Cooking is a skill everyone should have in some form or another; it's an essential part of the basket of things a person should know so that they don't die, or in this modern age of processed and prepared foods, not get cancer or diabetes. Seriously, don't eat fast food more than once a month at most, preferably once a year if you must, and if you are serious just don't bother.
Post #1 also has a reading list to go with it. These are my go-to books at the moment:
- The Boston Cooking School Cookbook, aka, Fanny Farmer - I have a paper reprint of the original edition from 1896. This is the essential American cook book: its basically about feeding hungry working people and families. As one would expect given its provenance as a cook book, there is an entire chapter on potatoes.
- Larousse Gastronomique - If you have never heard of this book, think of it as 'The Gastronomicon'. It is a one volume encyclopedia of cuisine, from a decidedly French, haute perspective. I believe the original French work was published in the '30s; I happened upon a copy of the very first English edition from the '60s. If you want to get at the heart of French cooking from a scholarly point of view, this thing is a great resource. There are recipes, history lessons, technique, cooking heroes (Carême should be someone you know about), and write ups on a huge breadth of ingredients. There are also aspics if you want to dive off the deep end into "WHY?"
- Cooking for Geeks - My most recent acquisition and by far the most useful handbook to have in your kitchen; thanks sis'. It is published by O'Reilly, the same people who make the iconic programming books that are animal themed, and it is targeted at people who want something more than recipes. This book lays out the basics of the chemistry and physics of making organic matter into delicious food; it tells you how food works, not just how to make it.
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