Book: Let there be meat (BBQ)

This one is much more of a straight forward BBQ book - low-n-slow BBQ, where meat is smoked over a low heat for hours (upwards of 5, often 12+ hours).

I have mentioned elsewhere about the more fancy BBQ books, or the more story-telling BBQ books, but this one is a lot more straight forward - it starts with recipes about rubs, then meats (and the usual meats you'd expect - pulled pork, varieties of ribs, brisket, burgers etc), before going into normal sections for sides, drinks, deserts etc. It's an accessible read - and unlike the more fancy BBQ books,  it has lots of recipes that you might turn to if you were having friends and family over. It does have the same issue (I'm reluctant to call it an issue - its more of a feature of the BBQ book genre - besides any specific rub recipe, its just one person's - or group of people - opinion on what works for them with regards timing and temperature.

Their brisket recipe, for example, is quite a bit more detailed than the Pitt Cue recipe of cook it until its about 86 degrees internal temperature and has a sexy wobble - they recommend coffee + olive oil with the rub, and have directions how to apply the rub, as well as recommending wrapping the meat after a few hours - but ultimately, cooking slowly is a lot more forgiving, so you can do what you like - if you want to wrap it, then go ahead, and honestly, the window to wrap it is pretty big (hours) so you don't need to worry about exact timings - basically try cooking a few times, if you find something that works, stick with it! That said, their burnt beetroots are something that I have since tried (and can recommend) - again not following the recipe as much as having never really thought about sticking beets straight into the coals, I did that, and it worked well!

It is another aesthetically pleasing book - the pictures are all really appetising and a good balance between rustic/dirty and delicious!

Overall, it's a fun BBQ book, thats good to read and a good coffee table book, that non BBQ fanatics can happily pick up and browse.

Book: Hamburger Gourmet

Ok, so I have to be honest, this one is kinda half in here based on aesthetics. Its another lovely looking book, with great images. Its entirely about burgers, and is from the chefs from a Parisien burger joint called Blend, and is what it sounds - a recipe book of burgers.

As has become trendy over the last decade or so, it features a range of more adventurous burgers, with different meats, avocados, etc. It dedicates a couple pages to equipment, to the different components (cheese, buns, sauces) but the bulk is just the burger recipes. I have read it, several times, although honestly not followed any of the recipes (I'm more of a smashed beef, salt, pepper kinda burger guy), but its fun to read none the less (and I have kept it).

It's hard to really see that it offers much more beyond what you'd find on the internet, but if you know someone who is really into their burgers (making their own beef blends at home, which honestly, I have been more than a bit tempted to do) then this would be a nice gift.

Book: Pitt Cue co

This is it.

This is the book that is responsible for me dropping hundreds of pounds on a Weber Smokey Mountain.

Again, its a BBQ book, again, in the sense of low-n-slow, smoked food BBQ (not hot-n-fast we are more used to in the UK). Its from a popular London restaurant Pitt Cue that serves, low-n-slow BBQ food.  And again, its not really one I have followed recipes for, then the bulk of the recipe is cook it for 8+ hours, its not really something you necessarily follow. I mean, I don't really think any BBQ books are really step-by-step guides. They are good to read, and understand the steps people take in cooking things, and they are useful to get an idea for the range of temperatures and times that people usually use (temperature guidance can vary up to 150 degrees fahrenheit variance, and cooking times can vary by hours between acclaimed, often competition winning, chefs), but experience is king - and I think any given recipe may work or fail disastrously depending on a whole host of factors, not least of all: the piece of meat that you have, your individual BBQ & setup, the ambient temperature outdoors. So really, they are good to read, but practice and repetition are the only ways it seems to get good BBQ. For example, their brisket recipe above simply says to cook the brisket at 115 degrees, until an internal temperature of 86-88 degrees, and when its ready if you prod it, it should have a "somewhat sexy wobble" - and thats basically the recipe.

However, as I said, this is the one that converted me. I first bought the book when the hardcover suddenly appeared on Amazon for £10 (I don't know how I came across it, but it seemed like a good price, so went for it). All the recipes are either pretty complicated (several recipes rely on the product of other recipes in the book - there mac'n'cheese recipe sounds amazing, but includes smoked pork offcuts and their bacon rub) or are long cooks, and me, not having a smoker had to sit there dreaming, and working out how I could get around the need.

