Seasoned just right

A new batch of cookbooks simmers for fall consumption

Bookcover of The Science of Good Cooking
Bookcover of The Science of Good Cooking

— Fall is a time of apples, blazing leaves, cool nights and cookbooks. Lots of cook

books. No fewer than 100 cookbooks

have arrived for review in recent

weeks. Unfortunately, we don’t have space to review them all. Whether you’re making your own wish list or looking for ideas to fulfill someone else’s, there’s a book for almost every kind of cook. Here areome of our favorite ecent and forthcoming eleases (and a shameess plug for our own book).

FOR LOCALS

Idea Alley: 50 Years of Recipes From the Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Gazette and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, compiled and dited by Kelly Brant (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, $19.95)

This spiralbound cookbo includes mo than 200 recipefrom readers, editors and riters spanning half a century. Ma the recipes are accompanied by olor photographs. For more infor on or to buy the book, visit arkanasonline.com/books or call (501) 99-3616.

FOR SERIOUS COOKS

Or the person who likes to about serious cooking:

The Essential James Beard Cookbook: 450 Recipes That Shaped the Tradition of American Cooking by James Beard, edited by Rick Rodgers with John Ferrone (St. Martin, $35) Before the Food Network and today’s “celebrichefs,” there were two authorities when it came to American cooke James and Julia.

The 380-page hardcover book covers the basics, plus some chapters dedicated to appetizers, soups, pastas, fish, meat, beans and grains, breads and desserts.

The book does not contain photographs, but Beard’s straightforward recipes are easy to follow and visualize. The book is written in Beard’s voice with editor’s notes about Beard.

Cook’s Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, $40)

If it isn’t enough just knowing a recipe is good but you need to know why it’s good, then you’ll love this book. The editors of Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen (namely science editor Guy Crosby) make food chemistry acible and appethe test kitchen to explain the science and in the process, make cooking less intimidating.

Modern Sauces: More Than 150 Recipes for Every Cook, Every Day by Martha Holmberg (Chronicle, $35)

Mastering sauces can be a daunting task for many cooks and with entire aisle after aisle at the grocery store offering just about every sauce imaginable, many cooks may think they needn’t bother. Holmberg begs to differ. “[Sauce making is] often seen as too tricky, too time-consuming, or not relevant to everyday ut none of thatis true,” Holmberg writes in the introduction to Modern Sauces. From vinaigrette to caramel, Holmberg makes from-scratch sauces look easy. And it turns out, with a little practice, they are. The 256-page book also includes plenty of recipes for showcasing your newfound skills.

Thomas Keller Bouchon Bakery by Sebastien Rouxel (Artisan, $50)

Part work of art, part cookbook, this tome will be equally at home on the kitchen counter dusted with flour and sugar or on the coffee table. The hefty (nearly 400 pages) hardcover includes recipes, photographs and tipson techniques for a variety of baked goods including cookies, cakes, crusty breads, tarts, muffins, madeleines, croissants, doughnuts and confections.

The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion 10th Anniversary Edition (Country Man, $24.95, softcover)

FOR EVERYDAY COOKS

Epicurious Cookbook, More Than 250 of Our Best-Loved Four-Fork Recipes for Weeknights, Weekends and Special Occasions by Tanya Steel and the editors of www.epicurious.com

It may not have the “foodie” appeal of some of the other fall releases, but this book by the editors of epicurious.com was at the top of our most anticipated release list. The website (and mobile app) is our go-to source when we want to find a reliable recipe quickly, for dinner that night or a special occasion. The softcover book is divided by season and includes everything we love about the website - color photographs, preparation tips, background information and reader comments/reviews.

Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Southern Cooking (Oxmoor, $29.95) The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman (Knopf, $35)

Canal House Cooks Every Day by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer (Andrews McMeel, $45)

The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook, Every Recipe, Every Ingredient Testing, Every Equipment Rating From All Five Seasons (America’s Test Kitchen, $26.95)

The Sunset Essential Western Cookbook Best-Loved Classics and Fresh New Favorites from the editors of Sunset magazine (Oxmoor, $24.95)

FOR BUSY COOKS

The Picky Palate Cookbook 133 Recipes for Even YourPickiest Eaters by Jenny Flake (Wiley, $24.99)

Southern Living Big Book of Slow Cooking: 200 Fresh, Wholesome Recipes, Ready and Waiting (Oxmoor, $22.95)

Southern Living Fix It and Freeze It/Heat It and Eat It: A Quick-Cook Guide to Over 200 Make-Ahead Dishes (Oxmoor, $19.95)

200 Best Canned Fish and Seafood Recipes for Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp, Crab, Clams, Oysters, Lobster and More by Susan Sampson (Robert Rose, $24.95)

FOR COOKS WITH EXOTIC TASTES

Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan (10 Speed, $35)

The Food of Latin America: Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel E. Presilla (Norton, $45)

Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Andres McMeel, $35)

FOR PRESERVATIONISTS

America’s Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook (America’s Test Kitchen, $26.95)

This isn’t your grandmother’s do-it-yourself book. This book is for foodies with “100+ Foolproof Kitchen Projects for the Adventurous Home Cook” including tonic water, duck confit, mortadella, orange slice candy and corn chips, in addition to the expected jams, jellies and marmalades.

Salt Sugar Smoke: How to Preserve Fruit, Vegetables, Meat and Fish by Diana Henry (Mitchell Beazley, $29.99)

Marmalade: Sweet and Savory Spreads for a Sophisticated Taste by Elizabeth Field (Running Press, $18)

FOR HUNTSMEN

Or hungry men, or those cooking for hungry men:

Open Range Steaks, Chops and More From Big Sky Country by Jay Bentley and Patrick Dillon (Running Press, $32.50)

Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan, $18.95, paperback)

FOR THE E.L. JAMES FAN

Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook - 50 Chicken Recipes Bound to Be Delicious by F.L. Fowler (Clarkson Potter, $19.99)

At first glance, we were tempted to dismiss this cheeky book as a cheap attempt cashing in on someone else’s success. Then we read the recipes.

The book may be presented as a parody, complete with suggestive photographs of chickens being rubbed and trussed by a rippled, barechested Adonis, but a closer reading revealed the recipes are solid.

Food, Pages 39 on 11/07/2012

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