So, usually I get my husband some gaming stuff or other, but I think he'd like something different this year.
He's gotten really into watching cooking shows, and really into attempting to cook. The trouble is he has no interest in doing things the easy way (mixes, etc), and no technique to make doing things the hard way work out.
I have quite a few cook books, but he's expressed some interest in getting one for himself. I dunno why, but I can dig the whole sense of ownership thing. If the man doesn't go searching through his wife's cook books, I guess I can get him one.
He needs something with not an overwhelming number of recipes. No specific type of cuisine, either. Mostly fairly quick stuff, with lots and lots of guidance on techniques. If it says to braise or saute or whisk, he needs a reminder of what those mean. Is there such a thing as a novice cook book with interesting, simple, and good recipes that is not too housewifely? Fairly available ingredients would be a big plus, for obvious reasons. Well, and often when he decides to cook it is because I am too busy or tired to cook a real meal, so he takes over.
Cooking is just something he never learned at all, and now he wants to.
We both really enjoy Alton Brown's show "Good Eats". I may just get him one or two of Alton Brown's books, but am open to other ideas or specific recommendations--he's got something like five books out.
TIA!