Its a good book to skim, for inspiration and to get in the mood for BBQing, although I haven't directly attempted the BBQ recipes* it did send me towards beef short ribs (which at the time, weren't as trendy as they are now - you can get mac'n'cheese with beef short rib in high street sandwich chain Pret these days!). Given their restaurant is owned by proper restauranteur-chef types, it might be no surprise that this leans more into fancy-experimental dining, rather than just meat (lots of BBQ books are just variations on pieces of meat) - featuring recipes like fennel cured scratchings, or pulled duck and caviar buns - they sound (and look) very tasty, but not the kind of recipe you are likely going to be reaching for if you are planning a large family/friends BBQ gathering.

*Whilst I haven't tried the BBQ recipes, or at least following to any real detail, the first 60 pages or so are dedicated to cocktail recipes, which I have tried a couple of, which are also great - both reading for inspiration (if you have the ingredients, or are a regular cocktail maker) and trying. My favourites were their Cherry cola, Hard lemonade and their Trash cocktail, which are also (relatively) easy to try at home.

Book: The Foodlab

By some way, my favourite food-science author, chef and general internet personality, Kenji Lopez-Alt, has written what is going to be the first in a series (of at least two, lets hope more!) books The Foodlab (his online moniker writing as himself and on the popular SeriousEats site).

The introduction, although it goes much further, and longer, than a regular introduction, covers a range of topics - heat exchange in cooking, the importance of saucepan material, the importance of experimentation and control - the list goes on, and its a fascinating read. As a nerd/foodie/hobbyist cook this book is one of my favourites to read, you can pick it up and flick to pretty much anywhere and you will find an engrossing long-form discussion on some dish or technique.

It's not all theory, of course, but what makes the book great, is before each recipe, or category of recipes, Kenji breaks down the components, why they are important and how he ended up on the recipe. Take his chilli-con-carne recipe, for example - preceding that, there are several pages of detailed discussion of the why and the how of the recipe, along with explanation as to his journey to get there (how long should you soak the beans? can you use any variety of chillis? what mean should you use? how can I make it more meaty?). That is just one example - but nothing is left un-answered, is there a quicker way to cook risotto? (do I need to keep stirring it? can I add all the liquid up front rather than bit-by-bit), when should I salt the meat for my burgers?

The reason this is all so useful, is not just that it makes for an interesting read whilst lounging on a Sunday morning, but in understanding the building blocks, which parts are important and which parts aren't, where you can make substitutions, then it helps you understand your cooking, other meals you might make or other recipes you might come to interpret. You may find yourself reading other recipes and thinking I don't have that ingredient, but it doesn't batter because I can change it for X, or I don't really need to do that part.

Even if you don't get the book, following him online (his writing on SeriousEats, twitter, instagram, his youtube videos) you will become a better home cook.

Book: Ruhlman's Twenty

Probably my second favourite of my food-books, at least those to just pick up and read.

Let's get this out the way first of all, its a beautiful book. The typography, the colours, the blocks (its almost like it anticipated the flat-design trend that we have seen the last few years). Visually, all the little touches are a delight.

But that's not the only reason I enjoy it. It's another book that nicely combines readable and accessible food science theory along side recipes (like The Foodlab). The book is broken down into 20 different techniques (maybe thats a bit of a stretch - its broken down into techniques and large/core ingredient groups) - covering water, salt, onions, acid, butter etc - a bit like an extended run on Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (the book, more recently made famous through its Netflix series - it covers these, in specific forms, but also covers other core areas).

Each section starts with an overview of the area, and ends with a handful of recipes. Easily readable and just simple things will stay with you and improve your cooking (the stage at which you salt & his tomato experiment - the implications of over-bubbling/spilling a liquid when you are supposed to be reducing it etc)

Book: Modernist Cuisine at Home

I love cooking. I try to do it whenever I get the chance (which, between kids and work, is mostly just the weekends).

I'm also a programmer, so I like logic, science and generally understanding what is happening under the hood, and that applies to food - If you know what is going on when you cook, then you can change things without ruining your food!

And thankfully, over the years this concept, that of food-science for hobby-ist nerds, has become quite a big thing. And that's what this book is all about - food science. There is a bigger set of books, but at approaching £400 I consider the price prohibitive.  This one can still set you back around £80, but its a decent size and if you are interested in science its worth a look (although, honestly, the Foodlab book probably takes my number one spot, if you were looking to buy just one book).