Yes, I'm in Nocky (nocturnal – a tip o' the hat to Chris Magyar) mode at the moment. Didn't do any cooking tonight (instead we cleaned the house in anticipation of hosting the movie night crew tomorrow for the inauguration of Christina's movie theme), but thought I'd do a quick update anyway.
When it comes to cookbooks, I've had better luck with older ones than newer. Cookbook authors these days seem fixated on dishes that no one would actually cook, or on impressing the dinner guests. I don't give a damn about lemon zucchini tortes, I want to know how to get fluffier pancakes.
The best cookbook in my arsenal is Craig Claiborne's Kitchen Primer, originally printed in the '40s or '50s. Basic recipes are presented with (mostly) complete instructions, and some wonderfully cranky advice about what is and isn't proper in the kitchen. You gotta watch this Claiborne fella, though. He loves to pile on the butter and salt. I think all chefs do. It's how they get all that stuff tasting so good. If they ate like that, though, they'd all keel over at 50. Hmmm. I wonder what the life expectancy of a chef is.
When it comes to cookbooks, I've had better luck with older ones than newer. Cookbook authors these days seem fixated on dishes that no one would actually cook, or on impressing the dinner guests. I don't give a damn about lemon zucchini tortes, I want to know how to get fluffier pancakes.
The best cookbook in my arsenal is Craig Claiborne's Kitchen Primer, originally printed in the '40s or '50s. Basic recipes are presented with (mostly) complete instructions, and some wonderfully cranky advice about what is and isn't proper in the kitchen. You gotta watch this Claiborne fella, though. He loves to pile on the butter and salt. I think all chefs do. It's how they get all that stuff tasting so good. If they ate like that, though, they'd all keel over at 50. Hmmm. I wonder what the life expectancy of a chef is.
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