Summer Reading: Food-Themed Booklist

Chris Kronner has dedicated his creative energy, professional skills, and a lifetime of burger experiences to understanding America's favorite sandwich. In his debut cookbook, this trusted chef reveals the secrets behind his art and obsession, and teaches you how to create all of the elements of a perfect burger at home. Including tips for sourcing and grinding high-quality meat, musings on what makes a good bun, creative ideas for toppings (spoiler...

Alison Roman is known as much for her keeper recipes as her wry Instagram voice and effortless style. Her debut cookbook features 125 recipes for simple, of-the-moment dishes that are full of quickie techniques (think slathering roast chicken in anchovy butter, roasting citrus to bring out new flavors, and keeping boiled potatoes in your fridge for instant crispy smashed potatoes). Roman's recipes set today's trends and will show up as tomorrow's...

Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has "a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs" is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron's irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes...

"Escape to the winding cobblestone streets and rolling hills of Tuscany in this delicious, romantic, and charming tale of irresistible attraction and dreams fulfilled, complete with mouthwatering authentic Italian recipes--perfect for fans of Chocolat and Under the Tuscan Sun. Margherita is a spirited young woman with a passion for cooking. When her heart is broken in Rome, she returns to her hometown of Roccafitta, a small Tuscan village filled with...

When the organizing committee for her upcoming high school reunion desperately needs a caterer, Halia agrees to help out. Soon she's serving up her signature macaroni and cheese and famous chicken wings to a host of appreciative ex-classmates. Some folks have blossomed since graduation. Others, like manipulative Raynell Rollins, currently married to a former football star, haven't changed nearly enough. When Raynell is found dead the morning after...

Once a "lost" artisan bread, we're now eating more sourdough than ever before. People are choosing the tastier, more natural alternative over processed white bread, and many want to bake their own. And for homebakers, sourdough is the true test of every aspiring bread-maker. Fickle, delicate, every loaf is unique. And there are a LOT of pitfalls to be avoided. It's much more than simply a food: sourdough is a science. So who better than Dr James Morton,...