"Publicity is like the air we breathe; if we have it not, we die."

—Chef and cookbook author Alexis Soyer (1810-1858),

as quoted in Becoming A Chef  (p. 8)

MEDIA ROOM

Bianna Golodryga with Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg

Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg with Matt Lauer

Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg with Fanny Kiefer

Michael Aaron, host Leonard Lopate, and Karen Page

Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg's THE FLAVOR BIBLE

"Thank you! Great segments, and you were terrific with Bianna.”
—Jessica Stedman Guff, executive producer, ABC News (2008)

“You both did a terrific job on the show.”
—Andrea Smith, producer, NBC’s “Today” show (2004)

“You're both great. I'm delighted to see you...."
—Ronn Owens, host, "The Ronn Owens Show" on KGO Radio

“[Tonight's guests] are three people who know everything there is to know about food: Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, and [Chicago's Chief Dining Critic] Dennis Ray Wheaton...."
—Milt Rosenberg, host, "Extension 720" on WGN Radio

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have been featured extensively in the media, from the "Today" show and "Good Morning America Now" to the Food Network, from "The Leonard Lopate Show" and "Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg" to "The Ronn Owens Show," as well as other programs nationwide. (Click here to view their TV appearances on ABC-TV in Chicago, Portland, and nationally.)

Their books have received coverage in a wide array of media including American Way, Associated Press, Avenue, Bon Appetit, The Boston Globe, Bottom Line / Personal, Business Week, Chef, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit News/Free Press, eGullet.com, Entertainment Weekly, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Frequent Flyer, Gourmet, Health, Los Angeles Times, Marie Claire, Manhattan User's Guide, More, Nation's Restaurant News, New York, New York Daily News, New York Post, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Playboy, Restaurant Hospitality, San Francisco Chronicle, The Times of India, The Week, Time Out, Town & Country, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Variety, Vegetarian Times, and The Washington Post.

They are happy to be interviewed by the media on subjects related to beverages, chefs, cooking, culinary creativity, culinary trends, flavor development, flavor dynamics, flavor pairings, food, food and beverage pairing, menu design, restaurant criticism, restaurants, wine, and other aspects of eating and drinking and dining in America.

Andrew Dornenburg can be reached at 212.642.5870 or via email at Dornenburg@aol.com.  Karen Page can be reached at 212.969.0020 or via email at KarenAPage@aol.com.

To schedule an interview with the authors and/or to obtain a review copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, please contact:
Little, Brown Publicity Manager Carolyn O'Keefe (carolyn.okeefe@hbgusa.com) at 212.364.1464.

2010 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS (for 2009 Media Highlights, click here; for 2008 Media Highlights, click here)

"West restaurant's pastry chef Rhonda Viani is one person who could, by rights, be blase about the iced desserts; it's her diurnal duty. But no...'I love it, I love it,' she exclaims. 'It's one of my favourite things to make. There are so many things to do with it.' Most of her desserts have an ice cream or sorbet kicker....The endless variations and ideas, she says, often come from one of her favourite places for inspiration: THE FLAVOUR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. 'It helps trigger ideas and thoughts,' she says."
—Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun (August 21, 2010)

"For a peppery bite in your food, it's time to turn to arugula. This leafy green takes on a more spicy character in the summer heat. And arugula's firm leaves make it suitable for dishes ranging from salads to stir-fries....Want even more ideas? Look at the recommendations in THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Co., $35). They list combinations such as 'arugula + cucumber + feta cheese + mint.' Or 'bacon + arugula + egg + pork belly.' Armed with these ingredients, you choose whether to eat these combinations as a salad, sandwich, or other dish."
—Joan Obra, Detroit Free Press (July 22, 2010), Fresno Bee (July 6, 2010), Idaho State Journal (July 14, 2010), Philadelphia Inquirer (July 22, 2010), Pittsburgh Tribune Review (July 13, 2010), Savannah Now (July 22, 2010), Seattle Times (July 21, 2010), St. Louis Today (July 21, 2010), and Wichita Eagle (July 14, 2010)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, Little, Brown & Company, 2008, find it at: 641.5 PAGE (adult non-fiction). If you go looking for this book in a bookstore or a library, you'll find it in the cookbook section, but it's not so much a cookbook as it is the best cooking reference book ever. What it does not contain are recipes, per se. What it does contain are an introduction to flavor assessment principles and in-depth discussions on every ingredient you might find yourself reaching for as you're fooling around in the kitchen, as well as food commentaries and dish ideas from renowned chefs. The focus of the book — the ingredient profiles — are listed in alphabetical order by ingredient and include descriptions of flavor, usage information, flavor-pairing options, and more. What's great about these profiles is that they pay homage to classic flavor pairings (like caramel and apple or figs and prosciutto) while also encouraging creativity in the kitchen by suggesting less common flavor pairings (like lavender, salt and ice cream or chicken with cinnamon and basil). This book is lovely, a pleasure garden for anyone who's interested in food or cooking."
—Heather Tone, Missoulian (June 27, 2010)

"Which white? Try different varieties with 'the other white meat'....Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, like Chardonnay, especially from California, and Alsatian Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer is also a go-to wine if the pork is served with fruit or a fruit sauce, like apples, they note."
—Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune (June 18, 2010)

"Aaron Whitcomb, YaYa's Euro Bistro. Q. Favorite cookbooks? A. The French Laundry Cookbook, because it's all about the pursuit of perfection; Happy in the Kitchen for its playful, yet serious food; The Escoffier Cookbook because of his great French food roots; James Beard American Cookery, a collection of classic American foods; and CULINARY ARTISTRY and THE FLAVOR BIBLE, two books that are amazing tools to aid my creative process."
—Lori Midson, Denver Westword (June 3, 2010)

"2010 'Top Chef' Finalist James Rivenbank, South Beach Grill in Wrightsville Beach. Q. Most well-worn cookbook? A. CULINARY ARTISTRY."
—Cece Nunn, StarNewsOnline.com (May 13, 2010)

"Pay Attention to Flavours: Making changes to recipes requires knowing what flavours work together. Some combinations are classic – tomato and basil, for example – because they taste delicious. Pay close attention when eating at restaurants to see what flavour combinations the chef is using and how they work in harmony. An excellent guide to food pairings is THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. The authors detail dozens of ingredients from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms and list the best flavor matches for each ingredient. It is an invaluable resource for cooks, especially when working with unfamiliar ingredients."
—Trish Coleman, Suite101.com (May 10, 2010)

"Scenes From the James Beard Awards: Some say it’s the Oscars of the food world. Others dub it the 'foodie prom.' We like to think of the James Beard Foundation Awards as both, combined with a celeb-chef coming out party....Authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page just turned in their new book, ON MASTERING WINE, which will be relased next [year]."
—Kathleen Squires (with Photos by Hernan F. Rodriguez), Zagat.com (May 4, 2010)

"Pairings: Complementing Complements: Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg’s excellent compendiums CULINARY ARTISTRY, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, and, most recently, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, are nothing if not smart, savvy and plugged into the American, and to a lesser extent, the international culinary world. Their books reflect a Who’s Who familiarity with the great chefs of America, and THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a gas to read. It’s designed to jumpstart imaginative menus and creative cookery for anyone ready to build from scratch. Page and Dornenburg litter their books with great ideas and anecdotes from those great chefs, so just flipping the pages is enough to fire you up to build your own brilliant recipes. If you love to cook, you’re going to love the idea that somebody has taken the collected wisdom of all these chefs and matched specific spices and vegetables, for instance, and taken down cooking tips and preparation guidelines from all these famous folk."
—Doug Frost, MS/MW, CropToCuisine.org (May 3, 2010)

"Q. If you could only use one cookbook for the next year, which would you choose? A. I think I would go with CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page, but at the same time I would also be comfortable with the French Laundry Cookbook from Thomas Keller. They both demonstrate the importance of discipline and technique, which are the fundamental skills of professional standards."
—Matthew Accarrino, executive chef of SPQR, as told to Steven Oliver of the Nob Hill Gazette (April 2010)

"It's been two weeks since I returned from the Pillsbury Bake-off in Florida, and I'm finally wading through my notes from the event. Reporting on the Utah contestants and the winning recipes is my first priority. But, the Orlando Sentinel also co-sponsored a day of seminars that will yield future stories and help me do my job better. They included: THE FLAVOR BIBLE authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg talked about what comprises 'flavor.' Their short answer: taste plus mouthfeel plus aroma plus 'the X factor.'"
—Valerie Phillips, Deseret News (April 27, 2010)

"This weekend around 1,200 rapacious foodies are flocking to town for the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference—a lavish series of workshops, parties, tours and dinners for a global cast of chefs, writers and media types...In honor of the culinary blowout, we asked a handful of authors coming to town to contribute one dish to our ultimate dinner party menu: Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Dish: Dark-chocolate fondue “served with a variety of compatible ingredients for dipping (such as bananas, frozen cheesecake squares, strawberries, etc.). Melt your favorite high-quality dark chocolate over low heat with a dash of heavy cream, and keep warm in a fondue pot. It couldn’t be simpler!” Why it’s awesome: “Who doesn’t love chocolate?? And who doesn’t have a (circa 1970s) soft spot for communal dipping at dessert time?” Notes: “This is our favorite dinner-party closer with a glass of chocolate-compatible dessert wine. (For ideas, simply turn to our 2007 IACP Cookbook of the Year, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, to find Banyuls, PX sherry, tawny port, etc.) Every chocolate lover is amazed by the realization that chocolate can taste even better when paired with compatible flavors, both in the fondue pot and in the glass!”
—Kelly Clarke, Willamette Week (April 21, 2010)

"The International Association of Culinary Professionals conference finally descends on Portland Tuesday; one of its most glittering events, April 23rd's A Culinary Duet to Benefit The Culinary Trust will be hosted and MC'ed by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. The award-winning, New York City-based authors of 1995's classic BECOMING A CHEF and several other culinary tomes (including, most recently, THE FLAVOR BIBLE) checked in before checking their culinary luggage for the trip...."
—Eva Hagberg, Eater.com (April 16, 2010)

treehugger

"Culled from her family recipes and inspired by a book called CULINARY ARTISTRY, Anna Getty has perfected 100 recipes using local, organic and sustainably harvested ingredients she shares in Easy Green Organic. Her new cookbook is also a guide to keeping an eco-friendly kitchen....An active environmentalist, her point is that eating well is good for our health and for the planet."
——Roberta Cruger, Treehugger.com (April 14, 2010)
"Janis Donnaud is a long way from the halls of Holy Rosary in Memphis, but the powerhouse literary agent credits her Southern upbringing with at least part of her success. 'I've always felt like being from the South gives me a leg up on things, because I've lived in the real world,' she said in an interview from her Manhattan home. Knowing that a book's success doesn't depend only on New York or 'East Coast-West Coast' reader preferences, Donnaud landed one of the least big-city clients around when Paula Deen signed with her. Pat and Gina Neely, Sara Foster, Suzanne Goin, Bobby and Jamie Deen, and the James Beard-award-winning duo of Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are some of her other clients with best-selling cookbooks under their belts."
—Jennifer Biggs, Memphis Commercial Appeal (April 14, 2010)

"Pillsbury's 44th Bake-Off....Sunday was a day full of seminars, my favorite being the first with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. We even got a copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, which is officially my favorite press gift ever."
—FoodMayhem.com (April 13, 2010)

"In just over a week, the foodie world will descend on Portland for the International Association of Culinary Professionals' annual carnival. EaterPDX checked in with Portland conference co-chairs Mike Thelin (above right) and Ken Rubin (left) to get the latest and greatest....Which celebrities are coming to Portland? Thelin: On top of all the talent we have here, more than 1,000 are coming from more than 40 countries. From Julia Child’s editor Judith Jones to the always delightful Madhur Jaffrey, to New York Times writer Kim Severson and renowned authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, whose FLAVOR BIBLE is one of the greatest books on food ever. Ruth Reichl changed the game in how (and which) restaurants are professionally reviewed in this country, and she’ll be here too...."
—Audrey Van Buskirk, Eater.com (April 12, 2010)

"The Power of Positive Drinking: Michael J. Gelb celebrated the release of his new book, Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking (Running Press), on March 27 at an event billed as the "World's Largest (and Smartest!) Wine Book Signing" at The Wine Library in Springfield, NJ. Pictured, left to right, are Gelb, Karen Page (THE FLAVOR BIBLE), Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It!), and Andrew Dornenburg (WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT)."
—Lynn Andriani, Publishers Weekly (April 12, 2010)

"Of Pandas and Peas: Saving the Diversity Within Species. It was an inauspicious beginning. Days after the international community failed to establish legally binding measures to halt climate change, the UN launched the International Year of Biodiversity. Scientists predict climate change will directly imperil one-fourth of the Earth's species....when we think about biodiversity, we rarely think about food. The word 'biodiversity' doesn't appear in CULINARY ARTISTRY, an interesting book I recently read about food and cooking traditions. Yet the book, of course, is all about the interplay between cultural and biological diversity.What is it that makes one cuisine distinct from another? Which foods and spices are strongly associated with a particular cuisine? What makes Thai food "Thai" as opposed to Italian? It doesn't necessarily have to do with where the crops were originally domesticated. So many key ingredients are immigrants! Spicy Thai dishes with chilies and peanuts employ ingredients of American origin. Italy's pasta and China's noodles depend on wheat that was first domesticated in the Near East. Nordics love their (Andean) potatoes. And quintessentially Brazilian ingredients such as black beans, garlic, lime, rice, scallions, are historical imports with the possible exception of the beans. Spices have traveled far and wide too, fueling an international trade that stretches back millennia. Today, cumin, from the upper Nile area, figures prominently in cuisines from sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Middle East, Morocco, Spain, Thailand, and Tunisia. The number of crops we use for food is impressive enough, but the diversity within those crops is particularly notable for both agronomic and cultural reasons. Like other biodiversity, however, it is endangered...."
—Cary Fowler, The Huffington Post (April 12, 2010)

"Foodies mark your calendars! From April 21-24, the International Association of Culinary Professionals Annual Conference will envelope P-town. It’s four days of gastronomic happenings that for the most part, aren’t open to the public, and most probably will not even be aware that it is taking place. While there are few opportunities for us regular folks to participate, there are still tickets available for the gala benefit dinner. The IACP is presenting a five-course dinner to benefit the Culinary Trust on April 23, at the Leftbank Annex (101 N. Weidler). Hosts Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are culinary icons whose collaborative cookbook, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, took eight years of research in order to educate cooks of all skill levels about complementary recipe ingredients. The event is limited to 200 people, and guests will be rubbing elbows with prominent writers, editors, photographers, chefs, and winemakers from the food world. This food will be crafted by Aaron Dionee, Naomi Pomeroy (2010 James Beard nominee and chef/owner of Beast), Jason French (chef/co-owner of Ned Ludd) , Adam Sappington (chef/co-owner of The Country cat), Lauren Fortgang (pastry chef at Paley's Place), Steve Jones (cheesemonger and owner of Cheese Bar), and David Briggs (chocolatier/owner of Xocolatl de David). Beverage pairings are brought to the table courtesy of Erath Winery, Grochau Cellars, Willamette Valley Vineyards, Francis Tannahill Wine Company, and Upright Brewing. Tickets are $145, tax-deductible, and all-inclusive of food, wine, and gratuity. All money raised by the Culinary Trust goes to scholarships and grants for students and professionals, cookbook preservation and restoration, as well as for educational programs and grants for hunger alleviation. To purchase tickets, visit the Culinary Trust website."
—Stacy Austin, Portland Monthly (April 2010)

"This week I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for Anna Getty's new cookbook called Easy Green Organic....I had the opportunity to chat with Anna at the signing and ask her about how she cooks, and how she formulated her delicious recipes.  Anna tells me her recipes are a thoughtful mix of her tastes, organic finds from local farmer's markets,  family recipes and her cross checking ingredients with complimentary tastes from a book called CULINARY ARTISTRY. It took her two years to put together her collection of organic recipes, perfect them and bring them to market in her new cookbook Easy Green Organic."
—Mary Hall, The Huffington Post (April 10, 2010)

"It’s often one of the first signs that spring has truly arrived: bright green bundles of thin, but-not-too-thin, asparagus spears in the produce section or at the farmers market. While asparagus these days may be available year-round, those woody imported spears of winter pale in comparison to spring’s perfection. Butter, lemon, rich hollandaise and parmesan may be among the most popular go-withs for asparagus, but according to Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg in THE FLAVOR BIBLE, nuts, heavy cream, ricotta cheese, lime and mustard are also delicious dancing partners for this early spring vegetable."
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Democrat Gazette (April 7, 2010)

"I stumbled on a quote in Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg’s FLAVOR BIBLE on the temperature of food and how it affects our perception and enjoyment of it. The quote is by Andrew Carmellini. It reads: 'I always pay attention to temperature. I look at what I feel like eating now. If it is cold and rainy outside, I make sure that soup is on the menu. If it is hot outside, I make sure there are lots of salads on the menu.' Andrew Carmellini by the way is an authority on food, a celebrated chef and winner of the year 2000 best chef award. He is of course only an authority in New York City and not in Lagos, Nigeria. The authors of the THE FLAVOR BIBLE quote him and then reiterate the idea that eating the right temperature of food helps our bodies function better in their environment."
—Yemisi Ogbe, Next in Nigeria (April 3, 2010)

"Of the recent books I’ve seen that fall into the category of books that are designed to teach you fundamentals, there are three that really stand out: Diana Kennedy’s The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg....The last book I’m reviewing this month has been out since 2008, and won the James Beard Award for Best Reference book in 2009. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, isn’t a cookbook at all, but two chapters about how we process and experience flavors, and how to use them creatively, followed by an enormous compendium of flavor charts. The charts are organized in several ways, by ingredient, by seasons, by ethnicities, along with really useful sidebars describing what goes with what and how-to tips about cooking with these ingredients and flavors. There are also many useful quotes from chefs about how they use ingredients, and why. I love this book. It’s the kind of book you can flip through when you know you want to cook something, but you don’t know what. “Hmm, I have half a chicken, what do I want to do with it?” Or when you’ve found some intriguing ingredient and you don’t know what to do with it, like the smoked Turkish pepper a friend brought back from one of his trips. I particularly like the flavor profiles by cuisine, Brazilian Cuisine (cardamom? I wouldn’t have thought of that), Greek Cuisine, Afghan Cuisine. Not only do they list flavors, but also Flavor Affinities, for Brazilian Cuisine we get “pork + beans + greens + onions + orange” while for Venison they list combinations like “venison + curry + pomegranate seeds” and “venison + pears + rosemary.” We eat a lot of game around here, and those are combinations I would never have thought up on my own. I can see using this book much like I use Elizabeth Schneider’s Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, to figure out either how to cook an ingredient I’ve come across by chance, or when I get a yen for a particular flavor, like Vietnamese food. Since I’m out here in the sticks, if you decide you want something like that, you need to learn to cook it for yourself."
—Charlotte Freeman, "Cookbookslut," Bookslut.com (April 2010)

"Summer Genetti, Executive Pastry Chef, The Palace. Favorite cookbook: THE FLAVOR BIBLE [by Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg]. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book for flavors. Like, ‘What goes with lichee? Oh, this goes with lichee!’"
—Donna Freeman, Cincinnati Magazine (March 2010)

"Oh, the irony. Elise Bauer, who at 42 knew little about cooking and had to move back into her parents' Carmichael home, is the force behind what might be the country's most successful food blog. Bauer has built www.simplyrecipes.com into a vast food community with about 4 million visits per month, she said. The beginnings in 2003 were not auspicious. She had lost her job, her health and her home in short order. Her cooking knowledge was just enough to remind her that her skills were really rudimentary...Cooking for the blog has turned her into someone who runs to the kitchen to show a visitor the glories of truffle salt and who coos over an encyclopedic reference called THE FLAVOR BIBLE. But she's still modest about her kitchen prowess."
—Carlos Alcalá, Sacramento Bee (March 31, 2010)

"The Wine Library will live up to its name on Saturday when it hosts 'The World’s Largest (and Smartest!) Wine Book Signing,' featuring the store’s owner, Gary Vaynerchuk, plus Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg and Michael J. Gelb. The party celebrates Gelb’s latest book, Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices (Running Press, $19.95), but Vaynerchuk, and former Washington Post wine columnists Page and Dornenburg will also sign copies of their latest books. There will be a complimentary wine tasting and guests can chat with the authors. The Wine Library is at 586 Morris Ave., in Springfield; the book signing runs from 1 to 4 p.m."
—Vicki Hyman, The Star-Ledger (March 24, 2010)

"Wine Drinking for Inspired [Thinking]: How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci author Michael J. Gelb will be joined by James Beard Award–winning duo Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (What to Drink with What You Eat) to discuss the confluence of wine and creative genius throughout history. Sip a complimentary Binyamina Zinfandel 2007 to inspire your next great idea. 92YTribeca. 6:30–8pm, $20."
—Gabriella Gershenson, "The Feed," Time Out: New York (March 20, 2010)

"3/27: A book signing with Gary Vaynerchuk, Michael J. Gelb, Karen Page, and Andrew Dornenburg will be held at the Wine Library, 586 Morris Ave, Springfield. 1 to 4 PM; free. For more information call 973-376-0005."
—Rosie Saferstein, "Table Hopping with Rosie," New Jersey Monthly (March 10, 2010 and March 17, 2010)

"Chef and Tell with Kate Horton of Black Pearl....Favorite cookbooks: On the Line by Eric Ripert and CULINARY ARTISTRY, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. The latter is a book I often give as a gift, just because it's an all around great reference guide."
—Lori Midson, Westword (March 4, 2010)

"As far off as warm weather seems, there’s reason to take heart. Maple syrup season is upon us, and it’s among the very first signs of spring. Granted, the craft itself is nothing new — the presence of maple syrup pre-dates the arrival of European settlers. However, the art of making it and, above all, eating it has been upended as artisanal producers get involved and chefs use the ingredient in unusual and savory ways....Maple syrup isn’t relegated to pancakes anymore. It’s a key ingredient in culinary cocktails (particularly those with bourbon or rum), braises, brines and seafood dishes. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of the James Beard Award-winning THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35), use maple syrup to flavor duck, pork and game. They also favor using it in smoky dishes as well as those with tropical flavors."
—Jennifer Olvera, Chicago Sun-Times (March 3, 2010)

Salon.com

"Cuisine or death: The real chef's motto. 'You have to be so earnestly devoted that if you were any more devoted it would be perverse, and any less, it would not be enough.' Charlie Trotter, in BECOMING A CHEF."
—Michael Laiskonis, Salon.com (March 3, 2010)

"...While [Julia] Child’s books have never served as a reference for my cooking, the film ['Julie & Julia'] prompted thought about what books gather dust on my shelf and which ones have dog-eared pages from use....Some cooks, chefs, and food aficionados will recognize CULINARY ARTISTRY (Van Nostrand Reinhold) by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, James Beard Award-winning authors of BECOMING A CHEF. Over a decade ago, I made a radical career change from financial services to restaurant cooking with thoughts of enrolling in culinary school. I found CULINARY ARTISTRYand its predecessor at a bookstore, made the investment, and never regretted the purchase. The book –– more of a reference guide that contains some recipes than it is a cookbook –– examines the idea of the chef as artist working with a sensory palate and edible palette. The text is informative and instructive in thinking about how flavors pair together and how certain foods complement or contrast with others. It contains pages of lists about seasoning matches, food pairings, and insights from chefs. This book supplemented firsthand lessons learned in restaurant kitchens, helped to me to fully consider the senses, and respect the innate qualities of ingredients that didn’t need to fussed with much in order to bring out their flavor. I still refer to CULINARY ARTISTRY for inspiring flavor combinations and seasonally appropriate foods when I get stuck in a rut."
—Pete Dulin, Present Magazine (March 1, 2010)

"Late April is going to be a good time to be in Portland, Oregon, if you're interested in the food world — or have been secretly stalking Ruth Reichl. The 32nd Annual Conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) will be held in that caffeine and rain saturated city from April 21st to 24th. A few hundred food writers, chefs, cookbook authors, food photographers, culinary instructors and those who love them will congregate for the event. The subject for this year's conference is The New Culinary Order, which sounds kind of like Mario Batali's college punk band. Headlining the show will be Ruth Reichl; cookbook authors Deborah Madison, Michael Ruhlman, Madhur Jaffrey, and Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page; legendary editor Judith Jones; NY Times staff writer Kim Severson; and chefs Mario Navarrete, Jr. and Brad Farmerie."
—Amy Scattergood, LA Weekly (February 19, 2010)

