The Perfect Scoop - Revised

Six Seasons

A New Way with Vegetables

by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Joshua McFadden, chef and owner of renowned trattoria Ava Gene’s in Portland, Oregon, is a vegetable whisperer. After years racking up culinary cred at New York City restaurants like Lupa, Momofuku, and Blue Hill, he managed the trailblazing Four Season Farm in coastal Maine, where he developed an appreciation for every part of the plant and learned to coax the best from vegetables at each stage of their lives.

In Six Seasons, his first book, McFadden channels both farmer and chef, highlighting the evolving attributes of vegetables throughout their growing seasons—an arc from spring to early summer to midsummer to the bursting harvest of late summer, then ebbing into autumn and, finally, the earthy, mellow sweetness of winter. Each chapter begins with recipes featuring raw vegetables at the start of their season. As weeks progress, McFadden turns up the heat—grilling and steaming, then moving on to sautés, pan roasts, braises, and stews. His ingenuity is on display in 225 revelatory recipes that celebrate flavor at its peak.

Author: Josh Donald with Molly Gore

From the publisher:

Sharp is a knife skills class in book form and an introduction to the best knives you can buy from all over the world. From a premier knife purveyor and go-to knives expert, this comprehensive guide details the elements of buying and caring for good knives, including sharpening and knife skills. Step-by-step instructions and photography cover a range of techniques with 15 recipes from great chefs—including Stuart Brioza of State Bird Provisions and Melissa Perello of Frances—which feature all the cuts that mark an accomplished cook. Sharply packaged with a textured cover, a foil spine, and more than 150 striking photographs of knifemakers, coveted knives, and beautiful food, this is the cookbook, handbook, and visual journey for anyone wanting to hone their skills in the kitchen.

Chronicle | Hardcover | 256 pages

Death & Co.

Modern Classic Cocktails  

by Alex Day and Nick Fauchald.
Published by Ten Speed Press.
Cover: Hardcover
Pages: 320

Chicken & Charcoal

Yakitori, Yardbird, Hong Kong

Authors: Matt Abergel and Evan Hecox

The first cookbook from cult yakitori restaurant Yardbird in Hong Kong puts the spotlight on chicken - taking grilling to a whole new level

Chicken is the world's best loved meat, and yakitori is one of the simplest, healthiest ways to cook it. At Yardbird in Hong Kong, Canadian chef Matt Abergel has put yakitori on the global culinary map. Here, in vivid style, with strong visual references to Abergel's passion for skateboarding, he reveals the magic behind the restaurant's signature recipes, together with detailed explanations of how they source, butcher, skewer, and cook the birds with no need for special equipment. Fire up the grill, and enjoy. The first comprehensive book about yakitori to be published in English, this book will appeal to home cooks and professional chefs alike.

Hardcover | Phaidon Press | 240 pages

Brand: Morihei
Hand Orientation:  Right
Steel Type:  
Edge Length:  35mmn
Total Length:  105mm
Handle Length:  70mm
Blade Thickness:   2.5mm
Weight:  23g

I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To)

Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook

by Ali Slagle
Published by Clarkson Potter.
Cover: Hardcover
Pages: 400

About the Book

150 fast and flexible recipes to use what you have and make what you want, from New York Times contributor Ali Slagle

With minimal ingredients and maximum joy in mind, Ali Slagle’s no-nonsense, completely delicious recipes are ideal for dinner tonight—and every single night. Like she does with her instantly beloved recipes in the New York Times, Ali combines readily available, inexpensive ingredients in clever, uncomplicated ways for meals that spark everyday magic. Maybe it’s Fish & Chips Tacos tonight, a bowl of Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas tomorrow, and Farro Carbonara forever and ever. All come together with fewer than eight ingredients and forty-five minutes, using one or two pots and pans. Half the recipes are plant-based, too.

Organized by main ingredients like eggs, noodles, beans, and chicken, chapters include quick tricks for riffable cooking methods and flavor combinations so that dinner bends to your life, not the other way around (no meal-planning required!). Whether in need of comfort and calm, fire and fun—directions to cling to, or the inspiration to wing it—I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To) is the only phone-a-friend you need. That’s because Ali, a home cook turned recipe developer, guides with a reassuring calm, puckish curiosity, and desire for everyone, everywhere, to make great food—and fast. (Phew!)