I’m Just Here for the Food – Heat + Food = Cooking I’m just here for the food was the first book written by Food Network star Alton Brown. It received the 2003 James Beard Award for Best Kitchen Reference Book. To classify this book best would be to say, this is not a cookbook, but a book on cooking. It gives you, the cook, the scientific background on different cooking methods so that you can determine the ways to best utilize them. Each section of the book describes a different cooking method: grilling, roasting, frying and so on. The chapters start with a firm scientific foundation for each method and then go on to show you the right way to perform each. Mixed throughout the pages are useful graphics explaining what happens when you cook. Also included are interesting tid bits about specific foods and funny sidebars. Near the end of each chapter is a group of recipes that allow you to practice the skills you have learned earlier in the chapter. The entire book is very well written and straightforward. Something cookbooks are generally not very good at. Not only is the book a great reference to have in the kitchen, but it is also very entertaining. I actually read the book in its entirety just like I would have a novel. This would be a great present for someone who is just starting to cook on their own or even someone who has been cooking for years. The book is thorough in its explanations and simple in its nature. A great read Whether you cook or not, you need this book, if for nothing else to be a more valuable human being. You never know when the bird flu is going to hit and McDonalds is closed to prevent chicken McNuggets from spreading the disease any further.
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