Linda Carucci

I checked out this book from the library and knew right away; it was something I had to own. So I purchased the ebook version.
I have been cooking for many years and have read many cookery books, but this is the first one that spells out everything in detail. Who knew about salting meat and reverse osmosis. Not this reader. Coupled with the explanations and tips are the recipes themselves. All of them noteworthy.
This is a grand book, written by a lovely writer, whose knowledge and personality shines through her words.
I know I am a better-informed cook after diving into Cooking School Secrets.… (meer)

Back to school
Linda Carucci, winner of a prestigious Cooking Teacher of the Year award, has put her classroom knowledge between the covers of "Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks" (Chronicle, $23). She opens with general tips on equipment and technique, but those impatient to skip to the recipes will find tips sprinkled throughout those margins too.


Her rock-simple garlicky chicken breasts are now the preferred quick chicken fix in my household. If I remember in the morning to toss frozen breasts into a Ziploc with Carucci's simple marinade together before heading to work, I'm guaranteed tender, flavorful meat that can be served in a multitude of ways when I return home.

Carucci notes that she grew up eating hearty Italian food and just assumed everyone else did the same. Raised myself on an Italian aunt's long-simmered spaghetti sauce, I was skeptical of Carucci's rigatoni with sausage and mushroom ragu recipe, in which the sauce was much quicker. Surprise, surprise, it was a divine delight, and none the worse for its speedy prep time. And I know I'll be making the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth savory corn pudding again.

When I made some recipes, I found myself skipping Carucci's "recipe secrets," the tips listed in the margins. But when I tried a dessert, grilled peach sundaes with caramel sauce, I found each of the offered tips to be useful ones, kind of like getting a recipe from your mom over the phone and having her add in tips learned from a lifetime of cooking. —G.F.C.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8574948/page/2/… (meer)