One of my favorite experiences is receiving a book to review, then discovering that it was written by some bloggers. It’s almost like getting an extension of the book for free! Such was the case with Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work.
Some people (like me) are cooks who prefer to wing it, approaching food and cooking as an art. It drives my husband nuts, as he takes a more scientific approach. I’m guessing he would love this book (unfortunately he’s too busy training for a half ironman to read, otherwise I would have asked for his opinion as well).
Even though it does delve into the science of how things work, it’s not too much on the dry side. It’s sort of like listening to your know-it-all friend explain things to you. About two thirds of the book is things you can try at home; the last third is things best left to professionals.
Chapters in the “ideas for everyone” section include seasoning and preserving; bread; pasta, gnocchi, and risotto; eggs; dairy; fruits and vegetables; met and seafood. Chapters in the pro section include hydrocolloids, transglutaminase, liquid nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
Lest you think it’s a boring science sort of book, let me share some of the more intriguing ideas/recipes: vanilla salt, smoked pasta dough, no-knead breads, BBQ rigatoni, and root beer-braised short ribs. While I don’t think I’d take the time to make most of them unless I had a lot more vacation time than I do now, I do want to try a few of them.
You can get a good flavor of their writing (and other ideas) at their website/blog http://ideasinfood.com/.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own. This post includes an Amazon.com affiliate link.
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