Andrews McMeel Cookbooks Nominated for IACP Awards

Two Andrews McMeel Publishing 2008 cookbooks have been named finalists in the 2009 International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards:

The Art and Soul of Baking
By Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
Baking Category

Things Cooks Love: Ingredients. Implements. Recipes.
By Sur La Table with Marie Simmons
General Category

The winners in each of the thirteen categories, as well as the Cookbook of the Year,
will be announced April 4 at IACP’s annual international conference in Denver.

The Art and Soul of Baking Named Best How-To Book

Library Journal included The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet on its list of Best How-To Books of 2008.

This addition to renowned culinary authority Sur La Table's cookbook series, The Art and Soul of Baking (Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC; $40.00 hardcover), guides readers through the world of baking, where the tantalizing aromas of chocolate, vanilla, butter, and cinnamon fill the air and tempt the palate. Whether turning out a rustic olive and thyme bread or crafting a show-stopping triple-layer chocolate cake, pastry chef and baking instructor Cindy Mushet provides indispensable tips and tricks to help home bakers achieve professional-looking—and professional-tasting—results.

More than 275 tested and delectable recipes cover all the bases from tasty pies, tantalizing tarts, melt-in-your-mouth meringues, and delicious cookies to more complicated creations such as flaky pastries, decadent cakes, and lighter-than-air soufflés. Novice bakers and pastry perfectionists alike will be tempted by such treats as Dulce De Leche Éclairs with Milk Chocolate Glaze; Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting; Gingerbread Shortcakes with Caramelized Apples and Cider Sabayon; and Warm Cranberry Crumble Tart. Of course, there are savory recipes, too, including fragrant Parmesan-Herb Popovers; Potato, Onion, and Gruyère Galette; and a perfect Herbed Chicken Pot Pie. And for a delicious twist on tried-and-true favorites, there are recipes for Bananas Foster Bread Pudding; Citrus-Goat Cheese Cheesecake; Chocolate Velvet Pound Cake; and Peanut Butter Thumbprints with Peanut Caramel.

Knives Cooks Love Reviewed by Library Journal

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. by Sur La Table with Sarah Jay is reviewed in the 11/15/08 edition of Library Journal:

Most home cooks tend to be protective of their knives and often claim to be highly knowledgeable of the knife world. This book from Sur La Table and food writer Jay is slightly obsessive; it goes into shocking detail about each type of knife from the few countries that produce the best of the best. There is the obligatory section, "A Blade for Every Purpose," that describes each type of knife and its possible uses, which is the best part of the book. Another helpful portion addresses how to buy a knife, which has comprehensive explanations on such weighty points as blade anatomy and blade material. The lay reader will like the simple sections on how to chop, peel, and dice a variety of foods. The recipes that are included are basic for the most part and slightly uninspiring (e.g., mango-cucumber salsa). Recommended for academic libraries with a large collection of culinary arts materials.—Claire A. Schaper, Morgantown, WV

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. Reviewed by the Tampa Tribune

Knives Cooks Love Review

As Emeril Lagasse writes in the book's foreword, knives are the most highly valued cooking tool in a chef's possession, and yet they are often the least discussed in the kitchen. This book, produced by Sur La Table, pulls the cloak back on that tool to provide a wonderfully coherent, easy-to-follow guide to selecting knives, maintaining them and, as you might guess, using them properly. Even better, they pair those instructions along with recipes that you can make immediately after learning each new cut, chop or slice.

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. focuses on this most versatile tool in the kitchen and provides tantalizing recipes allowing you to practice and perfect techniques. Consider this Knives 101—lessons on everything you need to know to make your experiences behind the blade more straightforward, efficient, and enjoyable.

Cindy Mushet Interview on Seattle Tall Poppy

An Interview with Cindy Mushet on the "Art & Soul of Baking"

Cindy Mushet's definitive book, the Art & Soul of Baking.

If you don't know the name Cindy Mushet, let me introduce you. She's one of those people in the background who makes amazing things happen. Her contributions may not always have her name blazed on them, but her impact is evidenced by a rich history in the culinary world. Cindy was a contributor to the Joy of Cooking, has taught throughout the United States for Sur La Table and is currently an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. Her recipes have appeared in Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, the New York Times, and the National Culinary Review.

Cindy's currently on a whistle-stop book tour...and coming to a Sur La Table near you!

During her 24 hour stay in Seattle, I had the opportunity to meet with Cindy and it was kismet from the beginning. We chatted over lunch and then strolled over to my favorite bakery for a little nosh. She was just days into her 3 week tour, and despite having already done an early morning TV spot, a pod cast interview and a newspaper interview, by the time we talked she was still a fireball of energy.

