Back to Basics with Michael Ruhlman

   

Inspired by the Strunk and White classic, Michael Ruhlman's The Elements of Cooking will quickly prove to be an essential culinary reference for both seasoned cooks and novices who might not know gravlax from gremolata. After a thorough "Notes on Cooking," Ruhlman, a prolific author and popular blogger, settles in for an opinionated and informative A-Z roundup (from Acid to Zester) of cooking terms, lessons, and techniques reduced to their essential essence. Even with only one recipe (for veal stock), it's a must-have for every kitchen library--a book that will help you re-think your approach to food.

Ruhlman was gracious enough to write an exclusive essay for our Fall into Cooking Store and I got to break bread with the author at lunch at the Dahlia Lounge while he was in Seattle on Monday for his book tour. Over tomato soup and crab cakes (Ruhlman declared that the Lemon-Scallion Dungeness Crab Cake  was the best crab cake he's ever eaten) we talked about books, blogging, and the proper way to send back a dish at a restaurant. The next day we traded e-mail to talk about his new book.

--BTP

Amazon.com:  Did you have a eureka! moment when you decided to use Strunk and White's The Elements of Style as the inspiration and model for The Elements of Cooking?

Ruhlman: I did! My wife had planted an idea in my head: "You've worked with all these amazing chefs, you should write the ten most important things you know about cooking." A few days later, preparing to teach a writing seminar, I was flipping through my copy of Strunk and White's Elements of Style, smiling at the opinionated commands about prose style and thought, "I want to do this for the kitchen!"

Amazon.com: Who do you like to imagine as your book's ideal reader? Do you envision home cooks using it the same way a culinary student might--or even a seasoned chef?

Ruhlman: First ideal reader is the home cook who wants to get better. At any level, say you're a beginner and don't know what zest is or what exactly is meant by the word blanch, or an advanced home cook who wants a more nuanced definition of braise versus stew. I think every culinary student in America should read it straight through--because in a way the book describes a way of thinking about food and cooking. And I hope chefs buy it for their line cooks, and read it themselves and argue the finer points of cooking.

Amazon.com: Is the book meant to be digested cover to cover or dipped into from page to page?

Ruhlman: No, dipped into. But read cover to cover it would convey an overarching philosophy of cooking that stresses the fundamentals and encourages acute observation and attention in the kitchen.

Amazon.com: Aside from a heavy hand with butter, what are the top three things that set restaurant cooking apart from home cooking?

Ruhlman: Proper use of salt throughout the cooking process and fresh stock are THE main differences. Neither are difficult to do or to learn. I'd say the next one is getting your pan to the right temperature.

Amazon.com: What do you think about the increasingly popularity in food lit, the renaissance of which was kicked off by your good friend Anthony Bourdain.

Ruhlman: It's good and bad. It encourages publishers to find more like books, though the quality is not always there. But it has opened up the way for more good books too.

Amazon.com: Do you have any favorite books in that category?

Ruhlman: Bourdain's always excellent, and Buford's whole portrayal of the Babbo kitchen in Heat was outstanding.  I'm a Pollan fan, and admired Kamp's United States of Arugula.

Amazon.com:  Do you think there are too many cookbooks published each year?

Ruhlman: Yes, I think there are 3,000 cookbooks too many published each year.

Amazon.com: Your blog is a must-bookmark site for serious foodies. Does blogging take you away from your regular writing gigs or does it inspire you even more?

Ruhlman: Blogging, oy, I really love it, but yes, it does take away from the other work and I've got to be very careful about it. So why then am I about to start a second one? I can't help myself! So I guess I'd have to say it's inspiring.

Amazon.com: Every year new buzz words are officially added to the lexicon. What are a handful of cooking terms we might see added to a future edition of The Elements of Cooking?

Ruhlman: I don't know, I tried to get them all. I hope the ones in it can get increasingly refined, and I look forward to putting more in. I'm sure readers will suggest new terms, part of the reason for the blog.