Archive for category Books
Julie & Julia – A Delightful Movie About a Blogger’s Journey To Follow Julia Child’s
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books on December 25th, 2009
Last night after unwrapping Christmas presents and playing the 24 Edition of Clue (which was awesome), I watched the movie Julie & Julia, with my parents. The movie chronicles the journey of blogger Julie Powers and she works to cook her way through Julia Child’s book Mastering th Art of French Cooking.
Because the movie is about a blogger and about food, I think it naturally gets extra points. But… It’s a good fun movie.
Of course, I had heard about Julia Child before. I was familiar with who she was but never really knew her back story. A few times, I had been to the exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of American History where they have Julia’s kitchen.
Meryl Streep does an amazing job of capturing her essence, her look and her voice. It’s pretty outsanding
I also didn’t really understand to the extent that Julia played a role in bringing the technique of French cooking over to America and making it accessible to the home chef.
I just bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking on Amazon. It was only like $20. If you watch any Food tv, you always hear about the importance of classic French technique and the influence that it’s had on American cooking. I’m excited to learn and better understand the culinary side of the movie.
If you’re as new to Julia as I am or are looking for a fun movie, I’d highly recommend Julie & Julia.
Have you seen it? What’d you think?
Learning About The Ratios of Cooking from Michael Ruhlman’s Book and iPhone App
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books, Famous Chefs, Online Resources on December 20th, 2009
If you watch the TV show Iron Chef on the Food Network, you’ve probably seen chef and food writer Michael Ruhlman. Back in April of this year, he released a book entitled “Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking.”
In the book, he talks about how a lot of the great recipes that we have for things like bread, sauces, batters, custards, and others are all based off of some pretty simple ratios. For example, for bread dough, you use 5 parts flour to 3 parts water. For Mayo, you use 20 parts oil to 1 part liquid to 1 part egg yolk.
When you watch these food shows on TV, I’ve always wondered how chefs remember all these recipes. Well, then I realize that it’s not about memorizing recipes it’s about memorizing ratios. If you can memorize 3 parts meat to 1 part fat then you can make your own sausages.
I’m anxious to dive into more of the book and even try them out over the long holiday break. I picked up the book for my Amazon Kindle. I’ll let you all know how it goes.
One of the cool parts (Yes, I am a nerd) is that you can get all the ratios in an iPhone app for just a couple of bucks. It seems like it’s totally worth it.
Happy cooking!
Anthony Bourdain’s New Book “Medium Raw” is Coming In June 2010
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books, Famous Chefs on December 19th, 2009
If you’ve been reading this blog for very long, you know that I’m a fan of Chef and travel/food writer Anthony Bourdain. So… I’m pretty excited to hear that Anthony is putting finishing touches on a his new book “Medium Raw,” which is set to come out in June 2010. The book is set to a be a follow up to the much beloved book Kitchen Confidential.
Why Do Bagels Have Holes?
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books on September 6th, 2009
Bagels are something that I’ve enjoyed from a very young age. They’ve always been a part of my culinary life.
One of my favorite things in the world is an everything bagel with a bunch of cream cheese smeared in between the two halves.
Ever wonder why bagels have holes? Maria Balinska, the author of “The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread” answered this and many other questions about the bagel in NY Times.
As to why the hole in the first place: It allows the bagel to cook faster, since there is a greater surface area for the volume of dough. It also means that you get more crust for the same amount of dough. And then there is the intrinsic attraction of the ring shape. It’s a draw for children, both because it is easy to grasp and because you can play with it.
So cool.
I’m kind of jealous of NYC. Bagels are such a part of its culture. We need more bagel shops in DC. Do you have any bagel memories or a favorite place where you get bagels?
Reading the book “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip–Confessions of a Cynical Waiter”
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books on August 17th, 2009
I just finished the book “Accidental Billionaires” and was looking for something fun to read next. I think I found it. It’s “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip–Confessions of a Cynical Waiter”
Have you read it? What book should I read after this?
Anthony Bourdain’s Best Selling Book “Kitchen Confidential”
Posted by Justin Thorp in Books, Famous Chefs on July 8th, 2009
A few months ago on a whim, when I was surfing around the audio book mega store Audible.com, I found Anthony Bourdain’s best selling book “Kitchen Confidential.” I knew that I really enjoyed what I had seen of Anthony on television, mainly his Travel Channel Show No Reservations. I also noticed that he read the audiobook himself, which I figured would make it extra interesting.
I gave the book a whirl and I was blown away. This world renown chef gives you an unfiltered look at what life within the restaurant world looks like. He tells you story after story about his experiences within the kitchen along with tips that he’s learned a long the way. I find it fascinating.
Because Anthony reads the book himself and his voice brings SO much personality to what he says, I HIGHLY recommend that you get the audiobook. Audible is a pretty solid deal for that. If you’re not into audiobooks, pick it up on Amazon.
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