What's for Dinner?

Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s for dinner?” And you are the designated cook? Often the biggest challenge of cooking is figuring out what to make. You may have your standard repertoire of dishes – I know I do. But some times, you are tired of the standard. I know some times, I am. You want some thing new. But what?

Having at least a few good cookbooks makes getting a satisfying meal on the table much easier. But how do you choose a good cookbook? Should you buy cookbooks from celebrity chefs? Cookbooks from culinary magazines? Cookbooks from unknowns? Cookbooks with the nicest covers?

Here are some of my favorite cookbooks, with a brief explanation of why I like them.

The New Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, © 1997 by Simon & Schuster, Inc. This is by far my favorite edition of The Joy of Cooking, even though for some Joy purists it is their least favorite. This mammoth tome, more than 1,000 pages, includes recipes for many of the classics that you know and love, and other classics that you just might get to know and love. Some of my favorite recipes are Tuscan Bread and Tomato Soup (p. 98), Spatzle – a German egg dumpling that’s heavenly (p. 322), Baked Stuffed Zucchini (p. 421), Arroz con Pollo (p. 599) and Sauteed Pork Chops – that turned my father-in-law from a pork chop hater to a pork chop lover (p. 698).

The New Best Recipe from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated, © 2004 from America’s Test Kitchen. This is another huge book of more than 1,000 pages. The editors did a lot of testing to come up with what they believe to be the best way to prepare many different kinds of food. The descriptions of the testing process are at times interesting, at times tedious and always thorough. My absolute favorite recipe from Best is Braised Brussels Sprouts – who knew they could be this good and this easy to prepare? (p. 145)

Two from Ina Garten – The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, © 1999 by Clarkson Potter and Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics © by Clarkson Potter. Both of these cookbooks are gorgeous, filled with beautiful photographs, helpful tips and easy-to-follow recipes for delicious food.

And two new favorites for me:

Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Mattichio Bastianich, © 2001, Alfred A. Knopf. We have been to one of her New York restaurants two different times, to celebrate my 40th birthday and also for our 10th anniversary, and both times the meal was worth the entire trip to New York. I have loved her cooking show on PBS for years. But I’ve been intimidated. Many of the recipes she prepares on her show are so complex that I have stayed away from her cookbooks. But this one is different. This is filled with dozens of recipes I want to try. The two we have already tried have been marvelous.

Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families – Even Yours by Art Smith, © 2004 Hyperion. Art Smith not only includes some great recipes, but some very helpful advice to help you get organized and eat right.