her site, all gorgeously illustrated with hundreds of Deb’s beautiful color photographs. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is all about approachable, uncompromised home cooking: stepped-up comfort foods, stewy dishes for windy winter afternoons, an apple cake that will answer all questions: “What should my new signature dessert be?” “What is always welcome at a potluck?” “What did Deb consume almost single-handedly a week after having a baby?” These are the recipes you bookmark and use so often they become your own; recipes you slip to a friend who wants to impress her new in-laws; and recipes with simple ingredients that yield amazing results in a minimum amount of time. My hope is that The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is filled with your new favorite things to cook--approachable recipes made with accessible ingredients that exceed your expectations. I just spied brown butter snickerdoodles in the new Baked Elements book; I am pretty sure that needs to happen immediately. My husband and I are the last people to get to The Breslin in the Ace Hotel, but it doesn't matter, we fell head over heels and have been back three times in three months. The crispy boiled peanuts, lamb burger, fresh, crunchy salads and their grapefruit gin-and-tonic are unforgettable. My goals are less rooted in a desire for a designer kitchen (though, you know, if you have one lying around...) and balcony overlooking Central Park and more a hope that I'll keep having fun doing what I do, so that it feels as un-work-like as possible. A tiny kitchen and great eats are the winning formula for popular New York City food blogger Deb Perelman, confessed picky and obsessive self-taught cook of smittenkitchen.com blogging fame. In her first cookbook, awaited by an enormous fan base, Perelman shares her undisguised love of cooking and 300 recipes that come out of her apartment's postage stamp–size kitchen. Driven by curiosity and a desire to share her cooking discoveries, Perelman delivers a collection of lab notes from well-tested culinary experiments and open dialogue with blog fans whose questions Deb credits with having fine-tuned my cooking by forcing me to question everything. What better way to convince a friend of the virtues of popcorn than by combining it with a buttery brown sugar cookie? Perelman's love of strawberry shortcake inspires a biscuit-as-cradle for juicy tomatoes topped with whipped goat cheese.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When making the apple cake, for instance, I was shocked that it called for two full cups and five tablespoons of sugar (eek)! Yes, I know it's a dessert and these usually have a lot of sugar in them, but I guess I was secretly hoping I could make everything in here and not worry about my kids eating too much of something. Here is a count of the recipes per category: 17 Breakfast items. 11 Salads. 13 Sandwiches, Tarts & Pizzas. 13 Vegetarian Main Dishes. 12 Seafood, Poultry & Meat dishes. 8 Cookies. 8 Pies and tarts. 9 Cakes. 5 Puddings and Candy. 10 Party Snacks and Drinks. The PROS: * Recipes are categorized very well. * Each recipe includes at LEAST one full-page, full-color photograph, and most also have photos of the ingredients or a few of the steps involved. I like to see the steps numbered, which helps me keep track of where I am without having to waste time by re-reading the directions to find my place again. Again, this is not a HUGE deal, but it has become inconvenient for me when my hands are covered in flour or whatever and I have to flip the page back and forth."
"As another reviewer noted, recipes run 3-4 pages of prose, so the actual steps to the recipe are hard to pick out, and most of the time they are not on the same page as the ingredients, so you have to flip back and forth as you cook. Also, a pet peeve of mine with cookbooks, there is no table of contents or index listing the recipes with page numbers, so while you can see in the beginning of the book that sweets start on p. 193, when you get to page 193 there is no indication of which page 'cakes' starts on."
"I had gotten away from cookbooks since you can get recipes online, but after finding Deb'a blog, Thd Smitten Kitchen, I wanted her book."
"Deb is just plain entertaining."
"Many good recipes."
"Reading and eating are two of my favorite things, and this book addresses them both."
"Bought two of these for two 20-somethings."
"So far each recipe is a winner."

