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Reddit mentions of The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs
Sentiment score: 99
Reddit mentions: 182
We found 182 Reddit mentions of The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. Here are the top ones.
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- Little Brown and Company
Features:
Specs:
| Height | 10.45 Inches |
| Length | 8.05 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | September 2008 |
| Weight | 3.1 Pounds |
| Width | 1.55 Inches |
So a few off the top of my head:
Check out The Foodlab from Seriouseats. It wont really teach you the basics, but their recipes explain HOW and WHY certain things work and certain things dont.
Also check out /r/cookingforbeginners
And if you wanna know what flavors go well together, check this out. Great book.
Try The Flavor Bible! It helped me go from using recipes to making dishes on the fly out of what I had on hand and helped me come up with new recipes based on exciting food combinations I read about.
http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
I refer to the Flavor Bible frequently. It is a compendium of flavors that pair well together.
There isn't a particular book that I can think of that focuses on cocktail creation, but I enjoy Kevin Liu's discussion of balance in Craft Cocktails at Home and Gary Regan's discussion of drink families in The Joy of Mixology. I would start there and then move onto other books.
In terms of process, it's very situation-based. Modifying current recipes can be fun and a good jumping off point. Start by trying to make your own signature Last Word variation. Classically it would be equal parts gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice. I do something with equal parts rose green tea-infused gin, Liquore Strega, pear liqueur, lemon juice and chamomile-citrus bitters.
You can also think about what certain drinks have in common and try something in the same style i.e. Sidecars and Margaritas are both spirit, sweet, and sour while Manhattans and Negronis are both spirit, sweet, and bitter. The history of drink making is so long that it is highly unlikely that you'll be making something that doesn't at least slightly resemble an extant drink, whether or not you ever figure it out.
The key to a good cocktail is balance. Sweet, sour, and bitterness all help to mellow each other out. Bitters are great for this because the addition of even a small amount of bitter flavor will dull the perception of sweet and sour so that any extremes are rounded out. Sweet does the same to sour and bitter while sour does the same to the other two, though both to a lesser extent than bitterness.
Again, I highly recommend the Flavor Bible. With it you can take a spirit, see what flavors you can pick out and see what will pair well with them. Then find ingredients that can bring that flavor to the table. You can then check out the pairings for that flavor and see if the two lists have any overlap.
The more classic recipes you become familiar with, the more you'll be able to see patterns in what general drink formulas work.
Be sure to straw taste as you go to correct any issues with balance early on in the process. You should do this anyway with drinks you already know the recipes for, but it's especially important when creating so that you can tell what each ingredient is bringing to the table.
Another approach, once you have an idea of ingredients to mix, taste each on its own to get an idea of how it might play with the others and also the intensity of flavor to give you an idea of what proportions you might aim to balance intensities.
Have at least part of an idea in mind before you start pouring. Cocktails are an ephemeral art, so you won't have to live with your mistakes for long if you make a bad drink, but don't go wasting good liquor chasing after a completely unformed thought (at least not at this point).
That should be enough to get you started. Let me know if you'd like additional reading recommendations.
Source: I run the bar, train the bartenders, and write the drink menu for a successful bar/restaurant with a focus on craft cocktails.
The Flavor Bible gets thrown around a lot, but for good reason. It's a great resource when trying to formulate your own recipe. It focuses on things like which foods have affinities for other foods, seasonality, and sensations different foods have. It's a great thing to page through when you have whatever the equivalent of writer's block is for cooks.
here's where I break out my copy of The Flavor Bible:
SWEET POTATO Flavor Affinities
yes I know the first 2 don't really fit with what you may traditionally think of when you think of soup. But #3, #4 and #7 sound really good.
Flavor Bible. It has some recipes but the main thing is an index of food ingeredients with flavors that go with them. E.g., look up salmon and it will tell you dill, lemon, and a long list of other stuff compliments it. It's helped me put together combinations and experiments I wouldn't have thought of.
The Flavor Bible, however, is an excellent resource.
The Flavor Bible isn't really what you're asking for, but it might be useful. https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520779413&sr=8-2&keywords=the+flavor+bible
The flavor bible is great
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316118400?pc_redir=1412571018&robot_redir=1
I'm a very visual learner, so I got good by watching Julia Child. She regularly peppers her shows with advice about how to get good at something, and how to customise a recipe when things go wrong, or when you want to switch things up a bit. She's got a decidedly French leaning, but French food is a very good place to start anyway. The full set of DVDs of The French Chef can get had for about $50 from ebay.
There's an episode where she was featuring four recipes for potatoes. She was trying to make a potato cake type of thing. She'd added plenty of butter to the pan, and threw in the boiled lightly crushed potatoes. She didn't let it set for a very long time, but tried to flip the whole thing over in one piece. Half of it ended up on the stove. Without skipping a beat, she scooped it off the stove, threw it back in the pan, and said the iconic line "When you're alone in the kitchen, who's going to see?" She then proceeded to dump it into a dish, throw in a load of cream and a few cubes of cheese, and instructed you to let it hang out under the broiler so that it gets bubbly and crisped up. She mentioned that you shouldn't ever apologise for how something came out, and just carry on as if that new thing is what you'd intended all along.
Whenever she had the ability to do so, she'd show you how to do something from scratch, including how to filet a fish, how to separate out a whole chicken, and how to break down larger steaks into serving sized portions. And, because you're watching her do it all for you, you get an idea of what it is you're looking for, step by step.
Another great resource (although their recipes are white, and tend towards the bland) is America's Test Kitchen's TV Show cookbook. On the show itself, they don't go into technique very much, but they certainly do so in the book. There are large, colourful pictures about how each step of the cooking process should look, and hundreds of recipes to try out. They thoroughly test out each recipe repeatedly, using tools that the average home cook will have access to, and taste test the results. It's an excellent resource to have on hand. You can generally find it used for about $20.
If you're curious to try out baking your own bread, I cannot highly recommend enough Bread by Eric Treuille.
https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Eric-Treuille/dp/1409352722/
It has HUGE full colour photos of the final product, and lots of foundational advice about the art of baking bread. They discuss various flours, how to combine them into an existing recipe, and the effects they have on the final loaf. It's one that I turn to whenever I have a craving for home made bread, and it's never lead me wrong.
If you want SOLID advice about how to quickly build up your cooking repertoire, Mike Ruhlman's Ratio is your best bet.
https://www.amazon.com/Ratio-Simple-Behind-Everyday-Cooking/dp/1416571728/
He realised that most basic recipes can be broken down into ratios, so that if you need to scale up or scale down, you can do so very quickly. His technique to teach you how to get comfortable with ratios is very good.
