289897 Mon Jul 22 16:38:24 -0700 2002 12 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1571105 Reading over the Nobu thread got me to thinking about similar cookbooks (I apologize if this has already been discussed). Do you find cookbooks written by chefs harder to use than those by other food personalities? Is there one chef that writes better cookbooks than others? Which chef needs a home test kitchen and a ghost writer to write their books in the future? And finally, do you think cookbooks written by chefs are really designed to be useable by the home cook, or just for show? Mon Jul 22 16:38:24 -0700 2002 0 SisterT 1 1571119 Show. These guys/gals have huge egos, use ghostwriters, they all work 60-70-80 or more hours a week, so when do they have the time to test these recipes? If these are so called signature dishes, they are probably done in much larger batches at the restaurant. Mon Jul 22 18:01:54 -0700 2002 1571105 0 ronr 2 1571123 It depends entirely upon the book in question. There are books that are fantastic and passionate and full of useful information and oustanding recipes and there are those that are sloppy promotional pieces. You are right about people egos, however; in fact, some people have an ego so large that, believe it or not, it's actually inportant to them that the book is good and that the recipes work. After all, many chefs began their education through books and most all that I know (at top restaurants) continue to learn by checking out published cookbooks, including those by star chefs. As far as chefs having time to test the recipes, they don't. The recipes are tested -- in the best cases -- by a professional who makes a habit of testing recipes in a home kitchen. Read the introduction/s to either/both of the Union Square Cafe cookbook/s, you'll get a pretty good idea of the commitment to making a book that is useful to the home cook preparing dinner for family and friends. They are both, by the way, superb books. Mon Jul 22 18:30:12 -0700 2002 1571119 0 Phylloxera 3 1571167 I worked at a very well-known successful restaurant for two years, and one of my projects was helping the chef to create his cookbook - typing in all the recipes and organizng them. From there they would go to a publisher. The recipes were from his own notes, and those of the other kitchen staff. He HAS and DOES make these recipes at home, and for himself and all of us to try in the kitchen...However, he has only one restaurant right now, and hasn't grown too big for his britches yet either... Tue Jul 23 11:16:16 -0700 2002 1571123 0 Jaylea 4 1571224 Jaylea, the recipes must have gone to a writer/recipe tester before they went to a publisher, no? Wed Jul 24 02:00:22 -0700 2002 1571167 0 Leslie Brenner 1 1571130 I find that I don't have too many chef-written cookbooks, mainly because the recipes read right there in the bookstore clearly are not for even an advanced and dedicated home cook. I do find that I cook regularly from The Herbfarm cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld. The recipes aren't difficult, and everything I've tried so far has been fantastic. I've made some great dishes from Seattle Kitchen by Tom Douglas, and from Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger. One that obviously never got tested is Joyce Goldstein's Kitchen Conversation. It seems like every dish in it has 2-3 tablespoons of oregano. But I do get ideas from chef cookbooks, even if I don't cook much from them. Often they contain amazing flights of fancy, in both food combinations and garnishes, that I would never normally consider. I like being prodded to reflect on the wisdom of serving Pan Seared Foie Gras over Sliced Hazelnut Crusted Quail Breast on a Bed of Mâche with a Condrieu and Poached Apple Dressing. Mon Jul 22 20:13:26 -0700 2002 1571105 0 Abra 1 1571132 I agree in most cases, but I do have a few thoughts to add. First, those super ridiculous recipes are great for inspiring food combinations or techniques, even if you are never going to make the dish exactly as described. Second, Chris Scheslinger's cook books are the best I have ever cooked from - easy, straight forward, delicious, and most of all, consistent. Mon Jul 22 20:46:18 -0700 2002 1571105 0 Roejimmy 1 1571139 I've gotten a lot of use out of Rick Bayless' books. He is able to convey his enthusiasm for the food and there's alot of useful info beyond just recipes. In the books he comes off as less of a "celebrity chef" and more of an enthusiastic cooker of Mexican cuisine. The recipes are