Dripping Thighs, Sticky Chicken Fingers, Vanilla Chicken, Chicken with a Lardon, Bacon-Bound Wings, Spatchcock Chicken, Learning-to-Truss-You Chicken, Holy Hell Wings, Mustard-Spanked Chicken, and more, more, more! Fifty chicken recipes, each more seductive than the last, in a book that makes every dinner a turn-on. A parody in three acts—“The Novice Bird” (easy recipes for roasters), “Falling to Pieces” (parts perfect for weeknight meals), and “Advanced Techniques” (the climax of cooking)— Fifty Shades of Chicken is a cookbook of fifty irresistible, repertoire-boosting chicken dishes that will leave you hungry for more. With memorable tips and revealing photographs, Fifty Shades of Chicken will have you dominating dinner. Ingredients 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry with paper towels 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 teaspoon plus pinch coarse kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced 1 cup white wine 1 bay leaf 1 cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon honey. Directions Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the chicken, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper together. In a small saucepan, simmer together onion, wine, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and a pinch of salt until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Bake until chicken is no longer pink and onions are meltingly tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes. “…it will undoubtedly become one of America's most cherished cookbooks of all time.” -Eater.com “Like any good parody, this manages to make fun of both the flabby porn of "Fifty Shades" and the gushing language of "food porn…” -BonAppetit.com “…this genius little tidbit that combines the sexual and the culinary…” -Glamour.com “All signs indicate that Fifty Shades of Chicken , a new cookbook parodying erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey , is the real deal.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It was a HUGE HIT with her and all of our other friends who took turns giggling at all the naughty references."
"This is a great book to have out on the kitchen shelf, its also good as a gift for the fans of the original book series."
"I purchased this book for my boss at work since she is a fan of the movies and her diet only allows her to eat chicken, but anyway, I looked through it before giving it as a gift and the content is great!"
"Well written recipes, fun pictures and a great cheeky gift."
"The perfect gift for a bachelorette party!"
"I gave this as part of a bridal shower gift."
"This is a funny book with actual pictures of the chicken dishes....it is based on 50 Shades of Grey."
"I wrapped a bow around the book with a note saying to be opened by final recipient only....didnt want to reveal it's juicy contents ahead of time."
Best Holiday Cooking

After suffering for years with a debilitating autoimmune disease and missing many of these special occasions herself, Danielle Walker has revived the joy that cooking for holidays can bring in Danielle Walker's Against All Grain Celebrations , a collection of recipes and menus for twelve special occasions throughout the year. —Ree Drummond, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks “Danielle is a master of her craft and this book is no exception. This is grain-free entertaining at its best and, most importantly, has the whole family in mind so no one is left out of an important celebration.” —Lisa Leake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 100 Days of Real Food “Danielle Walker understands the incredible power that food has to help and to heal. That's something we can all celebrate!”. — Mark Hyman, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Eat Fat, Get Thin “All of us form memories around food. Danielle Walker understands this so well, and with 125 mouthwatering recipes, she proves that no matter what we eat (or don’t eat), we never have to give up the joy of celebrating with food.”. — Andie Mitchell, New York Times bestselling author of It Was Me All Along and Eating in the Middle "In 125 recipes, Walker show cooks how to prepare holiday favorites while meeting paleo-style requirements, transforming them into something as treasured as any traditional dish." DANIELLE WALKER is the author of two New York Times best-selling cookbooks, Against All Grain and Meals Made Simple .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Every possible event from New Year’s Eve, to a baby shower are covered in Celebrations; big meals (with the recipes scaled appropriately to save you the math) and small plates and seasonal treats are included, with gorgeous photos of every recipe throughout. - Blender bread (p. 323). - Whipped coconut cream (p. 331). The only things missing – and this is as someone spoiled by Danielle’s first two cookbooks – are clear cooktimes at the beginning of each recipe and a picture index of the recipes."
"I made a few recipes from Celebrations for Thanksgiving, and I am impressed!"