Another EXCELLENT place to start learning to build your own recipes is Julia's Kitchen Wisdom.
https://www.amazon.com/Julias-Kitchen-Wisdom-Essential-Techniques/dp/0375711856/
She gives some basic techniques on foundational recipes, and then tells you how to tweak the recipes to work with whatever you've got on hand. It's less a by the books recipe compendium, and more of a philosophical understanding of how recipes work, and what flavours should go together.
Speaking of flavour. Get The Flavour Bible by Karen Page.
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/
There are hundreds of ingredients, and the things that go well with them. Instead of giving you a recipe, it gives you ideas of things to combine together, so that they go together in delicious ways.
If you are going to get a ruler, go ahead and get a kitchen ruler:
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Rules-Mini/dp/B00DT1XYDM/
It's small, but it has a TON of great information on it. Very useful to gauge whether or not you're hitting your marks for whatever size you're aiming for.
Nothing particularly good in this bundle.
If you want take up cooking and treat yourself, I would give my highest personal recommendation to The Food Lab and Bravetart. They are great because they go over technique and fundamentals and provide a good base that you can build from once you get more comfortable in the kitchen. Once you hit that point The Flavor Bible is also a great resource for experimentation.
Flavour profile. Onions/avocado/tomato/cheese/fatty meat in a dish is as Mexican as abject poverty and random decapitations. The moment you switch over from recipe cooking to flavour profile cooking (The Flavour Bible is a great introduction) you'll eat so much better.
The Flavor Bible
This is simply a good book in general.
Test and take notes is the best way, just like the other folks have said. If you want to get in to it a little more and would like a book to work through, The Flavour Bible is a really good one.
Read about building flavor profiles.
There are a couple of good books on the market: The Flavor Bible and The Flavor Thesauraus. They both have a lot of information on what ingredients go well with each other.
Also, learn by doing. Try things you think may go together well, even if it's not conventional. Even if the things you try don't come together, you can still learn from it. Try to understand WHY it didn't work (cooking method, flavor profile, preparation all have an affect), think about what you can do to correct the mistake, then implement that the next time you try that dish. I don't own a copy of it myself (yet), but Cook's Illustrated Magazine's The Science of Good Cooking would probably help in that regard.
In general, I consider Alton Brown, Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country, America's Test Kitchen, and Julia Child to be very reputable in the information they convey.
I don't know the website, but....I know the book:
The Flavor Bible
http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400?tag=amaz98-20
Link: The Flavor Bible by Page, Dornenburg
We have this too - good book
It's not free, but The Flavor Bible is pretty much what you want.
As an avid cook and collector of cookbooks, I have three recommendations -
The first two will teach you the essentials of cooking. How salt, fat, acid, and heat work together to make delicious food. J Kenji Lopez Alt has a popular serious eats blog and his book will teach you everything you need to know about cooking perfect meat, eggs, burgers, etc.
Once you learn all of the basics from those books, use the Flavor Bible to be creative.
The Flavour Bible
Just look up a food and see what interesting things go with it.
So you've made a bunch of recipes, you should be familiar with basic knife skills, slice, chop, dice, batons. Everything else is a variation on those.
You probably are familiar with some dry heat cooking methods, sautée, pan fry, roasting, broiling.
You should also be familiar with wet cooking methods, simmering, steaming, boiling, braising perhaps. If not look them up.
Use these methods together with a flavor profile you're looking for, think regionally, then about what kind of flavors you really want, like garlic and rosemary, fresh tomato and basil, ginger and scallions.
If you think you've got the basic techniques down, pick up , The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316118400/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_xyfywbD9B71BM
And go from there. It's a really good book
Skip the bullshit and get a few good books. Here's one.
The speediest learning always comes from working with a skilled teacher. In absence of that, read what the skilled people write to improve more quickly.
Truth.
The Flavor Bible
and
Ratio
are great resources if you want to start cooking like this.
There is a site called Nouveau Raw that used to have a nicely laid out chart of flavor pairings that I found very useful, but, they've pay-walled it this year.
THIS might be helpful for a quick fix, but, I wholeheartedly recommend grabbing a copy of The Flavor Bible, because it's downright inspiring to paw through, and will up your mixing/cooking game considerably.
I'm not saying it's easy to find a .PDF/.EPUB file through nefarious means, but, I'm not not saying it, either.
The Flavor Bible is a must-own. Gives not only descriptors for every ingredient you can imagine--spice, protein, produce--but also lists of commonly used ingredients in particular cuisines and for seasonal cooking as well. I love this book and find it indispensable for creative off recipe kitchen endeavors.
If you like this website, you may want to check out The Flavor Bible which is a reference/cookbook that does much the same sort of thing, only it is more in depth (being a book and all).
The Flavor Bible
This book helped me a lot, and I refer to it often when I want to change a recipe or just come up with something with what I have on hand. The first chapter has a very abbreviated discussion on flavors, but the majority book is just a cross-referenced index of ingredients, what their flavor is, and what things complement it well.
From The Flavor Bible, these are the flavors that go particularly well with coffee & espresso:
avoid: lavender
recommended flavor affinities:
Hopefully, you find some inspiration in here. (Maybe a signature latte with mascarpone, BBQ sauce and chicken?)
If you're comfortable in the kitchen, I highly recommend this book. It's not a cookbook — you look up an ingredient and it suggests complementary flavors.
The Flavor Bible is totally what you are looking for.
The The Flavor Bible came recommended to me from a friend. It has an index which helps you determine what other ingredients to best pair with an ingredient.
More info here: https://karenandandrew.com/books/the-flavor-bible/
Link for the lazy
This book is an outstanding place to start if you're interested in deep experimentation in flavor profiles.
I've used Bacardi and Captain Morgan, both of which turned out well. According to The Flavour Bible, bananas, almonds, dark and light rums, and cinnamon all make strong pairings. If that's the case, I'd be curious about using 99 Bananas, Disaronno (amaretto), or even Fireball.
Edit: Screw it, why not go all out dark Myers's Rum? ;)
I would recommend the Flavor Bible as well. It isn't focused on techniques so much as it is focused on the flavors of different ingredients. I have found it to be incredibly helpful in teaching me how to combine flavors and ingredients in new ways beyond simply following a recipe. Techniques are important, but getting a baseline for flavors gives you a baseline to build from.
It along with Alton Brown have been incredibly helpful in getting me comfortable in the kitchen and taught me to get away from the recipe.
