Notes on Cooking – Review and Giveaway

Written by Diana - October 14, 2009 29 Comments

Notes on Cooking By Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich Notes on Cooking – A Short Guide to an Essential Craft by Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich is a great cool little book with lots of cooking tips, hints, guidelines and rules, but not a recipe book at all. The book is small looking, but packed with pages and pages of sensible rules, some you may know and others might not occur to you.

My favorite rule is one that never occurred to anyone in my family growing up, but you hear over and over on food network and other cooking shows. 

Let Meat Rest-After any meat is cooked, allow it to come to rest for at least ten minutes so that the internal juices redistribute evenly before carving. If carved immediately from the oven, all the concentrated juices run from the meat, making what could have been very juicy meat, dry and tough.

Here’s a rule my daughter has trouble with because she never leaves enough time:

Never Frost A Cake Before It Has Cooled Completely -  Frosting added to a hot cake melts or separates.  Cool a cake on a rack after it has been removed from the pan. Let air circulate on all its sides for at least an hour, then frost it. An exception: frost a warm – not hot- cake to achieve a glaze-like effect.

There are guidelines for meat, dairy, recipes in general, poultry, produce and even repairing food.  He says don’t mess with the recipe… until you can do it right, then experiment with it.  There are 217 notes to help you become a better cook.  The book also features a recommended equipment list, an annotated reading list, suggestions for food pairings, and more.

My suggestion – I need a couple more books – one for my daughter and one for my son when they move out into their own kitchens. Because of it’s small size, this book would make a great stocking stuffer for someone in your family soon to venture out into their own kitchen.  College students or anyone moving into their first apartment and even people who have quite a bit of experience with cooking could use this book. This would also make a great hostess gift, or housewarming gift. Remember – no pictures, no recipes, just notes.

 

The Giveaway:

We’re giving away a copy of Notes on Cooking – A Short Guide to an Essential Craft by Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich.

  • US residents
  • Contest ends October 16, 2009 Midnight, EST.
  • One comment per person
  • In the comment, tell us one rule you would like to share with us that you follow with your cooking.  Try not to repeat another person’s rule if you can.

One extra entry (only one)

for tweeting – leave a comment with the link.

*Disclosure – I was given the book Notes on Cooking – A Short Guide to an Essential Craft by Lauren Braun Costello and Russell Reich to review.  No monetary payment was given.  This review is my honest opinion and no warranty is implied or given.

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Read the Comments

29 Outstanding Responses to "Notes on Cooking – Review and Giveaway"

  • http://cookerati.com Diana

    I’ll take the first comment. Put oil into a hot pan to keep food from sticking. I do this with my eggs. I don’t have a nonstick pan, but when I heat the pan and then put the oil in, the eggs don’t stick.

  • Carol Lawrence

    If I’m putting anything with a tomato sauce into my plastic ware,I spray the container with a cooking spray first. Makes clean-up easier.

  • Erma H

    I try to keep it simple.

  • Tammy

    I use Olive Oil insteed of vegatable oil

  • Angela J

    First and foremost, it has to be something we all like, then, easy to prepare, I’ve spend too many years in the kitchen to enjoy cooking dishes that take forever to prepare and cook.

  • ky2here

    I never select a recipe because I want to impress people – I select the dish I believe they will enjoy.

  • Alicia Webster

    Don’t be afraid to fail in the kitchen. I was a horrible cook for years because I was afraid to make mistakes. But I realized that every time a dish flopped I learned something, and the next time it was better.

  • Alicia Webster
  • Nycole K

    I guess my tip would have to be “be patient”. I’m trying to abide by this rule but it’s hard. I do not have the patience to cook bacon, so I turn the heat up to high and it burns (now I just nuke it), also be patient cooking chicekn in a skillet, it will left easily when the natural sugars have carmelized.

    My other tip, if a restaurant can make it, so can you! Buffalo chicken tenders, sliders, loaded mashed potatoes…

  • Ed Nemmers

    The crockpot is your friend!

  • sunny

    Salt is a embellishment, not always an essential ingredient.

  • Leslie Price

    If you oversalt something, toss a peeled potato into it while cooking to absorb the extra salt.

  • christopher h

    use fresh ingredients

  • Melanie

    With recipes, I usually go through and prepare everything I need to before hand, like chopping carrots, or something like that, that way when I go to cook, Im not rushed for time.

  • Susan C

    The first time you make a recipe follow the instructions exactly. Don’t subsitute any of the ingredients. After you have made it once and see how it goes together and tastes, then you can start changing it up to put your own touch on it if you find you really like it.

  • Tari Lawson

    Don’t cook meat directly from the fridge. Allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes before cooking, this helps to ensure that the meat will not be tough.

  • Deborah R

    When making pie crust, let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

  • Jennifer B.

    Pre-measure your ingredients before starting a recipe. Then you can just add them as you progess through the steps. You’ll feel like a Food Network star, save time, and prevent some mistakes.

  • Jennifer B.
  • Mya Brooks

    I also take out all the ingredients and pre-measure first and foremost. Makes life So much easier!

  • Sarah C

    I’ve learned to trust my instincts. If I think something might make a good addition to the ingredients, why not try it? There’s always PBJ for back-up, and I’ve come upon some good versions of recipes this way!

  • http://www.POWERSWEEPSTAKING.com/SweepstakesAnswers Ron Miller

    too many cooks in the kitchen is NOT a good thing, the reason I stay out and leave it to the wife!

  • http://www.POWERSWEEPSTAKING.com Ron Miller
  • Jason

    I try to keep the salt usage to a minimum. That is my big rule

    jason(at)allworldautomotive(dot)com

  • vanessa hubbard

    Use white pepper instead of black to add a little heat without giving away your secret ingredient.

  • Veronica Gaarrett

    The recipe has to be done in thirty minutes.

  • Sand

    Hard boil older eggs rather than newer eggs as it makes them easier to peel.

  • http://thriftyjinxy.blogspot.com/ Chrysa

    My rule is to never follow a recipe EXACTLY – add your own creative touch.

  • Gianna

    Thaw your meats in cold water.