I am thinking of an Alton Brown Cookbook for a present. Any recommendations? nm

[sir pball]

20. Most modern books are just eye candy, for amateurs.

I've noticed a huge rise in "restaurant"/"coffee table" cookbooks the last few years, most of which are way too involved for home cooks, but quite nice to look at and an interesting peek into what goes into creating at that level, since half of the text of most of them is the chef bloviating about their background and inspirations. It can be quite interesting and a good read, but there's very little the average home cook is actually going to do with a book like that beyond read and drool.

We use them as a compendium of what the notables are doing, not to follow the recipes exactly but rather to look at flavor combinations or techniques, take a few interesting chords and riff on them so to speak. Example - the Manresa cookbook is selling well to rave reviews but all the only people I personally know who own it (me included) have business in the kitchen.

Funny thing, on seeing the subject line, before I even opened the thread, I thought "Harold McGee". Of course there's not much in the way of recipes or instruction in there, but I suppose that depends on what the recipient wants the book for. As far as AB books go I'd suggest either The Early Years Vols. 1 and 2 or Feasting on Asphalt.

Or The Fat Duck, sort of AB on crack. I don't know anybody who could cook anything therein, though.