Has anyone read Mark Ruhlman's Ratios?

[pscot]

And do you find it helpful around the kitchen? I'm thinking about getting the book, but I'm not sure how useful it might be.

[rdharma]

1. Do you have a library card?

I've heard of it..... but have never read it. The full title is " Ratio : the simple codes behind the craft of everyday cooking" by Michael Ruhlman.

I heard about it on "The Splendid Table" cooking show (Linda Rosetta Kasper).

http://www.splendidtable.org/bio/michael-ruhlman

[pscot]

2. Doh!

The library has it. Thank you very much. I suffer from occasional brainlock.

[TxDemChem]

5. That's what I remember: hearing parts on my NPR podcast

We've been making marinades and dressings at home since then.

[Major Nikon]

3. Professional chefs work in ratios for most things

The reason is because their quantities may vary greatly. For the home cook this is often not the case because most of us are cooking for the same number of people most of the time. I don't have this book, but I'd think it would be handy if you want to design your own recipes and even more handy if you are cooking for a varying number of people.

Knowing ratios is great. The other side of that coin is knowing basic techniques, methods, and cooking principles. Here's a couple of books I can recommend if you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of cooking, rather than just following recipes. These books also will dispel many cooking myths and explain why in great detail as well as giving you lots of good sound cooking principles and methods. I'm sure most libraries should have these or can order them for you as they are quite popular. The first one has been around for a while and is my all time favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/On-Food-Cooking-Science-Kitchen/dp/0684800012

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

[pscot]

4. I may take a look at those

I like to know why I'm doing something as opposed to blindly following a recipe or some rule of thumb.