A Colander, Cake Stand, and My Grandfather's Iron Skillet
by Erin Murray, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
In every cook's kitchen, there is a treasured tool: a workhorse utensil, go-to gadget, or a family heirloom with its own background story and the lofty standing of being a cook's most-prized possession. These beloved items say as much about the cook as their style of cooking. They tell stories about a cook's past and about the moments that led them to where they are today. For some, it might be a spoon inherited from a grandmother's silver set, which they use to taste every sauce. Or it could be a spaetzle maker picked up during a stage in Germany that's been used during every job since. Whether it's a colander, cake stand, or a grandfather's iron skillet, every chef has a piece in their arsenal that gives a glimpse into their cooking history, their philosophy, and their technique. In the enlightening kitchen compilation A Colander, Cake Stand, and My Grandfather's Iron Skillet, author Erin Byers Murray collects stories from 37 top chefs about their favorite kitchen utensil. The stories, told in the chef's own words, include the tale of how they came to acquire it, the details that it so essential, and insight into why-and when-they rely on it. Along with each story, the chef provides a recipe utilizing the particular tool or something similar, so that home cooks can try their hand at a professional chef's approach. Laid out with a minimalist's design and featuring fine-point illustrations of the tools as well as beautiful color photographs of each recipe, A Colander, Cake Stand, and My Grandfather's Iron Skillet reveals the personalities of some of America's best and hardest working chefs, while giving readers a keepsake of recipes to go along with an insider's guide to some of the most treasured and essential -- kitchen tools in the country.Featured in A Colander, Cake Stand, and My Grandfather's Iron Skillet are some of today's most respected chefs including, among others, Jody Adams, Chris Kimball, Anne Willan, Andrew Zimmern, Norman Van Aken, Linton Hopkins, Joanne Chang, Slade Rushing, Jeremy Sewall, Ken Oringer, Jonathan Benno, Rob Newton, Chris Shepherd, Steven Satterfield, Virginia Willis, Ford Fry, and Kevin Gillespie.
Hardcover
English
Brand New
Author Biography
A Nashville-based food writer, cookbook author, and magazine editor with a not-so-secret obsession with oysters, Erin Byers-Murray loves telling stories about farmers, cooks, kitchens, and local food communities. She is the author of Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm (2011) and the co-author, along with award winning Boston chef Jeremy Sewall, of of The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes (2014). Currently the co-editor of Nashville Lifestyles magazine, Byers-Murray was also one of the co-founders of Dirty Pages, a culinary storytelling project celebrating shared, passed-down food memories, launched in early 2015. Before moving to Nashville from Boston, she worked a writer and editor at Boston magazine and DailyCandy.com. In her spare time, she writes for various publications including Food & Wine, The Local Palate, Tasting Table, FoodNetwork.com, LuckyPeach.com, AOL Travel, and Wine & Spirits Magazine.She currently lives in Nashville with her husband and two children. J. Kenji López-Alt is the managing culinary director of SeriousEats.com, author of the James Beard Award-nominated column The Food Lab, and a columnist for Cooking Light. His work has appeared in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, Wired Magazine, and Men's Health. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Adriana and two dogs, Jamón and Shabu.
Table of Contents
8 Foreword by J. Kenji López-Alt10 Introduction14 Conical Steamer Andrew Zimmern20 An Old Colander Jeremy Sewall24 Knife Block Jonathan Benno29 Switchblade & Pocketknife Jonathon Sawyer34 Copper-Bottom Revere Ware Pots Sarah Schafer38 Baker's Spatula Kyle Mendenhall42 Chasseur Sauté Pan Robert Wiedmaier46 Cast Iron Pan and Silver Spoon Rob Newton50 Biscuit Cutter Tandy Wilson54 Copper Jam Pot Nicole Krasinski58 Boning Knife Chris Shepherd62 Antique Cleaver Steven Satterfield67 Metal Skewer Stuart Brioza72 Meme's Cast Iron Skillet Virginia Willis76 Universal Meat Grinder Norman Van Aken80 Balloon Whisk Dale Levitski84 Plating Spoon Zachary Espinosa88 Oyster Knife Steve McHugh92 Wood-Burning Indoor Grill Fry Ford96 Wooden Spoon Kevin Gillespie100 Rolling Pin Natalie Chanin104 Sharkskin Wasabi Grater Ken Oringer107 Grandfather's Skillet Linton Hopkins110 Mortar and Pestle Alon Shaya114 Coconut Bench Scraper Bruce Sherman118 Fluted Parisian Scoop Timothy Hollingsworth122 Mini Meat Fork Slade Rushing126 Hand-Crank Cheese Grater Michael Scelfo131 Wooden Spoon David Guas136 Microplane Sean Brasel140 Copper Bowl Anne Willan145 Cake Stand Rebekah Turshen151 Double Boiler Chris Kimball156 Tarte Tatin Pan Seth Raynor162 Collection of Wooden Spoons Margot McCormack166 Depression-Glass Juicer Jody Adams171 KitchenAid Stand Mixer Joanne Chang177 Index179 Recipe Index181 Contributors
Description for Sales People
The chefs: 12 of the 37 were nominated for 2016 James Beard Awards while a majority of the others are icons like Chris Kimball, Jody Adams, Anne Willan, Virginia Willis, and Norman Van Aiken.Features never-before shared backstories that reveal a history, philosophy, or character of each chef.Three dozen delicious recipes from today_s top chefs in one book.AudienceChefs and cooking Enthusiasts seeking recipe ideas from today_s top chefsKitchen enthusiasts who love cooking gadgets & equipment.Culinary and food enthusiasts who enjoy learning more backstories about chefs and their philosophy and techniques.
Introduction or Preface
I_m a kitchen gear junkie, but it_s the simple tools I grew with as a cook that I treasure most. The carbon steel knife I found at a New York flea market. The Japanese suribachi that I inherited from my mother. The olivewood spoon I bought while tasting wine and getting lost with my wife in Burgundy. Line cooks are not known for their emotional fragility, but I'll never forget that Saturday night shift where I heard a brief cry of despair followed by a low moan of anguish. The battle-scarred wooden spoonmy colleague had been using for nearly two decades, with its corners worn down to fit just so, its color faded by stains from a thousand sauces, its handle molded by time and use to fit his hand perfectly, had finally given in and snapped midstir inside a pot of risotto. Cooks are rightfully attached to their tools. They are more than a simple means to an end. They are the partners and secret puppet masters of the kitchen, subtly affecting every dish you cook, weighing in on every menu decision you make. Likewise, seeing the tools that people use to cook with and hearing their stories can give you invaluable insight into their thoughtprocess, clues as to what their food will taste like, perhaps even more so than peering into their fridge. Of course, this means that chef's food can never be exactly replicated. But that's OK: Making them with your hands and your tools makes them your food.
Details
