Cooking is a skill, it is learned. Like many people, I have not mastered it yet. The Time Life book collection The Good Cook changes much of this, with its almost step-by-step process of cooking and its extensive use of image walkthroughs. No longer will aspiring chefs wonder if their creation looks correct or if they are doing a process correctly. From Salads to Snacks to Poultry, the collection, aimed at beginners and picture lovers alike, is by far one of the more user friendly, if not the most, cookbooks I have seen.
The Bel Canto Cookbook for Opera Lovers and Gourmets by Peter Gravina is not a book that is easily distinguishable on the shelves, with its washed out colors and title less cover. Yet it was not the aesthetics I was drawn to, it was the language. Its language is plain, familiar, connective. Its ethos appeal comes from its personal tone and almost narrative, simplistic writing. It story begins almost as a narrative and quite easily reflects a familiar style with McAllester. When recipes are told, they are written out in soft terminology, vague terms complete with spare ingredients and few instructions. From Salvatore Baccaloni to Gabriella Tucci, more than just a recipe is told. Its background is told, its taste is told, and its story is told. As you are built up towards the recipe by the writing,