Press Release: Ideas In Food by Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Breivogel
212-572-2722
IDEAS IN FOOD
Great Recipes and Why They Work
By Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot
Praise for IDEAS IN FOOD:
“Alex and Aki have done the hard work—this book will enlighten any cook with its insightful recipes and new perspectives on food. I will make sure to have a copy on hand at all of our restaurants.” —David Chang, chef-owner of Momofuku
“Ideas in Food is filled not only with intriguing recipes but also enormous intelligence and thoughtfulness about the way food works and why, everything from the simple stuff, such as fruits and vegetables, to the bizarre, including ‘meat glue.’ Alex and Aki are serious players with food, and here they tell you all the cool stuff they’ve figured out. I love this book.”
—Michael Ruhlman, author of Ratio
“Alex and Aki have produced an essential reference book that belongs on the shelf of every fan of contemporary cooking. By exploring the building blocks of flavor from the garden to the test kitchen, it opens a fascinating window on the past, present, and future of American cuisine.”
—Michael Anthony, executive chef of Gramercy Tavern
“I am so excited about Aki and Alex’s book. I have been a fan for many years and am constantly inspired and educated by their work! I can’t wait to cook my way though these pages and add these new techniques to my repertoire.”—Johnny Iuzzini, head judge of Top Chef Just Desserts and author of Dessert FourPlay
“Alex and Aki’s excitement and enthusiasm is contagious and it gives both professional and home cooks alike a kick start of creativity with the turn of every page.”
—Chris Cosentino, chef-owner of Incanto
“Aki and Alex share a mission—to change the way we think about both what we cook and how we cook. Delicious ideas leap from every page, easily put to immediate use in the kitchen. Painstakingly researched yet highly readable, Ideas in Food lays out the science behind cooking in a precise and personal way that we can all grasp!”
—Michael Laiskonis, executive pastry chef of Le Bernardin
Husband-and-wife duo Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot, the forces behind the popular blog ideasinfood.com, have made a living out of being inquisitive in the kitchen. They have an uncanny ability not only to understand cooking on a molecular level, but also to clearly communicate what’s going on to help anyone become a smarter cook. IDEAS IN FOOD: Great Recipes and Why They Work (Clarkson Potter, December 28, 2010) is a hip guide to explaining the hows and whys of cooking. Aki and Alex dive into the nuts and bolts of ingredients, cooking techniques, and tools leading to astonishing—and astonishingly delicious—results that home cooks can achieve in their kitchens.
Amateur cooks are digging into once-geeky food science with astonishing vigor. While Harold McGee’s landmark book on the subject, On Food and Cooking, is a bible of detailed
technical information, IDEAS IN FOOD is the book for the current geek-chic cooking revolution. With its practical, hands-on approach to exploring and applying fascinating cooking techniques, it means anyone—at any level—can try this at home.
IDEAS IN FOOD is split up into two parts. For home cooks, Aki and Alex look at everyday ingredients and techniques in new ways. Readers will learn why roasting dried pastas results in a finished dish with a wonderfully rich flavor, how different leavening agents work and contribute to flavor in homemade breads, and how water can be used to intensify soups instead of turning to long-simmered stocks. In the book’s second part, Aki and Alex explore such topics as working with liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide—techniques that are geared toward professional cooks but interesting and instructive for passionate foodies as well.
Throughout, Aki and Alex show how to apply their findings in unique and appealing recipes such as:
- No-Knead Brioche Dough
- Potato Chip Pasta
- BBQ Rigatoni
- Root Beer–Braised Short Ribs
- Grilled Potato Ice Cream
- Crispy Chocolate Mousse
- Peanut Butter Custard
- Gingerbread Soufflé
Blending stories, science, and recipes based on the authors’ experience and experiments, IDEAS IN FOOD will teach cooks and chefs how to unleash their creativity, intensify flavors, streamline techniques, and have fun in the kitchen.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
AKI KAMOZAWA and H. ALEXANDER TALBOT met in the kitchen at Clio in Boston in 1997 and have been cooking together ever since. They are the owners of Ideas in Food, LLC, a consulting business based in Levittown, PA. They have worked both with individual chefs and companies such as No. 9 Group in Boston, Fourth Wall Restaurants in New York City, Frito Lay, and Unilever. Their company grew out of their blog, ideasinfood.com, which they started in 2004 as a way to record their daily work in restaurant kitchens. Visit them at www.ideasinfood.com.
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IDEAS IN FOOD
Great Ideas and Why They Work
By Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot
Clarkson Potter/Publishers * December 28, 2010 * 320 pages
Price: $25.00* 978-0-307-71740-5
*Also available as an eBook
