These are a few of my favorite cookbooks. Mushroom cookery was one of my first cookbooks that I purchase. I got it from a thrift store for $1 and its one that I still continuously use; even though its from the 50's, it still has a lot of great recipes. An awesome book for the mushroom lover.
The Silver Palate Cookbook is a must have for any foodie or amateur cook. It's filled with all the basics needed to cook a great meal. It not only has great recipes, but it goes into detail about why certain foods need to be cooked in specific ways, information and recipes on many of the staple fruits and vegetables used in the kitchen, and information about the tools used to prepare a great meal.
The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery is a cookbook that I purchased while in culinary school. It's is a book that just about every great chef owns. Even though is was published in 1903, it is still relevant today. The book covers everything from all the basic mother sauces to thousands of different ways to prepare any type of food; it has in total 5,012 recipes. Escoffier was a great chef and is best know for his organization of the kitchen brigade.
The last cookbook in the stack is Buono! Great Italian Cooking: The Encyclopedia of Italian Cuisine. This is my favorite Italian cookbook because it has practically all Italian recipes in it. I found this on sale and just had to get it. Italian cooking is my favorite. I eat pasta probably 5 times a week. And why not? It tastes great, is so versatile, and also...cheap!
This is my recipe book that I ALWAYS have on me when cooking. I keep it with me because 1) it has some of my favorite and most used recipes in it, 2) anytime I come across a new or interesting recipe or concept, I jot it down, and 3) it has many great secrets and tips that I have learned over my years of being in the kitchen. I recommend having a notebook handy in the kitchen when cooking so that you can write down recipes you like, whether or not you tried something the either A: worked or B: failed (it's great to know what failed for future reference), and any tips or techniques you learn from friends, family, or from reading magazines or any other literature.
Well, this is the kitchen pantry. It has all the basics needed in the typical household: peanut butter, cereal, canned goods, and pasta. But, it also has a few ingredients that you typically don't find in every one's pantry, such as: dried chili's, canned cactus, cous cous, pre-made gnocchi (I typically make mine, but I had to buy some because 1) it was on sale, really cheap and 2) sometimes its just nice to have an easy meal on hand), and one ingredient I bought for my harder cooking, ULTRA-SPERSE (an all-natural cold water swelling starch derived from corn). The Ultra-Sperse I got for my experimenting from my cookbook Alinea. Alinea is a book that has recipes that are used in the kitchen of Alinea, a well know restaurant in Chicago that specializes in molecular gastronomy. For those who do not know what molecular gastronomy, Google it! It is very complicated to explain without going into great detail. And I'm sure Wikipedia can fill you in better.
Food leftover from Thanksgiving. The apples and oranges I used for the Thanksgiving turkey. I let it soak in a brine along with the fruits and some herbs for 24 hours; but doing this, the turkey comes out tasty and very moist. This was my 5th year brining the turkey. And the sweet potatoes I used in my Brandied Sweet Potatoes. They are very addicting! Last is the shallot. If you have not cooked with shallots before, Start. They are in the onion family, but are not quite as strong in flavor as onions. For this reason, they are used in many sauces or dishes that want flavor, but not an oniony flavor.
This is an older poster that hands in the kitchen. It is one of the many pictures hanging up. Along with it are about 4 ads from the 40's or 50's advertising Cream of Wheat (photos up soon). I enjoying going to antique or thrift stores and finding item like the one above.
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