Reference
 Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques
Foreword by Thomas Keller
It all boils down to what to buy and how to use it.The first section of this heavily illustrated book offers a guide to the best equipment as perceived by Williams-Sonoma. The second section shows how to deploy all that fine equipment to best advantage. Colour photos. Hardcover, 350 pp, $34.95.
 1001 Foods To Die For
Corby Kummer
This book does it all - it is a reference for all of your favourite international culinary creations, including facsinating details about the history of the dish, tips on buying the ingredients and tips on the very best preparations. Oh, and the glossy photos are beautiful and inspiring too. Whether you need to know how to prepare Crab Cakes, Gumbo, Tabbouleh, or Tom Yum soup, this book has it. Hardcover, 960 pp. $45.00.
 The Basics: The Foundations of Modern Cooking
Filip Verheyden
This is a perfect little book for teaching you how to master core techniques, such as cooking techniques (roasting, grilling, how to confit) cutting techniques (how to brunoise and julienne) how to make various stocks, soups and sauces, how to bake bread, pastries, even how to make potato foam (?!)... you name it, it's in here. Each technique is accompanied by a beautiful photo and the book itself has elegant gilded pages. Hardcover, 320 pp. $29.95.
 The New Food Lover’s Companion
Fourth Edition bySharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst
Once again, the Companion starts with abalone and ends with zwieback. There are approximately 700 new entries covering ethnic and exotic ingredients and techniques. Among the useful features are the conversion charts covering British terminology, pan sizes, and microwave. A must for both beginners and seasoned cooks. Sharon Tyler Herbst who began writing the Food Lover’s Companion in 1988 died in early 2007. Softcover, 829 pp. $19.99.
The Compendium of Nosh
Jack McLean
Crossing eras and geographical areas, Jack McLean wittily defines the words, both whimsical and conventional, that give shape to modern cuisine. Beginning with "a la" and ending with zythum, the dictionary-style format allows the reader to dip in and out of the book at will. Softcover, 422 pp, $18.95.
 The
Best Kitchen Quick Tips
Editors of Cook’s Illustrated
From almond paste on the first page to zucchini on the final page, these
534 tips, illustrated by line drawings, will improve your performance in
the kitchen. Softcover, 402 pp, $27.95.
 What's a Cook to Do?
James Peterson
A consummate culinary teacher, James Peterson has the answers to almost 500 questions from how to shuck oysters to how to tell if egg whites are sufficiently aerated. What sets this chunky little book apart from other how-to books is its colour step-by-step photos. James Peterson is also the author of Sauces and Splendid Soup, each $53.99 Hardcover, 422 pp. $21.95.
 Molecular Gastronomy
Herve This
Here is a must-read for aspiring Blumenthals and Adrias. A collaborator of Pierre
Gagnaire and a pioneer of molecular gastronomy, This explains the scientific
processes behind everyday culinary reactions. A few hydrocarbon chain diagrams
would be welcome but this is still an entertaining read. Hardcover, 377 pp, $35.95.
  The Food Encyclopedia
Jacques Rolland & Carol Sherman
From biographies of authors & inventors to kitchen utensils to fruits & vegetables
as well as foreign language cooking terms, this is a useful reference book
for the shelf. Not too dry and serious that you wont find it fun to dip into
and read. Hardcover, 701 pp $49.95.
 The Oxford Companion to Food
Second Edition
Alan Davidson, Tom Paine editor
The late Alan Davidson worked 20 years on the original magnum opus (1999).
This updated second edition has over 72 new entries written by writers Harold
McGee and Rachel Laudan. A serious book on food and food history. Hardcover,
907 pp. $75.00.
How to Break an Egg
Editors, Contributors, and Readers of Fine Cooking
Fine Cooking has gathered 1,453 kitchen tips, food fixes, emergency
substitutions and handy techniques from a wide range of collected
wisdom. There is enough information in these pages even for the sceptic
who feels
they know all the tricks. A great reference manual. Also included
are 42 techniques, illustrated step by step in full colour. Hardcover,
394 pp, $26.95.