Haha, the presentation is nothing. Ive worked in a kitchens for a total of about 3 or 4 years so I guess I kinda just learned. The combination of ingredients is nothing. At one of the places I worked we had a couscous salad which had sultanas, grilled egg-plant and pumpkin, along with some orange juice. I didnt have egg plant so I just left it out and skipped the orange juice. So that part is easy. The salad...having lived in a wine region for 10 years I quickly learned that the locals like marinated olives/mushrooms/sundried tomatos...just put them on some greens and you have a tasty looking salad. Then just do the lamb cutlets and you have an awesome meal :) If you really want to learn about combining some more ingredients and maybe move away from conventional cooking, i highly recommend THIS book. I often try and buy something ive never worked with (like a herb or spice, or some vegetable etc) and then look it up in this book and make a meal from that.
There is a book on that topic.
While I do not own it myself, I have heard lot's and lot's of praise of
The Flavor Bible
The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs $23 hardcover on amazon brotha 👌
Damn, was this all copied directly from The Flavor Bible?
Edit: Just checked my copy. It is.
check out the Flavor Bible. My chef friend likes to refer to it when coming up with pairings of garnishes on plates.
No one has mentioned the Flavor Bible yet? This is where you go to find out what works with each other. It is a magnificient resource.
While it won't teach you to cook entirely from scratch, you can use it to sort out new combinations. It is invaluable.
The ability to improvise comes with time, observation and willingness to experiment. Onions can add different texture and flavor to a dish depending on preparation. From crunchy, sulfurous, raw onions to sweet, soft, caramelized onions the spectrum of possibilities is quite broad. Use them raw, gently sautéed in oil, caramelized, fried, dried, pickled; cut lengthwise, crosswise, diced; etc. and build up a mental library of the results. I love reading about food, food history, preparation and food science but nothing beats actually getting hands-on with food.
That said, there are some books about flavor combinations and it might help if the concern is wasting food due to impractical experimentation. I own and enjoy Niki Segnit's The Flavor Thesaurus. It's not a mathematical table of A+B=C, but it gives classic and inventive combinations of various flavors. I can't vouch for these, but maybe read through the reviews and see if they sound interesting to you: one and two. I follow the blog of the latter two authors and it's quite interesting even if it is sometimes beyond the scope of home cookery.
The Flavor Bible is, I think, exactly what you're looking for.
I bought The Flavor Bible last year for my wife and myself. It's a very thorough guide to pairing flavors. Really well organized. A bit overwhelming at first, but we really enjoy it now.
Edit: Put in name of book...
Agreed. When I first started to cook resourcefully by "cleaning out the fridge" I found this book: The Flavor Bible to be very useful.
The Flavor Bible is an excellent resource for learning how foods and seasonings combine.
This one has helped me a lot. It isn't too expensive at Chapters.
This one seems pretty legitimate as well, but I haven't personally read it
Lately, I've very much been enjoying Kenji's The Food Lab. I think it's worth the (ebook) price just for the chapter on fried foods.
I also keep coming back to The Flavor Bible, which has lists of how to combine ingredients for different cuisines.
If you want a valuable collection of recipes and have $50 to spend, get Cook's Illustrated's The New Best Recipe. It's supplanted The Joy of Cooking on my shelf.
I use The Flavor Bible by Dornenberg and Page.
They also have a vegetarian version, but I haven't looked through it.
Yes. The Flavor Bible lists some combinations to avoid – some random examples are:
Good question. I always have cinnamon on hand because it works great in both savory and sweet dishes. Also a great way to cut back on sugar, which I have been doing recently. Smoked paprika is amazing because you it works great in barbecue, and with tomato or lemon. Whole cumin because they can be used either way, and it is an irreplaceable flavor in many dishes. Basil and rosemary because they seem to work in a lot of things. Garlic powder because you can throw it on just about anything and it will be good. If you tend not to keep dijon mustard on hand, mustard powder is always good. Whole nutmeg because those things last forever. Thyme is really good; try lemon thyme. Ginger is a lot of fun. Allspice is really good too with both meats and pastries. Fresh lemons or limes are really good. Onions and peppercorns are a must in every kitchen. Don't buy ground pepper. Taste is lost completely.
Best thing to do is pick spices and herbs that span a couple of different types of cuisine that way you aren't having to buy a lot of specialty herbs and spices for nights you want something inspired by Spanish cuisine or Middle Eastern. If you have an extra 20 or 30 bucks, I suggest buying The Flavor Bible. You will learn a lot about flavors and which ones play well in a lot of different dishes.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
I highly recommend this book, I think it's the followon to Culinary Artistry. Not only does it include optimal pairings, it "ranks" them in effectiveness (i.e. more people agree that apples pair well with cinnamon than the people who would pair apples with Bay). It's easily my favorite "cookbook".
Never heard of that site, but there's a cooking reference book Flavor Bible that does suggested pairings of various spices & ingredients. It's too bad it's not an app though.
Nå folkens, der er snart gået et år siden Skodbil sidst mæskede sig i fødselsdagskage, og det betyder at successen skal gentages. Fødselsdagsgaver er for lang tid siden gået fra at være Lego og våben, til at være sokker og bøger.
Derfor skal der nu nogle gode kogebøger på listen. Jeg er ikke så meget på udkig efter opskriftsbøger, men mere ude i at ville have kogebøger som jeg rent faktisk kan lære noget af. Jeg har allerede følgende på listen, men hvis DU kender en helt vildt god bog jeg bør læse, så sig til.
Sølvskeen
The Food Lab, Kenji Lopez
Chocolate at Home
Paul Bocuse Institut Gastronomique
The Professional Chef
The Flavour Bible
Mastering Cheese
Der er med vilje ingen vinbøger på listen, for det gør jeg mig ikke specielt meget i - endnu.
Seconding. This book is indispensable when it comes to learning the basics of how taste and flavor go together, and how to work with them. For the record, it is by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.
Link
Flavour Bible
This is a really good book for any level of cook, it's essentially a pairing guide for flavours. It doesn't have long write-ups it's more of an index format. I know some chefs who find it really handy for quickly putting together dishes with leftover or extra ingredients.
In the meantime, check out "The Flavor Bible." It's a few bucks on Amazon but it's well worth the price. It shows you which spices/herbs work great with different types of food.
This book is a wizard. http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Somewhat related and equally useful is The Flavor Bible
Since your lack of salt usage (oh baby. What is you doing?) has already been covered lemme point you in the right direction for making good flavors. The Flavor Bible is a wonderful resource for figuring out what goes with what. There are some wonderful forwards from well known chefs in the front and a thesaurus like index in back listing what flavor profile work well together.
Also a tip on salting a plate. Go maybe six to eight inches above the pan or meat you are salting. Have the salt between your index, middle finger and thumb. And move your fingers like you are asking for money. But facing down. This helps for an even spread. Also, go light and add more if you think you need it. Salt will ruin a meal if over used. And you will over use. But that's part of the process man!
