The Cure for the Common Kitchen

Several months ago I posted to this blog about my fear of food.   (Yes, I know that doesn't make any sense, but there you have it.)  Some of that post concerned food/health issues and poor information about them, but something I mostly left out was how I just wasn't cooking much at home.  (See previous parenthetical statement.)  I go out to eat a lot, which is great for busy people, lazy people, and sensation seekers.  Unfortunately, it's not good for most people's waistlines or pocketbooks, nor does it save so much time as we want it to.  But what's really bad about it is when it isolates us even further from food. 

People who eat out all the time have no idea what goes into their food, or how to prepare it.  Food is important:  We all have to eat.  Eating is a foundation of health.  Food can be a great source of pleasure.  Dining can be a linchpin of our family and social lives.  And, when you put a piece of food in your mouth, it's an act of trust: is this food going to nourish me, or make me sick?  Clearly food is is important.  Is it good for us not to know anything about it?  Where do I buy it?  How do I prepare it safely?  How can I give nourishment and pleasure with it?  How can I make a pleasant meal with others?  Now, I have to admit that being in a position where one can debate the relative merits of dining out versus cooking at home is not such a bad problem to have.  However, I bet it's one that most readers of this blog consider daily. 

So, even though I both like to cook and go out to eat, I was glad several months ago to find something that got me cooking more at home. 

These books have changed the way I cook in the kitchen:  What I cook, when I cook, how often I cook (more often, if that's not obvious) how I feel about what I've cooked....  I'm not sure I know where to stop.  But like I said, I'm cooking more at home, which is what I wanted. 

My first exposure to Mark Bittman was through his TV show.  And, honestly, while I liked it, Bittman got on my nerves a little bit.  To make some unfair generalizations, he seemed like another slightly rude, know-it-all New Yorker.  But even though Bittman sometimes got on my nerves, I watched the show.  And I stupidly never made any connection between the show and the books.  I'd seen the books, especially How to Cook Everything, everywhere.  I was a little disturbed by their commonality.  And so I never picked one up.  But one day, I was petsitting for someone, and picked up The Best Recipes in the World because it was the only book within sight.  Within a few minutes, I not only decided I liked the book, but also made the connection to the TV show.  I also realized that Bittman comes across in print as someone who is really trying to help his readers -- really trying to give them what he thinks are the important parts about cooking.

I bought both of the above books within a few days.  They're very meaty: a thousand recipes or more in each of them.  Despite their size, they're concise: he doesn't waste a lot of time or column-inches on anything not important to his mission (no big glossy photos or boatloads of whitespace -- sorry).  They're good: I've made several recipes out of both, and had very few misses.  The recipes are generally easy: Bittman's whole philosophy is that he doesn't want to waste a lot of time on complicated technique, hard-to-find ingredients, or expensive equipment.  And the books are encyclopedic:  The first one is a damn good introduction to American cuisine: what we eat and how to cook it, simply.  The second one runs all over the globe, picking up Bittman's favorites from everywhere.  The recipes in the second are not arranged by area or cuisine, but by food and cooking method.  This way of constructing a cookbook is hard to pull off, but Bittman does a really good job.  HTCE was supposedly dubbed a more hip Joy of Cooking by someone at the Washington Post, and it really is.  By the way, Joy never really did flip my switch, but with these two books, Bittman has, in a way no one has done since Julia Child. 

Since I started using these books, they may have become the most important day-to-day books in my kitchen.  If I want to make something, but have no idea where to start, I'll start looking in them.  I've repeatedly recommended them to others, and even bought a few copies for friends.  Everyone seems to like them.  If they don't flip your switch like they did mine -- well, everyone is different.  But if you're in the market for a cookbook for yourself or for a friend, take a look at these.  I bet you'll be pleased. 

Comments

[Michael Bacon]

I know a couple of people now who have really gotten into these. I haven't gotten one, because, frankly, one cookbook already fills that niche in my kitchen, and in the kitchens of my parents and grandparents. I'm talking about Joy of Cooking, of course. Joe, I know you said you'd looked at it, and never seen a reason to want it, but I'd say that it's largely along the same lines as what you've got above. Legend has it that Irma Rombauer was sitting at a dinner party and mentioned that she was working on a cookbook, when a friend tried to politely ask, "But Irma, who would read it?" She was known as a decent cook, but not a great one, and that shows in her recipes. You're not going to find the world's greatest cheesecake or the ultimate Brunswick Stew in there, but the "About ...." sections are nearly invaluable for me when I'm getting into ingredients I haven't used much before. I always read the section on custards before making one, because it just reminds me of the things to watch out for, and what I need to be thinking about while doing it.

And frankly, the recipes aren't bad either, as long as you're dealing with general Americana food. The "chocolate chip drop cookie" recipe is the one that, along with a general touch for consistency and timing, my father has become famous for. The section on lasagne making ensures that anyone can make a decent one. The "Substitutions" section is fantastic if you find yourself stuck without something like buttermilk, or baking chocolate, or something of that nature. And then there's the more comic parts, like the section on how to dress a squirrel. (I always find they prefer the sport coat look more than the sweater-vest look.)

I'd like to get a chance to look at Bittman's books, particularly How to Cook Everything. But I've got to put in a plug for Irma and her kids and grandkids here. It's been the bible of cooking on both sides of my family for three generations now, I'm not about to put it down.

[Michael Bacon]

Okay, I just noticed you mentioned Joy at the end. I'm blaming the damned drugs I'm on. Sorry...

[Joe]

Crackhead. ;)

I know a lot of people really like JOC. It just doesn't do it for me. One of my beefs was that it really didn't seem like a very good basic cookbook, with too many odd ingredients called for, and not enough basic recipes. It also doesn't seem to have much of a focus or theme. But I haven't looked at it in a long time, so maybe I'd have a different opinion now. I also know a lot of people who really love it and use it, so I'm not going to say it's the locus of evil in the Western world or anything. :) It's just not for me. I think Bittman's cookbooks have a broad appeal -- whether you know how to cook or not; whether you're looking for something like Betty Crocker or moderately haute cuisine. Works for me, anyway. My favorite cookbook is still From Julia Child's Kitchen, and probably will be until I die.

[Kira]

Great. Just what I need. I'm a cookbook addict, and I already have over 40 of them...and you are trying to make me get MORE? *twitch twitch* It'll probably work, too...

[Joe]

Kira, I didn't really know you were a cookbook addict -- sorry. I don't know if this will help or hurt, but a paperback edition of HTCE is available from Amazon new for <$15, and used for <$9. Or you can come to my place and look at mine. Maybe we can cook some with my All-Clad. ;)

[Sucar]

Hmmm...I'm going to add this to my list. Right after I work through Mario Batali's Molto Italiano. (Sorry-i really like pictures in cookbooks). I'm with you on Joy of Cooking-not my all time favorite although I've ALMOST bought it 20 times. I usually end up with something else. I love the Jacques Pepin/Julia Child collaboration and have really found it informative and easy. I am afraid of looking into From Julia's kitchen (for fear of serious addiction) but I'm sure I'll find my way there eventually.