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Essential Books on Cooking
Growing up in the South, working in my family’s country diner from the age of twelve, you quickly learn that the ability to cook great tasting food is a sought after life skill. Of course, it wasn’t really in the actual restaurant where I began to perfect my craft.
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As a latchkey kid in a broken family, I often had to prepare my own meals. Having a few good cookbooks on the shelf was a great starting point. Of course, once you’ve followed a few recipes and start to get the hang of things, you can begin to experiment and discover new flavor combinations, different textures that compliment each other, and so forth.
Now, I understand that not everyone comes from a family of culinary entrepreneurs. However, being able to cook a dozen or so really good meals is a skillset that every gentleman should add to his repertoire. Having one or two that are your absolute “pièce de résistance” is paramount.
So, to get you started, or perhaps to expand your portfolio, we recommend adding these cookbooks to your library this month...
If you’ve been reading GP for any length of time you have been encouraged to own a cast iron skillet. Tiffany La Forge’s, “the modern cast iron cookbook”, will help you utilize your cast iron cookware with greater skill and diversity.
This is the mother of all cookbooks. It was in my mom’s kitchen as a child, and likely yours as well. Learn this book as your foundation in cooking and you will be able to master the culinary arts without question. An absolute classic for your bookshelves.
Running a close second to Betty Crocker, in my mind at least, is the “Better Homes & Gardens: New Cook Book”. This cook book has been serving American homes since 1930. It offers more than 1000 recipes and has been updated with lots of modern advancements such as recipes for Cold Brew Coffee and ways to make classic favorites in a healthier way.
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