"While this book fits right in with anyone avoiding gluten and dairy, those who can eat anything will love the recipes. I have cooked recipes from other books and my version, while tasty, didn’t always come out like the picture."
"There are so many wonderful recipes in this book and you can mix and match so many main dishes with sides and desserts to make the perfect spread for you and your family or for any occasion."
Best Seasonal Cooking

A self-trained chef and food photographer, Angela Liddon has spent years perfecting the art of plant-based cooking, creating inventive and delicious recipes that have brought her devoted fans from all over the world. This is Angela's long-awaited debut cookbook, with a trasure trove of more than 100 moutherwatering, wholesome recipes — from revamped classics that even meat-eaters will love, to fresh and inventive dishes — all packed with flavor. Angela’s imaginative, mouth-watering, and totally approachable recipes will motivate everyone to cook healthy, vibrant foods for their whole family.”. —Sarah Britton, creator of the blog My New Roots “If you can choose only one cookbook this year - Oh She Glows is it! A brilliant collection of accessible and vibrant vegan recipes—it’s hard to decide which recipe to cook first.”. —Kathryne Taylor, creator of the blog Cookie + Kate “ An amazing thing about Angela’s recipes is that you completely forget that they are vegan. It’s an inspiring reminder that there are no limits to vegan cooking.”. —David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl, authors of Vegetarian Everyday: Healthy Recipes from Our Green Kitchen and creators of the blog Green Kitchen Stories “ Best Vegan Blog”. —VegNews. “Best Overall Blog” and “Best Veg Blog”. —Foodbuzz.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I made that recipe, and truly loved it - loved it enough that it joined the ranks of my all-time favorites - but it wasn't until I read a review for this very cookbook, accompanied by a different recipe (Thai peanut noodle bowl) that sounded fairly delicious, that I started to consider buying a cookbook new when then only cookbooks I buy ever are used and cheap. Smoothies, Juice, and Tea - 11 recipes - probably the biggest disappointment for me in the book; I'm not big on smoothies, juice, or tea...and when I want something like that, I don't need a recipe to make it. Salads - 8 recipes - I'm good with the smaller number of salads included here; I've got salad recipes coming out the wazoo, and never mind that I'm usually pretty good at coming up with a salad all on my own. Soup - 7 recipes - A couple of these sound a bit weird, but there are two for sure that I want to make as soon as I get to the grocery store again. Sides - 9 recipes - some of these feel a bit like cheating (baked fries needed a recipe? Power Snacks - 9 recipes - two roasted chickpea recipes is probably pushing it, but I possibly would have bought this book just for the peanut butter cookie dough bites. Homemade Staples - 27 recipes - this chapter almost made me knock the book down to four stars - it's totally cheating to call things like oat flour and roasted garlic "recipes," and by my count there's only 88 recipes before this chapter, not "over 100" - but I think the others made up for it. Now that you've grown old reading this, I'll just summarize by saying that although I haven't made all the recipes in this book, the ones I've made all deserve five stars...and I'm looking forward to trying most of the rest of them."
"I definitely don't hate it and I haven't had any total disasters, but overall I just haven't found it inspiring or any of the recipes particularly phenomenal. However, the apple crumble was okay but I wouldn't serve it to guests; the orange-miso dressing for the soba noodle bowls was gross (and I'm a huge fan of miso); the tofu scramble was not particularly great and I think I'll stick to my own recipe for that one. The savory sections have a gross-looking nacho dip, tex-mex casserole and "fiesta bites" (all of which are heavy on the oil and processed ingredients) but few simple vegetable-rich dishes."
"This book has EVERYTHING you can imagine : from simple 5 minutes recipes for a delicious overnight cold oatmeal (my favorite to prepare at night for a healthy awakening) to incredibly complex and delicious recipes that make take a couple of hours to make, but OH MY Do I glow when I eat them? This books makes me even happier I became vegan and it is a MUST for the beginning vegan that is unsure about taste and that especially wants to stay away from the overly processed vegan alternatives on the market. Make your own delicious vegan sour cream?"
