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Wine Pairing books:
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The best of Wine Pairing books by number of unique Reddit comments:
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Top Reddit reviews mentioning Wine Pairing books:
If you're looking for pairing suggestions/ideas, the flavor bible is a great resource for pairing flavors. It can provide great suggestions for flavors to pair with your protein and even great flavors to enhance your current sides.
That is one of the best series I have ever watched. I really wish there were more. The writing, design and cinematography was so flawless. I even ended up buying the book Feeding Hannibal that showed how the show's chef prepared such beautiful displays of cuisine. For Hannibal fans, it is well worth checking out.
https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Hannibal-Connoisseurs-Janice-Poon/dp/1783297662
Do yourself a favor and stick to simple kits until you become comfortable with the process. I understand the desire to jump in feet first and brew a more complex beer. Most of us went there when we started brewing, but few were happy with the results. I'd suggest extract kits from any of the larger home brewing shops. Most all of them have nice IPA recipes.
Also, you'd really benefit from this book:
The first few chapters will teach you everything you need to successfully brew your first batch. Later chapters will lead you into more advanced brewing methods and contain lots of information on a variety of brewing subjects. I've been brewing for 12+ years and still find it to be a great reference.
If $20 doesn't fit your budget, an earlier edition is available free at: Welcome to How to Brew - How to Brew . Much of the information in this edition is outdated, but the basics are similar enough to brew good beer.
I have tried to use the application a few times. From my experience, it seems limited. I think as more information is added you will begin to see more depth.
If you are interested in flavor pairings I suggest you check out the book Culinary Artistry. It has a huge sample of flavor pairings. It is a great book that is easy to navigate.
https://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857/ref=nodl_
The Flavor Bible. Its my favorite cookbook that oddly has no recipes in it.
Its a giant cross reference chart of what ingredients pair with what according to 40 chefs. You can look up eggs for example, and they list everything that goes good with it... meats, veg, fruits, herbs and seasonings, etc. with the best ones highlighted.
On top of all that theres musings from the consulting chefs on how they like to use ingredients in sidebars near the entries. Famous dishes that made good use of the item in question (but no recipes). And other little tips like when certain ones are in season, if they have a strong or subtle flavor that might overpower, or be overpowered by, others. And more.
I have both these books plus The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316118400/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_atIyAbZ73DT45
I can say I open the food lab for just about every meal. Well worth the money!
Sorry for not making that a link. I'm on the app and can't figure out how to change the displayed text of the link.
The Flavor Bible gets thrown around a lot, but for good reason. It's a great resource when trying to formulate your own recipe. It focuses on things like which foods have affinities for other foods, seasonality, and sensations different foods have. It's a great thing to page through when you have whatever the equivalent of writer's block is for cooks.
Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is my go-to response to this question. There are a ton of great beer books out there, but this one covers all the basics in a concise format that's easy to read and can be read either cover-to-cover or in parts as a reference. If you don't already have it, I can't recommend it enough!
here's where I break out my copy of The Flavor Bible:
SWEET POTATO Flavor Affinities
1) allspice + Cinnamon + Ginger
2) apples + sage
3) bacon + onions + rosemary
4) chile peppers + lemon zest
5) chorizo sausage + orange
6) cilantro + lime juice
7) kale + prosciutto
8) maple syrup + pecans
yes I know the first 2 don't really fit with what you may traditionally think of when you think of soup. But #3, #4 and #7 sound really good.
Just counted and I currently have 31 books. I've cooked out of every one of them, even my Feeding Hannibal book, but in general I regularly use only about 10 of them.
My three Thug Kitchen, now Bad Manners I believe, books and Serena Wolf's The Dude Diet do a lot of my heavy lifting though.
The Flavor Bible isn't really what you're asking for, but it might be useful. https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Bible-Essential-Creativity-Imaginative/dp/0316118400/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520779413&sr=8-2&keywords=the+flavor+bible
If you can, get a copy of Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer, along with all of the other suggestions (Somm, describing what you're tasting) this is a great resource.
