It's definitely old school, but I learned out of Julia Childs' The Way to Cook. It's irreverent, and focuses on technique over recipes. And it's a beautiful book. I second the suggest...

As my grandmother always said, "If you can read, you can cook." Souffles, as far as I'm concerned, prove her right: they are surprisingly easy to make.

Am I the only one that reuses zip-lock bags? I just wash them with dish soap and let them dry in the rack. I haven't had to buy more in over a year!

Wait, I'm confused. As the recipe is written, one makes the roux in the pot with the mushrooms already in it? Somehow I expected that one would make the roux and then add the mushrooms. . .

My mother-in-law lives in Provence, and whenever she visits she brings olive oil in the plastic "bladder" to save space. It's awesome!

This recipe looks suspiciously like Julia Child's Pear Clafouti in The Way to Cook . She bakes hers in a round tart pan. My mom has made this recipe several times, and sometimes she makes it i...