A long history of teaching permeates Cindy's culinary style. She understands how her students feel, going through the effort to bake something, only to fail with a dessert you can't serve. "That's when people go to Costco and pick up something cheap." But there are so many things wrong with cheap: desserts are packed with preservatives to extend the shelf life and the ingredients stray far from anything that might be good for you...or flavorful.

Her mission became: Teach a Man to Bake, Don't Give Him a Cake.

Warm and engaging, Cindy's got an analytical mind that probes with a laser focus until she lands on the answer. While there are some excellent baking books, many of them lack direction in the most basic steps. One of the most frustrating steps both she and her students struggled with was the familiar: cream butter until light & fluffy. "What does that mean?" In her frustration she surmised, "Butter never looks fluffy...or light." Eventually she learned "light" meant light in color, not texture. And "fluffy" spoke to the incorporation of air into the butter. It's that attention to the intention that makes her recipes a step above.

To perfect her baking, she applied a scientific approach -- baking cakes repeatedly, changing the ratios at each attempt. Then, she'd study the results and determine what yielded the best outcome.

This scientific approach came from an early influence by the San Francisco's Baker's Dozen group. At the time, she was living in Berkley and there were a number of bakers in the area. They'd gather and talk about issues they were having, "I'm having a problem with this dough...do you know anything about that?"

Eventually, the group gelled into something more formal. They'd meet once a quarter and learn from each other. Tackling Angel Food cake, for instance, each person brought a finished cake and the recipe. "You wouldn't believe the variety! They all fell under the category of Angle Food cakes, but they were so different." Getting to the heart of the differences, the group sampled each cake, decided which characteristics were ideal, and then compared recipes. Side by side, they'd see the ingredients were the same. "Okay, now what did you do differently?" They'd analyze the techniques that arrived at an excellent finished product. Not surprising, this process deeply influenced Cindy's approach to baking.

When she was first asked to write a book on baking, Cindy thought, "What could I say about baking that hasn't already been said?" After further reflection...and before she'd given a final answer, she tapped into her own collection of over 200 baking books. Laying multiple books out on the living room floor, she poured over them with an analytic approach ---what's here? What's missing? And most importantly, what did her Sur La Table students struggle with when using the recipes?

Because she had years of contact with students who are often unsure, she could see firsthand where the issues where, and modified her own recipes accordingly.

Then Cindy turned to the bible of cooking science, Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. While the book is a treasure trove of information, admittedly, it's a very dry read.

So, Cindy asked herself, "How can I combine both solid recipes and provide enough information to help people understand the science behind what's going on?"

She was determined to prove success in baking is built on a solid foundation...not a fluke. Tapping into an analytical approach, combined with years of teaching, the result is her latest book, the Art and Soul of Baking.

It hits the mark on every level.

In fact, she gives a lot of credit to Sur La Table, who was the impetus behind the project. They were very "hands off" in the creation of this book. None of the directions were cropped or modified to save space. And they gave her the time necessary to create a book of substance. Two years to write it, one year for editing means this book is much more than just a collection of recipes.

Baker's Dozen alum, Alice Medrich, wrote the forward and she highlights two key points: the chart for Baking Pan Volumes (What's the difference between a 9 x 1" Pyrex pie pan and a 9 x 1 1/2" Emily Henry fluted pie pan? It's here.) And a handy chart that converts measuring cups and spoons into exact weights. Alice notes, "The book's two essential double-page charts should be photocopied and hung inside a cupboard door for easy reference." Taking a cue from Alice, mine are laminated and stuck to the side of the refrigerator...and I refer to them, regularly.

The Art & Soul of Baking is packed with relevant information designed to bring success into the kitchen. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned baker, I found her discussion on the Eight Main Ingredients invaluable. And the photos for bread dough detailing the different stages: underrisen, perfectly risen, and overrisen doughs provides the visual cues necessary when conquering the land of yeast. Tips in the margins, "What the Pros Know" layers the knowledge base, providing multiple "ah-ha!" moments.

I consider myself a fairly accomplished baker and I've got dozens of books on the subject. Frankly, this is the book I have been looking for. Cindy is a perfect guide -- explaining not just how, but why. Surely I'd be a better baker today if I'd had this book sooner.

The good news is, there's still plenty for me to learn. And with Cindy as my guide, next up...conquering my fear of yeast!