Additionally, depending on your location - see if there is a BJCP competition that is happening. Either volunteer to judge or steward. If you judge, you will be paired with an experienced judge (assuming it is a well run competition) and then talk with your partner judge(s). If you decide to steward, then be attentive and hover while working. Listen to what others are saying, and when the flights are done, sample the same beer.
Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher is a good place to start. I'd buy the book, then start reading the style descriptions. Buy a beer from each style (listed in the later chapters) and read the earlier chapters while drinking these beers. When you get to the chapters on styles, finish out whichever are left. That'll allow you to use the beer you're currently drinking to understand the various aspects of tasting beer each chapter covers while trying a wide variety of styles. This should let you know what you like and what you don't as well as giving you an appreciation and understanding of what each style is. You don't necessarily need to do all that, but it's a fun way to cover a lot of ground and give you first-hand experience.
Also, going to a good beer bar and trying a sampler tray of 3-4 oz tasters is a great way to try a lot of different things. Most good beer bars have good beer bartenders who can help with descriptions and recomendations, too.
Not so much the management, but Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's Culinary Artistry has a lot of good reading about plate and menu design, flow, etc. Also from them, The Flavor Bible is a great inspiration.
Love the cookbook.
https://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Hannibal-Connoisseurs-Janice-Poon/dp/1783297662?pldnSite=1
so far I've made the blood pudding, the bloodorange salad, the 'snails', the sweetbreads, and the heart-tartar. Everything turned out amazing
Check out Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher
From Amazon: This completely updated second edition of the best-selling beer resource features the most current information on beer styles, flavor profiles, sensory evaluation guidelines, craft beer trends, food and beer pairings, and draft beer systems. You’ll learn to identify the scents, colors, flavors, mouth-feel, and vocabulary of the major beer styles — including ales, lagers, weissbeirs, and Belgian beers — and develop a more nuanced understanding of your favorite brews with in-depth sections on recent developments in the science of taste. Spirited drinkers will also enjoy the new section on beer cocktails that round out this comprehensive volume.
The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs $23 hardcover on amazon brotha 👌
A little word of advice, I started off brewing all sorts of different styles with mixed results. Although my friends and family said my imperial browns, double IPAs, and chocolate porters were good, the fact that they sat in the kegs for 2-3 months told me otherwise. It is much harder to brew doubles, imperials, NEIPAs, and other funky beers than it is to brew pales, blondes, ambers, etc. I'd recommend starting off with something easy like an pale ale or amber. Also, a common analogy is, brewing to save money is like buying a fishing boat to save money on tuna.
That being said, you do you! That is what home brewing is all about. Before you get started I would recommend reading the book How to brew by john palmer. I read this book about 6 months into my brewing journey and the quality of my beers went up exponentially. Pay attention to water chemistry, that was the biggest game changer IMO. The brewing journey is incredibly fun but also challenging!
Now I exclusively brew crushable pale ales and sometimes lagers, always under 5%. When I tap a keg its always gone in under a month, sometimes its gone that same weekend! If I want an imperial russian stout, I'll go pick up a 4 pack at the package store. After brewing for about 2 years and 30ish batches, I've learned my my time is much better spent honing in on one or two styles and doing them very well. Having a crushable beer around seems to be what everyone prefers. While its cool to have something heavy, having 5 gallons of something no one wants to drink more than 1 of occupies a keg and tap for a long time and will eventually go bad.
I HAVEN'T READ THE ZRALY BOOK THAT WAS RECOMMENDED, BUT I SEE IT RECOMMENDED OFTEN. I HAVE NOT READ "THE WINE BIBLE" IN ITS ENTIRETY, BUT I OWN IT AND IT SEEMS GOOD, AND IT IS ON AMAZON FOR ONLY $14 IN PAPERBACK.
https://www.amazon.com/Wine-Bible-Karen-MacNeil/dp/0761180834
In the meantime, check out "The Flavor Bible." It's a few bucks on Amazon but it's well worth the price. It shows you which spices/herbs work great with different types of food.