Best Brunch & Tea Cooking

Ina Garten and The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook provide the perfect recipe for hosting parties that are easy and fun for everyone--including the cook. For more than twenty years Ina Garten's, Barefoot Contessa, the acclaimed specialty food store, has been turning out extraordinary dishes for enthusiastic customers in the Hamptons. Finally, the energy and style that make Barefoot Contessa such a special place are shown here, with dozens of recipes and more than 160 breathtaking photographs, in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Her experience at Barefoot Contessa has given her hundreds of ideas for creating wonderful parties in a few hours. Lauren Bacall gets cranky when Barefoot Contessa, an East Hampton specialty food store/institution for more than 20 years, is sold out of Indonesian Ginger Chicken. Aimed at the cook who intends to entertain, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook draws on Garten's experience as a caterer, as well as her knowledge of what customers really want to eat when they arrive at her shop. Starting with appetizers, Ina Garten isn't afraid to include such basics as hummus and guacamole: she knows from experience that her versions make a profound impact. There are French Onion Soup and Corn Cheddar Chowder, Baked Virginia Ham and Salmon with Fennel, Roasted Carrots and Caramelized Butternut Squash--and then one killer dessert after another. Long Island's summer foodie crowd flocks to the Barefoot Contessa for the kinds of upscale eats that are required for the endless rounds of parties.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Having had my own copy for years, I gave this cookbook as a wedding present to a friend along with the ingredients for my favorite recipe (and some cash so they could stock their pantry.)."
"Another of Ina's winning cookbooks."
"Ina Garten is excellent as usual; simple, systematic, clear and doable."
"I gave my husband the idea of getting this set to put away for me for my Birthday!"
"I love Ina, but some of the ingredients and techniques in this book aren't as easy and every day as others."
"I love this cookbook."
"Ina is fabulous!"
"Ina brought to the kitchen/cooking scene the most brilliant combination of food, family, friends, and love presented. in such a warm, calm, "over-the-backyard-fence" manner -- everyone that meets her WANTS to LEARN how to. "stir the pot" with her techniques and delectable delights!"
Best Tablesetting Cooking

Now you can enjoy a vegan diet and lifestyle and also lose weight at the same time, with this amazing book, crammed with more than 200 delicious and nutritious recipes which are all suitable for a vegan lifestyle. What fueled his drive the most was witnessing firsthand how his colleagues and clients underwent a colossal transformation, not only in body, but in mind and spirit through the power of nutrition and exercise. Most recently, he has been helping vegans across the globe unlock the secrets to the ins and outs of fat-burning and reaching peak physical shape.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I dont have a lot of the ingredients already on hand so I dont think this is the best for someone starting a vegan diet for the first time."
"Wonderfully written and priced quite reasonably for 200 great recipes, several of these books will make excellent gifts this Holiday season."
"This is a wonderful cookbook for vegans and promotes health and well being for the whole family!"
"There are lots of testimonials from people stating what benefits they have experienced from having a vegan diet."
"So far, some of my favorites are: the Blueberry Pecan Granola, Mango-nut Smoothie Bowl, Cookie Dough Energy Balls, Ginger Stir Fry, Tomato Soup, Avocado and Tomato Sandwhich, the Vegan Pizza, Potato and Zucchini Bake, and the Lasagna Rolls with the Parmesan and Pesto Breadsticks. Aside from these mouth-watering recipes, the author also provides you with informative health studies on how living a vegan lifestyle can lower your risk of obtaining life threatening diseases and a guaranteed way to lose weight, if you so desire."
"This book is written in a well, thought out and concise manner that makes it a joy to read."
"A really well put together book to help anyone transitioning into veganism, a beginner vegan or even an advanced vegan!"
"And mostly some these ingredients are a tad expensive to where i don't where to get some or that its not in the budget."