***

Now, if you're a serious baker, no trip to Seattle would be complete without a stop at Bakery Nouveau. The owner, William Lehman, has a stable full of accolades, but most notably, he was the Captain of the Bread Bakers Guild, Team USA in 2005. Teams from around the world competed at the prestigious event and William's team took home the gold. (You can still catch footage of the competition on Food Network re-runs.)

After lunch, Cindy and I made a beeline to Bakery Nouveau.

This is what Cindy called "research":



One of my favorite things about dining with chefs, is watching the way they eat. I'm fascinated by how they truly tune into what they're eating. Look, smell, touch come into play and mentally, each dish is deconstructed before the first bite. Cindy was impressed with the crumb on William's baguettes and took note of features in the crust.




This caramel and custard beauty is one of my favorites. Cindy's book tour escort joined us and just before we tackled this dish, Cindy took a moment to explain how the caramel coating was brought to a dark amber, creating an intense caramel flavor that is actually balanced by bitter notes from the depth of the caramelization process.

As you can see, this is a visually stunning dessert and I love the gold leaf detail. This dessert is called the Phoenix. It's three layers of mousse (chocolate, pear and caramel) on a bed of candied pecans, bathed in a caramel glaze.





Pause for a swoon. This is my absolute favorite dessert at Bakery Nouveau: a crispy thin praline base with a uber creamy chocolate-hazelnut mousse, topped with milk chocolate shavings. Prailine Dream, indeed.



Finally, I just have to share this photo. When we first sat down, this was Cindy's initial reaction!

http://seattletallpoppy.blogspot.com/2008/10/interview-with-cindy-mushet-on-art-soul.html

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet is reviewed
by Apartment Therapy The Kitchn:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/video/interweb-cookery-how-to-become-a-pastry-genius-in-one-short-video-063575

The Art & Soul of Baking by pastry genius Cindy Mushet is October's Cookbook Club selection over at Gourmet.com. In conjunction with the book, they also offer up a short video on how to make individual bittersweet chocolate souffles. The clip is chock full of baking tips and very, very precise instructions.

In less than 10 minutes you will learn:
* when to whisk in the flour in a béchamel sauce; indeed, you will learn exactly how to make the entire béchamel sauce
* precisely what a soft peak looks like as compared with a stiff peak (hint: it has nothing to do with the peak)
* what it means to rain (rein?) in the sugar
* why you should completely coat the inside of the souffle dish with butter
* how to fold in (the perfectly peaked) egg whites

I'm a former pastry chef (long ago and far away) and still I learned a lot from this video.
If that's not enough for you, you can continue with another short clip with several great tips like how to soften brown sugar, test your baking powder and soda and keep your scones from burning on the bottom.

The Art & Soul of Baking Stared Review in Library Journal

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet
receives a starred review in the September 15 issue of Library Journal:


http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6593415.html?industryid=47112

 Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet (text) & Maren Caruso (photogs.). The Art & Soul of Baking. Andrews McMeel. Oct. 2008. c.464p. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7407-7334-1. $40. COOKERY

Mushet, a talented pastry chef, cooking teacher, and author of the excellent Desserts: Mediterranean Flavors, California Style, presents the latest book from the Sur La Table team, following Things Cooks Love. Like Malgieri's book, it covers both sweet and savory baking, but it includes far more information. Two lengthy introductory chapters cover techniques, equipment, and ingredients, and dozens of sidebars on "Tips for Success" and "What the Pros Know" offer further helpful insider advice. Recipes range from basics such as Quick Puff Pastry and Classic Sugar Cookies to unusual and appealing treats like Malted Milk Chocolate Tart; most of them include make-ahead information, and many also have variations. There are striking color photographs throughout, as well as step-by-step technique photos. Mushet's style is engaging and never intimidating. Essential.

The Art and Soul of Baking Reviewed by AP

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet gets a glowing review in an Associated Press article by food editor J.M. Hirsh

+++

Crank up the oven, it's baking season
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor

Cooler weather often is incentive enough to get people baking. But for those who need an extra push, the latest batch of baking cookbooks offers plenty of inspiration to get you in the mood. Here are the highlights:

_ "The Art & Soul of Baking" by Cindy Mushet and Sur la Table

If you buy just one new baking book this season, make it this one. Gorgeously illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, "The Art & Soul of Baking" covers everything from essential equipment (after all, Sur la Table is a kitchen supplies retailer) and pantry staples to chapters on savory breads, quick breads, tarts, pies, cookies and cakes, to name just a few.

