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Sue wrote:
> Sounds like you should be looking for old James Beard cookbooks, this
is how
> he writes.
I like his stuff too, especially "Theory and Practice of Good Cooking"
(IIRC), although I do have to wonder about some of his advice... I have
a little ancient paperback of his on thrifty cooking that talks about
prime rib (which I love, but so much for thrift!) and suggests using
meat tenderizer on tough cuts (ugh!). But his high-roast prime rib and
chicken recipes are gems.
> . . . when I buy an expensive book for my bookshelf, I want it to
contain
> information about the background of the system I'm working on, why the
feature
> is organized the way it is, how it fits into the overall world of
computers -- not
> that there are enough of these, but the ones I have are cherished.
Maybe it's a question of audience... the people I typically write for
are a captive audience of end users who are given the docs along with
the software. Most of them are not actively seeking extra information,
unlike people who venture to buy themselves an expensive computer book.
My hunch is that most home cooks are like our "just tell me how to do
it" end users, and most cookbooks are aimed at them. I'm glad that Cooks
Illustrated books (and Alton Brown, and James Beard) exist for those of
us who want more information. But I believe we're in the minority.
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