I highly recommend "Culinary Artistry" for the "why" ...
Go buy this book from Amazon. It is AMAZING if you are looking for food pairings that scientifically taste great.
Disclaimer: I have no association or affiliation with the author other than buying his book. I learned about it from Kenji @seriouseats.
A great start would be reading and understanding the fundamentals in these books:
Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612127770/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_jq5zFbPJ4W0PW
How To Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time https://www.amazon.com/dp/1938469356/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rr5zFb5G5SGT5
While not directly Cicerone material, Randy Mosher helped lay the groundwork of the Cicerone certification along with Ray Daniels and Lyn Kruger.
A lot of core fundamentals of what you’ll find the first two certification levels (Certified Beer Server and Certified Cicerone) can be found complementary to each other within both books, so they’re a good cheap way to get your feet wet and see if you’d like to follow through on the path to whatever Cicerone level you have in mind.
Hope this helps.
This'll probably get buried, but you should consider getting them The Flavor Bible. It's basically a guidebook for experimenting with flavors in a way that won't kill taste-testers. ;)
I'm not a pro but I live with one who has been pushing me to stretch myself.
Buy cookbooks written by professional chefs. Study them, cook from them a lot, follow new recipes exactly at least once before you start messing with them.
A pro typically cares more about mastering a technique than following a recipe. For example, last week we had a whole chicken that I wanted to roast low and slow. The recipe I was working with said to spatchcock the chicken and roast it for 2.5 hours at 325F, but I started cooking late in the day and wanted to speed it up, so we cut it into 6 pieces - breasts, legs, thighs - and it was done roasting in about an hour. I knew it would work because I have enough experience roasting a cut-up chicken at different temperatures to be sure. Trying a lot of different recipes for roast chicken gives you a chance to study, develop your intuition as a cook, and deviate from a recipe with confidence. Fundamental techniques like roasting, braising and stewing, making the French mother sauces, stir frying and pan frying, etc, are infinitely adaptable once you've done it enough to have a template memorized.
The other main thing is getting confident with experimenting with flavor. I'm still working on this, and there's a lot of ways you can build your confidence. One is to pick up a couple of cookbooks that focus on exploring the technique of building flavor, like Ottolenghi's Flavor or The Flavor Matrix. You could take a deep dive into an ethnic cuisine to get familiar with flavors typical to that region. Or, you could pick a spice or condiment and challenge yourself to cook with it as much as possible for a couple of weeks to force yourself to get familiar with it. On the savory side, soups are a VERY forgiving vehicle for flavor experiments, and on the baking side, I'd say scones and ice creams have been the easiest for me to mess around with.
Also there is one last book you may want to check out: The Flavor Bible.
This is a tool that will help you think in terms of flavors rather than recipes, and it could be the last step going from cook to Chef!
This book should be required reading for new brewers. It starts at the most basic and goes all the way to many advanced brewing techniques. Not too technical, but full of all the information you need. Pretty much the Bible of home brewing,
Culinary Artistry is a book I have that focuses on ingredients, how they work together, when they work best and what cooking methods work best for them. There are a few recipes, but she'll be able to ignore them.
If you want a book to read, I recommend the Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. It is approachable, and easy read, yet informative. Amazon
For pairing, there are some basic rules that apply to many (not all) situations but you can decide for yourself what you like. In general, match intensity. Bold, rich food should have bold rich wine just as delicate foods will do better with delicate wines. You ideally don’t want food and wine to compete with each other. You can also stick with some flexible wines like Chianti, Oregon Pinot Noir and other reds that typically have good acidity. Or just pair everything with Champagne. It literally will go with just about anything. It won’t necessarily always be a good pairing but will almost never be a bad pairing.