The recipes are exceedingly detailed and include do-ahead tips, notes on equipment needed, advice on storing the finished treats and suggestions for variations. Reading this is a pleasant and enticing baking education.

Mushet's recipes for Rustic Olive and Thyme Bread and Nine-grain Whole-wheat Harvest Bread were easy to follow and produced delicious, attractive loaves.

The Art and Soul of Baking Gets Starred Review 0n Publishers Weekly Website

The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has received a starred review on publishersweekly.com:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6589717.html

LIFESTYLE

The Art and Soul of Baking
Cindy Mushet. Andrews McMeel, $40 (464p)
ISBN 9780740773341

Veteran pastry chef Mushet puts her decades of experience to work in this dense, informative baking guide from Seattle-based gourmet cookware retailer Sur La Table...opening with a comprehensive overview of crucial equipment and a 30 page guide to pantry stocking (butter, flour and sugar get three pages each, chocolate gets five). Covering all aspects of the baking spectrum, Mushet gives yeast-based breads, quick breads, cookies and bars, layered pastries and other specialties their turn, doing admirable work with standards like pizza dough and dinner rolls, as well as trendier riffs like pesto rolls and rustic olive and thyme bread that give cooks room to stretch in each category. Mushet’s invaluable lessons in ensuring oven accuracy, incorporating butter into dough for layered pastries (with step-by-step photos) and the causes of falling soufflés will get novices up to speed, and experts ready to tackle Mushet’s compelling cheesecake batter-in-a-food-processor technique will find her inventive hors d’oeuvre Stilton Cheesecake with Port-Braised Pears a big hit at the next cocktail party. Those already comfortable with baking will get the most out of the book’s 250 recipes, but there are plenty of dishes well within the reach of those new to Crème Brulee and lemon bar construction, making this a great volume to learn and grow with. (Sept.)

Gourmet Singles Out AMP Cookbook

Andrews McMeel Publishing is proud to announce that The Art and Soul of Baking by Sur La Table with Cindy Mushet has been chosen the October selection for the Gourmet Cookbook Club. Watch for that issue of Gourmet to hit newsstands and a feature to appear on gourmet.com in mid-September.

Gourmet started the Cookbook Club in an attempt to help its readers “cut through the clutter” of the 24,000 cookbooks published each year, according to Editor in-chief Ruth Reichl. The magazine's editors choose a book each month that offers “imaginative insight and delicious results.”

Reichl said she and her staff established the club in response to the overwhelming number of cookbooks published in the United States. “Tons of cookbooks come pouring in here all the time,” she told Publishers Weekly. “Every time we find one we really love we say, 'We ought to share this with other people.’” Reichl considered adding cookbook reviews to Gourmet but decided a book club would be more inclusive of readers and Gourmet's online community.

Books chosen for the new club, which launched in June, are marked with a Gourmet plate shaped seal to indicate they are official selections. In addition, at the book club's home page, gourmet.com/cookbookclub, visitors can find more recipes from the books and videos of the authors demonstrating recipes from their books.

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Featured in The Oregonian

Tuesday, July 08, 2008
DANIELLE CENTONI
The Oregonian Staff

If it's the little things that make life worth living, then saucy, cheesy casseroles should be at the top of the list. There's something about the merging of melted cheese, thick sauce and belly-filling starch that feeds the soul.

Although lasagna and other baked pastas tend to hog all the attention, this delicious Mexican casserole will likely end up making frequent appearances in your casserole lineup. Made with a tomato sauce spiked with canned chipotle chiles en adobo, and layered with roasted poblano peppers, fried strips of corn tortillas and two kinds of Mexican cheese, it has all the ooey-gooey goodness of a good lasagna, but with vibrant flavors that bring a welcome change of pace.

The recipe comes from "Things Cooks Love" (Andrews McMeel, $35, 352 pages), a new cookbook by veteran author Marie Simmons and Sur La Table, the chain of cookware shops. Packed with recipes designed to use specific cookware and gadgets, you might think the book is just a smart marketing ploy by a savvy company, but a trip through the pages assured us it's a great book in its own right. The enticing recipes travel the globe and are organized by cuisine and equipment. But even if you don't have, say, a Moroccan tagine pot, Simmons gives you plenty of alternatives.

In this case, we didn't have a tortilla press, or the time, to make tortillas. And if we did, we'd probably eat them all right away and wouldn't have any day-old leftovers for this recipe. But no worries, we used store-bought corn tortillas and it still turned out great.