"To get to know Chef Radhika Desai, winner of the 2009 'Taste of TCW' cooking contest and a former contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef, a little better, we asked her to share a few of her favorite people, places and things with us....Go-to cookbook: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dorenburg and Karen Page has always been my food bible. It gives you good ideas on balancing a menu and a dish and flavor profiles. I also like THE FLAVOR BIBLE (by the same authors), which is a little more instructional."
—Brooke Smith, Today's Chicago Woman (February 15, 2010)

"Baristas bring their best to coffee competition: Loveland resident Susan Price turned to THE FLAVOR BIBLE in search of that special zing to complement her blueberry-tinged coffee. She hit on pear and ginger. So she created from scratch a pear, ginger and Tasmanian pepper berry compote for judges of the Rocky Mountain Barista Competition to eat before tasting her signature coffee Saturday. 'The flavors in the compote really bring out my coffee,' said Price, owner of The Black Cup in Loveland."
—Pamela Dickman, Loveland Reporter-Herald (February 14, 2010)

"Every winery in this county should have a copy of your book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT in their tasting room."
—Barbara Spencer, co-owner of Windrose Farm in Paso Robles, California, while co-hosting with Melanie Blankenship and Bill Spencer, Earth Talk Radio on KVEC 920 (February 13, 2010)

"I have a copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE on the counter at Nature's Touch [her store selling locally grown, organic and natural fruits and vegetables], and someone picks it up every day [for ideas of how to use ingredients such as dandelion greens]."
—Melanie Blankenship, co-owner of Nature's Touch in Templeton, California, co-hosting with Barbara and Bill Spencer, Earth Talk Radio on KVEC 920 (February 13, 2010)

"What's the grown-up version of candy hearts? Perhaps a sweet little bottle of dessert wine. Sweet wines don't get the same sort of press as the big guns — chardonnay and cab — but they have a place at the table, especially at this time of year when romance is in the air, and possibly on the menu....'Sweet wines are SO overlooked,' says Karen Page, who with husband Andrew Dornenburg wrote THE FLAVOR BIBLE and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. 'They often get no respect, except by those in the know.' Some affordable (under $30) recommendations from Page and Dornenburg: Moscato d'Asti, sweet semi-sparkling wines from Italy that also are low in alcohol, which can be a good thing at the end of dinner. There are many good producers; one to try is Vietti. Ice wines, made with grapes that have been allowed to freeze on the vine. These wines can be expensive, but Canadian vintner Jackson-Triggs makes a number of reasonably priced bottles. Alcyone, a red dessert wine from Uruguay. This runs in the $20 to $30 range and has overtones of the campfire classic, s'mores — hints of chocolate, marshmallows and a bit of spice. 'It's one of the most beguiling wines we've ever tasted,' says Dornenburg."
—Michelle Locke, Associated Press and ABC News (January 20, 2010), Athens Banner-Herald (January 24, 2010), Austin360.com, Charleston Daily Mail (January 20, 2010), Daily Democrat (January 27, 2010), Daily Hampshire Gazette (February 6, 2010), Dubuque Telegraph Herald (January 27, 2010), (Ft. Wayne, IN) Journal Gazette (January 31, 2010), Jackson Clarion Ledger (February 10, 2010), Montgomery Advertiser (January 27, 2010), Newark Star-Ledger (January 27, 2010), The News-Sentinel (January 26, 2010), (Danbury, CT) News-Times (February 1, 2010), Northwest Herald (January 27, 2010), The (Santa Rosa) Press-Democrat (January 21, 2010), Richmond Times Dispatch (February 7, 2010), Salt Lake Tribune (January 29, 2010), San Mateo Daily Journal (February 10, 2010), Santa Rosa Press Democrat (January 21, 2010), Southeast Missourian (January 27, 2010), Stamford Advocate (January 20, 2010), and (West Chester, PA) Daily Local News (January 27, 2010)

"Drinking wine is more fun than reading about it unless you have a book in one hand and a glass in the other. Wine can be complex or simple but several books can help clear any confusion. The global market for wine is similar to a waterbed — when sales go down in one area, such as bottles costing over $30, they go up in another such as sales of $15 bottles. For consumers looking for popular wines under $15, the latest edition of Robin Goldstein's and Alexis Herschkowitsch's The Wine Trials for 2010 may help. Cooks eager to know which wine to serve with a particular dish, and who prefer books to apps and the Internet, can read WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Their coffee table-sized book also suggests the appropriate beers, spirits, coffee and tea for various meals."
—Leslie Gevirtz, Reuters (January 19, 2010) and Bataviase (Indonesia), Business Daily (Africa), BusinessWorld (Philippines), China Daily (China), El Universo (Ecuador), Indian Express (India), Khaleej Times (UAE), Kolkata Mirror (India), Kyiv Post (Ukraine), San Francisco Sentinel , The Tribune (India), Victoria Times Colonist (Canada) and Vietnews (Vietnam)

Al Dente
"Books of the Decade: 2000-2009: When compiling these lists, I came back to the books I cook from the most in addition to a few that I simply enjoy reading, cover to cover, like a novel, for their narrative approach, to a couple that I'm too intimidated, still, to even think about cooking from, but remain a resource of inspired ideas....THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Brad Thomas Parsons, Cookbook Editor of Amazon.com, on Al Dente (January 15, 2010)

"Take 5 With Tami Hardeman: Q. I'm confident that everyone in the food blog community knows you already but for those who don't, would you like to introduce yourself? A. [That's sweet of you to say.] My name is Tami Hardeman. I'm an Atlanta-based food stylist with a blog called Running with Tweezers...Q. One cookbook that you can't live without or you recommend that everyone should have? A. It's not a cookbook...but I think THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the best food-based book I've ever gotten. So helpful and eye-opening about flavor pairing. There are taste combinations that I, for one, would never have thought go together."
—Sean, host, Take Thou Food (January 15, 2010)

"Dear readers, Last week on his blog, Adam Roberts, The Amateur Gourmet, tackled the topic of 'How to Cook on a Budget.' Not surprisingly, his advice was this: 'You go to the store, you stock up and then you cook what you have on hand.' In other words, start with a well-stocked pantry. Too many people cook like Adam has done for years: They find a recipe they want to make, go to the market to buy the ingredients, and then proceed. I know; I’ve done it, too. But that gets expensive and wasteful; you wind up with costly ingredients that you’ve used only once or twice — and no depth to your repertoire. Instead, take inventory of the ingredients you have on hand and then decide what to cook. It’s a different way of thinking about cooking, and it’s not always as intuitive as it might sound....And speaking of improvisation: Another fabulous resource for cooking on the fly is THE FLAVOR BIBLE, a book that I turn to again and again for its helpful cross references. (There’s a review here; scroll down the page.)"
—Kim Carlson, Editorial Director, Culinate.com (January 13, 2010)

"[Hachette Book Group chairman and chief executive David] Young believes people are interested in paying for variations on the standard book, say a single chapter or a searchable database. In late September, two authors, a few editors, and a technologist gathered in Hachette's New York City office to work on an iPhone application based on the popular food book, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. The heavily illustrated volume will have to be adapted for a screen smaller than a playing card. Gurvinder Batra, chief technology officer of Kiwitech, a Washington (D.C.) startup Hachette hired to develop the app, handed out printed shots of the screen and navigation. 'To get to the right info I should not do more than two or three clicks,' said Batra....The team decided the app should be like a virtual sommelier cum food critic, featuring food and wine pairings and tutorials on flavor balancing. Then they moved on to the touchy subject of pricing: Should they charge for the app? Most iPhone apps are free or very cheap. 'We are in publishing,' said Siobhan Padgett, digital sales and marketing manager at Hachette. 'We have to make money.' The hardcover of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT lists for $35, and the Kindle edition goes for $19.25. Hachette editors eventually decided to charge $4.99 for the app, which is coming out in [2010]."
—Spencer E. Ante, Business Week (January 11, 2010)

"Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have run six marathons and 11 half-marathons between them. 'For our honeyooon in 1990, we ate our way through Quebec City and Montreal, and ran the Montreal International Marathon on our last day in Canada,' says Dornenburg, who set a PR of 3:23:13 in Chicago in 2002. Having written seven books about food and chefs, the authors say they run to eat, and have even lost weight while on deadline. ' A few years ago, we each lost 10-plus pounds while researching and writing WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT,' Page says, 'which proves that peak flavor combinations are so satisfying that quality outstrips any need for quantity."
—Yishane Lee, The Athlete's Palate Cookbook (January 2010)

"Like fashionistas, foodies are trend-obsessed. Everyone likes to be ahead of the food curve because by mastering something new you can make more marvelous meals before the the next guy or gal does. One of the more delicious food trends for 2010 is umami (oo-MA-mee). Here’s what it is, what it means, where it’s from and how you can eat it every day. The four well-known basic tastes are sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Umami is the fifth. It’s from the Japanese 'umai' which means 'delicious' and 'mi' which means 'essence,' and it describes profoundly tasty food that saturates your taste buds with a flavor that may have elements of, but is not entirely, seet, sour, bitter or salty. If you enjoy red wine, prosciutto, asparagus, portabellas, olives, bacon, “stinky” cheeses and miso soup, then you know and like umami....Karen Page, co-author with Andrew Dornenburg of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, agrees. We all have the capacity to taste umami, and when we do it registers as 'deliciousness,' she says. 'You know it when you taste it.' Page points out that while soy sauce is quite salty you can’t just use it in lieu of salt, because it is not equivalent. It has a taste beyond salty. 'Umami,' she says, 'has a different expression of flavor.'"
—Elena Ferretti, Fox News (January 5, 2010)

2009 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

"...Speaking of presents, I have two of my dearest friends here Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, whose latest book THE FLAVOR BIBLE is wonderful and whose earlier book is WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. They just flew in from Chicago at midnight last night, and boy are their arms tired....It's 'Little New Year's Eve,' so we still have time for some last-minute shopping, and figuring out what to do for our New Year's celebration, and they're going to take us through some [Champagne and other sparkling wines]."
—Lis Wiehl, guest host, "The Joan Hamburg Show" on WOR Radio (December 30, 2009)

"Interview with 'Top Chef' winner Hosea Rosenberg....Q. What cookbooks would you recommend every home cook own? A. Anything by Jacques [Pepin], Madeline Kamman, Lidia Bastianich, Julia Child, Rick Bayless… the list goes on. It depends on what you are wanting to cook. One of my favorite books is CULINARY ARTISTRY by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Man Over Board (December 29, 2009)

Mona's Tummy

"Chef Hettie Bresnan is the Sous Pastry Chef of Bouchon Bakery, Las Vegas. I recently had the opportunity to interview this amazing chef and here's what she had to say....Q. What 5 cookbooks would you recommend every home cook own? A. Baking with Julia, La Brea Cookbook, Four Seasons, CULINARY ARTISTRY, and The Making of a Pastry Chef."
—Mona's Tummy (December 28, 2009)

"Chef and Tell with Goose Sorensen of Solera....Favorite cookbook: CULINARY ARTISTRY, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. When I'm having a creativity block, I can open that book and it gets my brain going. It's a fantastic reference guide for chefs."
—Lori Midson, Westword (December 24, 2009)

"My Favorite Books and Cookbooks: My list of food books this year is very different than last year. The main reason is because my priorities have changed. I don't have much time in the kitchen with my new little boy (he is one now) and have really been looking for quicker alternatives...Book Number 7: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Not from this year but a must-have for the experienced foodie or anyone looking for more experience. I love using this as a reference when developing new recipes."
—Keren Brown, Seattle Post-Intelligencer (December 23, 2009)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg): This is a new one, and I’m working my way through it.  It’s a fascinating reference companion.  Here’s how it works.  You have an ingredient — say — crab.  You look it up, and it lists all the flavors that could work with it.  Classic flavors, like avocados, chives and lemon are in bolded caps.  Recommended flavors, like ginger, lemongrass and Dijon mustard, are bolded.  But it also gives some flavor additions you may not have considered, like apples, mangoes, and yogurt.  It’s compiled by surveying the world’s top chefs.  Really cool for the kitchen flavor Picasso."
—ZenKimchi.com, Korean Food Journal, the longest-running Korean food blog (December 20, 2009)

“Here's my Christmas wish for you: I hope that the New Year brings you the ability to cook without a recipe. Today, I've got the authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE joining me — very cool people and a very cool book....Your book just blows my mind! This is literally a bible of compatible flavors....This is truly THE book for foodies this holiday."
—Amy Tobin, Amy's Table, Q102 (Cincinnati) (December 20, 2009)

“Wine 101: Some late ideas for wine gifts. WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Hands down the best food and wine-pairing book I have ever seen. The first half lists different foods and suggests wines and drinks to pair it with. The second half lists a multitude of wine varietals and which foods go with them."
—Russ Briley, Ventura County Star (December 20, 2009)

"At holiday time, what cook doesn’t love peeling back the gift wrap to discover a new cookbook? Newcomers to cooking can’t wait to try everything, but even seasoned cooks — who don’t really need more recipes — welcome the inspiration of a new cookbook. We polled a few Culinate contributors and friends to learn which, out of all the cookbook gifts they’ve been given as gifts, they appreciate the most, and here’s what we learned....Hm. Sounds a little like our columnist Hank Sawtelle — although he’s referencing a different book — or two. 'Lately I’ve been reaching for How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Dornenburg and Page (not a cookbook per se but an “inspiration book”) several times a week. With these two books together there is very little you can’t do. Certainly any ingredient you have lying around or that you bring home from the market can be worked into a coherent dish. So if I can change the question to ‘If I could only have (or give) two cookbooks, what would they be?’ these are the ones.'”
—Culinate.com (December 18, 2009)

Ruhlman

"Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have been publishing innovative books about cooking and the chef world for longer than I have. Their popular BECOMING A CHEF was published the summer I was harrassing the Culinary Institute of America to let me in to write about, well, becoming a chef.  I was mortified they’d beat me to it. It proved to be not just a different book from what I was attempting, but a valuable research tool for me then and throughout the years (its history of American restaurants and chefs with opening dates or significant restaurants is something I’ve  returned to throughout the years).  It remains a valuable book especially for people considering entering the profession. Their most recent book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, published last year was one I kept hearing about.  Finally I got around to having a look myself.  What I’ve liked about their work is that they have consistently brought the unique perspective of the chef to their work, making it accessible to all without over glorifying or over-simplifying it. As I’ve said before, in many ways I’m anti-cookbook in my views. There are too many of them, and only a handful each years have anything new to offer.  THE FLAVOR BIBLE is completely unique.  After opening chapters on how to build flavors in your meals, it is a glossary of ingredients and cuisines and all the flavors that go with them or are associated with them.  Look up kale and you have a quick breakdown of seasonality, cooking technique and flavors that go well, one of which is cheddar cheese, something I’d never thought of, but hell, why not?  Look up rhubarb or mint or basmati rice for pairings. When I need to come up with new dishes — what’s something new can I do with this lamb, for instance — this is a book I’ll be opening for ideas.  A great gift for the cook who likes to improvise and experiment."
—Michael Ruhlman, Ruhlman.com (December 16, 2009)

"Gifts for bookworms: Authors share top picks...Best-selling writers recommend their fave books to give this holiday season. Need a gift for the book lover on your list? It can be hard to sort through thousands of titles to get the right page-turner. Here, five well-known authors share their favorite books from their respective areas of expertise: nonfiction/fiction, cookbooks, children’s books and coffee table books. Browse titles recommended by Dan Brown, Sandra Lee, Mitch Albom, Jeff Kinney and Margaret Russell. Sandra Lee, Host of Food Network's 'Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee': THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little Brown) [is] amazing."
—NBC's "Today" Show (December 15, 2009)

"Just a whiff of rosemary, thyme, cloves and other herbs and spices can make it feel like the holiday season is here. They can give your health a boost, too. For instance, just half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon contains more inflammation-fighting antioxidants than a cup of great-for-you pomegranate juice. Studies suggest that eating half a teaspoon of cinnamon daily might help keep blood sugar and triglyceride levels in check, which can help fend off diabetes and heart disease. Another delicious flavor of the season, allspice, is also packed with antioxidant power. So this holiday season, while you're indulging in the bad stuff, Consumer Reports suggests that you sprinkle on the healthful herbs and spices. Below are some experts' tricks for adding them to your favorite dinners, drinks and desserts....Rosemary - Why it's good for you: Research shows that a component of rosemary called carnosic acid might help shield the brain's neural pathways from cellular damage linked to Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Just inhaling rosemary's refreshing scent might be good for you. In one study, when people sniffed the scent for five minutes, their levels of the stress hormone cortisol dropped and their bodies' ability to sweep damaging free radicals from their systems increased. Cooking tip: Throw a little fresh rosemary into mulled apple cider as it simmers, suggest Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, 2008)."
—The Washington Post (December 15, 2009)

"Cookbooks for Cooks and Foodies. For the Adventuresome Cook: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This culinary reference guide isn’t for beginners. The authors  assume you know your way around the kitchen, and in doing so, provide extensive lists of ingredient combinations intended to jump start your culinary imagination. If you expect detailed recipes, you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re looking for inspiration, the dish ideas, flavor pairings, chef cooking tips and handy charts will keep the creative juices flowing long after the holiday adrenaline has left your system. How good is this book? It’s won the 2009 James Beard Award for Reference and Scholarship. Posts this book inspired: My soon-to-be-famous Concord Grape Sorbet."
—Charmian Christie, Christie's Corner (December 15, 2009)

"The Top-Selling Cookbooks of 2009: 12) THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg...."
—eCookbooks.com (December 2009)

"Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Wine Lovers: Even though it’s only two weeks until Christmas, if you are like me, you still have some Christmas shopping to do. If you know the person that you are shopping for is a wine lover or at least has an interest in wine, here’s a list that I hope will help you figure out what to buy for them. Or maybe it will even give you an idea of something to put on your own wish list....Wine books: For those interested in wine and food, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, my pick as 'Most Useful Wine Book of 2009.'"
—John K. Sosnowy, CSW, WinePeeps.com (December 11, 2009)

"Holiday Gift Ideas 2009: All of the following recommendations I own; they are products that I love, use regularly, and think would make an awesome gift for a fellow cook....5. THE FLAVOR BIBLE: Every cook who is even remotely interested in experimenting with their cooking should have THE FLAVOR BIBLE. I have bought more copies of this book to give as gifts than any other. Last April I wrote a detailed review here. In a nutshell, the authors list every ingredient they can think of in alphabetical order, and under each ingredient a recommendation of other ingredients that pair well with it. So, if you are making poached pears, you can look up 'pear' in THE FLAVOR BIBLE and find the spices that go with it, like vanilla or cardamom. Improvise with confidence with this book."
—Elise Bauer, SimplyRecipes.com (December 11, 2009)

"Pairing wine and work is a hallmark of the holidays. Whether it's the office party or the partners' annual dinner, December abounds with opportunities for wining and dining colleagues.... Given the current interest in food and wines these days, there are excellent resources to help with pairings....WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food is a wonderful guide by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, based on expert advice from America’s best sommeliers. There is a world of information right at your fingertips — use it."
—Christopher Silva, Portfolio.com (December 11, 2009)

"The Bitten Word's Holiday Gift Guide 2009. Some of you might be scrambling for gift ideas. Then again, some of you might be like us, sort of lazily drifting towards the holidays.  Maybe there will be gifts, and then again, maybe there won't. A holiday surprise!  We're trying to keep it simple this year. Rather than just buy a bunch of stuff, we want to give friends and family things that they will really enjoy.  So here are some ideas for you that we've collected over the last few months....Four foodie books we read (and loved) this year, including Ratio, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles and Gael Greene's wonderfully smutty Insatiable."
—Clay and Zach, The Bitten Word (December 9, 2009)

"Heading up the restaurant [Shorty’s Steakhouse in Garrett] kitchen is Cory Wells, 27, of Auburn....Q. When did you start cooking? A. Five or 6 years old. In junior high, I’d have a sleepover and cook for all the guys.Q. What’s your favorite cookbook? A. CULINARY ARTISTRY....Q. How many cookbooks do you have? A. Fifty to 60 cookbooks...I want a book that teaches, not tells you, what to do.”
—Diana Parker, The (Ft. Wayne, IN) Journal-Gazette (December 9, 2009)

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

"My Cookbook Shortlist: ...There is one place in the house that is exalted above the rest. A place of honor in the kitchen reserved for only those cookbooks I go to with the most frequency. These are the first books I look at when I am seeking inspiration, checking a reference, or wondering what this culture or that one does with whatever new ingredient I've brought home. I figured with the holidays coming up and people looking for gifts for their cooking friends, it'd be a good time to run down my top 10 cookbooks. All rest in my cookbook altar....The one book I find I cannot live without is Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's THE FLAVOR BIBLE. It is not so much a cookbook as a book for cooks to use as a reference when faced with a new ingredient, or an ingredient they want to use in a different way. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is essentially an alphabetical list of ingredients with other ingredients that go well with them listed underneath. So for venison, it has the obvious — rosemary, juniper and garlic — but also things like tomatoes and allspice. If you are already a decent cook and want to elevate your art, to create recipes rather than just modify or copy someone else's, you need this book. Nearly every chef I know has either it, or Page and Dornenburg's earlier CULINARY ARTISTRY. I own both."
—Hank Shaw, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (December 9, 2009)

The Capital

"Gifts for the Cook: Most foodies already have every tool imaginable for every technique they've been taught. And not every cook can house a library of cookbooks or food reference tomes, no matter how great the latest titles many be. Here are a few gifts, many found locally, that should appeal to the special chef in your life....While you're in the bookstore, don't forget a cookbook or two for your favorite foodie. There are many to choose from, but two cookbooks I crave are My Bread by Jim Lahey with Rick Flaste, and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Diana Love, The Capital on HometownAnnapolis.com (December 9, 2009)

Los Altos Town Crier

"Cookbooks as gifts: for your favorite foodie. Bookstores’ cookbook aisles, bright and cheerful as Christmas candies, are a good indication of our interest in books that aid and inspire us to cook. The holiday season, with its special pleasure in preparing and sharing food with others, is the ideal time to give these books as gifts. The following titles will tickle food-lovers’ fancies. Covering a range of subjects, they share what I consider the essential food-book traits: they give the gift of an innovative approach, artful ingredient pairings or inspiring practicality – and often a combination of all three....THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs (Little, Brown and Co., 2008) is a marvelous resource for creative cooks sensitive to flavor. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg offer alphabetical entries that cover a range of ingredients, from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms. Each ingredient is flanked with others that provide strong flavor alliances. This conceptual approach to flavor pairing is inexhaustible in its potential to spark adventures. Duck meat’s affinity with cherries and vinegar or the happy marriage of dates and pistachios, for example, opens the door to any number of inspired creations."
—Eve Hill-Agnus, Los Altos Town Crier (December 9, 2009)

"Sometimes just reading what goes with what gives inspiration enough...Books focusing on ingredients can be helpful, and one impressively thorough one is THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, whom you might recognize as former Washington Post wine columnists. The bulk of this book is a terrific list of hundreds of ingredients awith exhaustive pairings for each of them....The book also tells you what flavor profiles are compatible with each food and, sometimes, which flavor pairings you should avoid."
—Jane Touzalin, The Washington Post (September 9, 2009)

"Gift Guide: For Gluten-Free Cooks and Eaters...As much as I love recipes, I also love the confidence that comes from having good technique under my knife and a knowledge of what flavors mingle well in a meal. Knowing how to braise meat and potatoes or sear Alaskan salmon until it's cooked rare? That's just from experience. But knowing the flavors that marry well with others or that dislike an entire set of herbs? That's all in THE FLAVOR BIBLE. This book is invaluable for anyone who wants to play with his food."
—Shauna James Ahern, SeriousEats.com (December 8, 2009)

"It's the season of stressing out over buying gifts, and I thought I'd give you some ideas....This is a list of things that anyone would love to have in their kitchen and would most certainly use and enjoy; they just might not be smart enough to think of it themselves. You'll be a rock star. Now for the gifts. Hope you get inspired. THE FLAVOR BIBLE: If you aren't convinced yet of my love for this book, you haven't been hanging around me very long. I. Love. This. Book. It lists ingredients that go together so you can have fun in the kitchen. For real, y'all. It's awesome."
—Kendra Adachi, MyFirstKitchen.net (December 7, 2009)

