A good friend asked me today, "What has been your favorite book on cooking?" My mind visually went to my shelves overflowing with books to picture the one with the most dog-eared pages, cracks in the spine, and stains. Without a doubt, it is the New Basics book by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, creators of the Silver Palate shop and books.
When I was a young bride living in Hoboken, New Jersey, I received the New Basics as a wedding gift. I had already worn out my copies of the Silver Palate Cookbook, and the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, so I was very excited to have a huge volume of new classics to draw from. My mother, while having many talents, was not a home cook, and I did not learn one recipe from her or my grandmother growing up. I was truly on my own, and the important thing was, I wanted to be a good cook, even while living in the NYC environs where take-out is the norm (and is often better and less expensive than cooking a meal yourself).
What I love about the New Basics are the side notes and techniques explaining everything in clear, concise language with drawings. When you are first starting out and know nothing, it's helpful to have a reference for the different ways to cook a potato, or what the various cuts of beef are used for, and how this relates to the animal. Somehow it all seemed more friendly and less technical than the Joy of Cooking, and more sophisticated than the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Reading it felt like having like a good friend with a great taste level teaching you how to cook.
And even though it came out in 1989, exactly 20 years ago this year, the recipes are all relevant and modern enough for today's palate, but classic enough to please the most picky eaters. I have yet to find a better carrot cake, chicken salad, or meatloaf recipe in any book or online. I have carried these recipes with me through those early days in Hoboken, to Greensboro, NC, to San Francisco, and they are appropriate for a big city dinner or a casual country potluck. I am now on my second copy of the New Basics, and I still give it to new brides or as a housewarming gift to anyone who wants to feel at home in their kitchen.
Sheila Lutkins passed away in September, which makes this post a fitting tribute to her contribution to my, and many others' kitchens. I definitely owe it to the New Basics for inspiring my love of cooking, and giving me the tools with which to do it every day.
