Thoughts on Epicurious' Top Ten BookList?

[LaurieA-B]

The Making of a Chef and The Soul of a Chef would definitely be great additions to the list (I think they are both superior to The Reach of a Chef). Ruth Reichl--I didn't like her memoirs as much as everyone else I know, but if you're going to include one of her books, Garlic and Sapphires (her life as a critic) would be of greater interest and value to chefs. I enjoyed the Bourdain and Buford, but wouldn't give them top ten status. And I prefer The Man Who Ate Everything, a true classic, over It Must've Been Something I Ate (though I love them both).

[HVRobinson]

For my two cents:

I'd add in the ServSafe coursebook. I'm so tired of looking at kitchens as a public health outbreak just begging to happen. Pantries that haven't been emptied in years. Equipment that haven't been cleaned under (or over) in so long that the build up makes them look like they are attached to the building by sheer grime. Doors without door sweeps. Doors to dumpsters kept open to let in the flies and mice/rats. Cardboard from the vegetable vendors flattened to make floor mats (even though they can be full of bugs... mostly roaches). Coolers with raw chicken above today's salad fixings.

Want me to go on? We spend so much time and energy looking into the zen of flavor, mixing the yin of this with the yang of that... .and we forget that despite how important the wonderful flavors and aromas and beautiful sights of our meals are--- they are also our nourishment and health.

After that... Most of the reading that's been posted ... I want to make time to read....

Darn you guys! I can't keep up on my own professional reading as is!

hvr

[Mikeb19]

Molecular Gastronomy - by Hervé This (one of the real originators of the field)

La Cuisine: c'est de l'amour, de l'art, de la technique - by Hervé This and Pierre Gagnaire

IMO two must have books. Gives you a real sense of what molecular gastronomy and creative cooking are about - understanding how food works so you can improve your techniques in all areas - MG is not about gimmickery and novelty...

Edited October 25, 2007 by Mikeb19 (log)

[cigalechanta]

I love a Debt to pleasure. Read James Patterson's Cooking with Ferna Branca.

This one takes place in Tuscany.

[Paul VanSavage]

I have a regional book on the market - Tastes And Tales of New York's Southern Tier