"The Swell Season, anchored by Frames frontman Glen Hansard and his Czech-born ex-girlfriend, Marketa Irglova, is clearly enamored with matters of the heart. Nearly every song the six-piece played Thursday at a sold-out Auditorium Theatre dealt with romance, whether it was a relationship just beginning to take root ('Falling Slowly' ) or one disintegrating under the weight of failed expectations ('The Rain'). Best known for the movie 'Once,' an out-of-left-field hit that netted the pair an Academy Award for best original song in 2008, Hansard and Irglova were a study in contrasts throughout their 130-minute, 22-song performance.... The demure Irglova, by contrast, spent most of the evening quietly positioned at her piano demonstrating perfect posture. The few times Irglova did speak, she projected a childlike sense of wonder; the 21-year-old described [friends Karen and Andrew, in dedicating a song to them] as having 'magicianlike qualities'."
—Andy Downing, Chicago Tribune (December 5, 2009)

Al Dente

"Just when you thought you've read enough culinary memoirs and single-subject studies on every esoteric food topic imaginable comes Knives at Dawn, Andrew Friedman's sharp, insider account of America's quest to win the Bocuse d'Or — the epicurean equivalent of the World Cup, held biannually in Lyon, France. For over two decades, international teams have entered the arena, cooking for five-and-a-half hours from a glass-walled pod in full view of the intimidating judges and howling spectators (who add to the frenzy with chants and clanging cowbells). In 2009, Paul Bocuse himself enlisted legendary chefs Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller (well-known for his obsession with perfection) to field the U.S. team. French Laundry chef Timothy Hollingsworth and his commis, Adina Guest, continued to work their grueling day jobs over three-and-a-half months of intense training, and set the bar for future U.S. brigades. Hollingsworth loves cookbooks and it was fun to see my favorite husband-and-wife food writing team, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, name-checked as Hollingsworth first immersed himself in their kitchen classic, CULINARY ARTISTRY, when he first started at TFL, and later turned to THE FLAVOR BIBLE for inspiration during training."
—Brad Thomas Parsons, Al Dente (December 4, 2009)

"Caller: My favorite cookbook is THE FLAVOR BIBLE. And I think it is not great for everybody. Roberts: Because it has no recipes in it. Caller: Exactly. I think it is good for people who spend some time cooking, who understand the basic techniques, but aren't quite sure just how to include certain ingredients and exclude others. And I think it allows for a lot of creativity, sort of touching on what Adam was saying earlier about recipes being like a blueprint. And it really gives you the opportunity to create your own. Roberts: THE FLAVOR BIBLE is interesting because it's just about taste. Gopnik: Right. It's an example of the grammatical cookbook we were talking about. The idea there is instead of giving you a recipe, it gives you these kinds of clusters of flavors and ways you could put them together....Bhide: If you know your ingredients, you understand the herbs and spices, you'll be great at following THE FLAVOR BIBLE because you understand the basics....Then you can, I think, pretty much do anything, because then you know how they interact with each other. That's the place where I think THE FLAVOR BIBLE would be awesome."
—Rebecca Roberts, in conversation with Adam Gopnik and Monica Bhide on "Talk of the Nation," National Public Radio (December 3, 2009)

"[Med Bistro chef] Jonathan Hawks began his cooking career at a young age working in various restaurants throughout the Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia area....Q: What mistakes do you see home cooks make? A: I think the biggest advice I would give to people learning to cook at home is to be adventurous. Following a recipe is a good start, but putting your own creative twist on a recipe has a very satisfying aspect to it. Sure, it can go the other way and be terrible, but you will never know unless you try. Q: What's your favorite cookbook? A: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. It was the first book I ever read about cooking."
—Angel Powell, The Post and Courier (December 3, 2009)

"[Chef Timothy Hollingsworth] also treated himself to a copy of the new work by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, which brought back memories...When he first moved up from commis to cook at The French Laundry, John Fraser (today the executive chef of Dovetail in New York City) had recommended that he read one of the authors' earlier collaborations, CULINARY ARTISTRY. The book features extensive lists of ingredients and other foods they get along with. Hollingsworth, who was then starting to participate in those nightly menu meetings, spent his wee hours studying those lists so that he'd look like he knew what he was doing in the meetings when fellow cooks with finely honored palates and improvisational talent turned to him and said, 'What to you want to run?'....Hollingsworth broke out his copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, the new book by Dornenburg and Page, whose earlier CULINARY ARTISTRY had gotten him through those menu meetings during his formative years at The French Laundry. He thumbed it to death that night, looking up possible accompaniments for caviar, for cod, for scallops, and for any number of ingredients, both assigned and elective, that he had been grappling with. He stayed up until three in the morning like that, filling his head with new ideas, sketching them in his notebook, getting ready for the next day, a day in which — if nothing else — he would cook from the heart."
—Andrew Friedman, Knives at Dawn: America's Quest for Culinary Glory at the Legendary Bocuse d'Or Competition (pp. 131 and 143-144) (December 1, 2009)

"I have to admit, as much as my feminist side is well marked, there are several dishes that men do better. Get to the absurdity of submitting myself to this rule unconscious and when I want to eat a dish that I described in my imaginary list as chef for a man, I'm behind my friends ask that cooks and do it for me. In the book CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, there is a table with the emotional connotations of various foods, in which the steaks or fillets appear as 'masculine.'"
—Gazeta do Pova (auto-translated from Portuguese by Google) (November 28, 2009)

"Chef and Tell with James Rugile of Venue....Favorite cookbook: I really appreciate The French Laundry Cookbook. It stands the test of time and is still a great reference for me from time to time. I also really enjoy CULINARY ARTISTRY, and every other book by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page."
—Lori Midson, Westword (November 26, 2009)

aspendailynews

"...[F]ew of us have the time or inclination to improve our cooking skills. What we want, what we need, is something that will help us become better cooks without having to further our skillset.
That's a tough proposition, though. In fact, if such a thing existed, it would have to be considered a second coming of sorts — a miracle, a gentle hand placed right where we ache. Can you feel it? It's nothing less than the healing powers of a new book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Hallelujah. Our prayers have been answered. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the newest offering from my favorite foodie authors, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, a husband-wife duo whose previous works include BECOMING A CHEF, CULINARY ARTISTRY, DINING OUT, CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, THE NEW AMERICAN CHEF, and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. Chapters one and two discuss occasion, seasonality, region, taste, mouthfeel and aroma, all concepts that we can use to ensure that each time we enter the kitchen we're apt to improve ourselves as cooks. Chapter three covers flavor affinities, and contains a list of almost every imaginable ingredient, in alphabetical order, and a corresponding list of those ingredients which best complement it....Wow, that's a concept I can turn into a quick salad or appetizer, learn a little along the way, and, most importantly, incorporate a little of my own creativity into the dish-without blindly following someone else's recipe. What's more, I can take THE FLAVOR BIBLE with me to the grocery store. If avocadoes are on sale, I can simply reference my bible for complementary ingredients.
Ultimately, I hope, we'll be delivered from our reliance on recipes, and instead of racks of food mags, there will be a copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE found in every nightstand drawer next to every bed in every hotel around the country."
—Rob Seideman, Aspen Daily News (November 20, 2009)

"It's time once again, ladies and gentlemen, for the holiday tradition that is the Liquor Snob Holiday Gift Guide. If you're wondering what to buy for the boozer, sot, or lush of your life, fret no more, because we're gonna hook you up. It's time once again, ladies and gentlemen, for the holiday tradition that is the Liquor Snob Holiday Gift guide. If you're wondering what to buy for the boozer, sot, or lush of your life, fret no more, because we're gonna hook you up....THE FLAVOR BIBLE and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT are tied as our favorite cocktail creation / cookbooks of 2009. Highly recommended."
—Jake Jamieson, editor-in-chief, LiquorSnob.com (November 20, 2009)

"Chef and Tell with Brian Laird of Barolo Grill....Favorite cookbook: CULINARY ARTISTRY, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. I use it on a day-to-day basis. It's not a book of recipes, but a reference book, and a great place to look for ideas when I'm having a brain freeze. I also love the French Laundry cookbooks."
—Lori Midson, Westword (November 19, 2009)

"Post-Grad Pursuit: '83 alum wines, dines, writes at the best restaurants in America. Karen Page (Weinberg ’83) is the ultimate foodie, and better yet, she’s famous for it.  James Beard Award-winning co-author of BECOMING A CHEF, DINING OUT and THE FLAVOR BIBLE, Page got her start in the food industry by delivering birthday cakes...."
—Katherine Zhu, "The Weekly," The Daily Northwestern (November 19, 2009)

"Last year Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page wrote one of the most informative books on drinking and eating. WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT is a must read."
—John Foley, Examiner.com (November 17, 2009)

"'Because Beaujolais Nouveau is released annually on the third Thursday of November, exactly one week before Thanksgiving, the two have become as inextricably linked as champagne and New Year's Eve,' say Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. This year, Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau arrives from France at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, The fruity red wine is versatile with many popular dishes and a great accompaniment for holiday entertaining."
—News-Journal Online (November 17, 2009)

"My New Favorite Thing: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. I have to admit, this isn’t really my new favorite thing. As everyone in the kitchen can attest to, this has been my favorite thing for quite a while. This is by far one of my favorite reference books for cooking. It is a comprehensive guide to figuring out which flavors complement specific ingredients. The book is set up in alphabetical order. Simply turn to the ingredient you are cooking with and it will provide a list of other produce, meat, cheese, etc that it pairs well with. It also provides the best cooking methods for the ingredient, its appropriate season and serving suggestions from chefs around the country. I find it so helpful because it reminds you about certain flavor combinations that work well and unlocks your imagination as well as introduces you to flavor combinations that perhaps you had not thought of."
—Heather Meldrom, Martha Stewart's Everyday Food (October 26, 2009)

"I am a creature of habit. I will do the same thing over and over even when I know it's not working for me, so I like having tools around that aid and abet my creativity and personal freedom. In the kitchen, having a pantry of high quality ingredients and products that move me is key for allowing me to improvise and create amazing meals. The book THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, whose cover you see here, is another great tool. The book is a reference guide to hundreds of ingredients, everything from apples to zucchini and every herb, spice, spirit and cuisine in between. Each item has its own description in terms of flavor profile, season, and the best techniques and tips for using it. It also has suggestions and knowledge from some of America's greatest chefs. But that's hardly the best part. This book is the kitchen improviser's bible because it lists all the matching flavor affinities for each ingredient! So say you have beets in your fridge and you're not sure what to do with them. Not only will the book give suggestions on cooking them, but it lists all the other flavors, ingredients, herbs and spices that go well with beets in alphabetical order...I don't know about you but I find this terribly exciting! These pairings make my mouth water. That's what makes this volume invaluable. Once you've used it for a while, you gain a more natural sense of what goes with what, which will lend itself in numerous creative and tasty ways in your cooking. Learning the essentials and then riffing on that in your own style is precisely what makes a great cook. I think one of the privileges of being human is that we get to develop our style, our character, to know who we are and what we stand for in the scheme of things. Cooking and eating is a brilliant, fun and tasty way to develop that."
—Dana Joy Altman, The Huffington Post (October 26, 2009)

"Japanese scientists have figured out why eating seafood with red wine can leave an unpleasant aftertaste. There's something behind that frequently discredited rule that only white wine goes with fish, the researchers say....For more detailed suggestions for figuring out the terrain, there's a book by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, which The Times recommends."
—Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times (October 22, 2009)

"The Blogger Beat: Endless Simmer. A little of this, a little of that — this week's Blogger Beat chats with Endless Simmer's Stefanie Gans. Q. Number of cookbooks you own and your favorite in your collection: 'I have an entire bookcase dedicated to cookbooks, but I only ever reach for two: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, for when I can’t figure out what that missing ingredient is in my almost-right dish, and James Beard’s Theory & Practice of Good Cooking, for when I forget how many minutes to cook a hardboiled egg.'”
—Emily Leaman, Washingtonian (October 14, 2009)

"The Ultimate Wine List. Vino may take the edge off, but picking the right bottle can be stressful. Lucky for you, we have easy advice....2) Mix sweet and spicy. When you're in the mood for savory takeout (think Thai or Indian), pair it with a semi-sweet, fruity wine, such as a Riesling. 'The flavor will calm your palate,' says Karen Page, coauthor of eight food and wine books, including WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT."
—Loren Chidoni, Women's Health (October 2009)

"A Toast to Spaghetti Wines: Maybe I'm a culinary Rip Van Winkle, but who killed off sppaghetti and meatballs? As a kid whiling away winter in 1960s Miami, spaghetti and meatballs was exotic 'ethnic' fare...Somehow, between the rise of extra-virgin olive oil, cappelletti, cipollini and lardo, spahetthi a nd meatballs seems to have been elbowed aside, not just on many restaurant menus bit in the minds of wine professionals. Of the wine-food pairing books on my desk, only Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg directly address spaghetti and meatballs in their WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT."
—Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune (October 7, 2009)

drinks

"Pigskin Picks. Wine teams up with football party fare for a winning combination. For many of us red-blooded Americans, fall means good food, friends, and football. And just like Thanksgiving doesn't feel quite right wihout turkey and cranberries, a football party seems a little off without certain beloved standbys — from spicy chili and zesty chicken wings to burgers and pizza. This year though, why not pass on the keg and bring wine to the party....Karen Page and her husband Andrew Dornenburg, James Beard Award-winning co-authors of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and THE FLAVOR BIBLE, help you tackle pairing wine with a selection of football party faorites that will make you forget whether your team won or lost."
—Mary Subialka, associate editor, Drinks magazine (Fall 2009)

"Culinary Calendar: Monday through Wednesday. The intimate cookbook-inspired cooking classes at Stir Boston focus on creating dishes without recipes by using the lessons of THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg; 7 p.m., $145. 102 Waltham St. (South End); 617-423-7847; stirboston.com."
—Kerry J. Byrne, Boston Herald (September 25, 2009)

"This is part two of Lori Midson's interview with Paul Reilly, executive chef of Encore....Favorite cookbooks: James Beard's American Cookery, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page's CULINARY ARTISTRY, and James Peterson's Fish & Shellfish."
—Lori Midson, Westword (September 17, 2009)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a must for cooking and cocktail mixologists with an alphabetical listing of flavors and ingredients; it also includes short essays on regional tastes and from chefs."
—The Awesomer (September 17, 2009)

"A couple years ago we were really impressed with a book called WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, a tome dedicated to helping you pair your food with the right drink, and your drinks with the right food...Another book was recommended to us called THE FLAVOR BIBLE, and we wanted to share with our readers about that one as well. ot a cookbook or recipe book per se, this book is dedicated to simply telling you what flavors go well together. A very simple concept well executed, the book is formatted to let you know which flavors complement one another (the no-brainer apple/cinnamon home run) and which shouldn't be on the same plate or in the same glass (you can shelve your plans for an oyster and tarragon cocktail). In the short time we've had it this book has helped our cooking immensely, as well as helping us be a bit more adventuresome with our mixology. Now we can check to see what kinds of flavors go well together, and use that as a springboard for creating more interesting, exciting cocktails. Both books are highly recommended for cooking and cocktail creation."
—Jake Jamieson, editor-in-chief, LiquorSnob.com (September 15, 2009)

"On September 7, THE FLAVOR BIBLE celebrated one year on Amazon’s 'Cooking, Food & Wine' top 100 bestseller list. And, its authors are quick to add, before Julie & Julia-related books took over much of list’s prime real estate, THE FLAVOR BIBLE spent most of its life in the top 25. How did a book without a movie tie-in, national TV presence or celebrity authors, that doesn’t contain one recipe, achieve such success? THE FLAVOR BIBLE teaches readers to cook without recipes, inspired by tried-and-true compatible flavors. Authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, a husband-and-wife team who have written a string of books chefs love, think of the book as 'a thesaurus of flavors that work well together.' The book explains, for instance, that tropical fruit goes with lime juice, lime zest and rum; quail is well-matched with thyme and vinegar; and that one of Swedish cuisine’s main flavors is dill (and that you should avoid garlic and piquancy when making Swedish dishes). It’s a smart, useful book that won a 2009 James Beard Award and has garnered praise from publications ranging from O to the Chicago Tribune to the popular food blog 101 Cookbooks. Little, Brown published THE FLAVOR BIBLE a year ago this week — and went into its fourth printing this summer...."
—Lynn Andriani, Senior Editor, Publishers Weekly (September 14, 2009)

"...Also, remember to season with salt and pepper along the way and taste what you’re making! Still looking for flavor combination ideas and suggestions? A helpful handbook to keep in the kitchen is titled CULINARY ARTISTRY…Stop by your local library or bookstore and pick up a copy...."
—Nancy Maslonka, Examiner.com (September 7, 2009)

"My guests today are Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, 2009 James Beard Award-winning authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE...."
—Lis Wiehl, guest host, "The Joan Hamburg Show" on WOR Radio (September 2, 2009)

"Wine Tweets. What it is: Wine geeks geeking out in 140 characters or less on social networking site Twitter.com. When: 24 hours a day. Why: Who has time for anything more? (Also, wabbing, free pr, wine tips, funny stories, connecting with friendly strangers...) Who to follow: @WhatToDrinkBook: Authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page obsess over food and wine."
—Tara Q. Thomas, Wine & Spirits magazine (Fall 2009)

"Do your research for right flavor formulas: Interested in turning your next meal into an experiment in the science of flavor? Ensure palate-pleasing results by doing a little research first: Most professional chefs skip cookbooks altogether, but one book you're likely to find well-thumbed on their bookshelves is CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (Wiley, 1996). The classic culinary roadmap to Tastyland includes recipes but focuses on suggested flavor pairings. "People always ask me 'What goes good with what?' said chef David Kamen, an instructor at The Culinary Institute of America. "This is the book to have. It's very helpful."
—Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (August 18, 2009)

Mashable

"Tasty Tweets: 55+ Foodies to Follow on Twitter: Whether you love to cook, or just love to eat, there are plenty of great foodies on Twitter that you can follow. From celebrity foodies you’ll recognize from TV to professional chefs, bloggers, and restaurant critics, many food lovers are tapping into Twitter’s real-time network to offer up recipes, restaurant recommendations (or warnings), and an inside look at life in the kitchen. This list has over 55 great foodies to follow on Twitter....@KarenAndAndrew — Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are the authors of numerous books, most recently THE FLAVOR BIBLE, winner of the 2009 James Beard Award. Their tweets talk about their books, food commentary, and interesting links."
—Cameron Chapman, Mashable.com (August 13, 2009)

"Organic farm allows work for weekly veggie shares....Bryan Irwin, 32, lives near the farm and decided to buy a worker share after he was laid off in April from his engineering job with an automotive supplier. 'I'm interested in locally grown food and reducing my carbon footprint,' he said. 'And since I'm unemployed, I have nothing but time on my hands.' Irwin said he's learned a lot about vegetables. 'This has changed the way I eat,' he said. 'The food is so fresh and good, and hopefully it's something I can sustain once the season is over.' He said he likes to sauté and grill the vegetables. He's picked up several cooking ideas from THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Co., 2008, $35). 'A couple of weeks ago, we got kohlrabi, and the book said it's seasoned well with dill and goes well with potatoes and Parmesan cheese,' Irwin said. 'So that's what we did with it, and it was great.'"
—Karen Herzog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (August 1, 2009)

"Routt County Spotlight: Jessica Lynn Raiford. Occupation: Caterer, Steamboat Meat & Seafood Co. Place of birth: New Orleans. Q. When did you move to Routt County, and what brought you here? A. November 2005 hurricanes...Q. Has a book ever changed your life? What was it and why? A. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, book about the fundamentals of flavor and food and how to begin putting it all together. It gave me courage to even start cooking."
—Steamboat Pilot & Today (Steamboat Springs, CO) (August 1, 2009)

"Corn Broth: The idea of using husks to make corn broth comes from Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place in Portland, Ore., as mentioned in THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. I like to use cobs, husks and even silks for as much corn flavor as possible. This broth can be used as the base of soups such as Corn-Poblano (see related recipe); it also can stand in for chicken broth in corn risotto and can be added in increments to sauces for a boost of corn flavor."
—Joe Yonan, food editor, The Washington Post (July 29, 2009)

"Heidi Swanson had a massive number of cookbooks, a little extra time on her hands and a passion for eating healthy. Working her way through her cookbook collection one recipe at a time, in 2003 Swanson created the recipe journal 101cookbooks.com. Today, she has thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook....Q. Are there cookbooks you rely on? A. The cookbooks I keep close at hand are classics. I really love books that are mindful about design as well, where the photography or layout is remarkable. On my site, I list cookbooks and (more than a dozen) favorites (including) THE FLAVOR BIBLE, Nigel Slater's Appetite and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook."
—Kristine M. Kierzek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (July 28, 2009)

OregonLive.com

"This new wave of Portland bartenders are masters of balancing the old and new, and when you explore their creations, you're sure to encounter a beverage that will inspire you in your own cocktail-making at home....Kevin Ludwig, Baker & Flask. Where he gets his ideas: Favorite cookbooks like THE FLAVOR BIBLE..."
—Grant Butler, The Oregonian (July 23, 2009)

columbus underground

"This week, Columbus Underground is taking a look at some of the amazing young talent in the kitchens of your favorite local restaurants...Angela Theado is a passionately driven 28-year-old Columbus State graduate with a lot of experience in various kitchens in Columbus...currently working in the kitchen at Alana's Food and Wine. 'Some girls buy shoes,' says Angela. 'I, on the other hand, buy cookbooks and everything related.' Favorite cookbook: My favorites include The Food Lover's Companion, CULINARY ARTISTRY....Joshua DiBari is currently the sous chef at Z Cucina. Favorite cookbook: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page..."
—ColumbusUnderground.com (July 21, 2009)

"9 Famous Foodies to Follow on Twitter. Hungry for some tasty tweets? The culinary community is sweeping the Twittersphere, and now you can keep up with some of the biggest names in the biz just by clicking the 'follow' button on Twitter. Here are some faves... @KarenAndAndrew: You heard of THE FLAVOR BIBLE? Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg wrote the book."
—Michele Laudig, Phoenix New Times (July 10, 2009)

"Top 10 Chefs: Mike Comer, Temptations Everyday Gourmet. The 2009 Wilmington Magazine and StarNews Top Chef competition narrowed a field of 40 reader-nominated chefs down to your Top 10. As we count down to the Taste of Wilmington festival on July 19, we spotlight each of the chefs. Mike Comer Age: 29. Years cooking: 15. Culinary school: The Culinary Institute of America. Most well-worn cookbook: CULINARY ARTISTRY or The Food Lover's Companion."
—Wilmington StarNews (July 9, 2009)

"RIKKI Klieman, the Tru TV 'In Session' anchor, had reason to celebrate at DBGB Kitchen & Bar when the management poured a new vintage of chef Daniel Boulud's private label champagne for her and her tablemates, THE FLAVOR BIBLE authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Klieman just landed a role in a major movie set to start shooting next month."
—Richard Johnson, "Page Six," New York Post (July 8, 2009)

"It's summertime, and the reading is easy. We asked several local wine mavens to recommend a book for folks to read on their summer vacation or staycation: Karl Rigelman, beverage manager at the Minikahda Club: WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. 'It's a wonderful resource that provides all the basic information for experimenting with different food and wine possibilities.'"
—Bill Ward, Minneapolis Star-Tribune (July 1, 2009)

"Let's take a call....Lloyd from Manhattan, your're on the air. Q. ...They sell these charts that pair the appropriate herb and spice for every category dish — for example, poultry, fish, lamb, pork...I have a lot of spices, but sometimes I forget which goes with what. Any idea where I can find one? A. There's a wonderful book by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg called THE FLAVOR BIBLE, in which they talk about what goes well with what. Rather than giving you recipes, they suggest that certain spices go well with certain foods or other spices." Guest Melissa Clark: "...That's a fabulous book."
—Leonard Lopate, "The Leonard Lopate Show," WNYC New York Public Radio (June 22, 2009)

"My wife tells people that she failed Boiling Water 101.  That’s fine with me, because like many other men, and especially those of us in the event business, I love to cook. I also enjoy reading about it.  Not cookbooks, but stories about cooking and people who cook.  So with Father’s Day in mind I have assembled a list of my favorites, any of which would make a terrific gift....There are two reference books that are never far from my reach.  Can’t figure out what spices to use on the Lamb Loin? CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page will get you out of that pickle; there is no better tool for creating dishes and menus."
—Richard Newton, wedding planner, Atelier Weddings on WeddingAces.com (June 19, 2009)