Things Cooks Love Featured in Chicago Tribune

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons and an interview with Marie are featured in Chicago Tribune:

By Emily Nunn | Tribune reporter
June 4, 2008

Thirty years ago, Marie Simmons never could have written anything like her new book, "Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes"(Andrews McNeel, $35). Of course, nobody else could have either.

Back when Simmons was starting her career in the food business—she's now a popular teacher, award-winning cookbook author (she has written more than 20), syndicated newspaper columnist and monthly columnist for Bon Appetit magazine—American cooks just weren't all that curious about how to use such multi-culti equipment as a cataplana or a chitarra.

Those are just two of the 100-odd "things" that Simmons' large and lushly attractive book—the first in a series coming from cookware retailer Sur La Table—teaches readers to use in making her companion recipes, all of which reflect an expanding interest in global cuisine.

"The concept was very astute of Sur La Table," said Simmons recently, over pizza at Osteria Via Stato, while in town to promote the book. "It's based on the fact their customers kept coming up and asking how to use things available in the stores. They just said, 'Hey, we've got to get this in a book.'"

Which could lead you to believe that Simmons has simply written a gorgeous kitchenware catalog for Sur La Table—if it weren't for the fact that no brands are mentioned in the book's three major sections ("Essential Cookware and Tools," "Cooking with Kitchen Essentials," and "Globe Trotting Kitchen Essentials"); none of the equipment, which ranges from the humble whisk to the lovely Indian karahi (a cast-iron skillet with high, rounded sides and large loop handles) is sold exclusively at the store; the recipes do, as she intended, "sound luscious"; and Simmons always recommends an alternative to a piece of equipment. A really good pommes Anna pan is "a $475 pan, but I say you can use an iron skillet," she said with a laugh.

Even as a veteran, Simmons said, writing the book—which is intended both for beginners and advanced cooks—opened her up to new cooking experiences.

"It was inspiring. . . I learned so much," she said. "I'd never used the chitarra," she added, referring to the Italian stringed tool (the name translates as "guitar") for cutting pasta. She now uses it "all the time" to make the book's rosemary whole-wheat breadsticks.

"I'd never used a cataplana, that's the Portuguese domed pan—the stew is fabulous," she said. But using a large granite mortar and pestle instead of a blender to make pesto, she said, was the most fun. "There was a huge difference with the flavor," she said, citing the "unscientific" theory that steel blender blades dull the flavor "You start with garlic, salt, pine nuts, then add the basil, little by little, and you smash smash smash, then slowly drizzle the oil in. ... It smells so different.

"I think it's more tactile and because it's more tactile, it tastes better," she added.

Which goes to her idea that good cookware should make you "more intimately involved with the food."

And it may explain why what a person chooses to cook with can be as personal as what he or she buys to wear.

"It's sort of like shopping for shoes," Simmons said. "You have your practical flats you wear all of the time, and then there's the little pair of strapless backless heels you just have to have. You won't wear them as much, but you're going to love them.

"That's the way I feel about the cataplana or the tagine," she said. (A tagine is a shallow, glazed terra-cotta, stainless-clad, or cast-iron vessel with a high conical lid.) "You won't necessarily use them every day. You're going to use it, though, and you're going to love it; and when you're not using it, it's going to be sitting there for you to admire. That's the kind of love affair that cooks have with their cookware."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/chi-marie-simmons-cookbook-4jun04,0,997214.story

Things Cooks Love Reviewed on Apartment Therapy-The Kitchn Blog

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons is reviewed by Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan on the Apartment Therapy-The Kitchn blog.

Just as we were in the midst of the Kitchn's inaugural Kitchn Cure (eight fun-filled weeks of kitchen cleaning, organizing, stocking, cooking, ending with a big bang of a party in May), a book called Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $35) landed on my desk.

I kept calling it Things Cooks Need, because that's where my mind was, guiding Cure-takers toward cleaning out their cupboards to leave only what they really need to cook well.

I barely had time to glance at it before I left on a business trip. And, I'll be honest, I was skeptical. The book comes from Sur La Table (and is written by a lovely food writer named Marie Simmons) and is based around the gear you have in your kitchen. Hmmmm, Sur La Table puts out a book whose recipes are based on cooking implements. I smelled a marketing ploy.

And then I went to New Orleans for the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference and found myself on the very first night sitting next to Marie Simmons, the author of the book. She is absolutely delightful, extremely knowledgeable, and a great dinner companion. We both had that Speckled Trout Amandine.

I asked her point blank about my suspicions and she told me about how the book came to be, making me feel much better about the book.