 The First-Time Cook
Sophie Grigson
English food writer and food television star Grigson explains ingredients and
techniques then provides recipes that employ them. With Grigson's clear instructions
enhanced by step-by-step photos, the novice cook will be able to turn out both
simple everyday meals and dishes fit for a celebration. Hardcover, 240 pp, $39.95.
 I'm
Just Here for More Food
Alton Brown
The Gen-X science nerd poster boy makes a convincing case for the importance
of mixing with recipes for everything from cookies to popovers to make his point.
Lots of charts and bright graphics. Hardcover, 335 pp. $50.00.
 On Food & Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen
Revised
Harold McGee
A fascinating book that explains how and why cooking works, with historical and
literary anecdotes and mind-boggling photos of food taken through an electron
microscope. A true classic for foodies and armchair scientists alike. Hardcover,
684
pages.
$58.00.
Culinary Artistry
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
A classic since its publication in 1996. The authors interviewed 30 top American
chefs - Gray Kunz, Rich Bayless, the Jean-Louis Palladin, and Alice Waters among
them - to discover the sources of their inspiration. For us mere mortals the
food matches section is invaluable. Softcover, 426 pp, $42.95.
 The Kitchen Hand
Anthony Telford
Published in Australia, this pocket compendium, while not as comprehensive
as The New Food Lover's Companion ($21.00),
offers a more personal interpretation of various food terms and procedures.
Softcover, $16.95.
 Alton Brown's Gear For
Your Kitchen
Alton Brown
The popular host of Good Eats and James Beard Foundation award-winning
author brings us his latest offering – a well-constructed guide to essential
kitchen gear. Instead of listing the expensive, cutting edge tools most favour,
Brown provides with a selection of tools he actually uses, with explanations
of why and how he uses them (often in a very MacGyver-like fashion). Hardcover,
255pp., $43.95.
 What's Cooking In Chemistry? How
Leading Chemists Succeed In The Kitchen
Hubertus P. Bell et al.
A fascinating new book exploring the science of the kitchen. Hardcover, 229 pp. $59.50.
 CookWise
Shirley Corriher
The hows and whys of successful cooking from a cook with a biochemistry
background. Your recipes will ever fail again if you take the advice
offered in this reference
book. Both the novice cook and the experienced chef will find the
answers to all their culinary dilemmas in CookWise. Hardcover, $41.50.
 Delia Smith's Summer Collection
Delia Smith
A celebration of summer with all its glorious ingredients. Delia
brings new dimensions to grilling, roasting and barbecuing. The section
on preserving takes the brightness
of summer into the dark days of winter. Colour illustrations. Softcover,
$29.99.
 Delia's How to Cook Book One
Delia Smith
In the first of two volumes Britain's First Lady of thekitchen
goes back to basics: eggs, flour potatoes, rice and pasta. Practical advice
from boiling an egg through
bread and pastry making to cooking all kinds of rice perfectly
every
time. Both the beginner and the accomplished cook will find something
of interest in this beautifully
illustrated book. Hardcover, $34.95.
 Delia's How to Cook Book Two
Delia Smith
Volume Two of How to Cook takes the novice cook from staples to the
basics of fish, meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables. Boning, carving,
grilling and roasting are demystified
and the subtleties of the well stocked larder are made clear. This
book will take the beginner to new heights as well as affording new
ideas for even the most accomplished
cook. Hardcover, $34.99.
 Dinner
Tonight
Lucy Waverman
Collected from her Globe & Mail column, television's Cityline and
the LCBO's Food & Drink magazine, Waverman's recipes always have a little
twist that raises them from the ordinary with very little extra time or effort, likely
the reason it has become a bestseller at the store. Try the white chocolate parfit
frozen. Yum! Colour photos. $24.95.
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Leith's Cookery Bible 
New Cook 
New Food Fast 
Répertoire de La Cuisine 
Resource Guide for Food Writers 
Silver Palate Cookbook 
Visual Food Encyclopedia 
How to Eat