"...Here are three books most grads would be glad to have...THE FLAVOR BIBLE is one of those books. The subtitle, 'The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs,' doesn’t quite get at the enormity of the task that authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg set for themselves. They interviewed dozens of chefs and other 'food and drink experts' to learn about their favorite flavor combinations....The result is a cookbook unlike any we’ve ever seen. Essentially, it’s a catalog of suggestions from people who cook (a lot) about how to put ingredients together. So, there’s a list of items that go well with Achiote Seeds (the first entry), and similarly there’s a list of things that go well with Zucchini Blossoms (the last). lus there are entries for a given cuisine — Korean, for instance, which lists chile peppers, fish, garlic, noodles (especially buckwheat), rice, sesames seeds, shellfish, soy sauce, sugar, pickled vegetables (for example, kimchi)....Not surprisingly for a book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE, this volume opens with a spirited discussion of flavor — its physical, emotional, and mental realms. Next comes an overview of cooking, complete with glorious photographs. The charts themselves take up hundreds of pages, but are alphabetically ordered and thus are simple to use. Finally, there are the quotes and suggestions for combinations: Hundreds of them, from the people interviewed. These lively bits are the spice of the book, giving THE FLAVOR BIBLE its flavor. We loved reading about how Meeru Dhalwala, of Vij’s in Vancouver, B.C., layers turmeric with other spices, or how Kaz Okochi, of Kaz Sushi Bistro in Washington, D.C. uses yuzu juice (in fact, we loved learning about yuzu juice in the first place). At its best, THE FLAVOR BIBLE equips a good cook to become more adventurous and ultimately more skilled at creating dishes, sans recipes. But just as important, it’s an inspiring and entertaining book to peruse."
—Kim Carlson, Culinate.com (June 16, 2009)

"Favorite books: Craft of Cooking, CULINARY ARTISTRY, French Laundry — cookbooks that just don't give you some recipe but a sense of why and how the dish came about...."
—Teddy Folkman, co-owner and executive chef of Gastropub in Washington, DC, on "The Next Food Network Star" (June 2009)

"From the Bookshelf: Cooking Without a Recipe: THE FLAVOR BIBLE expands on an idea that Dornenburg and Page touched upon in their books CULINARY ARTISTRY and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT; indexing different ingredients with their complementary flavors. There's a section on regional and international flavor profiles, little essays from chefs about the idea of flavors and pairings, and a guide to different cuts of meat. If you're looking for recipes, you won't find any here; this book is truly intended as a reference and a jumping-off point for your own creations. For accomplished cooks who already have their techniques down pat, it'll be a great resource to get more inventive with their own creations...."
—Jessica Harlan, About.com (June 11, 2009)

"For some fine Austrian wine, say 'groo-vy.' The name Gruner Veltliner can be a mouthful for those unacquainted with the German language, and in the U.S. is often referred to as Gru-V (groovy). Until fairly recently it was almost unknown in the U.S. but is becoming increasingly popular here. In the book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, top American sommeliers offer advice and opinions about food and drinks, ranging from wine and beer to coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages. They're enthusiastic about Gru-V: 'When in doubt, get Gruner Veltliner and you'll be OK,' says one. Others comment, 'Chefs that care about food and like wine like Gruner Veltliner and will recommend it,' and 'Once you get people to taste it, they find they love it!'"
—Julianne Glatz, Illinois Times (June 11, 2009)

"If you don't already have this book, buy it now! THE FLAVOR BIBLE, written by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, is like a feast for the culinary mind....It's a fantastic source of inspiration for me, and I use the book mostly to brainstom ideas for new menu items and love to cross-reference a copule of ingredients to complete a dish....Since receiving this book, I have found myself flipping its pages time and time again...always giving me some serious food for thought!"
—Jenny McCoy, Emerils.com (June 7, 2009)

"When we first received THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg ($35, Little, Brown and Co.) in late 2008, we couldn’t decide if we hated it or thought it was the most brilliant cookbook we’d seen in years...The nearly 400-page hardback tome doesn't contain a single [recipe], at least not in the traditional sense. But if you're interested in flavor combinations to seek out and combinations to avoid, suggestions for the best preparation technqiues and what chefs and other culinary professionals like to make with specific ingredients (such as sauteed strawberries in black-pepper cabernet sauvignon sauce with vanilla ice cream and a sacristan cookie), the $35 cover price is money well spent....If you look at it as a reference guide to jump start creativity in the kitchen, the possibilities are endless."
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Democrat & Gazette (June 3, 2009)

"Like many chefs, Rachael Levine gained a love of food from the family kitchen and garden. In college, she began working her way up from a dishwasher position at a now-defunct Woodland brewhouse to later become the executive chef at R.H. Phillips Winery in Esparto, where she helped develop the winery’s hospitality program. That spirit of community still imbues both her current position as executive chef for Woodland-based Nugget Markets, and her home life in the Sacramento Valley....What are your favorite cookbooks? We have a local cookbook author, Georgeanne Brennan; she and I are on the executive board of Slow Food Yolo. I’ve known her for a number of years and I celebrate what she does; some of my favorite things are written by her. But my favorite, favorite cookbook  is not so much a cookbook but more of a reference tool, called CULINARY ARTISTRY. It’s brilliant. Every new head chef that we bring here — when we have somebody new — I have them read it."
—Ana Cotham, Solano magazine (May 2009)

"The Blog that brought me home again....My parents, Lindsey and Charles Shere, were partners with Alice Waters in Chez Panisse from the beginning; Mom was the founding pastry chef. Food framed our lives. Mom tended a small city garden with a pear tree and fraises des bois. We shared a fence and the fava beans that climbed it with our elderly neighbor, Mrs. Bertolli. At dinner we would taste, joke, and argue. Conversation revolved around food. 'If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring ten foods, what would they be?' Dad’s list included grapes for wine. Mom added tangerines and lettuce (her complete list is in the book CULINARY ARTISTRY)."
—Giovanna Zivny, Gourmet (May 2009)

"It seems appropriate to review the book that prompted me to start the blog: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This is not a traditional cookery book. It is something even better. Page and Dornenburg spent eight years speaking to the top chefs in the U.S. They were trying to work out which ingredients produced the best flavors when used together. In short, they were looking for deliciousness. What they have published are the results of almost a decade of research. Take a food, almost any food, and the book will describe the taste and then list a long line of ingredients that bring out or compliment the flavor. I think the book is for amateur and professional cooks who want to create their own dishes or improve their culinary intuition. While it does provide information on how to cook a particular food it does not contain recipes. Look out for this title. I think it is going to join The Silver Spoon [Italy's bestselling cookbook of the past 50 years] and CULINARY ARTISTRY as a classic cook book."
—Matt Wake, founder of Books Books Books, the English-language bookstore in Lausanne, Switzerland, on MattOnBooks.blogspot.com (May 25, 2009)

NorthJersey.com

"Pros reveal their favorite cooking tools. Josh Bernstein, chef-owner of 9 North in Wayne: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. 'It is the most comprehensive book on flavor matching. I live by this book,' he said. 'It helps you combine flavors and take the guesswork out of the process.'"
—Elisa Ung, restaurant reviewer, NorthJersey.com (May 24, 2009)

"Interview with Culinary Student Blair Cannon. Q. What books would you recommend to someone thinking of going to cooking school? A. My top three favorite books are: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page...."
— ReluctantGourmet.com (May 21, 2009)

"This. Book. Is. FABULOUS. THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. So many of you say you don't know what foods go together if they're not already wrapped up in a frozen burrito. This book takes out every single ounce of guesswork. It looks at every ingredient you can think from the most basic to the most exotic and lists out the best ingredients that go with it. It even has the absolute best pairings bold and in big capital letters so you CAN'T GO WRONG. Not only does it talk about ingredients, it talks about methods of cooking. For example, what's the best way to prepare that bag of carrots in your fridge? Boil? Saute? Raw? THE FLAVOR BIBLE tells us that you get the best flavor out of carrots when you roast them. I mean for real, how awesome is that kind of knowledge! You'll be unstoppable!! They've already done the experimenting (and messing up) for you, and by they, I mean crazy awesome chefs from all over the place. Seriously, y'all, this book is a savior for any of you who want to throw dinner together but just don't know what should be thrown. You'll wonder how you ever cooked without it."
— Kendra Adachi, MyFirstKitchen.net (May 21, 2009)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The best book I've ever purchased. I got this book last week, and it's great."
—DeLawrence Reed, Army veteran and home cook in Long Branch, NJ, on MixingBowl.com (May 18, 2009)

Speed Reading: Books, Books, Fish: ...Q. Now, cooking: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Why, oh why, oh why have we got a cookery book on the Speed Read? A. "In the last two weeks, we've just been hit by a seeming avalanche of cookery books. And a lot of them are good, but THE FLAVOR BIBLE is really head and shoulders above the rest. It's not a traditional cookery book, in the sense that it doesn't give you any recipes. But what the authors did was they went round and interviewed all of the top chefs in the U.S. and they wrote a list of all the possible ingredients you could use — like beef, cottage cheese, Parmesan, beans — and they describe the taste of those ingredients. What they've done very cleverly is made a list of the flavors which best complement these things....It's almost like a flavor palette. It's really for people who want to be creative and imaginative but are not sure which flavors go best with which."
—Matthew Wake, owner of Books Books Books, an English-language bookstore in Lausanne, on World Radio Switzerland (May 15, 2009)

"It's 1:30 in the morning and, regardless of what substance I may or may not be on, my stomach is yelling at me to eat. I scour my kitchen but finding nothing pre-made, stare at some beets, hoping they will miraculously become a meal. This is about the time when I consult the good book. It may be the best food-related book ever. It is THE FLAVOR BIBLE, and here's what a few reviewers have said about it: 'One of the best cookbooks I've ever encountered.' 'An extraordinary book. I recently added THE FLAVOR BIBLE to my cookbook collection, which numbers more than 1,000 volumes...It has immediately become one of my favorites (and definitely my #1 favorite in English).' That and the fact that authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page just took home a James Beard Award for THE FLAVOR BIBLE really cement its status as an essential book. It's like the Rosetta Stone, except it's been left by the world's great chefs for cooks who know the basics. Essentially, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a giant book of lists. Sure, the beginning has some useful information about plate and flavor composition, but that's in no way the meat of the book. The meat here is in the lists: hundreds of ingredients, and what goes with them. That's it. But it's enough to focus your mind and help foster mass amounts of creativity. I stumble over to the book and on page 77, I begin to read down the list of things that go with beets. Apples, arugula, avocado, basil, beef...on and on and on (over 90 things total for beets). I come upon horseradish, and remember I have some in my fridge. I then flip to the horseradish page and see that chives (which I also have) go with it, so I have my foundation. If I was working in a restaurant, I could make a roasted beet napoleon with the horseradish and chive oil and more, but tonight, drunk in my kitchen, I find solace in simplicity.
Some beets, some horseradish and some chives: Seems easy enough, but I probably would've found myself eating butter with a spoon if it weren't for a little guidance from the holiest of food books. I'm just spreading the word."
—Tyler Nemkov, Denver Westword (May 15, 2009)

"Book: The Bible of Flavors [THE FLAVOR BIBLE]. A lexicon of flavors, ingredients and párosításokkal. Brilliant."
—Robert Nagy (aka Beat Bull) on Kiserleti Konyha [Experimental Cooking] blog in Bavaria, Germany (May 6, 2009)

"Cookbook winners named. The winners of the 2009 James Beard Foundation cookbook awards were announced Monday in New York City. Reference [and Scholarship]: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Minneapolis Star Tribune (May 6, 2009)

The James Beard Foundation

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Just won for Reference and Scholarship. A plug for it: the book was a great idea and a whole new way to think about food in the sort of conceptual way chefs do."
—Meredith Arthur, The Official James Beard Foundation Blog (May 6, 2009)

"In addition to Dale DeGroff winning a James Beard award last night, there was another award that I would like to bring to your attention. Category: Reference and Scholarship. THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs. Authors: Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg. If you haven't heard of this book yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is a great reference for comparing flavor profiles, and getting a better understanding of which flavors might match together well. It includes not just food based pairings, but drink based ones as well. It builds upon their previous books CULINARY ARTISTRY and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. Which I also recommend."
—Robert Hess, The Chanticleer Society, a worldwide organization of cocktail enthusiasts (May 5, 2009)

"James Beard Book Award - Reference and Scholarship. Project Foodie Straw Poll Winner: THE FLAVOR BIBLE (56% of votes)."
—ProjectFoodie.com (May 2, 2009)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: This is not a cookbook per se. If you're expecting page after page of recipes, you'll be disappointed. But like so many of their other books, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page provoke and intrigue. They make you think about cooking in terms of flavors, rather than specific recipes. Once you're able to think in terms of what flavors go with what, you won't have to be tied to recipes to create magic in your kitchen."
—Carolyn Jung, ProjectFoodie.com (May 2, 2009)

"Sean O'Brien, chef, Zinnia...Most memorable moment: Being selected by Food and Wine magazine as one of the top new chefs. It was a huge honor for me. Also the year before, Myth was one of the best new restaurants in Esquire magazine...Favorite cookbook: It’s a reference guide called CULINARY ARTISTRY. So if you look up avocados, it tells you what pairings go well with that."
—Emily Fancher, San Francisco Business Times (May 1, 2009)

"Name: Suzy Giraldo. Home: Rancho Mirage; originally from Laguna Beach. Occupation: Private Cordon Bleu master chef and owner of Suzy Gourmet. Proudest accomplishment: Passing the state board exams at the Cordon Bleu with the highest score...Treasured book: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. 'It's a great source on how to pair flavors.'”
—Sue Rappaport, The Desert Sun (April 29, 2009)

"...I thought of Lucille immediately when I spotted THE FLAVOR BIBLE at a bookstore in Vancouver, several days later. I was amazed and delighted when I started flipping through it — I knew immediately I had to have this book. I bought two copies, one for me and one to send to Lucille. This book is brilliant! Flavors are arranged alphabetically, and each flavor is examined in delicious detail. Say you want to do something with Apples, for example. Flip to the section on Apples, and you get such facts as season, taste, function, weight, and volume; a list of cooking techniques, a lengthy list of flavors and ingredients that combine well with apple, Next you get tips and dishes from famous chefs (such as Emily Luchitti of Farallon, or Michael Laiskonis, from Le Bernardin). Finally you get my favorite part, the Flavor Affinities, a deliciously-detailed list (apples + almonds + caramel or apples + cinnamon + dark chocolate + yams, for example). It’s so cool! I love it! Ok, let’s try something else, something savory. Foie Gras. Again, a nice list of complementary ingredients - including allspice, Armagnac, cherries, figs, grapes, rhubarb! Dishes like Carrie Nahabedian’s Foie Gras with Roasted Plums. Bob Iacovone from the Cuvee in New Orleans, talking about stuffing Twinkies with foie gras (hmm) And of course the Flavor Affinities, including foie gras + strawberries + black pepper. Yum. And there is more. You can also find these detailed flavor guides listed by regions, with sections such as Portuguese, Spanish, Cajun, or Thai cuisine, including of course those wonderful Flavor Affinities. Being from a German background, I took a look at the 10 different listed Flavor Affinities for German Cuisine. The list - including such favorites as ginger & sauerbraten; dill + cucumbers; cream + paprika + poppy seeds - is quite accurate, definitely convincing me THE FLAVOR BIBLE knows its way around a kitchen. Needless to say, Lucille was thrilled with the book, and has been using it daily....For a chef, this book will open up cooking opportunities that may have been forgotten, and offer some new viewpoints. For a committed or curious foodie it is an exciting guide to ingredient combination and flavor opportunities. This is a great book, and I am sure you will love it as much as I do! [***** out of 5 stars]."
—Thea Willgress, Vancouver pastry chef and wedding cake designer, SweetThea.com (April 25, 2009)

"Personal Chef Neil Wilson on Bibles, Lemon Zest, and Thanksgiving Leftovers: This is personal chef Neil Wilson. He used to be in the army — but now he makes delicious ravioli (seen here in its pressed dough, pre-stuffed form). Before becoming a personal chef, Wilson attended L’Academie de Cuisine and then worked as a line cook for Palena. Here are some of his cooking tips: Buy this book: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Look up any popular ingredient, and it will provide a rundown of complimentary herbs, spices and foods, and other cuisines in which the ingredient is featured."
—Ruth Samuelson, Washington City Paper (April 23, 2009)

"When it comes to exercising with a significant other, motivation and support can turn workouts into 'we time,' or unwanted criticism and control can make you crave lots of 'me time.'....A great compromise is for couples to work out simultaneously, but not alongside each other. They're separate but still doing something together. That's what works for food and wine authors Karen Page, 46, and Andrew Dornenburg, 49. They began their marriage by running the Montreal marathon together in 1990 on their honeymoon and have been running together ever since.
Several times a week, they walk the 1.5 miles from their New York City home to Central Park, run apart and meet up to go home. They run in opposite directions at different speeds around a loop, knowing their paths will cross. When they do, they shout an encouraging 'looking good' or 'great pace.' 'We slap a high-five as we run past each other,' says Page. 'Or I'll pretend he's a stranger and say, 'Hot legs.'"
—Lisa Flam, The Baltimore Sun (April 23, 2009)

"Sooner or later, every dedicated cook learns that a recipe is simply a launching point for cooking, a guideline. If you really want to learn to cook well you need to understand what gives a dish balance in taste, how the weather and the season affects the dishes you would want to make, which ingredients work well together and which don't....The more you understand which flavors work well together, which offer a natural balance, the more masterful your results will be. It is this subject that authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg address in THE FLAVOR BIBLE Page and Dornenburg spent 8 years researching to prepare the contents of THE FLAVOR BIBLE. They interviewed countless chefs for their suggestions of what foods, spices, herbs complement each other. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is designed for inspiration, for those days when you know you want to make something with a particular ingredient, and are looking for what would work well with it. For example, arugula is something we have growing in spades this time of year. Looking it up in THE FLAVOR BIBLE I find an interesting recommended 'flavor affinity' that I have not considered — arugula with pears and prosciutto. The book is set up like one giant index. Just look up an ingredient, and there will be a list of other ingredients that are well matched with it, as well as suggestions for groups of ingredients that work well together....If you are interested in improvising beyond a basic recipe, and want the best possible results, you will find this book a godsend. It's as if someone picked the brains of the best culinary talent just for you."
—Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes (April 22, 2009)

"Basil is one of the most versatile herbs, working well with tomatoes, zucchini and in pesto sauces as well as pasta and egg dishes, according to THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Company, $35). It's also wonderful on salmon, chicken and pizzas."
—Bill Lohmann, Richmond Times-Dispatch (April 22, 2009) and Lynchburg News & Advance (April 28, 2009)

"Italian food to Adriano DiMario is not just about eating. It's palate enlightenment. As the chef and co-owner of Café Lazio, DiMario wants to educate his clientele about authentic Italian cuisine....
DiMario and business partner Charlann Hurley are proprietors of the almost two year-old dining spot on Bay Road....Hurley professes to not being a cook but says she enjoys fine food. She is a paralegal for a law firm in Malta. She's trying to educate herself with THE FLAVOR BIBLE to help her know what flavors marry successfully with others."
—Meg Hagerty, The Post-Star (April 15, 2009)

"Since we bought [THE FLAVOR BIBLE], back in October, I'm pretty sure it has been opened every single day. I tried to take a beautiful photograph of it, but there's no taking away the smudged fingerprints and dented corners. We are often holding this book in our hands. Years ago, this book would have intimidated me. There are no recipes. Every food is in alphabetical order, rather than being organized by type or style of cuisine. Before I met Danny, I would have looked at this book and put it away. But he has taught me how to cook from feel, from experience, rather than from recipes alone. (I still use recipes, most of the time, but now they are only starting points, a gun going off toward the sky. I'm not nearly so straight-backed examining them, as I was before.) For that reason, this book is invaluable....He's the jazz musician. I'm the grammar teacher....
That's why this book works for him, and more and more, for me now too. Say you bought some ramps at the farmers' market (they're coming here soon), in your eagerness to celebrate spring. But when you are home, you realize — you have no idea what to do with them. Look up ramps in this book. What you'll find is a list of other foods that go particularly well with ramps: asparagus, bacon, butter, carrots, chicken, chives, cream, cured meats, etc. Some of the foods are in bold, meaning they go particularly well with ramps: Parmesan cheese, pasta, new potatoes. Hm. What to make? Well, Danny has taught me to think creatively. It's April, so we want something light, not like the pot roasts and meatloaf nights of February. What's for dinner? What about rice pasta with roasted asparagus, sauteed ramps, prosciutto, and Parmesan cheese? Or, grilled halibut with black pepper-ramp puree? Or warm polenta with morel mushrooms and a creamy ramp sauce? Actually, I'm hungry again. Those are all just ideas from looking at the ramp section of this book...."
—Shauna James Ahern, author and host, Gluten-Free Girl
(April 7, 2009)

MARKET TO MOUTH

"I do have a something I want to draw your attention to however; it's an article in O Magazine which touches on the idea of recipe-independence, a concept I refer to a lot. As I've stated in previous posts, recipe-independence can be achieved by trusting your creativity and taste-intuition, and by understanding complimentary foods and flavors, or flavor pals. O's article uses THE FLAVOR BIBLE (I highly recommend this brilliant book for anyone who loves to cook. You can buy it here, see the link to the right and below.) as a resource for guiding home-cooks away from recipes and toward their inner 'culinary authority.'"
—Louise Ross, Whole Foods' recession-strategy blogger on Market to Mouth (April 7, 2009)

"Here's a closer look at a book we think you're going to want to check out....The pictures in this book are so luscious, and the content is so delectable, you just might find yourself drooling as you read THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. Award-winning authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have written several ground-breaking books chronicling and celebrating America's culinary revolution. After writing about classic flavor match-ups in CULINARY ARTISTRY, the authors return to the concept of flavor with THE FLAVOR BIBLE, creating dishes based on flavor...."
—Molly Pesce, host, "Barnes & Noble Tagged!", BN.com (April 6, 2009)

"Here We Go! ... And speaking of inspired, when is the last time you felt that way in the kitchen? Our guide to creative cooking will give you the confidence to play with flavor — and open yourself to a delicious new experience (page 148)."
—Oprah Winfrey, O magazine (April 2009)

"Page 148: The Creative Cook. Anyone can follow a recipe. But what about those talented people who can take whatever's on hand, throw in a pinch of this, a dash of that, and come up with something delicious — and different? Celia Barbour reports on a simple method for cutting yourself loose from cookbooks and having more fun in the kitchen....Okay, but let's say you don't even know where to begin guessing what flavors might work well together. Don't despair. For help and inspration, we turned to Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, an innovative guide to the many different ways you can combine ingredients without resorting to recipes. They've compiled a list of 600-plus food entries, arranged alphabetically (from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms). Underneath each food, they've included a list of complementary ingredients, or 'flavor affinities,' that pair well with it — from herbs and spices to nuts and meats. Page and Dornenburg begin by explaining the basic principles of balancing tastes like salty, sweet, bitter and sour....Researching the book, says Page — a life-long food scholar and Harvard MBA — meant excavating information that existed only 'in the heads of chefs.' 'Our goal was to collect it, synthesize it, and put it out there in a form that people can access,' she says. Adds Dornenburg, coauthor with Page of six previous food books, including CULINARY ARTISTRY and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT — and a former cook at Biba in Boston: 'Almost every dish I've been cooking my whole life, I now have new ideas for.' To illustrate how flavor affinities can evolve into actual dishes, we started with several familiar, versatile ingredients (shrimp, potatoes, asparagus, lamb, pork) and created recipes around them, using suggested pairings from THE FLAVOR BIBLE....With practice, you'll learn to trust your senses as much as, if not more than, a reicpe in a book. Before long, you'll find that the culinary authority you turn to most often for idaeas and iinspiration is...yourself."
—Celia Barbour, O magazine (April 2009)

"The Athlete's Palate: Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. These culinary book authors are devoted to running, writing, eating — and each other. Married for nearly 20 years, Dornenburg, 50, and Page, 46, share two mutual passions: good food and running. They have written seven books together on food and wine and have run six marathons (one on their honeymoon). As Dornenburg says, 'We run to eat.' For more, go to becomingachef.com. Runner's Diet: Pork Tenderloin With Plum Salsa."
—Runner's World (April 2009)

