Something to try: Zucchini cakes with pesto sauce and sun dried tomatoes (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune) |
A generation or so ago, women were clamoring to get out of their home kitchens. Now, men are working to get in. And not just any guys, mind you, but some of the top male chefs, restaurateurs and TV cooking stars — the men who've made their money and reputations toiling at big, bad restaurant stoves.
Tyler Florence, the Food Network veteran and restaurateur based in Mill Valley, Calif., led the trend with the release in 2010 of "Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bring People Together Never Tasted Better." Five of his chef peers have followed suit in recent months with their own takes on at-home cooking, from a down-home celebration of family by Louisiana's John Besh to the techno-wizardry of England's Heston Blumenthal to television superstar Mario Batali dishing up rustic Italian.
Here's a summary of some of these newer books to judge what chefs can teach us about home cooking..
Todd English (with Amanda Haas)
"Cooking in Everyday English:The ABC's of Great Flavor at Home" (Oxmoor House, $29.95)
Promise: "With my help, you will become fearless in the kitchen."
Fine print: Beginners may be a bit scared of "Todd's pantry" list: 26 dry spices, 44 dry goods (including 7 vinegars, 3 salts, 3 chocolates and 1 cocoa powder); 6 refrigerated items; 5 frozen items.
Take-away points: Knowing how to salt correctly really matters; use A.C.G. — anchovies, capers, garlic — to boost flavors; hone flavor combinations to make dishes shine.
Recipes: 150 recipes. Beautiful full-color photos of finished dishes plus shots of the key flavor ingredients for each dish. Short list of ingredients; simple instructions.
Try it: Zucchini pancakes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes per batch
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
¾ cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 eggs
Tyler Florence, the Food Network veteran and restaurateur based in Mill Valley, Calif., led the trend with the release in 2010 of "Tyler Florence Family Meal: Bring People Together Never Tasted Better." Five of his chef peers have followed suit in recent months with their own takes on at-home cooking, from a down-home celebration of family by Louisiana's John Besh to the techno-wizardry of England's Heston Blumenthal to television superstar Mario Batali dishing up rustic Italian.
Here's a summary of some of these newer books to judge what chefs can teach us about home cooking..
Todd English (with Amanda Haas)
"Cooking in Everyday English:The ABC's of Great Flavor at Home" (Oxmoor House, $29.95)
Promise: "With my help, you will become fearless in the kitchen."
Fine print: Beginners may be a bit scared of "Todd's pantry" list: 26 dry spices, 44 dry goods (including 7 vinegars, 3 salts, 3 chocolates and 1 cocoa powder); 6 refrigerated items; 5 frozen items.
Take-away points: Knowing how to salt correctly really matters; use A.C.G. — anchovies, capers, garlic — to boost flavors; hone flavor combinations to make dishes shine.
Recipes: 150 recipes. Beautiful full-color photos of finished dishes plus shots of the key flavor ingredients for each dish. Short list of ingredients; simple instructions.
Try it: Zucchini pancakes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes per batch
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
¾ cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 eggs
