Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Basics

I'm a sucker for a good-looking book, and when that book is also about food, well, I'm a goner. "The Basics" is a gorgeous little volume (5 by 6 1/2 inches), sturdily bound with gilt-edged pages and an integrated bookmark (God, I love those), and stunning photography. (I left the belly band on for this photo, but it's not integral to the book's design.)
Happily, "The Basics" is also well-written and useful. Each two-page spread addresses a different aspect of cooking, with instructions and tips: cooking and cutting techniques, sauces, marinades, eggs, potatoes, ice cream and soup, plus many more.

If you already have a lot of cookbooks, you can probably find all of these techniques already, but not so beautifully presented. This could easily be bedside reading as well as a kitchen reference, and would make a dandy little gift for anyone who likes food.

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