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Comrade eGer's, I am trying to pick up a copy of Alain D's Spoon cookbook for my collection. Problem is: it's not showing up in Amazon/Borders or B&N warehouse search engine (on line and in stores) any more. I do have the ISBNs for the tradeback and hardbound editions - either would be grand. While his website has them both for sale, I would like avoid having to negotiate in Euros (darn exchange rate). Do y'all know of a stateside retailer who's 'currently' carrying either/both of the books? Thanks! ~ C

The "Julie/Julia" project has given me the idea that I could learn a lot by working through an important cookbook with classic dishes. But which cookbook to choose? I thought something appropriate might be "The Cook's Book" by Jill Norman. It has the basics like stocks and soups, as well as varied cuisines. However, some of the recipes are famous chef's signature dishes, and I don't feel I can attempt those yet. Plus it feels more encyclopedic, rather than having chapters that build on previous lessons. Julia Child's books have the distinct advantage of lengthy texts where she explains everything in detail, including suggested fixes if a dish goes wrong. But do I spend a full year making French dishes I may never repeat? Or, is this a wonderful education that would be helpful in all future cooking, no matter what the cuisine? I thought of going down the path of Mexican food, which my husband and I both love, by using Rick Bayless' "Mexican Kitchen". That would be fun, but would not help me learn the European classics. Another book I own is Cook's Illustrated "New Best Recipe" with 1,000 exhaustively tested recipes, including things like "Easy Pork Chops". Will I learn the most from this book? And then there's the Culinary Institute's "Professional Chef" tome, which I don't enjoy because I have to convert everything down from 10 portion recipes. I know the obvious answer is that one can learn from any of these books, the trick is to get in the kitchen and start cooking. But, considering my over-the-hill age, I want to learn the most in the least amount of time, that will help me in all future cooking, no matter what the style or ingredients. Any advice?

It's great! I love the way it's organised, the fact that it also covers more unusual ingredients (rather than focussing on bland supermarket staples) and it's packed with unusual/surprising recipes that I'm dying to try out. So often with cookbooks I find the recipes given are variations on a theme that I'm already quite familiar with. I love the fact with this book you'll find things like 'Greek semolina pancakes', 'Peruvian Potatoes in the Huancayo style', "Okra with tomatoes' as cooked by the Indians of Uganda, 'Poached Eggplants with a Korean Hot Sauce', 'Boiled Peanuts, Indonesian Style' and Mango curry from Trinidad! It's exciting and unpretentious and does what a great cookbook should do; open up new worlds for you. I feel very inspired to go through the whole book and try everything out. I had a 100% success rate with a bunch of recipes I tried out on friends last night. My particular favourite was an Iranian puree of zuchini which involved tumeric, cumin, cayenne, garlic and a smidgin of tomato paste. Anyway probably everyone on this forum is already familiar with it, but if not, I heartily recommend it - particularly for meat eaters who are racking their brains as to what to cook for vegetarian dinner guests. (Hopefully triggering an end to the mushroom risotto/ratatouille/pasta with home-made pesto/roasted vegetables cliches of recent years - delicious though they can all be.)

Can someone recommend a good book for baking sweets? I'm looking for something that will cover the basics of various cookies and cakes, custards, sauces, etc. (Not interested in candies or ice cream.) Kind of like Peterson's book on sauces. Thanks in advance.

I have a friend who would like to learn about wok cooking and has asked me to recommend a good book for the beginner. The books I learned from are old and out of print. What current books should I suggest? What about Breath of the Wok ( is that the right name?)? Thanks for your help Dianne Ross

Does anyone know where or if there is a copy of le gout authentique retrouve by Hidemi Sugino? thanks, Jeremy Shapiro

Last year we had a good thread going with peoples comments and notifications of new cookbooks to look out for. Cookbooks published in 2005 I thought it would be a good idea to start the thread earlier this year to catch more of the new cookbooks published in the first half of the year. A cookbook coming out in June that I'll check out is Emily Luchetti's new dessert cookbook, "Passion for Ice Cream". ($ for egullet if you order through this egullet-Amazon link) Passion for Ice Cream (Hardcover) by Emily Luchetti, Sheri Giblin Any cookbooks from this year that you've already bought or ones that you are looking forward to checking out? edited to add: Here's a link with instructions on how to construct an eGullet-Amazon link. . Click

When I compare my German cookbooks with my American ones one thing which I don't like with most of the American cookbook is that they are lacking pictures of the dishes. I am not talking about "food porn" (where the pictures only cover lousy recipes) but I think a good cookbook only becomes an excellent cookbook if the visual part is also in place. And you will find hardly any excellent German cookbook without stunning pictures. There are of course exceptions (e.g. The Cook's Book etc.) but what kind of cookbooks do you have with great recipes and great pictures ?

