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Murray Hill 5

A FoodDork's Bookshelf

One sure sign of Dorkdom, whether the subject is food or woodworking or gardening or metalcraft or whatever, is that first impulse to run out and get every possible book on the subject. Sure, the Dork loves to learn by doing or by observing or by questioning, but for pure Dorkhood, there's nothing like a good dose of Readin' Up On The Subject.

That said, you'll notice that the majority of the books listed below are of the how-to variety, and are not cookbooks or simple lists of recipes per se. What you'll see here are the books we recommend to those just starting out.

They're in somewhat of an order of preference. (Book titles link to Amazon.com listings.)

"I'm Just Here for the Food," by Alton Brown

This is the book Mike would recommend as the first read for anyone just getting into the kitchen, even more so than "Cooking for Dummies." Brown, host of "Good Eats" on the Food Network, doesn't organize his lessons by food types, but rather by method of cooking -- searing, grilling, roasting, frying, etc. His own analogy is the best: He is a culinary cartographer. He doesn't just tell you how to get somewhere (in other words, a recipe), he explains to you just exactly where it is that you are. It's a very fun read, with lots of helpful illustrations and, of course, some recipes.

"On Cooking: Techniques from Expert Chefs," by Sarah R. Labensky and Alan M. Hause

Here's an amazing text that falls under the category of "if you had to have only one book ..." Very simply, it's a textbook for culinary students, but it can be used by just about anyone who wants an encyclopedic reference on food and cooking and how to find your way around a kitchen. Yes, the references are to commercial food preparation, but the lessons are valuable regardless of your kitchen size. It is a pricey tome, but if you're a serious cook, well worth the price.

"Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen," by Kathleen Daelemans

This is the book that has been getting most of the wear and tear in Mike's kitchen. He used it as his primary cookbook when starting out on his serious-cooking journey and, as a result, lost more than 30 pounds in the first few months, and is working on losing more. The rest of his family has benefitted as well. Daelemans, who is the host of Food Network's "Cooking Thin," lays out a complete, sensible plan for trimming unwanted fat and calories without trimming any of the flavor. It's included in this list because of its countless cooking tips and strategies. Mike's main complaint: Its sexist tone, assuming that men aren't getting anywhere near the kitchen. (The "Guyometer"? Please, Kathleen.)

"Cooking for Dummies," by Bryan Miller and Marie Rama

While this book is inferior to Alton Brown's, above, it's still a fine primer for newbie cooks and, in fact, makes a good companion to "Just Here." Basically it's a Dummies book, and follows all of the Dummies formats. The recipes are well chosen to give the student cook something easy with which to try out his or her newfound knowledge.

"Joy of Cooking," by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer and Ethan Becker

Before Mike found "On Cooking," this was his primary cooking bible and still is a well-thumbed resource. More illustrations would be nice, but that's just nitpicking. This is a must-have volume.

"Dad's Own Cook Book," by Bob Sloan

Here's a book that flirts with condescension in its title and very nature, but makes up for it in the actual approach. Sloan is a professional caterer, and while he assumes that the reader is a novice and presents his lessons and recipes in that manner, he is never patronizing or cute. Lots of good how-tos, and great recipes, here.

"La Technique" and "La Methode," by Jacques Pepin

These two books by the legendary chef were wedding gifts to Mike from a close friend, and they've often been referenced. The genius of the books is the way they present detailed, step-by-step, photo-by-photo descriptions of dozens of cooking techniques. Some of the techniques are for food professionals only -- the average home cook is never going to make lapins en olive -- but most of the food handling methods in these books are fine lessons for any cook. These books recently have been updated and combined into one volume.

"Betty Crocker's Cookbook"

Come on, you can't go wrong with Betty Crocker on your bookshelf. If you had to choose one cookbook-style book -- in other words, recipes over lessons -- you couldn't do much better than this one (besides, there's plenty of how-to info in here).

"The Cook's Book of Essential Information" and "The Cook's Book of Indispensable Ideas," by Barbara Hill

These are two must-have references for any cook's bookshelf. They are compilations of individual articles on everything from spices and herbs to measurements to party planning to wine to food terms to storage to meal planning.

Cook's Illustrated

This isn't a book, of course; it's a magazine, but because of all of the great how-to information to be found in its pages, not to mention great recipes, it more than belongs on our bookshelf.