Happy cooking and just remember to not add too much. A couple spices will enhance, but by no means feel you have to use everything.
The Flavor Bible
A great resource for budding cooks, or just as reference.
On Cooking is a great textbook
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Textbook-Culinary-Fundamentals-MyCulinaryLab/dp/0133103196/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347481964&sr=1-1&keywords=on+cooking
For flavor creation I recommend the Flavor Bible
http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347482072&sr=1-1&keywords=the+flavor+bible
FLAVOUR BIBLE
it is amazing for giving you a variety of spices and helping you understand how to cook if you don't have a recipe.
For cooking purposes, The Flavor Bible is literally that. I recommend this to everyone who likes to go off-recipe!
Seconding /u/ManicBrklyDreamGrl on Food52 and Alton Brown's awesomeness. (Good Eats is fantastic. It covers mostly basic stuff and gets super nerdy.) And Ina Garten almost never fails me.
If you're interested in cookbooks as well, My Paris Kitchen is one of my favorites, as is pretty much anything by Yotam Ottolenghi. And if you're building recipes yourself or you like to experiment, I highly recommend both The Flavor Bible and The Vegetarian Flavor Bible.
Since we're talking books here anyway, I'm looking to branch out and learn more about general flavor profiles. Does anyone here have any experience with The Flavor Bible? I'd like to be more well rounded as I progress as a bartender, and my boss recommended learning more on the kitchen side as it would give me a better understanding in cocktails on the fly as well.
There's a few others that sound really awesome, too, that I imagine I'll pick up eventually. Amazon is a terrible place to spend your cyber monday night off.
I would rather have 4 or 5 practical cookbooks at a fifth of the price of that set. I'm just not a chef and don't need to need to know half the stuff in those books.
My giftee has THIS arriving tomorrow!
It's not exactly what you're looking for but the flavor bible might be of help: http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
A friend of mine swears by this book, the Flavor Bible. It has a lot of information on how to pair ingredients and build up flavor in a dish. You might want to look into it...
As a chef, The Flavor Bible is a great reference for and understanding flavor combinations as opposed to just following a recipe.
For technique, Jacques Pepin's Complete Technique is basically what I learned in culinary school with step by step pictures.
Specifically you should learn to make your own stock, the mother sauces, and break down (butcher) poultry, seafood, and meats.
The first thing I learned was knife skills: grab a bag of potatoes and carrots and learn how to make all the cuts. Use them later for stock or stew.
Great suggestions. To add to these, I also really like The Flavor Bible, though it's for when you already know how to cook, but need a bit of inspiration for what to incorporate.
You could try "the Flavor Bible". It lays out a lot about the topic.
​
Speaking of winging it with spices/etc. If you don't already I HIGHLY recommend you pickup a copy of the Flavor Bible. Has over 400 separate ingredients and their flavor affinities, every wondered what you can combine with cabbage in a soup? How about the sheer volume of combinations carrots are good for.
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Has about thirty different pairings for most ingredients, tells you what each ingredient tastes like on it's own and gives some affinities (pair x, with y and z).
Yup.
http://smile.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
It may or may not also be available by googling it + pdf
I am by no means an expert, but I recommend baby steps. Instead of trying to make up a whole new recipe from scratch, why not try modifying some recipes you are already comfortable with? You can try substituting ingredients, modifying your seasoning, changing the cooking method for a recipe using the same or similar ingredients, or even combining two different but compatible recipes into something new. I would also maybe try to stick to one culinary tradition at first, like French or Japanese cooking, which use a few key ingredients to create lots of different dishes. I learned a lot from cooking from Harumi Kurihara's cookbooks. Stick with what you know until you become more comfortable imagining flavor profiles and methods of cooking in your head and then you can worry about taking on something completely new.
I've also heard from friends who cook that this book, The Flavor Bible, is good at describing how flavors work. I haven't read it myself (still on my Amazon wishlist until I have more $$), but you may want to check it out. Good luck!
edit: added some stuff
I think they probably would recommend The Flavor Bible.
Not to be nit-picky, but the word seasoning generally refers to only salt and pepper in the culinary world. The word you're looking for is either spice, for whole or ground spices, or aromatics, for fresh herbs and vegetables.
The Flavor Bible is a great resource that covers everything, and the cheat sheets posted by others work well too.
Crock pots work best with cuts of meat that take a long time to cook/tenderize. Some cuts of beef work great, like chuck, shank, brisket, and round. There are a ton of chicken stew and soup recipes, both classic and contemporary. I would avoid seafood in the crock pot, as it cooks so quickly and over cooked seafood is terrible, in my opinion.
There is A Flavor Bible
You won't really be able to learn from a reddit post. If you are serious about wanting to know what pairs well, I'd suggest picking up a copy of The Flavor Bible
The Flavor Bible.
The book you want is [On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen] (http://www.amazon.com/On-Food-Cooking-Science-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=pd_sim_b_11) by Harold McGee, which is a classic for a reason! Start with that one, devour it, learn it, live it, love it.
Once you've done that, pick up a copy of The Science of Good Cooking from the hardworking angels at Cook's Illustrated and then a copy of The Flavor Bible as mentioned by /u/pjdias below.
Check out The Flavor Bible book- when I am stuck I would do a quick peruse through it and will always find a great, new combo.
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
You can do roasted stuffed bell peppers with mashed sweet potatoes assuming you have other ingredients such as onion, garlic, herbs or meat. You can go for a Caribbean vibe too and do a pepper sauté with onions and jerk seasoning cooking them down longer to make them more jammy, and top your roasted sweet potatoes with that mixture.
Advanced? That's easy. Not a cookbook, but something far more useful. A comprehensive overview of how flavors work together.
[The Flavor Bible:] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410311129&sr=8-1&keywords=flavor+bible) The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs Hardcover – September 16, 2008, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
Some are very obvious. And some are not. I have yet to try the salmon-and-liquorish combination, but one day...
Highly recommended.
For reference, go to Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, or this book. For flavours, I'll usually go with the Flavour Bible or the Flavour Thesaurus.
The Flavor Bible would be a good start.
I like The Flavor Bible as a resource for this.
This is one of my favorite salads, and something I eat regularly. It's delicious, and we can call it high-class if you want. It's a combination that presents beautifully, and one I frequently serve.
But IMO, I wouldn't qualify it as sophisticated for two reasons
1.) The flavor combination is not particularly complex. By definition, sophisticated is "highly developed; complex." (Or, if you want to go with dictionary.com's definition, "developed to a high degree of complexity.")
To me, complexity in food is a combination of flavors that will interest my mouth in a multitude of novel ways, where there is either a) an unexpected progression of flavor, or b) a certain je ne sais quoi that I JUST CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY. This is what can elevate the simplest dish, like mac & cheese, to the highest levels of "sophisitcation" and innovation.
