The Flaming Chef | Essential cookbooks for the college student

Craig Libman Columnist

With over a hundred different volumes on my shelves at home, you might say I’m something of a cookbook fanatic. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved pouring through pages of recipes detailing how to make everything from chocolate chip cookies to crown roast of lamb. I can’t resist fantasizing about the splendid array of good eating portrayed in the glossy photographs and descriptions of a cookbook. While I have not attempted the majority of recipes in the cookbooks I own, there is a certain comfort that comes from being well equipped with a large arsenal of culinary advice.

With so many cookbooks in my possession, I find it difficult to choose which ones I should take to Vassar. In writing a food column, for example, there are certain references that I like to keep on hand to help inform my articles. At the same time, there are books that I find essential for the few times in which I get to prepare meals for my friends. Finally, there are food books which offer comfort for those times when I can only dream of home-cooked meals. Simply put, some cookbooks and food writings are essential to my experience at Vassar.

In thinking about the cookbooks I’m most attached to, I started composing a culinary reading list for the students at Vassar (especially those in TAs, THs, or SoCo) or those about to set up home in the real world. While my list is by no means all-inclusive (in fact, many of my favorites are left out), here are my essential food books that I would recommend to the college student:

How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman (Wiley Publishing, 1998)
While this great yellow tomb will not literally teach you how to cook everything, it covers all the basic techniques and then some. This cookbook is ideal for those new to the kitchen, as it is written in a concise, non-pretentious style that is at once welcoming to those with no cooking experience (it’s first line reads, “Anyone can cook”). Yet, this volume is also a great compendium of deliciously simple recipes and clear-cut techniques that will enhance anyone’s cooking technique. Bittman, a food columnist for The New York Times, is a great cook and his recipes are full of style and taste. Covering everything from appetizers to desserts, this cookbook is a modern classic that is a must for anyone who loves to cook.

The Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker (Scribner, 1985)
Although How to Cook Everything may be my new favorite all-purpose cookbook, it could never replace my love for The Joy of Cooking, the first “real” cookbook I ever owned. For generations, this large collection (almost one thousand pages long) has served as America’s main guide in the kitchen. Certain recipes are a bit out of date; however, the multitude of recipes and culinary advice is timeless. Try to avoid the “revised” edition by grandson Ethan, as it pales in comparison to the older edition.

The Silver Palate Cookbook, Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins (Workman, 1982)
If the recipes in The Silver Palate sound familiar, it’s probably because this popular cookbook is the source of many favorite home cooked dinners from the ’80s onward. Few cookbooks have had as strong an impact on the way we cook and eat today. Growing up, much of my mother’s repertoire came from this book, which probably explains my attachment to it. Presented in a homey, comforting format, this cookbook brings home into any college dorm room.

Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone, Deborah Madison (Broadway Books, 1997)
Every TA, TH, or SoCo with a vegetarian living in it should own this book! In fact, even if you’re a carnivore, this outstanding work by Deborah Madison offers the most inventive and scrumptious vegetable dishes I have ever seen. While all of Madison’s cookbooks are full of tempting recipes, I especially like the wide scope provided by this large work that really brings vegetarian cooking to everyone. Even my good friend who hates vegetables would probably like the dishes presented in this book.

These are all the cookbook recommendations I have room for this week. Yet there are dozens of other cookbooks that also hold a special place on my shelf. Want to learn more cookbooks or tell me about a favorite of yours? E-mail me at crlibman@vassar.edu.