It was of paramount importance to her that each recipe's implement suggestions included alternatives. Take, for example, the recipes for using a tagine. Simmons suggests a Dutch oven or a braiser. I might have gone even further to suggest any oven-safe pan covered tightly with foil. It was also critical, Marie told me, that the book not tout brand names. And it doesn't. Sure, most of what you find in the pages is available at Sur La Table.

Getting past the fraction of the book that is actually dedicated to kitchen implements, you'll find original recipes, tips on things like making bread crumbs, how to cut a mango (or read it here) and how to trim an artichoke, and a rundown on various ethnic pantries (the Mexican Pantry includes a list of all those confusing dried chile varieties).

This would be a great book to give a newlywed, or someone just starting their first kitchen who may be faced with gifts they don't necessarily know how to use. So, if you do find yourself owning a tagine, you at least can read about how to use and care for it before deciding to return it.

I might add that if you do decide to return that tagine and it came from a store that carries Things Cooks Love (like Sur La Table), get the book instead. Or come back on Thursday when we'll be giving away five copies.

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/book-reviews/book-review-things-cooks-love-047379

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. Named Cookbook of the Day by slashfood.com

Things Cooks Love, Cookbook of the Day

Posted May 28th 2008 3:01PM
By Marisa McClellan

For those of us who are enamored of cookware, mixers, bowls and cooking utensils, stores like Sur La Table are dangerous places. We walk in and are instantly taken by a shiny chrome pasta machine or the sleek mandoline. Often times, we plunk down our cash for these items, but once we get them home, intimidation starts to set in and we question whether the purchase was such a good idea. Frequently, these tools get shoved to the back of the kitchen cabinet to collect dust until, years later, you pull them out and sell them at a garage sale.

The new cookbook, Things Cooks Love, is setting out to help you make the most of those stove top smokers, fish poachers and tortilla presses. Written by cooking teacher and cookbook author Marie Simmons, this book starts off with the basics and moves on to the more glamorous and unusual tools and pieces of cookware.

In addition to being a useful and easy-to-follow book, this volume is also downright beautiful. It would make a wonderful gift for the foodie in your life, as it is filled with gorgeous photography and each page is designed to be interesting and eye-catching. It is definitely a winner.

http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/28/things-cooks-love-cookbook-of-the-day/

Things Cooks Love Reviewed On Cooking by the Book

A glowing review from Suzi O’Rourke on her Cooking by the Book blog:

Things Cooks Love
Implements. Ingredients. Recipes
By Marie Simmons for Sur la Table, Sur la Table

I know it sounds obvious but a cookbook is only as good as its author. The first good thing about Sur la Table’s cookbook is Marie Simmons. Marie is one of this country’s finest cookbook authors (list book titles link to amazon). By that I mean that her recipes work as written, which is, as far as I’m concerned, the most important element for any cookbook. I dare say that I will try hard not to recommend any cookbook on my blog where the recipes do not work. It is a real pet peeve of mine.

The Sur la Table cookbook offers a distinctively new perspective. It works backwards, it suggests that the reader look in their kitchen and see what implement has been sitting on a shelf or hidden in a box because you haven’t use it in a long time, or you might not use it at all because you don’t know what to do with it. This is the book’s starting point. Use that thing you bought but….

I have tons of stuff in my kitchen that I have put away and haven’t used for years. After reading Sur la Table’s book, I decided to take out that old stove top smoker and give it a whirl again. I tested the prosciutto wrapped smoked shrimp on page 100 loved it! Easy and fun. I also chose cauliflower and sweet potatoes in spicy tomato sauce with cashews, this one recipe is worth the price of the book. I would suggest people roast the cashews separately and then toast the spices. When I added the cumin and mustard seeds to the hot pan they jumped and sputtered, I jumped to cover the pan quickly. So be careful; aside from that, this recipe was an absolute favorite. Finally I tested the ground lamb kebabs with ginger and mint yogurt sauce. The results were very tasty, particularly refreshing with the yogurt sauce.

One of the reasons I chose to test Marie’s Indian recipes is because I know how much she loves Indian food. Although Italian by birth and delightful as an Italian chef, Marie has traveled to India and passionately describes her trips and love of Indian cuisine.

Finally, I decided to show Marie’s cookbook to friends who love to cook and are on the beginner/intermediate side. I gave them the book and asked them to take a look. Michael, a graphic/video guy with a weekend passion for food, loved the way it looked and was intrigued by the concept. Cynthia, a very detailed person, enjoyed all the photos and the contemporary nature of the recipes. Both Michael and Cynthia gave the book an enthusiastic positive opinion. Cynthia already has the book on her cookbook wish list. Marie Simmons has created a must-have cookbook.