This flavor combination (and the wings recipe above) are both very basic (although delicious) balancing of flavors and textures. So basic, in fact, that I can now go into my local Panera and order that salad ...
2.) Which brings me to point #2. There are movements in food, as in fashion and architecture and every other form of art. And while things may be at the height of innovation one year (I'm talking to you, duck fat and rosemary potatoes. And you, salted caramel. And yes, you, fruit and goat cheese salad.) the cruel machine that is capitalism will eventually get their filthy claws into these delightful things.
And when they do, said flavor combinations cease to be interesting. A well-executed salted caramel brownie can be one of the most amazing things in the world - it has a rich, oaky nuttiness; a slightly burnt warmth. It's layered and complex and slightly bitter, not overly sweetened, covered in icing, and turned ^into^a^cake^pop.
So I see where u/adremeaux is coming from. It's frustrating for those who are looking for new ideas to see the same few over-done and passe flavor combinations mentioned and touted again and again and again as the very height of complexity and sophistication.
That said, I think a lot of redditors that make it to this subreddit aren't chefs. They don't read The Flavor Bible for fun, their idea of a celebrity encounter isn't meeting Grant Achatz, and they're just learning to branch out from spaghetti and sauce out of the jar. They get excited about things that, to some, seem boring or commonplace, and they want to pass that excitement on to others.
You could call this the blind leading the blind, but I'd rather look at it as something beautiful - for every person in this thread getting excited about a little goat cheese salad today, perhaps we'll see another hot potato, cold potato.
Also, for OP:
Honey & Black Pepper Duck Breast
Roasted Chestnuts with Black Pepper Honey
Baked Apples with Blue Cheese, Black Pepper, and Honey
Honey-Black Pepper Mayonnaise - perhaps on Fall 2011's dearly beloved cranberry, brie, and turkey sandwich?
I'm also going to throw out the ideas, sans recipe, of:
Earl grey tea cookies with a honey-pepper glaze
[Insert fruit of choice] shrub soda with honey and black pepper (I think peach would be quite nice!)
Cocktail - I'd suggest rye and a splash of lemon, but I'm no mixologist.
Hope i was helpful! Enjoy your culinary journey :D
The Flavor Bible is a cookbook (not really a cookbook tho) about how to combine flavors. I've found it a useful addition to my kitchen.
Hey there I built a web app for my portfolio project that matches up flavors based on recommendations from the book "The Flavor Bible". I wrote up a blog post about the experience to showcase my skills in response to /u/Stereoisomer 's feedback last week. I'd appreciate any feedback I can get regarding how either the blog post or the web app come off as a portfolio item for a data analyst/data scientist resume. Thanks.
The Flavor Bible by Page and Dornenburg covers it all.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
It's more of an accessory to leveling a skill faster but I love the book The Flavor Bible. It has almost every cooking-skill recipe component and lists what other components go well with it. I have leveled my cooking skill so quickly because it's helped me discover more flavors, especially those that are in regions other than mine, like India and Mexico.
I'm thinking a bit of marjoram and/or a bay leaf thrown in there. My flavour affinity book also says oregano, but that's such a strong flavour, just a pinch would do.
I use this book all the time, just look up an ingredient and it'll tell you what goes with it! It's made cooking so easy and I can sound a lot more authoritative than I really am.
Wine:
Windows on the World - Kevin Zraly
The Wine Bible - Karen MacNeil
The World Atlas of Wine - Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson
Cooking:
The Professional Chef - The Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America book page on Amazon
The Flavor Bible - Karen Page
It isn't really a cookbook, but The Flavor Bible is a phenomenal book for anyone trying to understand what flavors work well together. It is just a stellar book and has allowed me (with knowledge of a variety of cooking methods) to create dishes on the fly with what we had around much more easily. I have a leg up in that I was a prep chef at a high-end inn/restaurant for several years, but I think any nerd will appreciate the format and specificity the book offers.
Some solids in my life:
a huge problem i've seen a lot of people have is they never know when to either stop adding shit or stop fucking with a component. it's really easy to absolutely destroy a great idea by doing either of those.
The Flavor Bible is an absolute must have if you're doing menus.
Get him "The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs"
http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
One of the most amazing books on cooking, ever.
I try to keep a running list of inexpensive-to-moderate-priced things that I will eventually want (i.e. don't need to buy them for myself RIGHT NOW). What's on my list right now:
The book "the flavor Bible" is what you are looking for
http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
You sound a whole lot like me. Try: http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400 or http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0471287857/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1452484877&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=culinary+artistry&dpPl=1&dpID=51f2cXjryYL&ref=plSrch
They are amazing resources that teach you about flavors and how they complement each other.
The Flavor Bible
Best book ever!
Seriously, this book helped me learn how to level up my dishes. Sounds like your guy will appreciate it.
> How are you supposed to make changes if you dont even know what the end product is going to taste like?
start with these two. there are more books in-depth on these topics, but, if you want to learn how to freestyle in the kitchen these two books are pretty much essential. i keep mine in the cabinet over my range hood and pull them out pretty frequently
The Flavor Bible.
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Just start buying spices and building up your store cupboard, then it gives you all the options you need when its time to cook.
Mostly its just through experience that you learn which flavour combinations work. If you consume lots of cookery shows (tv/youtube), you will gradually pick it up without even realising.
Failing that, there is always The Flavour Bible, which is an excellent book
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Also watch some Asian cookery youtubes, Indian cuisine in particular has mastered the use of spices.
I think the Basmati Rice is a fantastic idea but for future "pairing" questions I have a process I use. You should look into buying The Flavor Bible. It is great for designing dishes around ingredients. In this case you would look up shrimp and it would give you a list of things that pair well with shrimp.
I would highly suggest this book:
The Flavor Bible
https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498103306&sr=8-1&keywords=kenji+lopez
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498103333&sr=8-1&keywords=flavor+bible
And this is a good primer for traditional French techniques, which most kitchens use extensively
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Art-French-Cooking-Set/dp/0307593525/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498103367&sr=8-2&keywords=french+cooking
(but ALWAYS defer to the Food Lab, they use science)
https://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Version/dp/158479559X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1498103412&sr=8-4&keywords=alton+brown
If you go through these four books, then you'll be pretty set in basic knowledge.
I like The Flavor Bible. It lists pretty much any ingredient you can think of and all the flavors that pair well with them.
I love it because if you know a few basic techniques and recipes, then you can greatly enrich your experience by knowing what flavors pair well. Like if you're making a rub for some ribs or whatever you're throwing on the grill but you want to change it up a little bit, you can get some great ideas that way and just try new and interesting flavor combinations. It will also tell you when there are combinations of like 3 or 4 flavors that work really well together.