Hi, I have been wanting to get into and learn how to cook various types of food from various regions, and I figured nows a good a time as any. I was wondering what books do you suggest teach Mediterranean and Vietnamese cooking best, easy or authentic? Any and all suggestions are appreciated, whether to a book or a forum already dedicated to this, I searched but couldnt find one, thanx. saltz

[Moderator note: The original Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 2)] Oh, Abra. Oh, Abra. Can we call this the Pork Altar? This is so effing unbelievable. So, who cares if it only took you three monts to get your mise in place. Which brings me how to construct my curing chamber (Chris, why in the hell did you choose black and not white for your container) and finding just the right place in the hosue. I'm such a lightweight and such a worrywort. It's only meat!

Many of you are already aware of José Andrés’s book Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America, also available in Spanish as Los fogones de José Andrés. In the Spain & Portugal Forum we’ve discussed how well Spanish cuisine travels given the dependency that many dishes have on very specific ingredients available only in Spain or even only in certain regions of Spain. The question lead to an interesting debate and we concluded somehow that the dependency for certain dishes was so tight that without the ingredient in question itself you’d only obtain a pale resemblance –if any—to the original dish, whereas with some others you could actually get pretty good results. I believe that José’s book does a good job collecting dishes that can capture their original soul even if you don’t have access to the genuine products. In any case, now you have a chance to share your experience and results obtained through cooking your way through José’s book. Rogelio (Rogelio Enríquez), Malawry (Rochelle Reid Myers ), Ronnie Suburban (Ron Kaplan) and I would like to invite you to join us in Cooking with Tapas by Jose Andres.This thread is the place to include your notes, and share with us photos of recipes you have prepared from it. This thread will begin in the Spain & Portugal forum and eventually be moved to the Cooking Forum. If you don't have the book, you still can cook some recipes from it: José Andrés and his publisher, Clarkson Potter, have graciously contributed three recipes which can be found in RecipeGullet: Squid with onions Potatoes with chorizo Chickpea spinach stew This is a "cooking with" thread, so please concentrate on the recipes and save general discussion for an eG Spotlight Conversation with José Andrés, which will take place later in the year, or in one of the existing threads of the Spain and Portugal forum.

Over in the miraculous, slightly obsessive, and wonderful Charcuterie topic, many eGulleteers have been learning from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's Charcuterie. As a result, we've got freezers full of bacon, andouille, hocks, pancetta, and who knows what else. This topic is for cooking with those salted, smoked, and cured products. For example, I'm going to start with a very basic recipe, just a simple few steps that lead to a fantastic plate: the classic bistro frissee salad with lardons. This salad -- frissee lightly dressed with a vinaigrette, tossed with lardons (thickly diced and well-cooked pieces of bacon), and topped with a fried egg -- is a fantastic showcase for the high-quality bacon you'll be producing if you start curing and smoking your own. Being able to add lardons that are both crispy and meaty into your salad is a remarkable joy. What else are people doing with their cured products?

the article Is this new type of cookbook organization superior to the way in which cookbooks were originally organized?

Hi, I'm looking for pastry and baking books by japanease chefs written in english. Got an idea? site...etc

I'm currently reading Julia Child's memoirs, and plan to start on the new Gael Greene book after that. And then, there's nothing on the agenda, and I'm getting worried about that. What is new out there that I may be missing? What's Michael Ruhlman working on? How about Ruth Reichl? (Yes, I've read Garlic & Sapphires. Loved it.) Amanda Hesser? others?

I have my wonderfully renovated kitchen with lots of counter space. Now I need a plastic cookbook holder to prop up my cookbooks while protecting them from spatter. I've "googled" and get many different styles. Have any of you found one that you would recommend? I saw one that has a wood base and an adjustable plastic faceplate, but then I read a review by a user that said it is always coming apart and doesn't hold large books. I would appreciate any personal experience posts to help in my decision. And I thank those who reply to this post, in advance! :-)

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a pro book on Ice creams and over at Chips Books, the 2 that catch my eye are Les Recettes Glacees by L'Ecole Lenotre http://www.chipsbooks.com/recglace.htm#recglace and the one by Ryon Emmanuel http://www.chipsbooks.com/artglace.htm. Basically, I'm looking for a book that'll teach how to make ice cream commercially. We just managed to get a huge German ice cream machine for free and are looking at how we can make add ice cream to our list of wholesale products. We want a book that can show us about using different emulsifiers, preservatives, methods, etc...etc...... Does anyone have any other recommendations? Thanks!

