Wayne K

I've been thinking about this for a couple weeks. I'd be curious to hear what tricks you have for this, in terms of the science and the presentation, and how it turns out. I just did my first spherification a couple weeks ago (mango caviar on vanilla icecream w/ dark chocolate & brandy mousse - thank you for making everything so easy to get Will Goldfarb!), and it worked well - though would an inverse spherification perhaps make the prep for NYE easier? Best of luck!

I know these two have gotten some love on here already, and I'm one of those whose top picks aren't traditional cookbooks. Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is my constant go-to. Every time I'm trying something new in the kitchen, or even presenting something I know for guests (in short, any meal other than the quick throw-togethers for myself) I go to The Book of Harold on all the techniques and ingredients I'll be using. I've reread so many sections so many times, but checking each one out in the context of the meal to come is always useful. CIA's Pro Chef is another go-to. I'm a big fan of experimentation, and in my dreams everything I cook is some sort of brand-new dish, but there's just no getting around the crucial role of traditional technique. One of my favorites in Pro Chef is the baguette recipe - I've tried maybe a dozen in different bread books, but somehow this one stands out as my favorite. The Flavor Bible is a new edition to my arsenal. I'd be using the tables in "Culinary Artistry" for a long time, so frankly, I was a bit let down by how little new stuff there is in The Flavor Bible for me. That being said, the little bit of extra detail it has can really make a meal. I tend to use both this and Culinary Artistry side by side, less because they're different, and more because skimming through two books for the same thing increases the chances I'll land on a wrong page and end up with a wonderful happy accident.

A lot of the talk seems to be about beef in Manhattan, I was wondering if anybody had a good spot to get pork in Brooklyn? I just got Chang's Momofuku book for the holidays, and it looks like I'm going to be needing a lot of belly the next few months. Also was wondering, in a pretty related note, if anybody has been to The Meat Hook yet? Thanks.

For Intelligentsia beans, you can also buy from Southside in the south slope, 19th st & sixth. There's another place down the block (Roots? We have so many shops, i forget which is which) that serves Stumptown, and some nice vegan snacks if you're into the sort of thing, but doesn't sell whole bean - or didn't last time I was there, at least.