Things Cooks Love Profiled On The Global Gourmet

The consensus among cooks is that the dividing line between having fun in the kitchen and not having fun in the kitchen is whether you have the most suitable tool for the job. Having the right equipment makes cooking easier, and the results often taste better. Unlike any other book on the market, Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes., the first in a series of titles by trusted culinary authority Sur La Table, champions the kitchenware that cooks of all levels are passionate about.

Whether it's the gorgeous new copper pot you received as a gift, a rice cooker you have always wanted to try, or your grandmother's well-aged cast-iron skillet, this book celebrates the deep connection between cooks and the cookware they love.

Things Cooks Love opens with "Essential Cookware and Tools," which includes The Basic Kitchen, detailed descriptions of everything from baking dishes and braisers to tongs and toasters, and The Well-Stocked Global Kitchen, the ultimate wish list to take your kitchen to a new level of sophistication. It is both an easy reference for setting up a new kitchen and a convenient checklist for when it's time to add new items. Things Cooks Love gives all the information you need to confidently select the best and most durable implements.

Once you've explored the basics, it's time to put them to use in "Cooking with Kitchen Essentials," which offers tips for use and care, and recipes for everything from whisks to stove-top smokers. The recipes put your new or refreshed knowledge to work with dishes such as Sea Bass Poached in Orange, Basil and Wine with Citrus and Herb Sauce; Corn on the Cob with Flavored Butters; or Smoked Shrimp Wrapped with Prosciutto. And because this is a book for both the beginning cook and the gourmet, it also offers alternatives for kitchens that are not stocked with the exact cookware or tools.

For further inspiration, the final section of Things Cooks Love, "Globe-Trotting Kitchen Essentials," explores the cookware, ingredients, and recipes of Asia, Mexico, France, India, Italy, Iberia, and Morocco. It spans the globe, visiting the world's favorite pantries and kitchens to experience the luscious tastes and simple techniques for using tools from the versatile Mexican stove-top pepper roaster and the elegant, clam-shaped Portuguese cataplana to the practical and handsome French cocotte and the iconic Spanish paella pan. A quick read on Morocco will embolden the home cook to try a Lamb Tagine with Artichoke Hearts, Dried Apricots, and Preserved Lemon or Classic Chicken Bisteeya.

Recognizing that a beloved cooking collection is the foundation for good food, Things Cooks Love is more than a reference tool or collection of recipes, more than a cookbook; it is a cook's book. It is for everyone who has not only a passion and enthusiasm for all things culinary, but also a sense of adventure. And just as your kitchen equipment can last a lifetime, this book will serve cooks well time and again as they continue to expand their recipe repertoire and cookware collection.

www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Shelf Awareness

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes.
by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons
is reviewed by Shelf Awareness

...Another "equipment" book comes from Marie Simmons and the folks at Sur la Table: Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, and Recipes (Andrews McMeel, $35, 9780740769764/0740769766, May 2008). They say that cooking is easier and more fun with the right tools, and they help you figure out what you need for your style, from basic essentials to global essentials (a Portuguese cataplana, a Moroccan couscoussière, a tortilla press.) Not everything is that exotic; the chapter on cast-iron skillets is excellent, explaining not only how to season them, but what they are good at, and what they are not. But the cookbook is not just a tool book, it has more than 300 pages of scrumptious recipes, like Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce, Sautéed Fish Fillets with Herb Butter and Mango, Fresh-Fruit Quesadillas. The only thing missing is dessert, but that leaves more room for Cornish Hens with Basil and Mint, and Pommes Anna.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed by Cooking With Amy Blog

Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes. by Sur La Table and Marie Simmons
is currently featured on the home page of the Cooking With Amy blog. Amy Sherman is a food writer and recipe developer in San Francisco.

Last month I was raving about the new Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques book. It's the book I wish I had when I was first learning to cook. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are much more confident in your culinary abilities, Things Cooks Love: Implements. Ingredients. Recipes from Sur La Table is the book for you.

I already know that I want a paella pan and a couscoussiere, and this is the book that fuels my desires with descriptions, amazing recipes and gorgeous photography. You too may want do a little shopping or at least dust off your pizza stone after perusing it. Having 2 -3 recipes to go with each item is what really helps you justify your purchase of a food mill or clay cooker or tagine or whatever it is that strikes your fancy. Wondering what else you can do with the chefs torch you bought but never used? Forget creme brulee, the book has recipes for Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes with Bubbling Mozzarella and Toasted Goat Cheese, Roasted Beet and Pear Salad.

