A timeless and insightful volume of essays—with more than 130 recipes—by the master of American cuisine The Armchair James Beard showcases the many roles of America’s first celebrity chef: teacher, culinary alchemist, restaurant reviewer, occasional dieter, visionary, and gourmand. Collected by Beard’s longtime friend and colleague John Ferrone, each essay resonates with impassioned opinions and a distinctly American voice. Beard takes us on a journey from his childhood in Portland, Oregon, to his dining and cooking experiences around the world. These reminiscences, paired with more than 130 recipes, provide an intimate portrait of a lifetime spent studying, preparing, and enjoying food. Beard fondly recalls his father’s homemade breakfast sausage seasoned with thyme and pepper; bouillabaisse made from fresh fish in the South of France; and a large, buttery baked potato aboard the Northern Pacific railroad on one of his many cross-country trips. Rich with tales of meals shared with family and old friends, Beard ponders not just the importance of what we eat, but how food brings us together, and the role it can play in our memories. Heartfelt, enlightening, and often humorous, these memoir-like selections are an inspiring addition to any culinary collection.

The million-selling culinary classic from the “dean of American cookery” offers timeless and delicious recipes—a must-have for beginners to foodies (The New York Times). Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the best basic cookbooks in America,” The James Beard Cookbook remains as indispensable to home cooks today as it was when it was first published over fifty years ago. James Beard transformed the way we cook and eat, teaching us how to do everything from bread baking to making the perfect Parisian omelet. Beard was the master of cooking techniques and preparation. In this comprehensive collection of simple, practical-yet-creative recipes, he shows us how to bring out the best in fresh vegetables, cook meat and chicken to perfection, and even properly boil water or an egg. From pasta to poultry, fish to fruit, and salads to sauces, this award-winning cookbook is a must-have for beginning cooks and expert chefs alike. Whether it is deviled pork chops or old-fashioned barbecue, there is not a meal in the American pantheon that Beard cannot teach us to master. Enduring and eminently sensible, The James Beard Cookbook is the go-to book for twenty-first-century American home kitchens.

A New York Times–bestselling treasury of recipes and techniques from a world-renowned chef. James Beard became a household name teaching home chefs how to cook like culinary stars, from the Theory & Practice of perfecting processes to crafting Menus for Entertaining to fine-tuning Simple Foods. This cookbook brings together his wealth of gastronomic knowledge in one essential guide, filled with one thousand elegant recipes guaranteed to please any palate and indispensable tips for mastering the art of cooking. In The New James Beard, you can discover a fresh, flexible approach to preparing food with a focus on ingredients and simple yet inventive substitutions. With clever takes on traditional recipes, like Mexican Pot Roast and Lime and Tea Sherbet; internationally inspired dishes, such as Peruvian Eggs and Turkish Stuffed Eggplant; and instructions on how to refine classic techniques, such as making pasta or poaching eggs, you can learn how to prepare and experiment like the top chefs in the world. With beautiful illustrations from Karl Stuecklen and witty and warm chapter introductions from the guru of American cuisine himself, The New James Beard is a must-have addition to any home chef’s cookbook collection.

“The Dean of American Cuisine” and mentor to some of the country’s most acclaimed chefs offers essential kitchen wisdom in this illustrated guide (Julia Child). “In my twenty-five years of teaching I have tried to make people realize that cooking is primarily fun and that the more they know about what they are doing, the more fun it is.” So begins James Beard’s expansive book of culinary terms, methods, tools, and techniques. No one knew food better than Beard, and in these pages his timeless wisdom is on full display. Perfect for both seasoned chefs and those just starting out in the kitchen, James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking will be one of the most comprehensive and important cookbooks in your library. With a guide to kitchenware, step-by-step explanations of foundational cooking techniques, and more than 300 classic recipes to add to your repertoire, this invaluable volume provides all you need to become a star in the kitchen. Beard’s dishes, from poached pears to steak au poivre, stuffed clams to chocolate soufflé, will delight the senses. And his unpretentious advice, alongside personal anecdotes and food histories, will make cooking a joy.

Culinary master James Beard’s ultimate guide to entertaining is a must for any host or hostess Expert chef James Beard was passionate about food and even more passionate about entertaining. Beard’s cookbooks, with recipes that have delighted for decades—such as duck glazed with honey and curry, and zucchini frittata—have long been a staple in the culinary libraries of home cooks. This thorough guide combines Beard’s delicious menus with his expertise on hosting any event from an intimate dinner party to a much larger gathering. The indispensable tips and advice in James Beard’s Menus for Entertaining make anything from a lavish champagne breakfast to a festive beach picnic easy for the host and unforgettable for the guests. In addition to his scrumptious tried-and-true recipes, Beard also offers guidance on pairing the perfect wines, liqueurs, and aperitifs to round out your meal. Featuring more than 100 menus, 600 dishes, and Beard’s wisdom on everything from planning to plating, Menus for Entertaining will make your next event a delectable success.

A Finalist for the 2022 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award (Writing) The definitive biography of America’s best-known and least-understood food personality, and the modern culinary landscape he shaped. In the first portrait of James Beard in twenty-five years, John Birdsall accomplishes what no prior telling of Beard’s life and work has done: He looks beyond the public image of the "Dean of American Cookery" to give voice to the gourmet’s complex, queer life and, in the process, illuminates the history of American food in the twentieth century. At a time when stuffy French restaurants and soulless Continental cuisine prevailed, Beard invented something strange and new: the notion of an American cuisine. Informed by previously overlooked correspondence, years of archival research, and a close reading of everything Beard wrote, this majestic biography traces the emergence of personality in American food while reckoning with the outwardly gregarious Beard’s own need for love and connection, arguing that Beard turned an unapologetic pursuit of pleasure into a new model for food authors and experts. Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1903, Beard would journey from the pristine Pacific Coast to New York’s Greenwich Village by way of gay undergrounds in London and Paris of the 1920s. The failed actor–turned–Manhattan canapé hawker–turned–author and cooking teacher was the jovial bachelor uncle presiding over America’s kitchens for nearly four decades. In the 1940s he hosted one of the first television cooking shows, and by flouting the rules of publishing would end up crafting some of the most expressive cookbooks of the twentieth century, with recipes and stories that laid the groundwork for how we cook and eat today. In stirring, novelistic detail, The Man Who Ate Too Much brings to life a towering figure, a man who still represents the best in eating and yet has never been fully understood—until now. This is biography of the highest order, a book about the rise of America’s food written by the celebrated writer who fills in Beard’s life with the color and meaning earlier generations were afraid to examine.

Two preeminent culinary experts take the gourmet dining experience outdoors From the traditional American backyard barbecue to the portable grill on an apartment rooftop, this cookbook showcases the simple, charming pleasures of cooking and eating outside. This complete and detailed guide offers indispensible tips and lessons on a wide range of scrumptious dishes—including pineapple-broiled spareribs, Peking duck with red bean sauce, and gingered roast chicken—that will have novice chefs and seasoned cooks alike barbecuing outdoors in no time. Beard and Brown provide such useful information as how to choose and master any grill and how to build a fire that is the perfect temperature. Whether it’s adding a flavorful tarragon sauce to round out the perfect roast lamb or spit roasting a whole albacore tuna, each of these flavorful recipes highlights the authors’ personal touch. Every section includes a detailed list of instructions and ingredients, a checklist, and personal suggestions straight from the chefs themselves. Ideal for picnics, camping, and backyard celebrations, The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery offers rustic yet stylish recipes for any occasion. An absolute must-read for both the entertainer and the lover of the great outdoors.