Top 5 Cookbooks for Practical Relevance
As promised, here's my list of the five cookbooks I actually use. Not the shiny, fine-dining, "look at me" books – these are the ones I keep coming back to when I need to actually make something. Real and useful recipes
#1: The Art of Natural Cheesemaking by David Asher
When I met David, my entire understanding of cheese changed. For years, I thought cheese had to be made in sterile industrial settings with synthetic cultures and enzymes from big industrial players.
This book taught me that everything you need to make cheese is already in the raw milk. It's all about the raw milk and its capabilities to transform into any type of cheese you can think of.
My favorite kefir recipe is in here and if you are interested in, or even intimidated by, making cheese at home, this is the book to refer to.
#2: The Art of Making Fermented Sausages by Stanley Marianski & Adam Marianski
This book does not sell itself on the cover, or by a quick flip-through– it's all just tables, percentages, and recipes. No beautiful pictures, no fluff.
But here's the thing: when you're grinding meat, keeping it out to ferment, and hanging it somewhere, you better know what you're doing or your prosciutto-dreams will turn into a nightmare.
This book has everything you need to understand fermenting pork safely and to great results. I leaned heavily on this when starting the charcuterie program for my restaurant. If you want inspiration, there are prettier books. But if you want a safe hand to guide you through, this is it.
#3: Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson
Why I love it:
The Tartine bread was a blessing that now basically has become a plague. It is everywhere, and that is for good reason - it is outstanding.
I can easily understand why everyone lost their minds over it - it completely changed the bakery scene everywhere. It sits perfectly between the precision you find in pastry and the wholesome craft of sourdough baking. Both rustic and elegant.
There is also a few practical uses of the bread in cooked recipes as toast recipes and such. This is THE reference for any baker out there.
#4: Flour and Water: Pasta by Thomas McNaughton
Why I love it:
This is gonna upset some people – an American book about pasta? Yes, I know. But this is simply a great selection of pasta recipes that just work.
When I ate at this San Francisco restaurant, the pasta was outstanding. I got the book, and I must say it's been a great reference that I used when we started implementing more pasta in the restaurant.
If you want to make good-looking pasta at home in a simple way, just get this book.
#5: The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
Why I love it:
Before everybody was fermenting the shit out of everything (including carrot tops, radish peels, and soon shoelaces), there was a time when we didn't know where to start.
This book helps you understand everything about fermentation. It's presented in a simple, understandable way – not overly precise with formulas, but gives you enough to make sense of how to make what you want. Kimchi, kefir, kvass – it's all in here.
His first book (Wild Fermentation) was great, but the way this one is organized is more straightforward and useful. I find this fantastic for the home and for understanding fermentation.
Get cooking.