The new vegan cookbook from The Spork Sisters is filled with recipes that make meat-free dining easy and approachable. more ›

Now that Next Restaurant is onto their Childhood menu, all the hype about their amazing take on turn-of-the-century French cuisine has faded. Now you can make all of the courses from that menu at home with the "Next: Paris 1906" cookbook for iPad. more ›

Bill Daley, writing in The Stew, ran into a conundrum yesterday evening - his bookshelves were full of too many cookbooks. Inspired by an article in the San Francisco Chronicle which gave instructions for culling a collection, he began to wonder: which ones did he HAVE to keep? As bibliophiles ourselves (especially of food books), we started to wonder the same thing. It's kind of the same internal monologue as "what would you save in a house fire," except with a bit less urgency. So, what would you keep? more ›

Thanks to Stephanie Izard's Twitter, we just got the word that her new book, "Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats & Drinks" is available for pre-order. Are you an Izard groupie? Buy it now for $19.77. The book comes out for reals in October, but if you really want to lock in your copy at this very moment, go for it. more ›

When talk among local food nerds turns to chefs who can and preserve their own fruits and vegetables, Vie's Paul Virant is usually the first name to be dropped. And with good reason, as Virant's canning prowess is second to none. more ›

It's been said that chefs are the new rock stars. The most media savvy chefs, from Food Network mainstays to the chefs who are only known by one name, are successful because they sell their fans on a lifestyle: if you cook and entertain according to their guidelines, your life will be enriched. When a chef reaches the level of celebrity of Rick Bayless, with the tv show and the accolades and the endorsements and the cookbooks and the pop culture afterglow of being the first "Top Chef Master," a fawning cult of personality is certain to follow. At that level, like in politics, control of the message and the brand is paramount. more ›

One of the things we like best about Marcus Samuelsson's New American Table is the variety of types of food - not necessarily flavors, though that's also present, but the different portion sizes and occasions provided for by Samuelsson's recipes. Like most cookbooks, there are sections for each meal, but New American Table also has snacks, small plates, breads, "everyday," "weekend," and "holiday." more ›

Over the next couple of weeks, we're going to be featuring a few dishes from Marcus Samuelsson's latest cookbook, New American Table. This offering, an entree salad with caramelized scallops and a slaw laced with herbs and spicy vegetables, is a great quick meal for a weekday evening when you're looking for something light. It has more ingredients then our typical "Simple Cooking" offering, but it's not nearly as much work as you might think. Simply toss up the salad, sear the scallops and off you go! more ›

We were fortunate enough to score an advance copy of Get Cooking by Mollie Katzen, author of Moosewood Cookbook, a cookbook that we've had and used for years - along with the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (the fragrant jasmine rice recipe is fantastic). Katzen's latest book is geared toward getting people who do not normally cook into the kitchen. Chapters include: Soups, Salads, Pastas, Vegetarian Entrees, Burgers, Chicken Fish & Meat, Sides, Party Snacks, and Desserts. more ›

The saying goes "a watched pot never boils." Since the recipe we chose this week from Ernest Matthew Mickler's White Trash Cooking calls for three separate boilings of grapefruit peels, we suggest multitasking if you decide to try this at home. Walk the dog. Call your mother and tell her you love her. Clean that pigsty of a bathroom that started to smell like a gas station restroom (which is what we did). more ›

All the cool kids (and some not-so-cool ones) have been tripping over each other to re-create the recipes from the Alinea cookbook that it set us thinking, "What cookbook would be the complete opposite of Alinea that could we utilize the same approach?" For us, only one came to mind. more ›

"Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food. This book hopes to change that. Once you overcome any initial hesitation, you will be surprised to learn how wonderful semen is in the kitchen. Semen is an exciting ingredient that can give every dish you make an interesting twist. If you are a passionate cook and are not afraid to experiment with new ingredients - you will love this cook book!" more ›

The latest object of food blog Serious Eats' affection is none other than Chicagoist Food and Drink Editor Chuck Sudo. Way to go, Chuck! more ›