Hooks For Cooks^™

I love this photo of jarred Bristol Bay king and sockeye salmon...I received these jars from Patty Luckhurst when I was traveling throughout Alaska's Bristol Bay region last summer.  I was on a mission to see the salmon run when it arrived, so we were there right in the beginning of July.

Patty and her family took us under their wings and shared their life with us. We subsistence set netted on the beach early in the morning. We stood in their backyard and helped them process upteem fish the same day. We were taught how to gut and fillet the wild salmon in order to get the best results while drying and smoking the fish for the winter. We heard all the local opinions and arguments regarding the proposed Pebble Mine. And, we were given these jars of salmon, which had been prepared by Patty's husband, Vince.

I snapped this photo early one morning and did so right outside the wonderful little cabin in which we were staying. The birch trees were around me and these stumps were a handy prop. For me, they are a deliciously happy memory of a critically important trip.

--Melissa A. Trainer

When I worked at Gourmet Magazine in New York,  I had the pleasure of sitting right in the magazine's wonderful library. I loved this library. The carpet was thick, and the walls were lined with thousands of cookbooks. Of course, many of the books were fresh off the press. Others were published long long ago. Much to my delight, my desk sat right in the middle of it all!

As much as I loved this library, there was also a very very small library upstairs. I was often charged with the task of keeping this library tidy and preventing it from becoming just another storage closet. As a result, I rolled up my sleeves and checked this library often. While doing so,  I jettisoned the audio visual equipment into the hallway and then found myself pulling many of the wonderful vintage cookbooks off the shelves.  I absolutely adored these turn of the century cookbooks and cherished the wonderful pictures in each one. There were jelly molds and tea sandwiches. There were ornate cakes and massive roasts.There were sensible tips and diagrams on how to set up a buffet table. The books often reflected the excitement of new inventions such as  Crisco and baking powder.  Many were published by corporations, and the recipes were created by home economists.

I can't recall exactly which books had the biggest impact on me, but my work in that "secret little library" set me on a path for life. I now hunt down and collect vintage cookbooks. I don't go to auctions and bid on specialty cookbooks. I just ferret around at estate sales, garage sales, and used book sales. I have found many treasures over the years, and one of my most recent purchases is shown in this photo. I nailed it at a garage sale this summer. I love it for its simplicity and for its timeless role in America's culinary culture. It isn't just a cookbook, it is a primary document that reflects a culinary moment in time.

Do you have any wonderful vintage cookbooks?

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

Do you have a method for planning your road trips or vacations? What's your style? Do you dutifully sit down in January and target where and when you will go to specific destinations? Or, do you just “wing it” once the official camping season kicks off in the spring?

I have to admit that I have waffled between both methods over the years.  I am, in fact, still waffling! When we first started camping and our children were very young, I was pretty strict about planning in advance, pinpointing destinations, and then making reservations. I have vivid recollections of often doing this ten months in advance.

Back then, it was a system that I needed to have in place.  Packing food, kids, cars, and gear can be a monumental task. I knew I didn’t want to take the spontaneous route only to find out that the car was loaded and the campgrounds were too! Traveling and camping with young children can be challenging.  I needed the certainty of knowing that we had a good campsite waiting for us at the end of the day. 

As our children got a little older, I became more comfortable with “winging it.” Our first experience was when we drove the Alaska Highway from Anchorage back to Seattle. We didn’t have reservations at campsites en route because we didn’t know how far we would want to drive each day.  The trip was great and the lack of a strict itinerary gave us a little more freedom and flexibility each day. 

We really took our time and visited many of the wonderful historic museums and towns en route.  We stopped and enjoyed the amazing scenery in Yukon Territory and marveled at the lovely town of  Whitehorse.  In Northern British Columbia, we talked at length to a German family who was driving a massive retrofitted map-decorated vehicle around the world…yes, around the world!  I think if we had strict reservations at that time, we wouldn’t have been as willing to take our time and enjoy the trip.  It certainly wouldn’t have been as memorable as it is now…my kids still talk about that family from Germany!

Now that my children are older, it is admittedly even more difficult to book in advance because they often have activities and obligations themselves during the summer months. So, lately, we’ve been a little looser in our summer plans, waiting til closer to the start of the season to book.  Now that it is January, I am looking ahead. We haven’t planned any camping trips just yet, but I am starting to consider our options…Any thoughts on the various methods? Planned or spontaneous? What have some of your best trips been? Were they planned or were they impromptu operations?

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

–Melissa A. Trainer

I finally purchased a copy of Sarabeth's Bakery, From My Hands to Yours. I have fond memories of Sarabeth's in New York and when the book was released recently, I decided that I had to have a copy. The book is a massive treasure trove that begs to be read again and again.

Sarabeth Levine is a woman who has mastered her craft. I often get befuddled when I read cookbooks today. To me, many of them seem useless and fairly light. While reading recipes in many of these books, I read between the lines and often question how carefully the recipes have been tested. I wonder if the author really mastered the recipes at hand or if the recipes were conveniently "tweaked" at the keyboard. 

Thankfully, I didn't sense any of that editorial nonsense when I read Sarabeth's book last night. Sarabeth started her New York-based business in her apartment in 1981. The business eventually had to be moved to a bigger location and thus her delicious empire was born. She has been baking at the helm ever since. Such experience and dedication to her craft permeate every recipe and every word in her book, which, by the way, is her first. Although the recipes appear quite long and sometimes go on for two pages, they are incredibly detailed and remarkably informative.

Sarabeth includes the nuances that make the difference. For example, she clearly tells her reader which speed to use on the KitchenAid and then tells them exactly how long to run the machine. She also clearly states her preference for traditional kugelhopf molds and explains why the thinner pans produce a better product than some of the other tube pans on the market. Many of the steps in the recipes clearly correspond to numbered photographs, which aid considerably in more difficult time-consuming recipes. And, when it comes to making jam, Sarabeth tells us that it's okay for the jam to be runny because a looser jam retains more of the natural flavor of the fruit.

I must admit that I haven't tried any of the recipes just yet, but I have earmarked quite a few. At the top of my list? Sarabeth's Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies.  I grew up visiting Sarabeth's...it is nice to have a delicious and carefully crafted taste of home!

--Melissa A. Trainer