And as you're trying new combinations, you start to get more of a taste for things. Like a made this rub for chicken thighs with brown sugar, cardamum, ginger, salt and pepper that was awesome. The chicken came out fantastic until I put the terrible barbecue sauce I made that I should have thought through more (I got cocky).
Anyway, because of The Flavor Bible, I made some basil and strawberry brownies because of this that turned out really well. Some orange, ginger, whiskey brownies that were pretty good. I made cayenne, lime, and paprika brownies that were mind-blowing. I made a blue berry tart with cardamum that was damn good. I like desserts... desserts and barbecue.
Flavor bible? https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316118400/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_807zCb1X2FBT1
There are just too many foods to have one big list. Something related to what you're looking for might be the flavor bible. It's matches hundreds of ingredients with other ingredients/flavors that go well with it. It's an amazing resource if you like inventing recipes. With it, you could get a lot of ingredients that are sure to go well together at least.
One of the best books on the subject:
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Well, I was going to type some stuff about learning to cook and then experimenting after that...but u/kaidomac did a far better job than I could have ever done.
So instead I'll just add the recommendation of my favorite book for flavor experimentation: The Flavor Bible
Happy cooking!
Flavor Bible
Trust yourself, your palate and your ideas. Learn techniques. Invest in this book, it's great for guidance: https://www.amazon.ca/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Buy this book... The Flavor Bible
How does it compare to The Flavor Bible?
If you're looking more for ideas on being creative when cooking, you might be interested in The Flavor Bible - which has been described as a cookbook without recipes. It is more about flavors that work well together, so you can work with what you have. Might be worth checking a local library (in keeping with the cheap part!)
You really should get The Flavor Bible. It's been a fantastic tool for me. I've owned it for a few years and still refer to it frequently. It would definitely be helpful to you in your search for unique flavor combinations.
Two books I recommend:
We usually source all of our hydrocolloids from Chef Rubber since our school gets a discount, since we order in bulk for a lot of the pastry specialty students. Fairly decently priced for first time experimenters. They don't get into very specific hydrocolloids (like the three different types of Carrageenan, or two types of Methylcellulose) but they give you enough to work with.
Willpowder is a good source to find some more specific hydrocolloids, and a few recipes. However, they don't supply some of the tools you'd need, as Chef Rubber does.
L'Epicerie is another source for the VERY specific needs in mind, at the highest quality, and price.
As for literature, Khymos is still our first stop to shop on knowledge. They do a very good job on this blog of finding, and sharing information from professionals using MG methods, as well as point you to printed literature on the subject. If anything, we like to take ideas from the blog, and then tinker with them to make something else using the same process they show.
One thing I can't stress enough in playing with MG, is know and understand flavour. Every single member of our club has a copy of the Flavor Bible and usually the second thing looked at after we get an idea bouncing around.
Women generally enjoy stuff that falls into any of the following categories:
So, obviously, chocolate dollars are the perfect gift. Wrap in a fancy box.
I've given it as a birthday gift to a friend and it was very well received. Also: the women at the party spent a while pouring the chocolates over one another on her bed. All in all, I would say it was a success.
You should follow the others' advice though -- take a look at our ideas, but do give some thought to what she enjoys and what would really be special.
I felt idiotic one season when it failed to occur to me to make her a bracelet. She wore a bunch from her friends from all over. Stupid, stupid wasted opportunity.
I made a mahogany puzzle box one Winter. It looked a little like this one. I put a hanayama puzzle in it. Does she like puzzles? They're delightful and expertly designed.
I started a bookmarks folder a while ago with ideas for presents so that I wouldn't have to scramble for ideas ever again. (I suggest this, too. What are the chances of stumbling across something unique in the short portion of the year you're on the lookout for presents? Foresight, my friend!)
Here are a bunch, hope something catches your eye!
Also, Mole
According to my Flavor bible Chocolate pairs with Boar, Chicken, Game Birds, Poultry and Turkey. Just saying.
I love Budget Bytes for her affordable, family-sized recipes. Most of her dishes are vegetarian because it's just cheaper than buying meat. Also, investing in a book like The Flavor Bible, Herbs and Spices, The Flavor Thesaurus, or Ratio can really help someone learning.
There are books about this such as https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400.
RemindMe! 3 days "Food pairings"
Not a sub, but I have a copy of this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Very useful book! :)
The flavor bible might be a good resource for you.
It gives nice flavor combinations and what works well together.
Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
My chef gave me this so I'd stop bugging him :)
I would recommend to anyone looking for food pairings to buy the book The Food Bible. It is a great reference that list an ingredient and then list all the other foods that go well with it. It even emphasizes certain pairings over others by either italic or bold font. I love it.
Being vegan doesn't have to mean cooking. There are plenty of ready made meals out there for your convenience. Vegan Burritos; Vegan pasta; vegan sandwiches; vegan soups. However, it is healthier to cook for yourself vegan and omni alike. Cooking for many people is very intimidating... It's a lot of fear of the unknown and fear of messing up.
For you boiling a hot dog, throwing on some mustard and ketchup...maybe some relish and onion. Is easy. A no brainer, even. And that's because you know how. You know those things taste good together and it takes 15 minutes or less to get it together.
But the truth is... so many other things take as much or less time as boiling and chopping.
Vegetables steamed or sauteed or boiled are as easy as making that hot dog. But you say, what sauce? What flavor? What vegetables go with which? And then you get overwhelmed. But that is simply an ability to understand flavor profiles. What goes well together and what makes something taste chinese or thai or italian.
Vegan recipes of your favorite omni dishes are a great addition to your meal plan. But you have a great advantage that you can steam some broccoli, chop up a salad or grill some eggplant...without having to get ornate about it.
BUT if you want to get ornate you can. Here is a book, that not only takes the guess work out of combinations but also helps you to look into the produce isle and see food. To open your fridge and see options.
You don't have to worry about recipes unless you want to. Although if you miss mac and cheese, then challenge yourself to expand your creativity... or just eat this
Assuming you already have the basics down, you might want to pick up something like The Flavor Bible. It’s not a cookbook, it’s a reference of “what goes with what.” I don’t cook with recipes most of the time, and I’ve found it helpful in expanding my stock of flavors and textures.