Cynthia Penney with Andrew

"Chef Daniel Boulud personally hosted an intimate Sunday supper on March 8, 2009 — an exquisite dinner raising nearly $400,000 for Citymeals-on-Wheels, a non-profit organization that provides home-delivered, nutritious meals to frail, homebound elderly in New York City. One hundred and forty New Yorkers including guest of honor and restaurateur Sirio Maccioni gathered at DANIEL for 'Black Truffles, Blue Jeans, Burgundy & Blues.'  This was the 11th year in a row that Chef Boulud has hosted this Citymeals-on-Wheels benefit at his eponymous restaurant. Attendees included [Cynthia and Jeff Penney, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page]. "
—Panache Privee (March 2009)

ONE TREE PAST THE FENCE

"Without further [ado] meet my first guest...The Angry Brit. An incredible writer, a fantastic writer, I encourage you to go check out her blog site, BUT... not before you read her here....Q. What ...is the one cookbook you’d take with you? A. ...The one cookbook I would take with me is THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, because if I have that with me, then I will have all the inspiration I will ever need."
—Kathleen Bade, "Eight with Kate," One Tree Past the Fence (March 28, 2009)

"2009 James Beard Nominees. The James Beard Nominees were announced this past week.  The award recognizes excellence in food writing.  Here is the complete list of nominees for this year, compliments of Amazon. This year’s list was full of really cool things....The thing I was most excited about though was Karen Page and Andrew Dornenberg’s new book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE.  I love these authors.  Their books are reference books and can help all cooks, professional or otherwise, when it comes to pairing flavors, creating menus, or picking the right drinks for your meal.  I have their other two books, CULINARY ARTISTRY and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT on my desk and I use them all the time when planning menus or trying to come up with ideas for dinner.  I’ll be adding this one too! Great crop of books this year – congrats to all the nominees."
—Meridith Coady, Food Geek San Diego (March 28, 2009)

The Angry Brit

"And the nominees are....It's that time of year again! The James Beard Foundation Awards. The nominees were announced this morning an several of my favorite food-related people have been nominated. Most notably...two of my all-time favourite books have been nominated: Fat by Jennifer McLagan and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—The Angry Brit (March 23, 2009)

THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN

"For those who do like playing with flavor combinations but want to go a little more free-form, I highliy recommend THE FLAVOR BIBLE."
—Thursday Night Smackdown (March 20, 2009)

"Hallelujah! Celebrating the Good Book: THE FLAVOR BIBLE ($35, Little, Brown), that is. That other Bible is very interesting, but Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's book (which I wrote about when I was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune's Good Eating section)  is much newer and you probably haven't heard quite as much about it.  I explain it in more detail in my Trib piece. You should definitely read it to see how the book works, because it will change your life no matter what your level as a cook. And it will give you back your courage as a cook, especially if you have been discouraged in previous culinary endeavors....I like to pick up THE FLAVOR BIBLE (subtitle: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs) often, for inspiration; I also like to read it in bed, which is a bit odd since it has no plot. Just look up the ingredient you're obsessed with (for me, right now, it's apples), and take it from there. By the way, the sandwich in the Tribune piece was inspired by Ina (and don't pretend you don't know which 'Ina'), and the salad, which is fabulous, is my own invention.  Karen and Andrew are charming and brilliant; with good reason, they are particularly proud of the fact that Grant Achatz, the enigmatic and exquisitely innovative Chicago chef who created the restaurant Alinea (and whom I interviewed in his kitchen a couple of years ago for Men's Vogue), has called the precursor to this book, Page and Dornenburg's CULINARY ARTISTRY, 'My most used cookbook.' Already, this morning, I've used THE FLAVOR BIBLE to decide what to do with my slightly raggedy apple surplus. I opened the book to Apple, of course (Season: autumn Taste: sweet, astringent Function: cooling. . . . Techniques: bake, caramelize, deep-fry, etc); checked out the dishes that a few famous chefs mention as favorites (Caramelized Apple Sundae with Butter Pecan Ice Cream, from Emily Luchetti, of Farallon, in San Francisco, for instance); then decided that I'm going use the apples to make a dense buttery cake, or maybe a sour cream cake, with a bit of chopped candied ginger and chopped apricot. At least, I think I am. I have all the ingredients here (which I'll admit influenced my decision). I may be barking up the wrong tree, but those ingredients are complementary, so I know the flavors will be nice. There is not a single recipe in this book, which is part of its charm — the possibilities seem more endless — so the vehicle is up to me...."
—Emily Nunn, Cook the Wolf (March 20, 2009)

"Essential Spice Books...Looking for ways to expand your spice knowledge and inspire your culinary adventures? Carol Peterman has perused countless books on the subject and has compiled this list of essential additions to your cooking library. New books will be added from time-to-time, so be sure to check back every now and then....THE FLAVOR BIBLE is much more expansive and focuses on culinary flavor combinations as a whole, not just herbs and spices. If you like to cook off the top of your head, and create your own dishes without recipes, this is a great reference book for identifying flavor pairings....THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg: This is the ultimate culinary idea generator. THE FLAVOR BIBLE lists hundreds of ingredients in alphabetical order. Plus, each ingredient features dozens of matching flavors based on interviews with highly regarded chefs and culinary experts across the U.S. and Canada. If you like to create your own dishes, this book is a fantastic resource. Commentaries and tips from highly regarded chefs are included throughout the book, as well as examples of dishes from their menus to illustrate successful flavor pairings. This is a book of concepts and ideas, not recipes. Although there isn't a single recipe in the entire book, Page and Dornenburg have put the flavor pairing expertise of dozens of culinary professionals in our hands to inspire our own culinary masterpieces."
—Carol Peterman, TableFare.com (March 2009)

Eat me daily

"When it came out in 1996, CULINARY ARTISTRY [by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg] was revolutionary. Ostensibly a multi-format exploration at what makes a great chef, its recipes and brief interviews with 30 or so prominent culinary figures fell by the side next to the book's extraordinary heart: An alphabetical listing of ingredients, each annotated with the season in which it was best, the smartest ways to prepare it, and — revolutionary — a list of other ingredients with which it plays nice. The chefs who were polled to make the list read like a who's who of late twentieth century culinaria: Alice Waters, Jasper White, Norman Van Aiken, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. In the preface to the more recent THE FLAVOR BIBLE, which was published late last year, Page and Dornenburg take care to note that while they are playing essentially the same game in this volume, the books are, in fact, more complementary than redundant...For the introspective cook, there's tremendous wealth to be found in the two short chapters that open THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Using a metaphor of language, the chapters present, respectively, the vocabulary and grammar of food. Explanations of the difference between 'flavor' and 'mouthfeel' are interspersed with anecdotes, advice, and meditations from current culinary luminaries of all stripes, from New York's Andrew Carmellini, to Vancouver's Meeru Dhalwala, to Hoboken's Maricel Presilla...The real question is whether this system works for you — can you read a list of flavors and start making dishes in your head? Will this litany of flavor pairings send you off reeling into culinary ecstasy?...For those who are already fluent in the metaphorical culinary language, this could be a peerless launching point."
—Jane, EatMeDaily.com (March 19, 2009)

TheBookChick

"Tucson Festival of Books Reading Picks. I’m just now recuperating from the Tucson Festival of Books (#TFOB on twitter). Based on the entertaining and enlightening author sessions, here are the [five] titles on my ‘to read’ list: Page & Dornenburg’s THE FLAVOR BIBLE (okay, not a read, but a kitchen reference and check it out in this month’s Oprah mag)."
—Theresa Shaw, BookChick.com (March 18, 2009)

"Day after St. Patrick's Day: If you have corned beef left over from your St. Patrick's Day celebration, here is a suggestion from Andrew Dornenburg, who with [Karen] Page co-authored, THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, (Little, Brown; 2008). Make bite-size corned beef and cabbage rolls. According to Dornenburg, the rolls resemble Japanese maki rolls, and he suggests serving the sauce in an Asian soup spoon. The recipe accompanies today's column."
—Sarasota Herald-Tribune (March 18, 2009)

"Mini corned beef and cabbage rolls are fun party fare. Here’s a fun and unusual way to serve corned beef and cabbage. The flavor says Ireland, but these appetizer-size nibbles look like Japanese maki rolls. To further the illusion, serve the accompanying sauce in an Asian soup spoon. The recipe is from Andrew Dornenburg, whose newest book is THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs (Little, Brown; Fall 2008; $35). 'Irish food has the image of being stick-to-your-ribs, heavy food — but this is a lighter and more delicate way of enjoying these ingredients that are ’soulmates’ together,' he says. As an accompaniment, Karen Page, Dornenburg’s wife and co-author, suggests a mug of the lager used in the sauce, a glass of Beaujolais or a can of Dr. Brown’s celery-flavored Cel-Ray soda."
—Judith Evans, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 11, 2009)

"We have recommitted ourselves to cooking really interesting, healthy meals especially since there is such an abundance of fresh, local produce and goods in California. We bought a really cool book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE which Billy is studying. It gives you food pairings that are dead on perfect. Things that go together just right for a really wonderful fusion of flavors. We have been inspired in the kitchen by what he has gleaned from this book so far for sure. For instance, if you have a bunch of beets... you just flip to that section of the book and it will tell you what goes well with beets. For instance beets + chives + orange + tarragon = delicious. If you don't have these exact items handy just scroll through the list of paired ingredients til you find three or so that you have and then let your imagination take over. It is a really fun way to cook."
—Bethany and plein air artist Billy McLane, who are traveling across the USA in their Airstream Travel Trailer, Full Hook Ups (March 10, 2009)

"On the Shelves of the Professionals: Home cooks and gluttons for food photography aren't the only people who benefit from a great cookbook. Many of the country's best chefs rely on caches of cookbooks to derive continual inspiration and to relearn vital lessons of the kitchen. SAVEUR reached out to a handful of professional chefs and writers to find out which cookbooks have been stained with wine and oil and earmarked with copious notes...Michael Laiskonis, pastry chef, Le Bernardin, New York City: CULINARY ARTISTRY and THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Among all the 'cookbooks' in my collection, CULINARY ARTISTRY may well be the most beaten and battered. What Page and Dornenburg catalogued in these volumes are the building blocks used in dishes, and it's basically a reference guide to what goes well with what. More than simply helping to generate ideas and flavor combinations, the books also address, from a chef's perspective, how and why these marriages work. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, their latest book, builds upon the first and tracks our evolution in that ten-year interim. Every time I glance at these books, I see something new."
—Alexandra Collins, Saveur (March 2009)

MARKET TO MOUTH

"I do draw on my training when I grocery shop and cook, so rather than pretend that those of you who are not as comfortable in the kitchen as I can completely do without your cookbooks, I'm going to recommend a book, though it's not a cookbook! Yesterday I spent the afternoon chatting with a foodie friend who a number of months ago introduced me to THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page. It's a big book, alright, almost encyclopedic, but it's a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in learning about mixing and matching food and flavors. Knowing what foods and their flavors go with other foods and flavors goes a long way when you're doing your grocery shopping and thinking about what meals you might like to make that week."
—Louise Ross, Market to Mouth (March 6, 2009)

"No matter your culinary level of expertise, following are a few must-have cooking basics for your pantry library....And when you think you've got the hang of this cooking thing, you'll want to add THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs — cited as one of the best books of 2008 — by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Karen and Andrew are the brilliant husband and wife team who masterfully open the door to deconstructed, behind-the-scenes culinary experiences. And THE FLAVOR BIBLE is no exception. An alphabetical index of flavors and ingredients, the book allows readers to search complimentary combinations for a particular ingredient. The listings, combinations and short essays from various chefs on different matches are meant to inspire rather than dictate. I compare it to the equivalent of a Pantone swatch book for the fellow graphic designers out there."
—Dawn Viola, adjunct design instructor at IADT in Orlando, The Examiner (March 5, 2009)

APPLES AND BUTTER

"Most Saturdays I can be found driving around in my car, running errands and making my weekly farmers’ market trip with Evan Kleinman accompanying me on [KCRW] radio. I can’t tell you the number of times something on the show has spurred me into action, changed my list of must-gets at the market or changed my course entirely to head straight to the bookstore to buy a new cookbook after hearing the author on 'Good Food.' This happened just a few weeks ago when Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg were on the show discussing their new book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE. If you like to play with flavors and create your own recipes, this is a must-have. It examines ingredients, one by one, and lists their flavor profiles along with the other ingredients that best compliment it in a recipe."
—Jessica Durff, Apples and Butter (March 5, 2009)

"Alumni Books....THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page (MBA ’89) and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown & Co.). This guide to creating delicious dishes contains tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from the most imaginative chefs in the country. Thousands of ingredient entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, provide a wealth of flavor combinations that will teach readers to use ingredients more effectively, experiment with temperature and texture, excite the nose and palate, and balance all elements of an extraordinary meal."
—Harvard Business School Bulletin (March 2009)

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

"Braised Rabbit, and a New Way to Look at Food. I made braised rabbit last night, and it was good. But the dish was also something more: I made it up. No cookbook involved, although I did get a little help from a very different kind of book that offers was a new (at least to me) way to look at food that is changing the way I cook....Certain rules just seem natural. Beef doesn’t go very well with fish stock. Put chiles, citrus, vinegar and wine together and you’d better serve Tums as dessert. On the other side of the ledger, you’ll find butter and lobster. Mint and lamb. Lemon and fish. Classics, all — cliches, really. We need to go deeper. Which brings me to this curious set of books that are helping me do this. They are written by a duo who have spent considerable time interviewing great chefs, asking them what flavor combinations they employ. Chestnuts marry nicely with cream, yes, but did you know they’ll play with rosemary just as well? (I did, but for every one I do know, there are 50 I didn’t.) The authors are Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, and the books are CULINARY ARTISTRY and THE FLAVOR BIBLE. These are not cookbooks. They are schematics for a skilled cook, points of departure to guide invention. Think of them as a way to prevent you from pairing mahi mahi with braised lamb and a strawberry sauce, topped with sun-dried tomatoes. What are these books then? For the most part, they are lists of ingredients that skilled, professional — even great — chefs have paired and paired well. CULINARY ARTISTRY focuses on classic flavors that chefs have combined for millennia. THE FLAVOR BIBLE looks more at what chefs are doing now. I own both, but I did not really appreciate CULINARY ARTISTRY or THE FLAVOR BIBLE until some months after I 'read' them...But something happened when I took a second look at Page and Dornenburg’s second book. I began to think. What if I put away my cookbooks for a while and just played with flavors, using only these books? Great chefs have many of tried-and-true flavor combinations filed away in their minds, but even Eric Ripert or Thomas Keller will not know all of them. (Ferran Adria might.) That’s where the books would be useful, a guide to my wanderings. The first foray was this braised rabbit....Brooding flavors of dried mushrooms, homemade guanciale and a dark duck stock pulled the rabbit toward winter, while the white wine and young greens tossed in at the end lifted it toward springtime. It was the perfect dish for just this day — not tomorrow, not two weeks from now or last month. Today.  What will tomorrow bring?"
—Hank Shaw, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (March 2, 2009)

"More than Ten Commandments: Thou shalt read THE FLAVOR BIBLE, the ultimate ingredient guide: The world's most imaginative chefs know great cooking goes beyond merely following a recipe — it's knowing how to season ingredients to coax the great possible flavour from them. But that's only one part of the puzzle. In THE FLAVOR BIBLE, prolific food-book authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg offer insight into the thought processes of chefs....Page and Dornenburg's hefty, cross-referenced encyclopedia takes every ingredient and tells you quite simply how best to prepare it and what flavours enhance it....THE FLAVOR BIBLE will make you think about all of your favourite recipes in a different light."
—Kasey Wilson, Wine Access magazine (February / March 2009)

"Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard

"Conversation with a Top Chef: Stephanie Izard....Do you have a favorite cookbook? CULINARY ARTISTRY."
—Heather Pare, HangryPants.com (February 25, 2009)

"Essential Flavors for the Foods You Love...Until now, no one has attempted to classify, catalog and assimilate flavors in any substantive way. Husband-and-wife team Andrew Dornenburgand Karen Page have tried to do so in their latest compendium-style book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35). The couple, co-authors of six other books that are highly regarded in the food world, are dedicated to opening up the esoteric nature of flavor."
—Orlando Sentinel (February 25, 2009)

"Exclusive Interview with Season 4 'Top Chef' winner Stephanie Izard....Q. OK, now what is your favorite book or cookbook?
A. I would have to say CULINARY ARTISTRY. It’s a really great reference book for chefs...."
—Rose Huber, On a Lobster Placemat blog (February 23, 2009)

He Cooks, She Cooks

"Acid Redux: In the Los Angeles Times food section today, editor Russ Parsons discussed the benefits of adding acids like vinegars to a dish. How many times have you watched Top Chef, or something like it, and heard the judges say, 'It needs more acid' and wondered what exactly that meant? 'Needs more acid' used to be my go-to phrase for sounding like a food snob in jest. Then I started to read about more about cooking, and suddenly acid is no joke. Acidity is sourness. As I mentioned the other day, THE FLAVOR BIBLE talks a lot about balancing flavors, and sourness is one of those. The book says acid is only second to salt in enhancing flavors. There’s a quote from Sharon Hage, a chef at York Street in Dallas, 'We have lemon juice right next to the salt when we cook. Acid is the most important aspect of how a dish tastes — whether it is there as subtle punctuation or an exclamation point!' The LA Times article focuses on vinegars (balsamic, red wine, sherry, apple cider), but I use citrus fruits a lot. Anything Thai or Latin benefits from a squeeze of lime, as something Mediterranean or Middle Eastern will be enhanced with lemon. Oranges are a lot less harsh than their yellow and green cousins, and orange zest adds depth to desserts, like in an apple-cranberry pie. Wine is great for awakening dishes too. White wine or sherry in a stir-fry marinade or a dry red in tomato sauce are almost critical to me now.  The point is, when something seems sorta blah, a squeeze of citrus or splash of wine or vinegar could be your redemption. THE FLAVOR BIBLE tells me so."
—Michael and Brittany, two journalism students in Columbia, Missouri, HeCooksSheCooks.net (February 18, 2009)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: A Thesaurus of Combinations. If you're like me, when you combine flavors you rely on two things: guaranteed combinations — like tomatoes and basil, lamb and rosemary, apples and cinnamon — and educated guessing. That strategy leaves a lot of room for error. Award-winning authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have taken the guessing out of the equation with their newest book THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs ($35). It is the first comprehensive 'thesaurus' of modern flavor combinations organized as an easy-to-use alphabetical reference featuring more than 600 popular ingredients (meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, etc.) and the herbs, spices, wines and other flavorings that best enhance them. Check out a copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE to find out more — it's like sitting down at the kitchen table to talk with some of the best chefs in the country. It will also help you elevate your cooking to new heights."
—Denise Shoukas, foodspring.com, National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (February 2009)

"Meandering through the mouth-watering pages of THE FLAVOR BIBLE. On today's show we speak with the co-authors of (and the married couple behind) a wonderful new book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs.... My guests today are Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg...the authors of a number of acclaimed cookbooks and food-oriented books including WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. Their latest book is a must for home chefs and devoted foodies. It draws upon the thesaurus as an inspiration, cross-referencing foods and spices and all their complements. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is really the ultimate look at how foods pair together...For people who love to dabble in the kitchen...and love to experiment, this is the perfect book for them."
—Rich Fisher, host, "Studio Tulsa," KWGS / Public Radio Tulsa (February 17, 2009)

"The parsimonious pantry: Top chefs improvise with basic shelf staples. We've all been there. It's time for dinner but the cupboard is bare. At a time when most of us are cutting back on fancy ingredients, and on dinners out, maybe it's time to get back to basics. Take another look at that cupboard, and you might be surprised at the riches you'll find. By equipping your pantry with a list of tried and true staples, you can make all kinds of dishes that don't take a lot of time and effort. Even better, they won't break your budget....Low sodium chicken broth is a failsafe measure at home for chef Peter Nowakoski, executive chef at Rat's Restaurant at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton. Like most chefs, he and his crew make homemade stocks every day. But at home, the easy- to-store cartons of low fat and low sodium chicken broth do the trick. 'It can be used in so many applications besides for just making sauce or gravy,' said Nowakoski, whose [dishes] were recently featured in the book THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown $35) by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. 'You can heat it up with a bit of ginger, chili and garlic, and combine with any vegetable you have around such as broccoli, spinach, onions, carrots or mushrooms. Add in Asian noodles and left over chicken or beef and you have a wonderful noodle bowl that is inexpensive, healthy and filling.'"
—Beth Addono, Newark Star-Ledger (February 17, 2009)

EATOLOGIES

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE (highly recommended!)."
—Eatologies.com (February 16, 2009)

"Food Pairings: Grab a date and join us for a special Valentine's edition of our Food Series. We'll meet a team of award-winning food writers who also happen to be married. We'll explore the best pair foods and they'll share stories about getting along in the kitchen as cooks and as a couple....Mike: THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a great book....Peter: It is the definitive book on the subject."
—Host Mike Collins and special guest Peter Reinhart, "Charlotte Talks," WFAE Radio in Charlotte, NC (February 13, 2009)

Ketchikan Public Library

"Culinary Jazz: With our new book THE FLAVOR BIBLE: the essential guide to culinary creativity, based on the wisdom of America's most imaginative chefs, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg give you that fundamental knowledge of flavors, seasonings and ingredients that allows you to understand why certain things compliment each other and other foods should never be used in the same dish. Even better, their interviews with chefs from around the country help explain the underlying factors that can elevate a dish from good to great. Are you using foods appropriate for the season? For the climate? Is your cooking technique overpowering the strength of your ingredients?...So give this book a try and see if it doesn't open up some new possibilities for you in the kitchen. Remember that scene in Sabrina where Audrey Hepburn returns from Paris and whips up a meal at Humphrey Bogart's office using tomato juice, crackers and eggs?"
—Ketchikan Public Library in Ketchikan, Alaska (February 13, 2009)

Lemon Tart

"[THE FLAVOR BIBLE], the latest book by authors of BECOMING A CHEF, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, has been around for a few months and has been on my radar since then.  With birthday money in tow (thanks, sister), I purchased it last month and I'm not sure there's ever been a book that I have consulted more in 6 weeks than this one. The idea is simple: a unique reference book that doesn't tell you how to cook but gives you tested flavour combinations to help you get creative on your own. Research for this book included interviewing countless chefs and food professionals about flavours they have combined in their dishes with great results...In conclusion, what else can I say about this book. It's a keeper, a long term resident and I predict one that will become a classic in years to come."
—Tami Moritz, Lemon Tart (February 12, 2009)

Ask Wendy

"10 QUESTIONS FOR...award-winning culinary authors Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are the award-winning authors of several groundbreaking books chronicling, celebrating and even catalyzing America’s culinary revolution.  Their book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT won the 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals 'Cookbook of the Year' Award and the Georges Duboeuf 'Wine Book of the Year' Award.  The couple lives in New York City. Q. Tell us about your latest book. A. THE FLAVOR BIBLE...."
—Wendy Burt, author of three books including The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters, Ask Wendy (February 12, 2009)

Guaranteed GF

"I read a lot of cookbooks....Yesterday I went to see Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg speak about their latest book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE....After an hour with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca, I swore that THE FLAVOR BIBLE would be added to my culinary library. Karen and Andrew had my full attention right away based on a single line item in the agenda they handed out: Flavor = Taste + Mouthfeel + Aroma + 'the X Factor.' I knew before they even started talking, that not only did they truly understand the subject of flavor, they understood how to share that information. As they explained each part of this equation, it became clear the book had a lot to offer. Anyone, beginners to professionals, could elevate the quality of their dishes just by mastering this formula....THE FLAVOR BIBLE is their 8th book with a truly unique concept. Though THE FLAVOR BIBLE doesn't contain a single recipe, for anyone who likes to develop recipes, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the recipe for culinary success!"
—Stacy LaRoche, GuaranteedGF.com (February 12, 2009)

the Book Brothel

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Rating: 10/10....Before this book existed, I didn’t know I needed it, but now I don’t want to cook without it....An absolute must-have for anyone who aspires to cook better food of any type of cuisine."
—Lisa Yanaky, BookBrothel.com (February 11, 2009)

