Exploring Top Books of Shelfari

Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious. Now, for its twentieth anniversary,... (more)

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table

by Ruth Reichl

At an early age, Ruth Reichl discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world. . . . If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Her deliciously crafted memoir, Tender at the Bone, is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by a passion for food, unforgettable people, and the love of tales well told. Beginning with Reichl's mother, the... (more)

The Way to Cook

by Julia Child

"Julia Child's . . . seventh book, The Way to Cook, is her magnus opus . . . the biggest and most comprehensive collection of Child recipes and comments . . . (with) the same warm, generous, informal approach that has made her the most celebrated cook in America."--Phyllis Hanes, Christian Science Monitor. 600 full-color photos.

The Physiology of Taste

by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, wayn Thiebaud, Brillat-Savarin

A masterpiece on the subject of cooking as an art and eating as a pleasure, this 1825 classic on the joys of food and drink was written by a French politician and man of letters whose true passion centered on gastronomy. Brillat-Savarin's charmingly personal and anecdotal style endears him to readers, and along with his recipes for pheasant, Swiss fondue, and other dishes, he offers witty meditations on the... (more)

The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy

The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy

by Sasha Issenberg

From the sea to your plate, the first international tour of sushi’s journey in the global marketplace One generation ago, sushi’s narrow reach ensured that sports fishermen who caught tuna in most of the world sold the meat for pennies as cat food. Today, the fatty cuts of tuna known as toro are among the planet’s most coveted luxury foods, worth hundreds of dollars a pound and capable of losing... (more)

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

by Kelsie Kerr, Patricia Curtan, Fritz Streiff, Alice Waters

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has “single-handedly chang<ed> the American palate” according to the New York Times . Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods. With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and... (more)

Culinary Artistry

by Andrew Dornenburg

"In Culinary Artistry ...Dornenburg and Page provide food and flavor pairings as a kind of steppingstone for the recipe-dependent cook...Their hope is that once you know the scales, you will be able to compose a symphony."—Molly O'Neil in The New York Times Magazine . For anyone who believes in the potential for artistry in the realm of food, Culinary Artistry is a must-read. This is the first book to... (more)

Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier

Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier

by Andrea Robinson

At last, a wine book that makes selecting and enjoying wine truly simple. With renowned wine expert Andrea Immer as your guide, never again will you have to fear pricey bottles that don't deliver, snobby wine waiters, foreign terminology, or encyclopedic restaurant wine lists. You'll be able to buy or order wine with confidence-and get just the wine you want-by learning how the "Big Six" basic styles taste and how... (more)

The Ayurveda Encyclopedia: Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention & Longevity

The Ayurveda Encyclopedia: Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention & Longevity

by Sada Shiva Tirtha

Discover the secrets of natural healing through stress-reduction techniques, personalized health programs, purposeful career, deepening spirituality, herbs, nutrition, aromas, yoga, meditation, music, colors, massage, and more. This is the most complete and in-depth book on Ayurveda with photographs of 85 major Ayurvedic herbs, and 89 photographs on Ayurvedic hatha yoga for general health, pregnancy, and... (more)

Letters to a Young Chef

by Daniel Boulud

From the reinvention of French food through the fine dining revolution in America, Daniel Boulud has been one of the key innovators of today's food culture. A modern improviser with a classical foundation-a little rock and roll and a lot of Mozart, as he would say-who worked his way up from scullery boy to culinary celebrity, he speaks with the authority that can only come from a lifetime of experience in... (more)

Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris

by A. J. Liebling

New Yorker writer A.J. Liebling recalls his Parisian apprenticeship in the fine art of eating in this charming memoir.

Espresso Coffee: The Chemistry of Quality

Espresso Coffee: The Chemistry of Quality

Written by leading coffee technology specialists in consultation with some of the world's biggest coffee manufacturers, the second edition of the successful Espresso Coffee will once again comprehensively cover the current status of the chemistry and technology of espresso coffee. It comprehensively covers topics such as agronomy, green coffee processing, roasting/grinding, packaging, percolating and... (more)

Bombay Cafe Cookbook

by Neela Paniz

Chef Neela Paniz grew up in an elegant Indian home, where her mother's cook prepared wonderful delicacies on a daily basis--the same marvelous regional dishes that she recreates for those lucky enough to dine in her Los Angeles-area Bombay Cafe. Now Neela has compiled a collection of recipes for her best dishes--focusing on the light, the healthy, the fresh, and the easy-to-prepare. Two-color throughout.

Lost Desserts: Baked Alaska, Souffle Rothschild, Charlotte Russe, and many more recipes from legendary restaurants and famous chefs

Lost Desserts: Baked Alaska, Souffle Rothschild, Charlotte Russe, and many more recipes from legendary restaurants and famous chefs

by Gail Monaghan

With recipes of glamorous by-gone desserts, and packed with history and anecdotes of famous classic restaurants and the people who frequented them, Lost Desserts features delicious and sometimes exotic favorites from the new world and the old. Conjuring up the heyday of Hollywood are such American classics as the Brown Derby’s Orange Chiffon Cake, Trader Vic’s Flaming Tahitian Ice Cream, and Chasen’s Banana... (more)

Fit or Fat

by Covert Bailey

Covert Bailey is a popular PBS personality and best-selling author on fitness and nutrition, whose Fit or Fat series of books has sold nearly 6 million copies. One of the first to emphasize body fat and body fat testing, he has taught millions of people about low-fat eating and adopting flexible exercise programs that are both fun and healthy. Covert Bailey earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and received a... (more)

Neiman Marcus Taste: Timeless American Recipes

Neiman Marcus Taste: Timeless American Recipes

by Kevin Garvin, John Harrison

Neiman Marcus first opened its doors to shoppers in 1907, and since then it has been a fixture of American elegance and style. Now Neiman Marcus opens another door, this time to their acclaimed kitchens, with their 100th anniversary cookbook—a retrospective of the timeless, legendary dishes that have satisfied generations of Americans over the past fifty years. The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus’s first restaurant,... (more)

Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine & Cookery

Larousse Gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine & Cookery

by Joe?l Robuchon, Prosper Montagne?, Charlotte Snyder Turgeon

Since its first publication in 1938, Larousse Gastronomique has been an unparalleled resource. In one volume, it presents the history of foods, eating, and restaurants; cooking terms; techniques from elementary to advanced; a review of basic ingredients with advice on recognizing, buying, storing, and using them; biographies of important culinary figures; and recommendations for cooking nearly everything. The... (more)

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

by Herve? This

Hervé This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent... (more)

Mustards Grill Napa Valley Cookbook

by Cindy Pawlcyn

As anyone knows who has spent time in Napa Valley, Mustard's Grill is an institution in the wine country-the friendly restaurant where locals first started going for a full plate of fabulous food and a glass of Napa's finest. Chef-owner Cindy Pawlcyn, founding chef of San Francisco's original Fog City Diner, put down her roots in Napa over 15 years ago when she brought her midwestern sensibility and flair for... (more)

Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef

Cooking for Kings: The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef

by Ian Kelly

“Cuisinier, architect, and one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century, Carême was the founder of a classic cuisine that would influence generations of chefs. In this well-researched book, Ian Kelly deftly recounts the exploits of this remarkable man.” —JACQUES PÉPIN Aunique feast of biography and Regency cookbook, Cooking for Kings takes readers on a chef’s tour of the palaces of Europe in the ultimate... (more)

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Tags: gastronomy

by Harold McGee