Start here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470421355/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518328836&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=cia+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=41rNtxGGDYL&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316118400/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518328931&sr=1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2972396462&pd_rd_wg=nq5yM&pf_rd_r=YWY3G2TH6PPKJDW69WQG&pf_rd_s=mobile-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=9701&pd_rd_i=0316118400&pd_rd_w=Ra06B&pf_rd_i=culinary+school+book&pd_rd_r=6d45f769-fe0f-4f25-870c-9833a3a902fb&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1579129110/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518329071&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=jacques+pepin&dpPl=1&dpID=51Ob6blpRqL&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0778802566/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518329157&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=knife+skills+illustrated&dpPl=1&dpID=513Oqyg2uPL&ref=plSrch
What's more nomalicious than Chocolate??? This is seriously the best dutch process cocoa powder known to mankind. No really! That much might last you until your next bulkish order...maybe. Being a carnivore, I use this to make an awesome rub for pork and poultry along with ancho chile, a bit of chipoltle chile for heat, and a dash of Mexican oregano. It is available in smaller amounts but costs more per pound then. And on to that most excellent of spices Cinnamon! Once again, this is the most nomalicious Cinnamon known to mankind. I make an unbelievable rhubarb coffee cake and amazing monkey bread with this stuff. It seriously takes any recipe with cinnamon to the next level. It can also be used to add heat to savory recipes. And for my last suggestion I give you Powdered White Cheddar!?!? Nomalicious on popcorn, for making sauces, adding to bread, and sprinkling on vegetables. It does look like recent reviews aren't as stellar as they could be but my experience with this stuff has been all good. Were I to win I'd appreciate The Flavor Bible from my wish list which I'd point you to in a PM ;)
Enjoy! =D
The Flavor Bible
If you're going to sing, might as well know the notes :)
Highly recommend it.
Buy The Flavor Bible and start making up some new recipes with ingredients you've never worked with before
Here is what I do/did for simple quick semi healthy meals : First buy a nonstick wok, for like $25 at target. Buy a cheap beef or pork roast the morning of your day off and cut it up into thin slices like you get at a chinese restaurant (chicken breasts a good too). Portion it out into about 1lb per ziplok bag and freeze. Buy some frozen stirfry veggies. Buy some teriyaki or other asian bottled sauce ( I am partial to House of Tsang).
When you get home heat the wok with just a little vegetable or sesame oil (careful with sesame because it has a low smoking point) pour in some of the frozen veg and cook til warm (about 4 minutes) drain excess water. add the meat that you thawed out in the fridge from the night before and just enough sauce to coat the ingredients. Turn the heat to high and cook til the meat is just cooked through (5 minutes or less. Eat what you want and take the leftovers to work for lunch tommorow.
you can do this with fresh veg but them you have to cut it all up yourself. Also there are lots of different veggie combos and sauce options.
A quick few essentials to always have on hand: Potatoes, fresh garlic, salt, pepper. a bag of yellow onions, soy sauce, sriracha if you like heat, 2 different small blocks of cheese, 2 boxes of pasta in what ever shape you like, just not the store brand which is almost always subpar, 2 jars of pasta sauce (you get what you pay for so no Prego or Ragu they are filled with sugar) and lastly, atleast for me, a couple of frozen pizzas.
these days I cook from scratch much of the time and the 2 cookbooks I would recommend are How to Cook Everything and The Flavor Bible. With these two books you can make a great meal with just about anything.
tl;dr: just read it I actually put some effort into helping.
oh, start with this it's a basic guide on what foods compliment other foods.
Some home chefs like the Flavor Bible
Get yourself this book https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
It's all about flavor profiles that work together. If you can learn which flavors work together, you can look in your fridge and immediately know what tastes you can create with whatever protein or vegetables you've got hanging around in your fridge
The Flavor Bible is an excellent resource for this. You look up an ingredient and it shows a general "scale" for commonly paired ingredients. There are no recipes, but if something piques your interest there's the whole Internet for that :)
I'd highly recommend buying him The Flavor Bible -I had it on my wishlist for a long time and finally bought it a few months ago. It's probably my favorite/most useful cooking book I've bought to date.
No recipes. The entire book is a compendium of different ingredients and their flavor compliments (sweet and savory!) Not sure what your dish is missing? Want to try a new flavor combo but not sure what to pair it with? Boom, Flavor Bible.
I've used it so many times. It's taken a lot of the stress out of experimenting in the kitchen and made it much more fun for me.
Just get The Flavor Bible.
If it's not in there, I just cant see the pairing work.
Since Ratio has already been mentioned, I will recommend The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Basically, they went around to a bunch of chefs and asked them what flavors work well together, write down a list of those flavors that chefs said went together, bolded flavor mixtures that many chefs told them, and give specific examples of flavors that chefs tell them about. It's great for experimenting with things as it can give you pretty good guidance, but does not have any recipes.
That's actually kind of useful, with it listing the ingredients under each link as "+cumin", "+cilantro", etc.
Another helpful resource for your bookshelf: The Flavor Bible, which is a directory of ingredients, each listed with recommended complimentary flavors.
Here's what you're looking for, a definitive guide
Great suggestion--don't forget to brine the bird! The Flavor Bible suggests cloves, black pepper, ginger, garlic, onions, cherries, and sage as accompanying flavors.
Was browsing for books on spices on Amazon. These two made my short list:
Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference
The Flavor Bible
Check out The Flavor Bible](http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400). Full of survey-based flavor combinations, as well as recipe ideas, season & volume info, flavor profiles. Top notch reference.
Not a direct answer to your question, but check out the Flavor Bible. It tells you what goes well with what. It is essentially a giant index. You look up an ingredient and it tells you what goes well with it.
I have found this culinary book incredibly helpful in figuring out what spices go well with what. I use it all the time.
These would be perfect for what you're seeking:
http://www.amazon.com/Ratio-Simple-Behind-Everyday-Cooking/dp/1416571728
and
http://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/
I have a number of cookbooks (99% of which were hand-me-downs from random family members) that I don't really use because I prefer the internet, but the two physical books I've gotten the most use out of are these:
How to Cook Everything
-Especially if you're just starting out this book is excellent. It doesn't list tons of complicated recipes sprinkled with cooking jargon. It holds your hand through the simplest versions of many, many recipes and then tells you why you're doing what youer' doing.
The Flavor Bible
-Because while it's better to have experience to be able to just know which flavors work well together, this is just easier. The book has some explanatory stuff in the front, but most of the book is basically a huge index of different ingredients and all of the other things that go well with them. Especially if you're a broke student, spices are going to be the big thing that keeps you from eating bland-ass ramen all of the time (though this book doesn't just cover spices).
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Sunny SoCal... For flavor profiles there's a great book called The Flavor Bible. Lots of great info...
I'd suggest buying them exotic dried peppers to experiment with. Get dried reapers from Puckerbutt, get 7-pots & ghost peppers & Trinidad Scorpions & scotch bonnets.
Having a variety of interesting peppers is the lifeblood of a sauce maker.