"Have you ever prepared a new dish, and been surprised at how well two flavors paired up? Valentine’s Day is a poignant reminder of the power of a perfect match. I’ve been poring over a new book, called THE FLAVOR BIBLE. It lists foods alphabetically, and gives every conceivable flavor pairing for each. For instance, did you know mangoes and oranges compliment chicken? Or that chocolate and coffee compliment beef? The award-winning authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have been married to each other and worked together for more than 20 years. They literally wrote the book on flavor matchmaking. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is as useful to anyone who cooks as a thesaurus is to anyone who writes: It’s a groundbreaking guide to hundreds of ingredients, and the herbs, spices and other seasonings that are its 'soulmates.' Available in bookstores, or from Amazon.com, the book is $35, but it is big and encyclopaedic. I can’t put it down. Except when I’m in the kitchen, trying out the improvisations suggested in the book."
—Victoria Malmer, Palm Beach Post (February 11, 2009)

T H E__G O O D__L I F E

"I have a book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It is probably, out of my 90+ cookbooks and technique books, the most important book I own....I made a really good sorbet today, and I used this book to do it. We had some bananas that were overripe. Looking up the entry for bananas, it screamed at me to use CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, ICE CREAM and RUM (using the book's formula). So I did. And there was much rejoicing."
—Kevin and Vanessa Bruyette, The Good Life (February 10, 2009)

"TOP 100 Bestselling Cooking, Food and Wine Books: 13) THE FLAVOR BIBLE ... 82) WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT ... 100) CULINARY ARTISTRY."
—Amazon.com (February 10, 2009)

kitchenhacker.net

"You may have heard of THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Sara Moulton called it one of the best cookbooks of 2008 on Good Morning America. It hit the #1 best-selling spot in Amazon's cooking category. It has gotten a good bit of recognition.There's a good reason for this book's reputation. It contains incredibly useful information that I've never seen stated explicitly in a cookbook before....THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a great reference. It may be the best idea-generator for the kitchen that I've come across. I suspect that it could be an excellent part of a beginning cook's education, but that educational process would look different from what we're used to seeing. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a fascinating read."
—Stuart Broz, KitchenHacker.net (February 7, 2009)

"Dessert wines for winter meals. There is no single, all-purpose dessert wine, said Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg in The Washington Post. Our own 'default choice' for the last course of a festive meal is a sweet, semi-sparkling Moscato d’Asti. But here are four other dessert wines that especially complement winter meals: Graham’s Tawny Porto Aged 10 Years ($34): 'A terrific value.' This light-bodied, intensely caramel-flavored wine is 'ideal for those new to port.' 1994 Smith Woodhouse Colheita Porto ($46): Colheita (pronounced kol-YAY-tah) is the Portuguese word for harvest or vintage. This vintage tawny port has been aged for at least seven years. An intense red-berry color with a soft fruit flavor. 2005 Barboursville Vineyards Malvaxia Passito ($30): A wine from Virginia that pairs perfectly with cheeses and patés.
Pearmund Cellars Vin de Sol ($25): Also from Virginia, this sherry-style wine 'is made in glass jars on the winery’s roof.' Rich dried-apricot and butterscotch flavors."
—TheWeek.com (February 6, 2009)

"Honestly, who knew that [THE FLAVOR BIBLE's] page after page (more than 350 of them) of cross-referenced lists of ingredients, a few photos and not a single recipe could end up being the kind of book you want to cozy up with in bed?"
—Emily Nunn, The Stamford Times (February 4, 2009)

"Food's flavors create the lovely, almost subconscious emotional and physical reactions that inspire us to return to eating for nourishment. In addition to being one of life's great pleasures, it also helps keep us alive. And yet, until now, it seems that no one had ever attempted to digest those flavors — meaning classify, catalog, assimilate them — in any substantive way. Husband-and-wife team Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have tried to do so in their latest compendium-style book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35). The couple, co-authors of six other food books, are dedicated to opening up the esoteric nature of flavor."
—Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (February 3, 2009)

"New Cookbooks & Food Musings: Cookbooks come across my desk regularly — a particular perk of the job, if you see it that way. I don’t actually use cookbooks often, unless I need formulas for baking....Other semi-new cookbooks of interest: THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little Brown & Company, 2008), by award-winning authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, capitalizes on the same 'throw your recipes away' theme (which I love) and focuses on pairing flavor combinations in a reference format."
—Meredith Ford Goldman, The Atlanta Journal Constitution (February 3, 2009)

"Our Best Selling Cookbooks! How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman; THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg...."
—eCookbooks.com (February 2, 2009)

"Culinary Creativity from Julia Child and James Beard 2.0! Karen Page is a Harvard MBA and the former chairperson of the Harvard Business School Women’s Alumni Association. Andrew Dornenburg, is a world class chef who cooked with Anne Rosenzweig at Arcadia. Together, they are the James Beard Award-winning authors of BECOMING A CHEF and 8 other outstanding books on food and wine. Their 2006 release WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT has become the definitive guide to food and wine pairing...Now, they’ve released a new book that is a must have for everyone who takes a creative approach to culinary enjoyment: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs. Page and Dornenburg have created a masterpiece that legendary food critic Gael Greene calls, 'A gospel…A wealth of inspiration…' As the authors explain: 'Cuisine is undergoing a startling historic transformation: With the advent of the global availability of ingredients, dishes are no longer based on geography but on flavor. This radical shift calls for a new approach to cooking — as well as a new genre of “cookbook” that serves not to document classic dishes via recipes, but to inspire the creation of new ones focused on imaginative and harmonious flavor combinations.' Page and Dornenburg also write one of the most informative and engaging food/wine blogs on the planet. Check it out: www.becomingachef.com."
—Michael Gelb, New York Times bestselling author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Discover Your Genius, Innovate Like Edison, et al, MichaelGelb.com (February 2, 2009)

Foodfan.dk

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Sublime Combination! Now it is here, the book you did not know existed! Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have written the book on all the (relatively) the sublime combinations you can cooking. The two writers have had a chat with America's top chefs and made a short overview of what fits into your cooking. I bought this book just 4 months ago and has now almost been good night reading and a dear friend. I love to compose new dishes and flavor combinations to find good when I cook food. In these moments, THE FLAVOR BIBLE was the first counselor at the same time it is also a huge help, the evenings you are unimaginative and considering whether pepper tastes good with lemon. The book is basically structured as an encyclopedia / dictionary and it requires little habituation. Each ingredient has a corresponding list of other ingredients that match this....It is easy to navigate through the book. In between are small boxes with either descriptions of classical European dishes with an ingredient, as well as various restaurants specialties. All in all, this one, in my opinion, indispensable book for you who are curious and do not always need to follow a recipe 100%. Because there are no recipes in THE FLAVOR BIBLE, this is certainly an important information for many, but let you not deter, it may be more fun than you think! Let your imagination have free rein, after a consultation in THE FLAVOR BIBLE."
—Mia Kristensen, FoodFan.dk (Denmark Food Blog; auto-translated by Google) (January 31, 2009)

"[THE FLAVOR BIBLE] is an amazing book, and I think it's their best work yet."
—Steven A. Shaw, Executive Director of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, on eGullet.org (January 30, 2009)

"Tribune Food: Cross-Indexed Deliciousness. Emily Nunn pays some much-deserved homage to Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page's book THE FLAVOR BIBLE, a meticulously cross-indexed reference of preparations, ingredients, and their component flavors. As a reference book geek I am completely swooning over this title from a purely organizational perspective, but this is the kind of book that should be packaged and sold along with Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking as a You Seriously Ought to Own This If You Are Going To Be Into Cooking boxed set."
—Helen Rosner, Smith College alumna and blogger, MenuPages.com - Chicago (January 29, 2009)

"I got [Page and Dornenburg's] WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT as a gift last month, devoured it, and immediately ordered THE [FLAVOR] BIBLE. I haven't been disappointed. The book is a treasure trove of information for advanced cooks who want to think about flavor pairings that are both ordinary and extraordinary....There's not a single recipe for the novice cook, but if you know how to handle your proteins, grains, and plants, you'll be overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the possible ideas inside, many of which come from the best chefs of this generation. I'm averaging about three pages an hour because I'm constantly testing ideas against my mental palate — a remarkable pleasure."
—Chris Amirault, PhD, Director of Operations of eGullet Forums, on eGullet.org (January 29, 2009)

"My guests this morning are the authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg....You rock!"
—Bonnie Grice, host, "In the Morning with Bonnie Grice," WLIU-FM Radio / Southampton NPR (January 29, 2009)

ProChef SmartBrief

"New book puts flavors into words. A new book,THE FLAVOR BIBLE, attempts to classify flavors for food the way it is done for wine. 'In our less humble moments, we say we've written a chef's thesaurus,' said Karen Page, co-author with husband Andrew Dornenburg. Chicago Tribune. (01/28)."
—The Culinary Institute of America's ProChef SmartBrief (January 28, 2009)

"Trumpeting flavor: Authors explore ingredients by taste in a new approach to learning to cook. Taste. Allegedly, you either have it or you don't. But flavor is a bit more complex. Which shouldn't be too surprising. After all, everybody has to eat. And when we do, food's flavors create the lovely, almost subconscious emotional and physical reactions that inspire us to return to eating for nourishment. In addition to being one of life's great pleasures, it also helps keep us alive. And yet, until now, it seems that no one had ever attempted to digest those flavors — meaning classify, catalog, assimilate them — in any substantive way. Husband-and-wife team Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have tried to do so in their latest compendium-style book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35). 'It's shocking,' said Page, on a recent afternoon, sipping a glass of something 'jammy' and tasting chocolates at the Michigan Avenue wine / chocolate / cheese bar Eno. 'When you think of what is important to know when you're cooking — knowing what to add to make something more delicious [is important] ... Why wouldn't anybody write this down?' The couple, co-authors of six other books that are highly regarded in the food world, are dedicated to opening up the esoteric nature of flavor. 'We wondered, 'Why do we have those [precise descriptive] words for wine but not for food?' ' Dornenburg said. But is it really possible in a world so obsessed with food that such a book has never been published? Dornenburg and Page pointed out that the iconic French chef and writer Auguste Escoffier codified French cooking more than 100 years ago....And until very recently — with the movement toward focusing on fresh, local, sustainable ingredients with less manipulation (which Escoffier would have liked) — the culinary world had been focused on technique as a major path to culinary heights. 'But no one had ever codified flavor,' Dornenburg said. Of course, having your food's flavor 'codified' may sound a bit chilly — like dissecting a kiss. But the book itself is alluring in ways that may take the general food enthusiast by surprise. Honestly, who knew that page after page (more than 350 of them) of cross-referenced lists of ingredients, a few photos and not a single recipe could end up being the kind of book you want to cozy up with in bed? And it is selling like hot cakes (with maple syrup, which according to the book is both sweet and bitter, and would be good combined with nuts, but fantastic with bananas, blueberries or pears)....Their Eureka! moment came during a long car trip. 'We started wondering, 'What would the ultimate cookbook be like?' ' Page said. 'Well, it would teach you to make any dish you ever wanted. But would it be infinitely long and have a recipe for absolutely everything? Well, no. Maybe you can just keep the principals: What makes things taste delicious? Well, you have the four basic tastes, and you have mouth feel, temperature, texture, you have aroma.' So they applied to food what they had learned about classifying wine, a skill exemplified in their last book, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea — Even Water — Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers. The new book reveals what they refer to as the 'essence' of various ingredients and cuisines in terms of season, taste, weight, volume, function and technique. And, because the book's subtitle is 'The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs,' the listings contain synthesized information and advice on complementary pairings of ingredients from 38 chefs from around the country. The resulting book resembles none of the foodie culture's memoirs or cultural histories or cookbooks. 'In our less humble moments, we say we've written a chef's thesaurus,' Page said. It's more like the I Ching. Open it randomly, and it will open you up to an array of possibilities in your culinary future. For instance, on pages 134-35, you will find yourself at the entry, 'Cod' (weight: medium; volume: quiet; technique: bake, boil, broil, cakes, deep-fry, fry, grill, poach, roast, saute, steam). It's followed by 'Cod, black' (dishes: warm salad of poached salt cod, porcini mushrooms, and Yukon golds — chef David Pasternak of Esca in New York). Then 'Coffee and espresso' (taste: bitter; weight: medium; volume: moderate loud) and 'Cognac.' Under each heading are sublists of the ingredient's compatible foods (see chart). It is a book that may seem overwhelming, but as soon as you start reading, the transformative power of putting the right flavors together becomes apparent....Twelve years ago, when their second book, CULINARY ARTISTRY appeared in bookstores (chef Grant Achartz of Alinea has said it is his 'most used cookbook'), 'there was no shelf in bookstores for food writing,' Page said. And the book, which was a precursor to THE FLAVOR BIBLE, was ignored by non-professionals. But the time for the BIBLE has clearly arrived. Because we live in a time when it's simply not enough to say that honey is sweet. 'We can do a lot better than that,' Page said. With THE FLAVOR BIBLE, they have. But Page and Dornenburg aren't finished yet. 'Someone asked us, 'What do you think about grains of paradise?' Page said, referring to the peppery seeds from West Africa. 'But they're not in the book. We have to do a second edition! We could keep going and going and going'."
—Emily Nunn, Chicago Tribune (January 28, 2009) and the Alameda Times-Star (February 4, 2009), Baltimore Sun (February 2009), Contra Costa Times (February 4, 2009), Hartford Courant (February 3, 2009), Newsday.com (January 31, 2009), Oakland Tribune (February 4, 2009), Orlando Sentinel (February 25, 2009), Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (February 3, 2009), San Mateo Times (February 4, 2009), South Florida Sun-Sentinel (February 4, 2009), Taiwan News (February 12, 2009), The Argus (February 4, 2009), The (Connecticut) Hour (February 4, 2009), The Morning Call (February 2009), The Pantagraph (January 28, 2009), The Stamford Times (February 4, 2009), The Wilton (CT) Villager (February 4, 2009), and the Tri-Valley Herald (February 4, 2009)

"Recipe: Butter lettuce and bitter greens with ham, pears and pecorino. Ham and cheese are a star combo, but in this salad we also incorporated other complementary suggestions listed under the ham category in Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE: pears, pecorino and honey."
—Chicago Tribune (January 28, 2009)

"Oink, said the candy bar....It’s not clear where the trend began — chefs have been toying with pigs and cocoa for years — but it’s been oinking loudly lately. Chocolatiers are sprinkling bacon bits in chocolate bars or covering whole, crispy strips of bacon with thick mantles of chocolate....Chocolate with bacon makes sense to Karen Page, who, along with Andrew Dornenburg, authored THE FLAVOR BIBLE. They’re considered the food world’s leading experts on flavor affinities. 'In our 1996 book CULINARY ARTISTRY, I mentioned that chocolate and bacon were two of the five ingredients that I’d confidently determined as a kid that I would be able to survive on for the rest of my life,' Page said. 'The others, by the way, were bananas, peanut butter and Rice Krispies. I had experimented with countless permutations of those five ingredients as a child, thus ignoring societal admonitions not to ‘play with my food.’ ”
—Greg Morago, Houston Chronicle (January 28, 2009)

"When I heard the UPS truck outside this morning I knew what it was delivering: my new copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. I ran downstairs from my office to the front door and there it was…I’d heard from many of my food-loving friends and bloggers about this fabulous book, but had no idea how good it really is. So good that I just had to share it with you. As someone who writes about food I often struggle to come up with something clever and delicious. This book has solved that problem! Thank you Karen and Andrew for what must have been an exhausting exercise. Comprised of an impressive and extensive list of foods and cuisines, the book includes synonyms, seasons, functions, cooking techniques, flavor affinities/matching, and more. Brilliant! For example, if you have a bunch of chestnuts and don’t know what to do with them it suggests ingredients from Armagnac to sweet Marsala, but recommends avoiding berries. Flavor affinities for chestnuts include bacon and fennel or orange and pear, to name just a couple. Call-outs are also given to famous chefs and how they use that particular ingredient — such as Gina DePalma, pastry chef at Babbo, who created a Chestnut Spice Cake With Mascarpone Cream. Simply put, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is an inspiring must-have for your kitchen! Even if you don’t write about food."
—Sheri Wetherell, VP, Foodista Blog (January 28, 2009)

"Most cooks can easily recite several classic flavor pairings: lamb and rosemary, tomatoes and basil, apples and cinnamon. But when we wish to be more adventurous in the kitchen, and possibly even develop our own recipes, what principles ought to guide us?....Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of the classic handbook on flavor pairing, CULINARY ARTISTRY, recently published a new book that builds on their earlier work. THE FLAVOR BIBLE ($35, Little, Brown and Co.) decodes the language of food, explaining the roles of flavor, texture, aroma and mouth-feel in how we experience a dish. The authors quote dozens of top chefs as they describe how they create recipes. The rest of the book is an amazingly thorough 337-page guide to modern flavor pairing, from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms."
—Christine Stutz, Baltimore Examiner (January 21, 2009)

"...With my insatiable appetite for cookbooks, I sought to discover who is saying what about the top ten best cookbooks in 2008. Listed below are my top ten favorites, followed by a few links I found that list others' choices for the 'winners.' However, it was not easy to narrow my menu to ten, since there are so many outstanding books from which to choose!...THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Pamela Sinclair, Northwest College professor and author, A Taste of Wyoming (January 18, 2009)

"It was business as usual in foodie circles the day after Gourmet magazine’s party honoring Shang chef Susur Lee. Eater posted a recap of the festivities: Among the chefs spotted were David Chang, Rocco DiSpirito, Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay and Tom Colicchio. Curiously, the post failed to mention the numerous notable female chefs in attendance, among them April Bloomfield, Amanda Freitag, Rebecca Charles and Anita Lo. The one woman who did merit a shout-out? Actor Stephanie March, Bobby Flay’s 'stunning' wife. Mad Men–style ass-pinching may have gone the way of aspic, but women, for all of their gains in the notoriously tough restaurant industry, are dealing with a more subtle form of sexism: visibility, or lack thereof....'Women are hiding in plain sight,' says Andrew Dornenburg, who, with his wife, Karen Page, is the author of the recently published THE FLAVOR BIBLE. In his kitchen career, he’s worked alongside formidable woman chefs, such as Lydia Shire of Biba in Boston. He mentions that there are plenty of talented female pastry chefs."
—Rebecca Flint Marx, Time Out: New York (January 15-21, 2009)

"Third Annual Cookbook Awards: Polls Are Open. The third annual cookbook awards nominees have been elected. The staff at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks voted for their favourite cookbooks of 2008, and here are the top ten: A16 Food & Wine (Ten Speed Press), Beyond the Great Wall by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Random House), In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin), Fat by Jennifer McLagan (McClelland & Stewart), THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown & Co.), Friday Night Dinners by Bonnie Stern (Random House), Maggie's Harvest by Maggie Beer (Penguin Books), A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis (Artisan), Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop (W.W. Norton), and Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman (Bloomsbury). Now it is time for you to vote for your top cookbook of 2008. From the list above, elect your favourite and let us know which one you choose by emailing bookcook@intergate.ca."
—Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks in Vancouver (January 13, 2009)

"Feeling the pinch of the economic crisis whenever you start to plan a meal? Buying a slew of ingredients for each recipe can really take a toll on a grocery budget. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, are here to help us learn to eat from our pantry and to make do with what we already have in the house....I thank both of you for coming up with such a great resource. It's really quite wonderful....Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have written extensively on food and wine. They have four award-winning books including THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. I chose this book to be in the KCRW Cookbook Club for Angels [whose members receive five hand-picked cookbooks annually]."
—Evan Kleiman, host, "Good Food" on KCRW - Los Angeles (NPR) (January 10, 2009)

"I like to think I've mastered baking with spices. Sugar cookies that come alive with cardamom and chocolate chip brownies that get a boost from cinnamon are no problem, but I still get nervous about adding spices to savory dishes. So if you're anything like me and quake at the thought of cooking savory foods with spices, consider [this] your new go-to book: THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown) by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This is a reference book, plain and simple, so if you're hoping for recipes, this is not for you. But don't let the phrase 'this is a reference book' scare you because this is a great reference book! This book is the result of years of research in which the authors queried chefs about food and flavoring, and the pairings behind some of the most classic and innovative dishes in the world. In THE FLAVOR BIBLE, the authors have ingredients (epazote, blood oranges, squid) and other food categories (brunch, English cuisine, sweetness) broken down with their respective food/flavor pairings. Want to know what goes well with duck? Apples and cherries might be obvious, but how about bay leaf and turnips? What about pairings for peas? The usual suspects like butter, Boston lettuce, and heavy cream show up. But had you considered ginger and honey? It's the surprising twists and turns that make this book so valuable, along with asides from famous chefs explaining some of their favorite food pairings and how they use the ingredients."
—Esther Sung, Epicurious.com (January 8, 2009)

Grow. Cook. Eat.

"My New Favorite Book. Twelve years ago, Karen Page and her husband Andrew Dornenburg published CULINARY ARTISTRY. They interviewed hundreds of chefs around the country to learn more about what makes cooking an artistic endeavor. The real value of this book was the middle section that had a listing of 'flavor marriages.' In encyclopedic format, they listed ingredients, such as chicken, mushrooms or artichokes, with a list of ingredients and flavors that paired well....This year, they finished the work that I wanted to...and they published THE FLAVOR BIBLE. This isn’t so much a cookbook as it is a reference book to stir creativity....With this book, you can browse the listings for chicken, and see that it pairs well with coconut, galangal and lime, or with garlic, pancetta and sage. From here, you can have a much more productive web search of recipes. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll just make something up with the various ingredients that I now feel confident match each other....I highly recommend THE FLAVOR BIBLE."
—Julia Shanks, GrowCookEat.com (January 7, 2009)

Pots & Pins

"I'm still bemoaning the fact that it's the last day of Christmas...still Jingle-Belling inside my head — but I have good reason...my latest Christmas gift, which did come late but was such a wonderful gift that I barely noticed, has been a treat for the senses!  I was the lucky recipient of THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg....If I was Oprah I would buy one for each of you this very minute...but since I'm not, you'll have to buy your own copy or hope and pray you get one as a gift!" 
—Nan Slaughter, author and host, PotsandPins.com (January 6, 2009)

"Although it does contain several recipes, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, is not a cookbook. It isn’t really a bible either, for that matter. If I had to classify this book it would be half dictionary, half encyclopedia, and all wonderful. In the opening chapters, the authors invite us to learn the language of food, cooking and flavor, and they don’t mean the simple terminology like the difference between stirring and folding that often perplexes young chefs in the making. Instead, they treat each flavor, each type of flavor, as if it were a part of speech, so coriander, for example, might be an adverb, while cinnamon is a verb, and within the pages of this book, we learn how each works with the other, or with a number of other herbs and spices. Want to know what flavors compliment the sweet-tart complexity of a cranberry, or know the perfect ratio of coriander to cumin for maximum taste? THAT is the information this book provides. The bulk of the pages are filled with tables of 'flavor affinities' including everything from celery to potatoes and beef to spinach, with many, many others in between (and on either side). It tells you the peak seasonality for each food or spice, what they work well with, and what combinations are best avoided. There are certain cookbooks that tend to become staples in the well-rounded kitchen: Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The New Basics by the authors of the Silver Palate series, and The Joy of Cooking, among others. THE FLAVOR BIBLE should be included among those shining stars. It’s a kitchen resource no serious cook should be without."
—Melissa A. Bartell, AllThingsGirl.com (January 2, 2009)

"1. FLAVOR BIBLE by Andrew Dornenburg (sic). 2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten. 3. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives by Guy Fieri. 4. Lucia's Survival Guide and Cookbook by Lucille Campilongo. 5. Fish Without a Doubt by Rick Moonen."
—"Current Bestsellers: Cooking , Food & Wine," BarnesandNoble.com (January 1, 2009)

2008 MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

"Cooking the Books with Ellen Clark. In December, PW talked to cookbook buyers at the major chains about their outlook for the holiday season, and despite the gloomy pall cast over retailing in general, many of the buyers seemed optimistic. The week after Christmas, we caught up with Borders cookbook buyer Ellen Clark for an anecdotal recap. Overall, Clark said, '[Cookbooks] did really well for us. I think we did better last week [the week of December 22] than was expected.' Clark ran down the hits and surprises of the biggest cookbook shopping season of the year. PW: So which cookbooks performed best this holiday season? EC: By far the strongest cookbook was Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. It did well out of the gate and kept on getting stronger every week. It wasn’t a surprise for us, but it was a really nice, solid book. Giada De Laurentiis [Giada’s Kitchen] also did very well, as well as Rachael Ray [Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book]and Martha Stewart [Martha Stewart’s Cooking School]. We also had some perennial favorites. The Joy of Cooking always does well, and Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for the Food ended up in our top 10, which is really nice. [We promoted] Joy of Cooking in the front of the store, and Alton Brown was on the cooking table in the cooking section. PW: Were there any pleasant surprises? EC: There were some books that we had expected to do well, but nowhere near as well as they did. One is THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, who are very well-respected chefs [sic]. It’s a great book for people who like to create on their own, but who might start out with a recipe. That did really well for us."
—Lynn Andriani, Publishers Weekly (December 31, 2008)

