Michael Ruhlman's Blog, page 15

E-Twenty

One of the books I’m proudest of having written is Ruhlman’s Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, a Cook’s Manifesto. The publisher, Chronicle, is now promoting it by offering a great deal on the e-book, $3.99. I love the heft of the actual book, but frankly, if I’m looking for the seasoning for my fried chicken or the sauce for the Carolina BBQ, I open up my iPad and search the electronic version. The book came about when, having a cocktail with an editor, I said, “Bill, there are only twenty things you need to know to cook anything.” He pointed his finger at me and said, “That’s a book!” And so it was. The electronic version is available using the following links: Kindle Apple ibookstore Barnes & Noble Google Play Kobo Bookshout   If you liked Read On »

New Cookbook Ideas: The Results

  Last week, I asked readers what kind of cookbook they’d most like to see written. The responses were all great, but I wanted to write about what was the most requested kind of book. It’s important because it’s exactly what my Little, Brown editor talked about (I once forgot to capitalize the publisher’s name and was asked how I could be so racially insensitive). Talk we did over the above oysters at Jeffrey’s Grocery in the West Village. Please note the humongous and delicious Island Creek oysters, which I recently wrote about here. Suggestions here ranged from lunches to Southern cooking to Rustbelt cooking to spices. Two big topics were cooking for one or two people, which I like, especially when I’m in Manhattan in a tiny apartment. The other was interest in sous vide cooking in the Read On »

Duck Confit for One

I’m spending time in my studio apartment in NYC now and so have been cooking for one and thinking about the unusual nature of the task: single portions using as few pans as possible. I’ve posted recently on the importance of duck confit, and how it represents for me our ingenuity in terms of preserving food. But sometimes duck confit is just duck confit: a satisfying and delicious meal. And perfect for one in a tiny kitchen. Especially given that prepared duck confit is right around the corner at the most excellent Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in the Chelsea Market (I wrote about them last year). Happily, the wonderful company D’Artagnan makes duck confit and sells to many grocers and they also can ship directly to you. D’Artagnan is celebrating its 30th anniversary on Monday—congrats, Ariane! For this Read On »

The Next Cookbook?

I’m meeting with my editor from Little, Brown at the end of the week to run through ideas for the next cookbook (which I claimed I wouldn’t write … so sue me; perhaps it’s an illness). But I honestly don’t know what to explore. So I’m coming here for ideas. Of course, I always have teaching in mind when I write a cookbook, teaching myself, first and foremost. But I’d like to put the question out to home cooks and chefs alike. What book is most necessary, what cookbook doesn’t yet exist? Sous vide is ever on my mind, but I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. Also, there are now several good books out there on the subject from people who have more experience than I. Modernist Cuisine Made Easy, sous vide Read On »

The Real Reason for Duck Confit

                                              As fall nears, my thoughts turn to duck confit. I hope you’ll put this excellent and simple technique into your repertoire this fall. It’s a great way to have a delicious meal moments away all fall and into the winter if you make one big batch. It keeps for many months in the fridge. Here’s my method using olive oil, which works great. I love it so much that when Thomas Keller asked me to submit a piece for Finesse, his elegant magazine, on the theme of preservation, my mind went straight to duck confit. I’m reprinting it here in anticipation of fall cooking. It’s about a lot more than deliciousness. (And for Read On »

The Economy of a Loaf

    My friend Stephanie Stiavetti (@sstiavetti) writes The Culinary Life blog. Her first book is Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese.   By Stephanie Stiavetti It wasn’t all that long ago that homemade bread was a regular staple at the table. Two, perhaps three, generations have passed and pushed this skill into the history books. No more warm loaves on the table, or seductive smells piquing your senses. It’s a genuine loss. Bread was one of the first projects I took on myself as a girl, and though my grandmothers didn’t really make bread, I was able to pick up the process pretty quickly. At 10 years old I baked my first bread with only the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook to guide me, and by age 12 I had managed a pretty decent French bread that earned Read On »

The Economy of A Loaf

    My friend Stephanie Stiavetti (@sstiavetti) writes The Culinary Life blog. Her first book is Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese.   By Stephanie Stiavetti It wasn’t all that long ago that homemade bread was a regular staple at the table. Two, perhaps three, generations have passed and pushed this skill into the history books. No more warm loaves on the table, or seductive smells piquing your senses. It’s a genuine loss. Bread was one of the first projects I took on myself as a girl, and though my grandmothers didn’t really make bread, I was able to pick up the process pretty quickly. At 10 years old I baked my first bread with only the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook to guide me, and by age 12 I had managed a pretty decent French bread that earned Read On »

Cheesecake

  The best things in life happen when you say yes. I don’t know any great things that have happened because someone said no. And, of course, read the end of Ulysses if there’s any doubt about the ultimate nature of yes. The below is from my friend Claudia who will be opening Citizen Pie in Cleveland this fall along with her partner, Paulius of the Velvet Tango Room.—MR The Great Ricotta Cheesecake Experiment of August 2015 By Claudia Young One spring afternoon, four months ago, someone suggested, that we open a Neapolitan pizzeria. And of all the things that one might say in response to that—“We’ll have to think about that!” or “What an interesting concept, we’ll get back to you!” or “No”—we said “Yes.” Just like that. I wanted to make a culinary Read On »

Pimm’s Cup

When I first posted this, a year ago in May, I was dreaming of warm weather. Now it’s the end of August, summer winding down, so wanted to re-post this most excellent warm summer evening cocktail, during the season in which it should be enjoyed. —M.R.   It’s 45 goddam degrees as I write this—morning but it’s only supposed to go up 6 more degrees by midday, and I am so tired of this cold gloomy weather I’ve decided to offer one of the great warm-weather libations, the Pimm’s Cup. It was downright hot last week, and the lilacs and dogwood are in bloom, so I make today’s Friday cocktail a harbinger of the warm weather to come. And for those of you who live where’s it’s already hot. My first encounter with Pimm’s Cup Read On »

Deviled Eggs

  Reposting on Deviled Egg strategies (and how to make perfect hard-cooked eggs). At an event to promote my new book on the mighty egg, I did a demo of some simple egg dishes with my friend and Cleveland chef, Doug Katz. He had prepared deviled eggs ahead of time, and I was struck by his decision to cut the eggs through their equator rather than lengthwise. He then sliced off some of the white at the bottom so that the eggs rested flat in a large tray. What a brilliant idea! Why hadn’t I thought of this? My only problem with deviled eggs is that I love them so much; but, because they’re so big, I can eat only so many. Doug came up with a solution: Removing a chunk of the white means Read On »