[Moderator note: The original Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: Cooking with Ruhlman & Polcyn's "Charcuterie" (Part 1)] That is a Great Outdoors brand Smokey Mountain Cooker which is actually propane-powered. In many cases, that gas power is great because it makes maintaining temperature fairly easy. It's basically built for efficient hot smoking. A cast iron box sits in a frame above the heat source and the wood chunks burn pretty evenly over time. I think the manufacturer recommends using chips but I've found that chunks burn longer and produce a better smoke. Because I was too lazy yesterday to rig my dryer vent-aided cold smoker (a weekend project, it seems), I decided to try something new with the SMC. I only used the gas flame until the cherry wood chunks started to burn. Once they did, I shut down the gas entirely and loaded up the water pan with ice. From there, via the use of damper control, I was able to keep those chunks smoking for about 4 hours. It worked out great because the temperature stayed low and it was largely controllable. During those 4 hours, I dumped the melted ice from the water pan and refilled it with fresh ice 2 times. Also, one time near the end, I placed a single ice cube in the fire box to cool things down a bit. I'll be curious to see how it turned out because if it did work well, I think there's some cold-smoked salmon in my very near future. At this point, I don't foresee any reason why it may have failed. But, until you taste the final product, you never know for sure. *fingers crossed* =R=

Well, I wasn't going to buy this cookbook, but a certain bookshop that I visit an awful lot put the wrong price on it.....$24.95 instead of $34.95. In fact, I went in again on Friday, they've still got the wrong price. *cough* Carlton store *cough* The book does have a really nice feel to it. The photography is very good, reminding me of the work in Damian Pignolet's cookbook. It feels warm and comforting. And warm and comforting is the feel of many of the recipies. Flicking through it, many of the recipes are for autumn and winter, with England, France, and Italy providing the main inspirations. For instance, you'll find recipes for corned beef, duck confit, and spaghetti with cauliflower strascicata within the book. Recipes are divided into seven sections with titles like, "I love Spring and new beginnings", "A break in the heart", and "Food to warm the cockles". IT does make a change from the usual categories, and for me, it works as you look for the recipies by "feel" rather than by "key ingredient". Most sections have around 8 recipies. Each recipe opens with some comments by Ingersoll where he talks about his own history with the recipe and some notes on the ingredients and its preparation. You could almost imagine him saying the same things if he were to present the recipe on a TV show. He then follows with the list of ingredients and some very detailed instructions. Often, he'll give you a cooking process and explain how this process helps the cooking of the dish. This impresses me greatly as it can only help people understand the whys and hows of cooking. Overall, I think it's a pretty impressive cookbook. It's certainly worth the $35RRP, and I'd say that it's probably one of the best in that price bracket. I think the book is pitched at those who have developed some basic skills and want to take themselves up another level. But I think that experienced cooks will also find recipes they'll enjot too.

I've been cooking for several Tibetan Lamas and their entourages lately and I need a really good Tibetan cookbook recommendation. Any ideas?

Currently I have Living Cookbook, but I've seen other posters refer to Mastercook. I also saw one recipe posted that had both weight and volume measurements along with baker's percentages (I'm envious). I'm finding that mine is ok, but I would like it to do more -- like be able to show both weights and volumes. And to use measurements like 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (as that is how I received a recipe). Living Cookbook also does nutrition analysis and cost analysis, which I like. But, I find maintaining the ingredient cost information is less than efficient. eGulleters, what do you use? Do you like it? Why? What do you feel it lacks?

I find the recipes in John Folse' book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine to be very user friendly and they also turn out GREAT every time. Some of the recipes are the coconut cake recipe and of course the gumbo recipes. Right now, I have a pot of the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo on, I have just added the stock for it to simmer for about an hour before furthur additions. Has anyone else ever cooked from this book? If so, what recipes did you use with great success? I am thinking about cooking up a pot of the Death by Gumbo this next week. I have quails in the freezer and I can get my Poche's andouille from Hebert's here in town. One other thing, instead of using chicken in the pot, I am using pheasant that a friend brought from a hunt. Maybe we could start a lets cook Louisiana and say once a month do a dish together. just a thought.

On Amazon, there are two books by Dan Lepard. I notice that he has posted on this forum previously and other eGulleteers seem very impressed with his knowledge of bread. I'm wanting to get a bit more experience with bread and would like opinions on his two books: "The Handmade Loaf" or "Baking With Passion: Exceptional Recipes for Real Breads, Cakes, and Pastries" As it seems the second book deals with cakes and pastries as well as bread, it might not be detailed enough on bread to satisfy my interest. Is "The Handmade Loaf" technical or written for the layman? Thanks for any/all input. Regards, Alana

If you are living in France and want to bake some American recipes, then you will need to print out a copy of David Lebovitz's invaluable guide: American Baking in Paris. I spent many hours trying to create my own list, but this is far more complete. Oh the time spent combing Paris for vanilla extract* only to discover that the French really don't use the same thing (arome de vanille NEQ vanilla extract). Or looking for a can of chicken soup… you're not gonna find it. *I was told, quite simply, that French chefs use vanilla beans when they want vanilla flavor! Imagine!

What are some of your favorite kosher or Jewish cookbooks? Most of mine are older than I am - it's time to support some new authors. (new to me would be anybody published within the last 30 years ) From starters to desserts and everything in between. Baking, holidays, everyday. Recommendations?