"'It’s always inspiring to hear of the winding routes other successful women have taken. That’s why Council of One Hundred events always make me feel validated and hopeful,' says Julie Lockhart (C96), an alumna and attendee of a recent C100 event in Los Angeles. The Council is Northwestern’s 14-year-old, invitation-only women’s mentoring organization that enlists members who are leaders in their professions. C100 offers career advancement and networking opportunities to all Northwestern alumnae and female undergraduate and graduate students. This year the organization held events in cities nationwide, including Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Denver. In each city students and alumnae met women in various careers, including government, law, finance, business, nonprofit management and journalism....C100 member Lori Anne Czepiel (WCAS84) hosted the Greater New York event July 22 at the law firm of Sidley Austin, where she is a partner. More than 100 female students and alumnae networked with professionals in fields ranging from business to medicine. Council member Karen Page (WCAS83), a culinary author and Washington Post columnist, presented a brief talk on the ABCs of entering a new career."
—Northwestern magazine (Winter 2008)

"Chef Brian Rae. RM Seafood | Las Vegas....Seeking more experience in a culinary city, Rae was tempted to Las Vegas. He joined the opening team for Rick Moonen’s first Vegas restaurant, RM Seafood, as sous chef. After a year, Moonen promoted Rae to chef de cuisine of the fine dining arm of the two-in-one restaurant. Under Moonen, Rae has continued his extensive training in seafood, with a focus on sustainability, and further developed his ingredient-driven sensibility....AB: What are your favorite cookbooks? BR: CULINARY ARTISTRY [by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page]. The pages are falling out, I use it so much."
—Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs.com (December 2008)

"As usual, the brief period between our December editorial closing and the filing of this letter allows us a yearly teeth-gnashing over whatever, through oversight or too-tight space, failed to make it into the annual roundup. Such as...applause for a terrific new reference book like Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's FLAVOR BIBLE....."
—Michael and Ariane Batterberry, Food Arts (December 2008)

"THE [6] BEST COOKBOOKS of 2008. For last-minute gifts or to add to your own cookbook collection....THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg. A terrific reference manual…The book takes every flavor imaginable and finds every possible flavor pairing."
—Chef Jamie Gwen, host, "Food and Wine with Jamie Gwen" on 97.1 FM (December 2008)

"Winning the Match Game."
—Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, The Washington Post (December 31, 2008)

"Pop Champagne! Ring in the New Year with delicious bubbly....Whether you're having an intimate dinner party or a New Year's bash, finding the right bubbly in your price range could be part of the celebration. Our sparkling wine experts are The Washington Post writers and authors of the brand-new book THE FLAVOR BIBLE Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Welcome back to 'GMA Now'."
—Juju Chang, "Good Morning America Now" (December 30, 2008)

"Things I Don't Do. New Year's Resolutions: I think they're silly. If you want to resolve to do something, why wait for January 1st? ...Recipes: I have an ingrained inability to follow recipes to the letter. Can't do it. It probably stems from the fact that I'm not so great at being told what to do. My favorite cookbook is one that tells me what ingredients work well together. It's the only one I use with any regularity: CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page."
—CalifMom.com (December 30, 2008)

"Favorite Collectible Cookbooks of 2008. Sorry I’m tardy with my annual list of cookbooks for Incurable Collectors. But since you might be returning the violet hoodie your aunt sent or that striped apron with kitchen tools in the pocket or the two extra copies of the cookbook you told everyone you wanted, you’re likely to have some loose change and credit slips. Possibly having been in consumer lockdown for months, you’re ready for a splurge. This is about books I want to keep even though my shelves are sagging and countless biggies are stacked up as end tables....Since I first recommended THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little Brown $35) by my prolific award-winning food writer friends Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, this encyclopedia of flavor pairings has captured rave reviews and climbed the charts. Both pros and home cooks like the idea of using these provocative flavor pairings to cook without recipes. Chestnuts?  Chestnut spice cake and marscapone. Chestnut semifreddo with candied chestnuts and pear.  Chestnuts and Brussels sprouts.  Chestnuts and figs. That’s how it goes, often in the voice of some celebrated chef’s musing.  It comes with the same curiosity and passionate tasting the two writers put into their IACP award-winning Britannica of food and wine pairing WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, recently reissued by Bulfinch Press $35."
—Gael Greene, Insatiable-Critic.com (December 26, 2008)

"James Beard Award-winning authors and husband/wife team Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have done it again; they've created another invaluable resource that will surely inspire home cooks and professionals alike.  THE FLAVOR BIBLE picks up where their previous book CULINARY ARTISTRY left off, diving even further into the world of food flavor pairings and encouraging unlimited creativity in the kitchen. This book isn't a traditional cookbook in that there isn't a single recipe in the book. Instead it's a guide that you will find yourself turning to again and again for ideas.  For example, this is a great book to refer to after a trip to the Farmers' Market when you come home loaded down with the latest seasonal ingredients and you want to know how to pull it all together. I have to say that, in my opinion, this is not a guide for the beginning cook.  It is better suited for someone that's slightly more seasoned in the kitchen. Nor can this book be absorbed in one sitting.  Instead, you'll find yourself referring to it regularly to help you not only better your overall recipe development, but also to help you train your palate to instinctively know how to figure out what food flavors work together."
—Foodie Heather, ProjectFoodie.com (December 26, 2008)

"Training: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Since the activity has been low, I thought to come up with a quick but kalasbra books. It was enough with a quick gluttar in the book — THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg....An ambitious attempt to explain what the taste is, and that in the spirit linnéansk catalog and systematize all edible. I'm not sure I agree with everything but it is an impressive approach and less push than the molecular gastronomy approaches to para raw materials with similar flavor molecules. Now I am a little wind and whimpers even. I anguish over my own stupidity not to have bought the book before. I met Mr Dornenburg at a cocktail [party] before the gala, when he received prize for the couple's last book on pairing food with wine [WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT], found him both likable and knowledgeable, and then forgot to buy both the book and this one. And I will call me matnörd! More detailed review follows eventually, but do not wait to order it. Surely, you deserve an extra Christmas present?"
—Lisa Forare Windbladh, Matmolekyler.taffel.se (December 25, 2008) (auto-translated from Swedish by Google)

"New read: The book: FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Cost: $35. Best for: Being your guide to hundreds of ingredients along with the seasonings that will allow you to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. "
—Loretto J. Hulse, TriCity Herald (December 24, 2008)

ENDLESSSIMMER

"The Only Bible I Need.....If you’re still trying to figure out what to get the foodie on your list, and you couldn’t find something here or here, may I suggest to you the anti-cookbook: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts, and I’m not even kidding, I actually took a highlighter to the page to capture this: 'Slavish followers of recipes, who treat them as gospel instead of guidelines, make the mistake of putting more faith in someone else’s instructions than they do in themselves.  Many people would do better in the kitchen if they didn’t blindly follow recipes.  In fact, following recipes may be holding you back from achieving your potential as a cook.' Let me explain.  This is clearly not a conventional cookbook, it’s more about theory and concepts and lists.  Lots of lists.  First, it defines flavor and teaches how to build a dish around different aspects, such as: taste, mouthfeel, aroma, and the elusive 'X factor.'  The book is also filled with interviews from different chefs from around the country (and Canada) about how they conceptualize a dish, how they develop flavors, how they execute the final product.  But it’s all in story format.  No recipes.  No measurements. And then come the lists.  Starting with achiote seeds and ending with zucchini blossoms, authors Karen Page and Andrew Dorenburg list every single food product available and then name all of the other ingredients that could possibly be paired with the starting ingredient.  Each ingredient is also defined by its season, taste, weight, best cooking technique and flavor affinities....I have found the book captivating, especially reading about all those molecular gastronomy scientists and their take on how to create unique, yet familiar food.  In fact, I wish the book was more about chefs’ theories and less lists.  (Does anyone know about a book like that out there?  I still 5 days of Chanukah left!) So if you’re into the ES paradigm of food, you will totally enjoy this new bible."
—Stefanie Gans, EndlessSimmer.com (December 24, 2008)

"The Best Cookbooks of 2008...THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This book is for the serious home cook. Page and Dornenburg start with a fascinating discussion of all the components that go into making flavor. Then they interview several prominent chefs about how they build flavor (which is my favorite part of the book) followed by a list of ingredients and what they pair well with. This book will give the home cook wings to invent their own dishes without the aid of a recipe."
—Sara Moulton, "Good Morning America" (December 23, 2008)

"Tasteful Books....Taste Dictionary: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. A must for anyone who has discovered foodpairing, is THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This sequel to their earlier book CULINARY ARTISTRY is a kind of dictionary for flavor combinations. In alphabetical order in the book you will find a wide variety of ingredients, from fish to meat and herbs and wine, and each ingredient is what the best flavor combinations. Page and Dornenburg will draw on the experience of top chefs, and less on purely chemical bases. Their list is not complete, but very surprising and inspiring for those who are Brussels sprouts, duck or fish have a different twist to give. Furthermore, the authors of this book make their appearance at the symposium Foodpairing in Bruges, which I already mentioned this blog."
—Annemieke Smit, weblogs.vpro.nl/uitgekookt (December 23, 2008) (auto-translated from Dutch by Google)

"Last-Minute Gifts: Three Books for Food Lovers: So you've bought Alinea for your favorite wannabe gastro-physicist and The River Cottage Cookbook for your farm-to-table friend. At a loss for the other foodies you're shopping for? Here are the three books that top my own wish list: For the kitchen experimentalist: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Basxzd on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Another sequel of sorts, this follow-up to Page and Dornenburg's award-winning tome on wine pairings, What to Drink with What You Eat. could have been titled What To Eat with What You Eat. I, for one, am a sucker for lists, and in this book, lists abound. In an entry on avocados, for instance, I learn that the ingredient complements a range of flavors from arugula to yogurt, with over five dozen in between. The idea? To equip the home cook to innovate, but logically."
—Amy McDaniel, Slashfood.com (December 22, 2008)

"A sweet potato is not related to the potato. Nor is it related to a yam. It is its own, delicious thing and deserves widespread admiration beyond the Thanksgiving meal. The rich flavor of the sweet potato needs little tweaking and certainly does not need garnishing with sweet, puffy marshmallows on holiday tables. Try them steamed, sliced and sprinkled with herbs and a touch of butter. Or roast them, split open and top with a teaspoon of sour cream or yogurt mixed with horseradish to taste. Other compatible flavors, suggested by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg in THE FLAVOR BIBLE, include bacon, apples, onions, chilies, lemon and cilantro."
—Carol Mighton Haddix, The Chicago Tribune (December 21, 2008) and the Tampa Tribune (January 10, 2009)

"Chef Paul Shufelt thrives on the high-intensity atmosphere of a kitchen that delivers up to 600 plates daily on busy weekends. nd since 100 opened in October, on choice real estate at the corner of 100th Street and 101st Avenue, all the weekends have been busy. 'Perfect,' I said to myself when Shufelt, 100's head chef, confessed his love of pressure and stress. 'He'll know just how to cope with Christmas in the kitchen.'....' Half the fun with food is trying things out,' says Shufelt, a graduate of NAIT's school of culinary arts. Here's a chef's tip: When Shufelt is uncertain about which foods go best with other foods as he plans his menus, he consults a book called CULINARY ARTISTRY. This reference text matches food products, such as lamb or beef, with other ingredients (fruits, vegetables, spice or herbs) to help cooks create delicious combinations. 'It's a jumping-off-point for inspiration,' says Shufelt."
—Liane Faulder, Edmonton Journal (December 20, 2008)

"Local cookbook store choose their Top 10. Okay, maybe the cookbooks on this Top 10 list of cookbook gift ideas aren't all local, but it helps support a local cookbook store, Books To Cooks, which does an incredible job in supporting the local mania for all things food. This is the Books To Cooks' staff choices for the top cookbooks published this year: West: The Cookbook by Warren Geraghty (local author); Fat by Jennifer McLagan; THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg...."
—Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun (December 19, 2008)

"Christmas and books go together like lamb and chile peppers, allspice and beef, anchovies and lemon, angelica and cream, and Dornenburg and Page. If you have doubt, then picking up two copies — one for your library and one as a gift of the culinary duo's latest tome, THE FLAVOR BIBLE, will reassure your beliefs that great things go hand in hand. For fans of the duo — and there are many — THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a gift that adds flavor to every cookbook shelf. Billed as 'the essential guide to culinary creativity, based on the wisdom of America's most imaginative chefs' the pages guide the reader through a pairing of ingredients that assist and add to any culinary artist's creativity. Developing a repertoire of food and flavors is not an easy task. And, although most chefs believe they have the ability to meld and fold ingredients together it takes more than a dash of this and a dollop of that to truly create a palate pleasing plate. Of course we all think our food is some of the most flavorful on the planet or at least the menu, but do the majority of us really have the ability to decide if garlic and cinnamon compliment each other when sprinkled on carrots? THE FLAVOR BIBLE answers these questions. Don't think this is a cookbook. It's not. However, it definitely helps lay the groundwork and foundation for a creative vision that so many of us seek Dornenburg and Page have managed to include tips and trivialities that some would consider secrets from the worlds most renowned culinary artists. The duo summoned contributions and advice from a list of experts from the world over. Jose Andres, Meeru Dhalwala, Michel Richard, and Eric Ripert are only a few of the names that grace these pages. With Christmas less than a week away, this is the perfect gift for anyone in your kitchen. But more importantly, the book should be read as it not only spurns the creative juices but will also offer a new outlook on your future. At a time when we are all under unbelievable pressure, it's not that bad to take this book, scan the pages, pick a section, read it and then let your mind wander. A vision appears with a new menu for the New Year. Flavors are impact full: dishes dance with ingredients your customers never imagined possible in your restaurant. Suddenly the colors come together and the plate again becomes a canvass. The techniques you have quickly learned and the combinations make the marriage of salt and pepper look like a mundane relationship. You are out of the rut. Your menu changes between Christmas and New Year's Eve. The New Year looks brighter. All because of THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Buy it. Read it religiously."
—John Foley, AllBusiness.com (December 19, 2008)

"California's wine culture that came of age in the Bay Area during the past several decades has since spread to libations that were for a while considered as hip as the Edsel. But it was the connoisseur's approach to wine that has foodies scouring the markets for the freshest local eggplants or sipping vintage cocktails mixed with distinctive ingredients. Adhering to that flavor-first philosophy, New York-based Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have produced a guide that can help in those bewildering moments when the question arises: 'What is that? And how do you use it?' Or, just 'What's for dinner tonight?' THE FLAVOR BIBLE takes the approach that a great chef is like a poet, putting together ingredients — instead of words — in surprising ways. But the culinary bards, who are married and write a wine column for The Washington Post, keep their feet planted in reality with advice about more prosaic foods such as sauerkraut and sausages. 'Cuisine is no longer determined by geography. Now it's determined by flavor,' said Page, who has a background in journalism and economics — and a food-loving Midwestern family. Dornenburg, a professional chef, used to make regular pilgrimages to Top Dog as a teen. But it was at the Santa Fe Bar and Grill in Berkeley under the hand of Jeremiah Tower, of Chez Panisse fame, that the Concord native's passion for food was ignited. The couple's approach in THE FLAVOR BIBLE takes up where their earlier book CULINARY ARTISTRY left off in 1996, when they realized that chefs had to thumb through cookbooks to come up with the information that they spent the past eight years compiling. The authors arranged everything in a 380-page tome that functions like an index of flavor and a simplified descriptive version of Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table. Instead of chemicals, however, THE FLAVOR BIBLE includes vegetarian dishes, tofu and just about every cut of beef a butcher can carve, as well as Tex-Mex and Thai cuisine. THE FLAVOR BIBLE the couple's eighth book, is not a cookbook although the volume includes discoveries, tips and techniques from top chefs, such as 'Selecting and Using Salt,' or 'Herbs 101.' Think of the book more as a dating service for ingredients, matching the compatible ones and warning against the wrong pairings, whether it is the day's discoveries at a farmers' market or leftovers. Recipes are included in the couple's previous book, WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. There they offered advice about putting food and drink together — including nonalcoholic beverages — to enhance the flavors of both. Readers get the lowdown on what goes with Chimay beer or escargot, as well as french fries, McDonald hamburgers, Oreos, osso bucco and oysters. No surprise that flounder pairs well with a Chablis but it also goes well with cocktails containing cognac. But who knew Zinfandel was the right pick for Doritos, or that Champagne works with doughnuts? ' We wanted to simplify the wine world,' Dornenburg said. 'We wanted to make it easy to get started with any meal.'"
—Angela Woodall, Oakland Tribune and Alameda Times-Star, The Argus, Contra Costa Times, The Daily Review, Inside Bay Area, San Mateo County Times, and Tri-Valley Herald (December 19, 2008)

"SOUL FOOD. Our dining editor, Penny Pollack, dishes on her [five] favorite cookbooks from 2008....THE FLAVOR BIBLE
by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown; $35)
Why she likes it 'A what-goes-with-what book. No recipes, just tons of fun and useful info.' Ideal for The adventurous home cook."
—Penny Pollack, Chicago magazine (December 2008)

"Where to Drink for the Holidays and New Year's. Sat 12/20: WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. You already know nog doesn’t jive with your Christmas goose, but what does? Learn about holiday wine pairings [with cheese] — and why they work — at this gratis [reception], hosted by culinary scribes Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT). The authors will sign copies of the book, which will be for sale. FREE. Le Dû’s Wines, 600 Washington St between Leroy and Morton Sts (212-924-6999). 4–6pm."
—Time Out: New York (December 18-31, 2008)

"Cookbooks for Giving and Keeping. There were a lot of important restaurant cookbooks that came out this year: A Day at El Bulli, Alinea and Thomas Keller's Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide come to mind. I am not opposed to serious books, but the books I turn to again and again tend to not be the weighty ones. Just like cooking and eating, I like cookbooks to be fun. Today I am recommending two fun books, two thoroughly enjoyable non-cookbooks and two local San Francisco Bay Area cookbooks, one of which actually is a restaurant cookbook, but also much more than that....I raved about THE FLAVOR BIBLE a few months ago. It's a book to go to for ideas, inspiration, and sometimes reassurance that yes, that seemingly crazy combination you came up with does in fact make perfectly good sense. Sneak a peek at some of the signature dishes of top chefs and find out what flavors pair well. I find this book helps me get out of the ruts I sometimes get into with a specific ingredient, always cooking it one way, forgetting to step out of my comfort zone and try something new. Since reviewing it, I have used this book many times in creating new recipes for my wine retailer client. This is hands down the best, and most useful culinary reference book of the year."
—Amy Sherman, CookingWithAmy.com (December 17, 2008)

"The Cookbook Store's Alison Fryer appeared on Breakfast TV on Wednesday, December 17th. She featured 20 of the year's best food and wine books, including THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Dornenburg and Page...."
—"Breakfast Television," CityTV (December 17, 2008)

"Years from now, when we trade war stories about the recession of 2008, we'll remember how we cut back on dining out and cooked more at home. So what better holiday gift than cookbooks you'll actually use? I'm not talking about the vacuum-sealing, water-bath-heating techniques in Thomas Keller's Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide (Artisan, $75) or the molecular gastronomy in Grant Achatz's Alinea (Ten Speed Press, $50). Though these books are dazzling, they're too intimidating for the average home cook. What fits these austere times are books that improve your cooking skills, teach you how to be thrifty, or just have tasty and easy recipes. Here are six titles that will get a workout in the kitchen: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Co. $35). They're the cooks who inspire the most envy — you know, the ones who combine random ingredients into delicious meals. It seems like a rare talent, but with THE FLAVOR BIBLE this skill can be learned. Here's how the book works: Page and Dornenburg asked some of America's best chefs for all the foods that complement, say, persimmons. Then they compiled a list of the responses, marking the ones that occurred frequently. (In this case, we learn that brandy, pomegranates, vanilla and walnuts are among the most popular pairings for persimmons.) Imagine hundreds of these lists for different foods, along with notes about the intensity of their flavors, recommendations for cooking techniques, commentary from chefs, and more. So, how do you use the book? After mulling over an idea that combined butter cake, creme fraiche and persimmons, I checked the lists. Of all the pairings, a few stood out: brown sugar with both persimmons and creme fraiche, and cinnamon and allspice with persimmons. The result was a cinnamon-allspice cake topped with brown sugar creme fraiche and sliced Fuyu persimmons. Do I really have to explain how yummy this was? The bottom line: Any avid cook will covet this book. Period."
—Joan Obra, Fresno Bee (December 16, 2008)

"The Palate Wizards Speak: Nothing about food is more subjective than its flavor, which can invoke agony, ecstasy or something in between from the person doing the eating. That's why cooks who consistently create meals whose flavors bring pleasure to a wide range of customers are true magicians. No chef wows 'em every time; the great ones come close. Another key: When a skilled cook can deliver great flavor experiences even while using up orphaned ingredients from a restaurant's walk-in or pantry, the food cost will always look good. And in the current economy, the ability to conjure up flavorful meals from lower-cost ingredients makes a cook worth his or her weight in gold. How can chefs pull all this off? A handful innately seem to know the flavor combinations that will work best. Everyone else, though, has to rely on trial and error. Or at least they did before the arrival of THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs (Little, Brown and Co., $35). In it, ace culinary writers Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg weave together the collective intuitions of dozens of leading chefs to come up with a 380-page book about cooking that contains not a single recipe. It offers instead a series of exhaustive lists that describe what-goes-best-with-what, all of it so arranged as to make flawless flavor development accessible to all. Articulating this process by words alone is a tall order. It's challenging to explain flavor development without the luxury of side-by-side taste comparisons to illustrate each point. But Page and Dornenburg are skilled-enough wordsmiths to do it — no small feat....If the goal of your restaurant is to faithfully reproduce classic flavor pairings that have withstood the test of time, you probably don't need this one. But if you want to keep up on contemporary flavor trends, minimize your food cost and sneak in thrifty ingredients along the way, buy a copy of this book."
—Restaurant Hospitality (December 2008)

"Cookbooks to consider for the holidays. It’s that delicious time of year — when Tribune elves feverishly page through the array of new cookbooks in search of the few [6] that have been chosen for the annual review. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Company, 2008, $35). Here is a book that will have your salivary glands going, just imagining the tasty combinations as you read. This is not a cookbook. It is in fact a bible — a book of essential flavor rules — to be revered and referred to often.
There are no mouthwatering photographs, this is not a book you might just flip through in search of an appealing recipe.
In fact, there are no recipes. But THE FLAVOR BIBLE provides the reader with a better understanding of cuisine — including foods you should eat, foods you might love to eat and foods you have yet to experience. It’s essential to start with 'Genesis' or chapter one: 'Flavor = Taste + Mouthfeel + Aroma + The X Factor: Learning to Recognize the Language of Food.' Let there be light or culinary enlightenment. This chapter will help you realize the basic flavors and how our taste buds translate those flavors to our brain. This is really the place to start. The book continues with a chapter on cooking for the body, mind and spirit. Before delving into a cooking assignment, first understand the moment or the who, what, when and where. What type of gathering will it be? Where will it take place? Then go on to analyze the season — what might be available fresh and what the weather may dictate (warm and spicy foods for the winter months or cold and light dishes for summer serving, etc.). The book goes on to offer insight to types of flavors and country of origin, from A (achiote seeds) to Z (zucchini blossoms). Hundreds of pages of common and unusual specimens, that make up cuisine for a variety of cultures are featured."
—Karen Rallo, South Bend Tribune (December 14, 2008)

