Browse by Categories - Food and Drink
Susanne FreidbergThat rosy tomato perched on your plate in December is at the end of a great journey—not just over land and sea, but across a vast and varied cultural history. This is the territory charted in Fresh. Opening the door of an ordinary refrigerator, it tells the curious story of the quality stored inside: freshness.
We want fresh foods to keep us healthy, and to connect us to nature and community. We also want them convenient, pretty, and cheap. Fresh traces our paradoxical hunger to its roots in the rise of mass consumption, when freshness seemed both proof of and an antidote to progress. Susanne Freidberg begins with refrigeration, a trend as controversial at the turn of the twentieth century as genetically modified crops are today. Consumers blamed cold storage for high prices and rotten eggs but, ultimately, aggressive marketing, advances in technology, and new ideas about health and hygiene overcame this distrust.
Freidberg then takes six common foods from the refrigerator to discover what each has to say about our notions of freshness. Fruit, for instance, shows why beauty trumped taste at a surprisingly early date. In the case of fish, we see how the value of a living, quivering catch has ironically hastened the death of species. And of all supermarket staples, why has milk remained the most stubbornly local? Local livelihoods; global trade; the politics of taste, community, and environmental change: all enter into this lively, surprising, yet sobering tale about the nature and cost of our hunger for freshness.
Ron DouglasDiscover the secret recipes from your favorite restaurants and learn how to cook them at home for a fraction of the price.
Adam RiedAdam Ried is the cooking columnist for Boston Globe Magazine and the kitchen equipment specialist on the PBS show America's Test Kitchen. For ten years he was an editor for Cook's Illustrated and was responsible for the magazine's kitchen equipment testing and ingredient tasting features.
Herve This An internationally renowned chemist, popular television personality, and bestselling author, Herv? This heads the first laboratory devoted to molecular gastronomy -- the scientific exploration of cooking and eating. By the testing recipes that have guided cooks for centuries, and the various dictums and maxims on which they depend, Herv? This unites the head with the hand in order to defend and transform culinary practice.
With this new book, Herv? This's scientific project enters an exciting new phase. Considering the preparation of six bistro favorites -- hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise, simple consomm?, leg of lamb with green beans, steak with French fries, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate mousse -- he isolates the exact chemical properties that tickle our senses and stimulate our appetites. More important, he connects the mind and the stomach, identifying methods of culinary construction that appeal to our memories, intelligence, and creativity. By showing that the creation of a meal is as satisfying as its consumption, Herv? This recalibrates the balance between food and our imaginations. The result is a revolutionary perspective that will tempt even the most casual cooks to greater flights of experimentation.
Simon MajumdarAn internationally popular food savant and blogger chronicles his yearlong journey around the world in search of everything delicious.
Flo BrakerBaking expert Flo Baker rises to the occasion with more than 200 celebration-worthy recipes for baked goods. Whether it's an impressive Dark Chocolate Custard Tart to wish someone a happy birthday, a blue ribbon-worthy batch of Fresh Mint Brownies for the annual family reunion, or an Old World Braided Coffee Cake to impress the Bridge Club, each recipe is custom-crafted to commemorate life's special events. Lots of introductory information on techniques and ingredients ensure that each treat will be baked to perfection, making this a fabulous reference for any cookbook library. "Baking for all Occasions" makes each day something to celebrate.
Rip EsselstynAs a fireman Rip Esselstyn has helped people and saved lives, but with his Engine 2 Diet plan he will help save lives on a much larger scale. It includes recipes, meal plans, grocery lists, cooking tips, and a firefighter-inspired exercise program to boost metabolism, build strength and endurance.
Shakara Bridgers et alThe Get 'Em Girls' Guide to the Power of Cuisine features over 120 easy and delicious recipes that reflect the authors' southern-girl-in-the-big-city upbringings and will complement every stage of a growing relationship.
Shirley CorriherMeet Shirley Corriher, author of the new recipe book Bakewise.
Georgeanne BrennanDeck the halls and roast some chestnuts because Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining is packed with over 125 festive recipes, great styling ideas, helpful information on planning and decorating, and stunning photography. This beautiful guide offers a fresh approach to celebrating the season with a family-friendly focus. It provides useful advice on how to plan for your special occasion, what to serve, and ways to make your celebration more memorable than ever.