Best Party Planning Cooking

;) Bring your food back to life by adding the only thing it was missing in the first place...”The Crisp!” These recipes will totally change the way you prepare food from this point forward! This book will have you cooking like a pro in no time! These recipes are designed to take your level of cooking to another level, by “Keepin it Crispy!”. Today’s reader wants quick, short and easy to read paragraphs to make cooking simple but fun, and that’s what we have done with this recipe book. If you eat gluten free then you know that all of these recipes in this book can have substitutions for making foods that are right for you as well. Elana Cordova is a Self Skilled, Master of her Craft and Professional Gourmet Chef that has soared to a very high level In the cooking and dining industry.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Good to know what you,re doing ."
"I like being able to cook healthier foods."
"Having recently purchased a crisper , I needed guidelines as to temperatures etc."
"It covers a lot of basis even marinades, and there's a cool section where you can add some notes whether that is writing down perfect times for specific dishes or creating your own meals!"
"Works great on frozen French fries!"
"turkey breast that cooks in 47 minutes at 350F?"
Best Christmas & Hanukkah Cooking

#1 New York Times Bestseller Thug Kitchen started their wildly popular web site to inspire people to eat some Goddamn vegetables and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow ("This might be my favorite thing ever") and named Saveur 's Best New Food blog of 2013--with half a million Facebook fans and counting--Thug Kitchen wants to show everyone how to take charge of their plates and cook up some real f*cking food. Thug Kitchen lives in the real world. So, Thug Kitchen, good luck, and keep doing what you're doing.” ― Jamie Oliver The Thug Kitchen crew is an LA-based duo.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I live in Portland, the mecca of all things vegan, and my non-vegan friends have been clawing at my door to eat these recipes instead of eating out. I wish they had prep and cook times listed for recipes, but I have to read the recipe and make an educated guess. The food is delicious, the tone is funny, and I have been talking it up to my friends."
"Most of the reviews ive read before purchasing this book are mostly people complaining about the cursing, that they didn't know it was vegan and that the ingredients are too "fancy". UHM, it isn't literally them supporting thugs.. its like a metaphor.. they are thugs in the kitchen, they toughen you up and motivate you in almost a boot camp sort of way. therefore they're they thugs in the kitchen telling you how to get that sh*t right.. Now as for the fancy ingredient complain.. one guy said smoked paprika was too fancy and hard to find... which is not.. at all.. it should be a staple in any cooks spice rack.. Aminos might be hard to find but i seen those even in low level market places and farmers markets or nurserys or co-ops.. health stores, nutritionists or a damn WHOLE FOODS! with all the gmo and crazy processes they're doing lately its surprising people aren't paying attention to minor details like that and then they complain about it like if the author set them up...*sigh*. Now for my honest review; first Id like to say im Hispanic and raised with ethnic foods. I'm trying to establish a routine where the most used items are already cutup and stored somehow for easy access.. perhaps when i do a week food prep. you don't miss the meat at all... i do wish there were more recipes and more versatile breakfast ideas with more fruit but its still a good way to kick-start a detox or life style.. it weans you and really does motivate you if you don't mind the potty mouth. Their sweet potatoes fried rice is also yummy and they have this peanut dipping sauce yum! Some recipes i feel are missing something but maybe thats just my habits and culture that are used to different sides a big slab of meat."
"Love love love this cook book."
"It's worth every penny if you follow a plant based diet, are thinking about following a plant based diet, or just want a fun, delicious cookbook to add variety to you meals. I've been plant based for about one year now, and I don't crave cheese or any animal products, but every now and then I do like to experiment with some old favorites, like lasagna. Really, mad props to all your hard work, it has made my life a whole lot easier and tastier..."
"No reason to throw a cuss word after every word."
"They include tons of extra info besides recipes, like what these ingredients you may never have heard of before going Vegan are, and where at in the store you can find them."