easy to follow and execute and I've found most produce great results (yes some are long ... but that's just the nature of some of the dishes). I used Joyce Goldstein's first book (Mediterranean Flavors?) to death in the early 90s and always got yummy results. That book really introduced me to the range of Mediterranean cuisines. Mon Jul 22 22:23:12 -0700 2002 1571105 0 foodfirst 1 1571151 Hi, I have had mixed experiences with books even by the same chef/author. I find I use Alfred Portale's "Gotham" cookbook very often (great for a Saturday afternoon of cooking), but almost never use his "12 Seasons" book. I would never, under any circumstances, buy any of the big Charlie Trotter cookbooks, but enjoy his "Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home" (the short-rib recipe was a huge success). Matt Tue Jul 23 08:47:38 -0700 2002 1571105 0 Westy 2 1571175 I totally agree that chef cookbooks vary *wildly* book by book. Mario Batali's books are quite good. Though others have mentioned the difficulty of obtaining some of the ingredients, most of the recipes are accessible and extremely gratifying. But one of the best cookbooks in years is Tom Colicchio's THINK LIKE A CHEF. He's the exec. chef at Gramercy Tavern and Craft. I've tried dozens of the recipes dozens of times, and have *never* had less than wonderful results. There are some quite interesting technical tips (e.g. "high heat is not your friend" and heating a few tablespoons of oil over medium heat "until it slides easily across the pan"). His duck and mushroom recipes are particularly fine, and his is the best recipe for gravlax I've ever found. He calls it "cured salmon," and uses 1 1/2 cups of mixed fresh herbs, kosher salt, sugar, and the zest of a lime, a lemon, and an orange. Spectacular! Last night I made his pan-roasted sirloin basted with butter, and my partner and I were so happy would could barely speak as we devoured it. Wouldn't want to be without that book. Tue Jul 23 12:46:26 -0700 2002 1571151 0 Tom Steele 3 1571177 I'm with you on that and have recommended it before on this site. I like how he talks about the different cooking processes(Braising,Blanching,etc) and builds dishes from components. Teaches you to think about the process of cooking not just to follow the recipe like a sheep. More chefs could learn from the approcah of this cookbook. Also like the quality of the paper and design. Full color glossy heavyweight paper. I bought Daniel Bouloud's book and while its good book. They cut corners on the printing quailty and paper. yet the book is the same price as "Think Like a Chef". My new fave is Mario's Babbo cookbook. Tue Jul 23 13:07:55 -0700 2002 1571175 0 SLAP 1 1571176 We've had marvelous success with Mario Batali's Babbo Cookbook. I've been able to recreate some of the dishes from the restaurant and they taste remarkably similar. Maybe Italian cooking is easier to replicate? I also love reading about the restaurant itself, the wines, the apertifs, and the service. I also use the Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home book and have had great success with that book as well. I cannot compare it to the actual restaurant since I've never been, but the techniques, sauces, and flavor pairings in the book appeal to me and they make me really want to try the recipes. Tue Jul 23 12:52:58 -0700 2002 1571105 0 villagechow 1 1571180 So yesterday after getting the responses about the Nobu cookbook, I went out and bought it and for good measure I also bought the Babbo cookbook because I heard good things about it on this board. I haven't cooked anything from either but immediately saw several recipes in both that I know I will try and from looking at the instructions make good sense, I'm expecting great things. The Nobu cookbook is actually very good about "instructing" on technique, like angles of cutting sashimi and tenderizing and removing the sliminess of octopus... and a great essay on sake, Plus the sauces sound like the kind that I would make and spoon directly into my mouth. One of my favorite "chef" cookbooks is by a chef that is not very famous. Mai Pham's "The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking" was my thai food "primer". I've changed most of her recipes to suit my taste (I like my thai food fiery) but her basic recipes are great as is. Plus, the narrative about her family and the culture made the cookbook a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it, the sauces are great. Best, Akiko Tue Jul 23 13:36:19 -0700 2002 1571105 0 Akiko