Current:
- Not much other than my list of non-fussy, dairy-free menu plans, and Epicurious in a pinch. I've been going back and learning some of the basics that I never had the patience for, like a proper roast chicken (brine = win), and really perfecting a good whole wheat hearth bread (see below).
- Cook's Illustrated in its various forms (America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country) has long been my main source for culinary instruction, and I am not ashamed to admit that their methodical ways wield a perhaps excessive influence over my cooking. I have their Restaurant Favorites for special occasions, a couple of Cooking for Two volumes for quick and easy meal planning, and have probably most used and loved their Best International Recipe and Best Make-Ahead Recipe. Somehow I only recently acquired Baking Illustrated, which is naturally a dream to flip through and bake from.
- Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Everyday. Somehow I haven't made half the recipes I immediately wanted to try when I got this book a few years ago, but the ones I have gotten around to making have all been made again, and again, and again. The ciabatta is pretty much our everyday bread in the winter, the focaccia with herb oil was our favorite last summer, and the phenomenally chewy and tasty bagels we enjoy year round. If ever I did one of those Julie & Julia-style blogging challenges, this would be the book.
