Home » Food & Cooking

My Favorite Books About Food & Drink

0 Comments
- The Coolest Food Boo…
- New Guestbook

3 Like

Like 3

Pin It

Ranked #22,073 in Food & Cooking, #413,360 overall

You Can't Judge a Book by it's Cover?

There are so many cookbooks and wine books and restaurant guides and food magazines and...
I spend much of my time looking for truly great books on the subjects of food and drink. These are my favorites. You can learn a lot from a good book...even in the age of computers.

Must Haves...

Don't just borrow these books. Buy them!

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee
There is no better kitchen reference in print. Almost any question about the history or science of food can be answered with this book. It's comprehensive and well organized (i.e. 47 pages about eggs organized into 37 parts).
The Professional Chef, 8th Edition by The Culinary Institute of America
This is the "Swiss Army Knife" of cookbooks. At 1215 pages it is the best general cookbook out there. It covers everything including: Food safety, restaurant management, culinary history, regional cuisines, baking and pastry, thousands of recipes, and more. The only bad thing about this book is that some of the recipes are inaccurate (only a few of them).
What to Drink with What You Eat by Dornenburg and Page
Even the best of us need little reminders sometimes. Aside from the brief tutorials about pairing food with beverages, you can either look up which beverages go with foods or which foods go with beverages. All sorts of foods and drinks are covered, from the most expensive to the cheapest (i.e. Argentinian Malbec with Domino's Pizza).

Some Great Ones to Own...

...but at least check these out from the library.

Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard
This book has great tips and techniques. Plus, it's inspiring to see a great chef whose sense of humor shows through his food.
Working the Plate by Christopher Styler
Have you ever been stumped on how to plate up a dish? Styler explores different styles of food presentation from very modern to rustic. Great photography and famous chefs share their philosophies on the subject.
Molecular Gastronomy, Exploring the Science of Flavor by Herve This
Definitely not for everybody but I love this book. It covers all sorts of food subjects from a very scientific perspective.
Culinary Artistry by Dornenburg and Page
Great reference for any chef just for the menu section alone. It covers, with commentary from many famous chefs, most aspects of running a quality restaurant.