In the beginning there is a section on equipping your kitchen, and then the recipes are divided into "kitchens" as in Asian, Mexican, French, Indian, Italian, Iberian and Moroccan. Each "kitchen" has a discussion of essential pantry ingredients, tools and tantalizing recipes written by Marie Simmons, a two-time winner of the James Beard Award. The book is 300 pages long, has 100 recipes along with 125 detailed descriptions of kitchen implements from the common to the obscure. It's not a comprehensive book, but a great resource for using the "things you love" in the kitchen and a wonderful introduction to the cuisine of many lands. For $23 on Amazon this is a terrific book to add to your collection. Get a sneak peek at sections of the book here.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed in Memphis’ Commercial Appeal

Whining & Dining: Kitchen must-haves for cooks

By Jennifer Biggs
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A wonderful book came in last week: "Things Cooks Love" by Marie Simmons ($35, Andrews McMeel Publishing). It's part of a series owned by the kitchen store Sur La Table, which, of course, has good cause to publish books about gadgets, cookware and beloved ingredients.

More power to them! I'm crazy about this book, even though I take exception with some of the beloved items. While I agree that a clay cooker and a pressure cooker are treasures, I probably haven't used my fish poacher three or four times in the 15 years I've owned it.

I love my garlic press -- I just started using it about a year ago -- but I don't care for a garlic peeler. In fact, I have no need for one since I throw the unpeeled cloves in my press. I don't use a melon baller, but I couldn't get by without my mandoline. Bread machine? Not for me. A panini grill, ditto (come on, we've all seen enough "Good Eats" to know we don't need that). But don't touch my stand mixer or my citrus press.

The book also lists foods by country, such as essentials for the French pantry, the Iberian pantry (yum!), Moroccan, Indian and so forth.

Things Cooks Love Reviewed By Seattle Times

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Sur la Table produces its first in a series of cookbooks

By CeCe Sullivan
Seattle Times Food staff

Sur la Table began its march into culinary history in 1972, when founder Shirley Collins opened her small store at the Pike Place Market. Every nook and cranny was filled with the cooking tools we never knew we needed until we put them to use in our own kitchens.

Although Collins sold the company in 1995 to a group of private investors, including the Behnke family and Freeman Spogli, her heritage of quality and customer service has continued to influence it.

Now, 36 years after the original shop opened its doors, Sur la Table, which includes 67 stores nationwide, has produced its first in a series of cookbooks, "Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients and Recipes" by Sur la Table with Marie Simmons ($35, Andrews McMeel Publishing). Two other books, "The Art & Soul of Baking" and "A Cook's Guide to Knives," will be published this fall.

"Things Cooks Love" begins with an extensive list of kitchen basics divided into four subcategories: cookware, knives, tools and small appliances. It's a go-to guide for everything from cast-iron skillets to balloon whisks.

One section highlights the pots, pans and cookers that can be placed in the oven and on the stove. So, for instance, a short essay on clay cookers provides tips for using the pots as well as their care and cleaning, and accompanying recipes inspire further experimentations.

Kathy Tierney, chief executive officer of Sur la Table, said the concept for the cookbook series began over three years ago. "When I first started here, I was struck by the passion and knowledge of cooking inside of the company." A series of cookbooks seemed like the logical next step in promoting the company's brand, which has always been to educate and inspire customers about the art of cooking. Indeed, it's the curiosity of the stores' patrons that drives the desire to seek out the best in cookware and kitchen tools.

The book's third section, "The Well-Stocked Global Kitchen," is a response to the desire of world travelers looking for more information on multicultural cuisines. So, whether your culinary spirit is captured by the couscoussières or glazed terra-cotta tagines of Morocco, or the classic, domed cataplanas of Iberia, readers will find a passion for discovery to equal their own.

The writing and recipe-testing for "Things Cooks Love" was a yearlong "labor of love," said Tierney. Marie Simmons, an award-winning cookbook writer and columnist living in California, was a natural fit to spearhead the project, having taught in Sur la Table's cooking-class program. The recipes are easy to follow, plus tips and serving suggestions offer further guidance. Gorgeous color photographs by Ben Fink add their own distinctive style to the book. Tierney said the goal is to publish two to three cookbooks a year. But she stresses that each will happen only if the company's mission of education and quality is fulfilled.