If you're feeling particularly generous you could get them a nice chef's knife.
Another suggestion is the flavor bible.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316118400/?tag=hydsma-20&hvadid=47800326651&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4334288007499392699&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=m&ref=pd_sl_6p6vy6pk8e_b
> based on what do you even start to mix stuff up
Well, a lot of times I'll make a recipe once, and then if I like it, I'll think about what I can do to alter it. This stuffing has dried cranberries in it... can I use dried cherries? This glaze calls for a 1/2 ounce of whisky... what would it be like if I used brandy? And if I added some ground cinnamon, how would that taste? That sort of thing.
Sometimes I'll do smaller test batches of things. Like if I want to try a new BBQ rub, I'll cut a rack of ribs in two and see which I like better. Or I'll make two smaller pots of the same stew, one altered and one from the recipe.
> how do you personally expand your ingredients that you cook with ?
Here's a very good place to start: http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
> Say you want to try out something new that adds alot of acidity into your food, how do you go on about this ?
Well, you try what seems like it makes sense. Say you want to add acid to a beef stew. Do you just put vinegar in there, or use red wine instead? How about red wine along with some diced tomato?
Check out this great book called The Flavor Bible. It's a reference book where you can look up an ingredient and it will tell you everything that matches well with it. It helped me a LOT when I was learning to cook.
I also recommend An Everlasting Meal: Cooking With Economy and Grace. This book taught me SO MANY techniques on cooking meat and vegetables, ways to stretch and re-use ingredients, and recipes. It's an incredible meditation on cooking, written by a famous chef named Tamar Adler (of Prune in NYC). My cooking-fu went up by 15%-20% just after reading that book.
https://www.amazon.ca/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Maybe you're looking for something like this?
Stopped by to say exactly this. Honestly, I just enjoy browsing the thing for things I hadn't thought about.
Here's a link to Amazon.
I could go for days on what coffee goes well with, but I will instead link this book that spells it out better than I can. Here you go, and it can be used outside of baking.
Flavors are rather more complicated than that, but the Flavor Bible will lay the combinations out for you.
First off, if you haven't heard of the flavor bible yet it sounds like something you would get a lot of value out of. Very useful when coming with a new meal/recipe as well as seeing what interesting combos out of whatever is left in the pantry and the book as a guide.
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
Second, I don't think what you have experienced is a problem at all. You've simply developed higher standards than our current society. This is not a bad thing. Societal standards in all areas need to be brought back up, IMO.
Oddly, enough it's my birthday today and instead of having my parents pay the bill at an expensive restaurant I decided I would rather stay in and cook a meal I really want to enjoy with my family.
If you are willing to make a bit of an investment, you can't beat The Flavor Bible.
My other favorite book for cooking is How to Cook Everything.
Between those two books I can pretty much figure out how to make any meal I want in any style that sounds good to me.
As far as food pairings look into a copy of the Flavor Bible. There’s also a similar book by them called What To Drink With What You Eat if you want to get into pairing basics as well.
As for plating, just look at nice cookbooks from restaurants and chefs, like The French Laundry,
Sean Brock,
Bluestem,
or basically any other example of food you want to produce. Follow the restaurants, go eat there if you can.
Also examine your platings from the perspective of the diner. Where is your eye drawn first? Is it the focal point or is your plating distracting from that?
All sorts of herbal stuff will work. Various mints, catnip, lemon balm, lavander, chamomile, rose, hibiscus are all great. You can also use (or make your own) syrup for added flavoring. A light maple syrup is my favorite.
I found The Flavour Bible to be a good resource for mixing blends of teas. I can pick an herb that interests me and look up other complimentary flavours to blend with it.
Sometimes I check out Supercook and throw a few ingredients at it to see what comes up, then maybe consult my Flavor Bible and kind of cobble something together. It usually turns out pretty good, or least something I'm interested in improving on, and it's always fun. Sadly, my culinary partner is on the other side of the continent. We share a lot of trial and errors over the phone and by email but it's not the same as cooking and eating together like you and your bff. That's an awesome thing to have with a friend.
You might also enjoy The Flavor Bible, which is essentially this, but book-sized and for everything.
You've probably seen or heard of all of these before, but these are my latest purchases, ready to be right at home in the new home bar I'm building...
Death & Co. - modern classic cocktails
The Dead Rabbit drinks manual
The Craft of the cocktail
The flavour bible
Imbibe!
Any opinion on this book? lot more reviews on amazon.
This looks interesting: The Flavor Bible.
The Flavor Bible
The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook (by America's Test Kitchen)
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
the flavor bible is more along the lines of cooking theory but between that and whats a cook to do, those are basically the only books i use.
flavor bible: http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bible-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400
whats a cook to do: http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Cook-Illustrated-Essential-Techniques-ebook/dp/B00FKHZWGA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394654988&sr=1-1&keywords=whats+a+cook+to+do
If you don't own this you need too. Its my favorite cooking book, though not a cookbook. My very best meals owe a lot to this tome. Plus, its just fun to read.
Thanks for the book tip, I'll check it out. I started with Alton Brown's recipe (since, well, he's Alton Brown), and most of my messing around from there has been in trying different flavors. I started with different liqueurs in place of the brandy, but I found that juice reductions gave me more flavor. Sometimes you want the subtlety a liqueur provides, and sometimes you want to highlight the flavor a little more against the chocolate - or you want to use a flavor that isn't available in a liqueur, like the red wine or a beer.
For a beer truffle, in addition to using a beer reduction I would also try adding a few other flavors to try to punch it up. For instance - and this is just an example, because I don't know how well chocolate would work with a beer this light - for Blue Moon I would definitely steep orange zest in the cream. Figure out what beer you want to use, taste it and describe it the way you might a wine, and try to highlight and exaggerate the big tastes.
I poked around Google a bit and there are a few candied ginger chocolate bars, so there's clearly a flavor synergy there. I also just checked the Flavor Bible and they indicate it's a solid match, so I think it's worth trying.
Google is your friend
The only way to find out what the rules are is to test them. So if you're really a rules kind of person, dive in there and figure out what they are. They aren't in a cookbook.
Or find some better books. There are those which exist to teach cooking intuition. Another great resource is The Flavor Bible. It tells you what flavors go with what, it's invaluable if you're just getting started with freewheeling your cooking.
The only comment this thread needs, except for this one with the link.
>It seems like I’ll never learn how to make complex flavor profiles from eating everyday basics. Do you know any good books?
Try The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
My bookshelf for cooking includes:
I am well beyond your average home cook but I hate dealing with the cleaning up, I'm not cooking for anyone but myself and dealing with getting groceries is just a pain & a combination of laziness on my part.