You all know how much I love cookbooks.  I love trying new recipes and seeing how they work or don’t work for me and my family.  I’ve had plenty of hits, but I’ve had just as many misses.  Nothing quite compares to the warm feeling you get in your heart when you place the plate full of new recipes that you’ve slaved over in front of your child and they look at you like you have three heads, does it?? But still, I continue to try, because I want my kids to be adventurous eaters.  {I stand a chance with one child…the other, I’m afraid will be eating grilled cheese sandwiches for the rest of his life…still, I try.}

Since I didn’t go to culinary school, one aspect of cooking that has always puzzled and fascinated me is flavor combinations.  I watch many cooking shows where cooks are required to come up with a dish completely on the fly and I’m always asking myself, “How did they think to mix those two flavors together?”

I’ve always wanted to be able to do that myself and now, thanks to this book, I can.

The Flavor Bible isn’t a cookbook, but more of a resource guide.  You won’t use it everyday, but it’s a great book to have sitting on your shelf for the day that you do need it.

We’ve all gone to the store for an obscure ingredient that we need for one particular recipe.  After we’ve made the recipe, the rest of that ingredient sits on a shelf or goes bad in the fridge, right?

With this book, (and as you can see, we’re talking textbook sized book…) you won’t have that problem ever again.  You can look up your ingredient and the book will tell you what flavors pair well with that particular ingredient…allowing you to begin your brainstorming on what recipe you can then prepare.

And better yet, this information comes from professionals.  Do you see where they’ve listed chocolate as an ingredient on this page? (As if we really needed a book to tell us what goes well with chocolate…the answer, EVERYTHING!) The words in regular print means that one particular contributor suggested that this ingredient be included in the list.  The words in bold means that several people suggested that particular ingredient.  And finally, the ingredients in caps means that many people suggested that ingredient be included.  It makes the process much simpler.  The ingredients in bold and caps will be your ingredients more commonly associated as pairing well, and the words in regular type could be a great option if you’re looking for a bit of a culinary challenge.

While not a book that you’ll most likely sit down and read cover to cover, it’s a great resource to keep on hand.  Intermixed with all the pairing suggestions, you’ll also find pieces of advice and information from some of the most successful chefs in the world.

And even a few great images…

Check out The Flavor Bible, everyone.  Even if you don’t use it everyday, you’ll be glad you have this beauty sitting on your shelf!

Disclosure: I purchased this book on my own and my review is in no way associated with The Flavor Bible or its publishers, Little, Brown and Company.  All opinions are my own…when I find a book I love, I want to share it with all of you!