"Every Sunday, I review a cookbook in an attempt to lend some guidance in a field that has become overrun. These days everyone is writing cookbooks and it is incredibly upsetting to buy a dud and have it sit on your shelf for years — staring at you, mocking your poor judgment. This week I’m reviewing THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. To call this a 'cookbook' is not at all accurate. There is not a single recipe in this book. It isn’t going to teach you how to poach or grill or give you a killer recipe for tiramisu. None of that. But it will provide you with a wealth of information, that if used correctly, can lead you down many awesome meals....When I saw FRESHNESS before FRISÉE and FRUIT, FRESH after it. I realized I was looking at an alphabetical list of… well… everything food, flavor, and cooking. And I said to myself, ' Oh no they didn’t!' But they did. From achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms, they list it all. It takes some time to learn how to read the charts because they contain so much information. Each ingredient has below it a huge list of 'compatible flavors.' By compatible flavors they mean more than just foods that go with the primary food, but flavors. This means that they list stuff like 'Chinese cuisine' and 'Brandy' and 'salad dressings.' As someone who preaches the benefits of learning to cook and feeling empowered in the kitchen, I started breathing heavily when I realized how much information this book contains. It is a tome and, in fact, a bible. This book is more than just a cookbook. It is a challenge to the reader. A challenge to pick flavor, one that you don’t know well enough (or at all) and go down to your market, find it, and cook something with it. That said, there are zero recipes in the book. If you are looking for a specific way to use any of the flavors, you won’t find it exactly in this book. They give you a pretty darn clear map, but they don’t drive the car for you. Which is even better in my opinion. Lame analogies aside, if you ever find yourself at a loss as to what to cook or what to cook with, this is the book for you. I have a feeling that it will accompany me through many kitchen successes and mishaps. It is without a doubt one of the coolest innovative kitchen reference books I’ve seen."
—Macheesmo.com (December 14, 2008)

"Top [11] Cookbooks of 2008: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Company) $35.00. Brought to you by the award-winning duo that created BECOMING A CHEF and CULINARY ARTISTRY, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a comprehensive reference on the essence of flavors and flavor combinations. The third chapter is the meat of the book, comprised of 'The Charts': 600-plus entries about ingredients and regional cuisines (with lists of complementary flavors or typical ingredients). Each entry has its own list of characteristics, common flavor combinations, function, affinities, avoidances, and so on. This self-dubbed bible is meant to be just that: a philosophical and practical guide to cooking based on chef-inspired flavor combinations rather than regional ones. Blurbs from famed chefs regarding their fondness for particular flavors and lists of particular dishes are sprinkled throughout. As CULINARY ARTISTRY defined the classical combinations that chefs employ, THE FLAVOR BIBLE reinvents these combinations and provides a jumping-off point for new flavor ventures."
—Lynley Fleak, JJ Proville, and Heather Sperling, StarChefs.com (December 13, 2008)

"Favorite Cookbooks & Recipes of 2008. Here's a round-up of some of my favorite cookbooks and recipes that I presented on the site in 2008. A few are books that I've been devouring, and others are those I've been bookmarking recipes in, to make on the site in the upcoming months. All in all, the best of the year...When I was making my colorful quince tarte Tatin and writing up the post about it, I remembered my handy copy of THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Even though I know everything in the world (or at least I think I do...), I leafed through it, looking for what goes with quince. And lo and behold, there's a whole world of flavors out there, outside of my head! This culinary heavyweight, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, takes every flavor imaginable and searches for each and every possible flavor pairing. It's a terrific reference and I'm happy it's on my shelf, within easy reach."
— David Lebovitz, DavidLebovitz.com (December 13, 2008)

"We asked Ellen Rose from the Cook's Library for her complete list of must-have food books.  Here's what she wrote: 'When KCRW invited me to post a list of my favorite books I had to have some criterion since I have thousands of cookbooks.  I decided to go through my books and pick the ones [19 in total] that are falling apart, pages stuck together, comments written all over the pages, and spotted with food — all from years of use. For reference I love: 1. The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. 2. THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—"Good Food" hosted by Evan Kleiman, KCRW Radio / NPR (December 12, 2008)

"Great cooking goes beyond following a recipe: It is knowing how to season ingredients to coax the greatest possible flavor from them. The authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE have talked with dozens of America's leading chefs to discover their secrets of creating deliciousness in any dish....First of all I want to talk about this extraordinary accomplishment that the two of you have created in writing THE FLAVOR BIBLE...It's really unlike any other cookbook I've ever seen."
—Jean Feraca, host, "Here on Earth" on Wisconsin Public Radio (December 12, 2008)

"Shopping on a Budget: Holiday Gifts Under $50. And for those who like to read: THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a new book out. It's one of the most wanted books on Amazon.com. Karen Page is one of the authors. It's great for the holiday season. and just came out. It's a must pick-up."
—Tara Wilson, event planner, WFAA-TV / ABC-TV in Dallas (December 12, 2008)

"Holiday Gift Guide: Cookbook Edition. A very cool and different kind of cookbook is CULINARY ARTISTRY by Dornenburg and Page. It's a concept reference book for creating your own recipes or food combinations. They've interviewed scores of chefs and distilled their creative thinking and experience. At its core are reference lists such as foods in season, food matches, seasoning matches, flavor combinations that define the cuisines of countries of the world, seasonal combinations. You can look up an ingredient and find a few dozen other foods and spices and techniques that work with it."
—John Pinkerton, The Atlantic Blog posting (December 12, 2008)

"THE 2008 HOLIDAY GIFT LIST: COOKING [1st of 8 books recommended]: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Company). If your friend is adventurous enough, perhaps coming up with new, original dishes might be in order. In THE FLAVOR BIBLE, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg tap the knowledge of the country's leading chefs to compile a comprehensive guide to seasoning and perfecting any dish. With thousands of ingredient entries organized in alphabetical order and cross referenced, your friend will be able to concoct her own dishes by figuring out which ingredients work well together in unexpected ways."
—Yennie Cheung, HipsterBookClub.com (Holidays 2008)

"Top Cookbooks of 2008: 2008 may have been a bad year for just about everything else, but it was a great year for cookbooks. Honestly, I can't remember the last time this many gorgeous, fascinating and downright inspiring books hit the shelves in one year....This year, for the first time, I've assembled a list of my favorite books to hit the shelves. My criteria for inclusion were simple: that they have been published in 2008, that they're worth the precious space they occupy on my living room shelf, and that they get me completely, irrationally excited each time I pick them up. Oh yeah, and that they have really good food inside....THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Are you an improvisational cook? Do you ever stand in front of a fridge full of ingredients and wonder how on earth you might assemble the contents into something edible? Do you dream at night about titillating new flavor combinations? Do you want to better understand the mechanisms of taste and learn how great chefs construct their dishes? If any of these apply to you, you'll want to have this book on your shelf tomorrow. This is a self-described 'new breed of cookbook', one that delivers not recipes, but inspiration. I would call it more of an encyclopedia of taste, cataloging just about every ingredient under the sun and cross-referencing it with other complimentary ingredients, cuisines and cooking characteristics. You'll learn that fennel pollen is a 'quiet' flavor, should be used only to finish a dish, and is complemented by things like fish, lemon and pistachios. You'll learn that Chilean cuisine typically includes the flavors of corn, cumin, garlic, oregano and raisins. You'll learn the different flavors and uses of piquillo, guindilla, ñora and choricero peppers in Spain. You'll even learn how to compose an entire menu around flavor affinities. I've only begun to scratch the surface of what this book offers, but already I can tell that it's one of the most useful books I've run across in a long time."
—Melissa Kronenthal, TravelersLunchbox.com (December 11, 2008)

"Holiday Wine for Every Wallet: For this season's holiday festivities, we're all looking to serve tasty wines that won't break the bank, let's be honest. Food and wine experts Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg write for The Washington Post and they've authored a brand-new book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE, and they're here to show us some great wines under fifteen bucks!"
—Juju Chang, "Good Morning America Now" (December 11, 2008)

"Holiday Gift Guide: Cooking and cookbook reading are separate activities in my house, and I’m a devotee of both. Where others plunk themselves in front of the cacophonous Food Network, I prefer to enrich my culinary ambitions with the quiet majesty of the page. Then I photocopy the recipes that intrigue me, so that the books themselves remain as pristine as possible. Shopping from my list, therefore, puts you in no danger of presenting a loved one with some overhyped celebrity-driven screed. The celebrities we’ll meet are the chefs themselves, generally as insane as any A-list actor or music star, but at least proffering actual nourishment....[One of 12 books recommended] But forget recipes for a moment. THE FLAVOR BIBLE, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown, $35, littlebrown.com), contains not a one. It’s an exhaustive list of the component items you mix into meals, and it gives many a history of those associations along with excellent ideas for combinations you may never have thought of. Always reliably engaging writers, Page and Dornenburg make even as austere a premise as this one work."
—B.A. Nilsson, Metroland (December 11, 2008)

"Books are wonderful gifts at holiday time (or anytime, for that matter). The gift of a book that has been thoughtfully purchased with the interests of the recipient in mind will be remembered and enjoyed for a long time. Below are some nonfiction suggestions that might be 'just perfect' for someone you know. Cooking and eating: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg. This new approach to inspired creative cooking is based on a thorough knowledge of ingredients — what flavors work well together and what cooking techniques are best for each ingredient."
—Kim Erickson Myers, Portsmouth Herald News (December 10, 2008)

"Cookbooks of the pros. So I know yesterday I said that cookbooks do not necessarily make the best presents since a lot of them are bad. I stand by that statement but I also know not many (any?) people care what the heck I think and are going to go right ahead and buy cookbooks anyways. If you're going to buy some, might as well buy the best. To find out which cookbooks top chefs and food authorities use, I called up several that are in our local area and asked them what cookbook they'd recommend. The first person I called was restaurant magnate Rob Dalzell was working at his restaurant 1924 Main. 'A good book for home and a good reference book is CULINARY ARTISTRY by Dorenenburg,' Dalzell said after taking a second to remember the author. 'It lists all of the components that go with an ingredient like say, apples. It will list 20 things that go with apples. A lot of people don't have that education and know what is what...Because the restaurant is always trying out new dishes I'll check it out if I, say, have turnips to see what it recommends.'
Colby Garrelts of Bluestem also named CULINARY ARTISTRY as a book he uses...."
—Owen Morris, Fat City (December 10, 2008)

"One Foodie's Wish List: In Birmingham Weekly’s 2008 Holiday Gift Guide, I suggested a few gifts that would satisfy almost any foodie Still need a few more ideas? Check out my personal wish list below....WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page - Amazon.com, $25. I would love to finally know what wine to drink with fish and why beer doesn’t seem to go with anything except pizza and chicken wings. It seems like this book could help. Here’s the product description from Amazon.com: 'The most comprehensive guide to matching food and drink ever compiled, by the James Beard Award winning author team of Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, with practical advice from more than 70 of America’s leading pairing experts.' The book features over fifteen hundred entries based on the 'collective wisdom of experts at dozens of America’s best restaurants, including Alinea, Babbo, Bern’s, Blue Hill, Chanterelle, Daniel, Emeril’s, French Laundry, Frontera Grill, Inn at Little Washington, Jean Georges, Masa’s, The Modern, Per Se, Rubicon, Tru, and Valentino.' Apparently, the book will also give 'authoritative recommendations for stocking your cellar and kitchen with must-have beverages, from wines to waters. You’ll also learn what to drink with everything from French toast to Chinese food, and what to eat with everything from Pinot Noir to green tea, to create mouthwatering matches.'”
—Molly Folse, Birmingham Weekly (December 10, 2008)

The Slant of The Slope

"...Here is the bookstore’s quasi-annual round up of ideas for books we’d like to get, anyhow.  We hope it may help you in list-making endeavors. Cookbooks: [1st of only 5 recommended] THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown & Co., $35.00): Less cookbook than guidebook, culled from the minds of America’s most imaginative chefs. Intended to lead you towards the greatest possible flavors and pleasures from food, this book provides exhaustive information on herbs, spices, and seasonings on their own and in harmony with each other."
—The Slant of the Slope, Community Bookstore of Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York (Holidays 2008)

"the bookworm: Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple recommends: It’s a great time for cookbooks and food writing — publishers present their best books at this time of year, and our cooking section is jam-packed with the seasonal bounty. Here’s a brief list of promising books for every food lover, baker, home cook, beginner, restaurant owner, line cook, and vegetarian on your list....For the serious home cook: beyond following recipes: THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs
by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. This is a food-based follow-up to their highly successful (and well-used at my house) book on pairing food and wine (WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT). After an impassioned and reasonable introduction on how cooking is an act of love, a creative process, and not just the transformation of food through heat, there’s an interesting chapter or two. But the bulk of this book is a dictionary style list of what ingredients best complement each other (and what techniques marry them best). Sound simple enough? You try pairing kohlrabi with dozens of things to discover that sesame oil works best. This book offers basic, tested help for those who wish to move beyond recipes to something more creative."
—Marcia Gagliardi, TableHopper.com (December 9, 2008)

"Interested in learning more about pairing food with beer? Check out these books. Or give one as a holiday gift to the food or beer lover in your life.....WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea — Even Water — Based on Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (Bulfinch, 2006, $35, hardcover)."
—Josh Smith and Anne Holcomb, Kalamazoo Gazette (December 8, 2008)

"13 Foodie Finds for Under $30....Having trouble finding an affordable holiday gift for the foodie on your list? Here are 13 fabulous foodie finds for under $30 USD. I hope this will spark your imagination, or at least give you some things to add to your own wish list!....There are any number of cookbooks available, but one that's on every cook's list (if they don't have it already) is THE FLAVOR BIBLE, currently listed at $23.10 [on Amazon.com]."
—Mrs. W's Kitchen (December 8, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Building on the success of their earlier CULINARY ARTISTRY, Page and Dornenburg, who have a remarkable instinct for knowing what it is that people want to know, offer an ambitious guide to flavor combinations organized by ingredient that suggest both classic and innovative pairings and are designed as spurs to a cook’s imagination. Chefs from Gramercy Tavern’s Michael Anthony to Vikram Vij of Vancouver, BC, contribute their two cents, adding depth to the discussion. Highly useful. Color throughout. $35.00."
—Kitchen Arts & Letters, New York City (Fall 2008)

"Santa's Bag Is Full of [10] Books for Cooks This Holiday Season: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Few food books in recent memory have excited me as much as this one — perhaps because it really isn't a cookbook at all. Instead of prescribed, carefully measured recipes, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg give us an insight into the minds of 'America's most imaginative chefs' to inspire the reader to create new dishes based on imaginative and harmonious flavor. In their introductory chapter, they explain the formula: Flavor = taste (what is perceived by the taste buds) + mouthfeel (what is perceived by the rest of the mouth) + aroma (what is perceived by the nose) + 'the X Factor' (what is perceived by the other senses, plus the heart, mind, and spirit). Then they break the formula down further into individual components (sweet, sour, temperature, piquancy, pungency, etc.), flavor affinities, function, seasonality of ingredients, and — just as important — the essence of the moment ('Why do you need or want to cook in the first place?'), which together create the ultimate goal of 'deliciousness.' They follow with carefully organized charts for every ingredient, type of cuisine, and culinary term imaginable, indicating taste, flavor function, commonly used cooking techniques, tips, flavor affinities, and incompatibilities. All this invaluable information is interspersed with comments and insights from acclaimed chefs such as Monica Pope of t'afia (Houston), Maricel Presilla of Zafra (Hoboken, N.J.), Traci Des Jardins from jardinière (San Francisco), Homaro Cantu from moto (Chicago), Michael Lomonaco of Porter House (NYC), and José Andrés (cookbook author and TV personality) that help explain why and how they create their culinary masterpieces. Give this book to someone who loves to cook; chances are they'll reward you with a fabulous meal prepared with you in mind."
—Claudia Alarcon, Austin Chronicle (December 5, 2008)

"Molecular Gastronomy: Four new cookbooks offer insight into the science of flavor....At the heart of these inventions is flavor and the desire to redefine your experience of savoring it. Ferran Adrià continually reexamines flavors alone and in combination, and you can jump-start your own experimentation with THE FLAVOR BIBLE, the first cookbook by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg that doesn’t contain a single recipe. Page and Dornenburg already wrote a definitive study titled CULINARY ARTISTRY that went behind the scenes with a number of chefs to understand a broader aesthetic of cooking than found in the blueprints of recipes. Its section on flavor combinations foreshadowed the more extensive work in THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35, littlebrown.com). It’s an exhaustive ingredient-by-ingredient listing that also delves into the characteristics of regional cookery. To pick an ingredient at random, parsnips are defined by season (autumn-winter), taste (sweet), weight (medium-heavy), volume (moderate) and techniques/tips ('Always use cooked...bake, boil, braise, deep-fry, grill, mash, puree, roast, steam'). This is followed by a long list of potential companions, starting with allspice, anise and apples, and finishing (69 elements later) with wine and yogurt. The listing ends with suggested flavor affinities ('parsnips + butter + cream + potatoes,' 'parsnips + carrots + nutmeg + potatoes,' and several more). The pages are livened with sidebars naming specific dishes developed by a variety of chefs as well as quotes from the chefs themselves. A sprinkling of attractive color photos breaks up the grayness of the pages. 'Strive for balance over an entire menu, i.e., appetizer, entrée, and dessert,' the book advises. 'Envision the course of a meal as a piece of music having a melody, rhythm, and tempo.' In other words: What’s music to the palate may be, as yet, an unfamiliar tune."
—B.A. Nilsson, Metroland (December 4, 2008)

"The Ultimate Kitchen Companion. Food and drink luminaries, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, are esteemed for their groundbreaking culinary books including WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. They have done it again with THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide To Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs.
This invaluable kitchen companion is a compilation of eight years of extensive flavor pairing research. Since 2000, the couple spent thousands of hours visiting restaurants, interviewing chefs, combing menus, Web sites and cookbooks. The 384-page flavor guidebook is unique, but easy to use. Thousands of ingredients, herbs, spices and seasoning entries are organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, making it what the title promises — a flavor bible. Choose from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms. Look up techniques, seasons and cuisines. You’ll also find signature dishes, tips and bits of wisdom from America’s most respected chefs including Mario Batali, José Andrés and Charlie Trotter. Inspiration is the book’s purpose — helping cooks understand how to best season ingredients while simultaneously encouraging individual creativity. This is a must-have for both the experienced chef and home cook beginner."
—Lynn Schwartz, What's Up Annapolis (December 3, 2008)

"Just in time for holidays, top chefs release tomes. Despite a job market that's floundering, cookbook writers are prolific as ever. Recent weeks have seen an influx of new titles on the market, from well-known chefs and authors. With people returning to the kitchen to save money, these recipe and reference books make ideal gifts for the holiday season. Here are some top choices: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown and Company, 384 pages, $35). Every serious cook will keep going back to this reference book, which charts flavor affinities and pairings in great detail. Learn that goat cheese pairs especially well with cherries and thyme, and get ideas from chefs around the country for complete dishes."
—Amanda Gold, San Francisco Chronicle (December 3, 2008)

"Cooks Like Books Under the Tree. Books are among the most popular gifs this holiday season. And for the chef on your holiday list, there is an ample selection from which to choose. You might want to consider [this Top 10 list]: Throughout their food careers, THE FLAVOR BIBLE authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have nurtured mutually beneficial relationships with the most knowledgeable, respected and expressive culinary personalities in the world. Capitalizing on that, they have collected and combined wit and wisdom in this book for the person on your list who likes to explore, experience and share new and different flavors and combinations, and who is able to adapt recipes to do so. Incidentally, there are no actual recipes in this book that treats cooking as an evolving art, 'combining inner and outer selves.' The first two chapters (totaling about a 10th of the book) are about using the language of food (taste, mouthfeel and aroma) to communicate (maximize flavor and pleasure by tapping heart, body, mind and spirit). The remainder is devoted to charts for matching foods and ingredients according to cuisine, seasons, flavor affinities, heartiness, volume and technique. It suggests combinations to try and others to avoid. These are supplemented by opinions and quotations of the aforementioned personalities. For example, Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern), David Waltuck (Chanterelle), Brad Farmerie (Public) and Michael Laiskonis (Le Bernardin) all weigh in on the whys and ways of using various acids in cooking. THE FLAVOR BIBLE's approach is at the same time broad and specific. The serious cook on your list will have to see it to appreciate it. (Little, Brown, $35)."
—Linda Brandt, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (December 3, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE. With thousands of ingredient entries organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, this is the ultimate reference guide for chefs at any level. The follow-up to Dornenberg and Page's last hit WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, this book is just as informative and allows for a lot of imagination. Available from Amazon for $35."
—"Gift Guide 2008," CoolHunting.com (December 2, 2008)

"Susan Fox and Naftali Rottenstreich's Red Fox Books picks for 12/2/08: Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman; Eat This, Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide by David Zinczenko; THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg...."
—"The Roundtable" Weekly Book Picks, WAMC: Northeast Public Radio (December 2, 2008)

"The 10 Best Cocktail Books of 2008: #5) THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is designed for cooks as well as bartenders and is the ultimate thesaurus of taste and pairing for anyone who wants to perfect their flavor matching skills. Written by the authors of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have included every possible flavor combination in this awesome reference guide including flavors that work with the most popular spirits. If you're planning a full-course meal with a matching cocktail menu or simply trying to create a new drink you need this volume in your library.”
—Colleen Graham, Cocktails.About.com (December 1, 2008)

"There's A New Bible On the Block. Since The Cake Bible was published 20 years ago, there have been so many books using the B word I’m expecting a whole section in the book stores devoted to food bibles. 'What’s in a name? That which we call a rose...' of course is true up to a point, but I don’t need to tell you what’s in the name 'bible' and if you’re going to use it as part of the name of your book it had better be one. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is. If you look up the word bible in the Encarta Dictionary, after you get past the first few religious connotation definitions, you’ll find the one that best applies here as well: 'essential book: a book that is considered an authority on a particular subject.' Written by my esteemed friends and colleagues Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, THE FLAVOR BIBLE not only fits this definition it offers something beyond bible that is rare and precious: true originality. There is not a single recipe in the book — this is not about learning how to roast a chicken — it’s about understanding taste, flavor synergy, ingredients — what they are and how they work with each other. Beautifully organized alphabetically by ingredient and also including ethnic cuisine, each ingredient is coded for weight, volume, technique, and tips (occasionally function as in sesame oil: 'heating'). Studded throughout the book are quotes, concepts, and tips from illustrious chefs, past and present, and other notables such as the response of U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic when asked in an interview 'What advice would you give to people who are looking to be happy?' His answer: 'For starters, learn how to cook.' .... Read this book from cover to cover. It’s an education. Even if you never intend to cook a thing as long as you live it will indeed make you happier."
—Rose Levy Beranbaum, Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum (November 29, 2008)

"It need not be said that the Joy of Cooking or Mastering the Art of French Cooking are indispensible books to have around, but once a home cook or simple food enthusiast has these standbys, what books make great gifts? This guide to cookbooks as gifts focuses on the best books of the past few years as well as some modern classics and pinpoints the perfect present for the baker, the trend-watcher, and the first-time cook....Best Books of 2008 and Trendy Favorites: For the most organized chef, the recently released FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, & Co., 2008, ISBN 0316118400) is a must-have item, making ingredient pairing all the more simple."
—Judith Faucette, Suite101.com (November 29, 2008)

"Essential Cookbooks. THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Page and Dornenburg....If you want to learn about flavors and how they interact, this is your book. In 40 some odd years of cooking, I can't think of another book that has increased and advanced my cooking as much as this book has. It gives you a thorough understanding of why flavors work with other flavors and starts your thinking outside the box and explains why combos of flavors work."
—Grillncook, Chow.com (November 29, 2008)

"Sometimes a food book comes along that I think 'I wish I had written that.' It doesn't happen as often as I would like but THE FLAVOR BIBLE is one of those volumes. Written by respected food authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is all about what flavor pairings work well together....I found this book extremely useful in terms of finding ingredients in the farmers market or in my store cupboards and then using THE FLAVOR BIBLE for suggestions about what I should be cooking. It really is excellent at sparking ideas in the mind of the more experienced cook and making them think of new combinations or ideas that will add a bit of extra zip to a recipe.   THE FLAVOR BIBLE would be useful to any cook but for anyone who is serious about their food — either as an enthusiast or as someone who makes a living from cooking — then I think this will become one of the indispensable books in their kitchen library. As such, it is one of my favourite cookbooks of this century."
—Joe Saumarez Smith, Cooking Index (November 2008)

"What to do with all those leftovers? One of our favorite topics is food, especially at holiday time. If you need inspiration, one of many new cookbooks — this is actually more than just that — is called THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Let's turn to the authors, married couple Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
— Dan Raviv, national correspondent, CBS News Weekend Roundup (November 28, 2008)

"GIFTS: Cook Books: Tasty Picks for Beginners or Pros: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. For cooks ready to go beyond recipes and improvise, married food writers Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg offer an inspiring glossary of foods and their natural flavor partners. (Little, Brown, $35)."
—People magazine (Holidays 2008)

"In the Kitchen. THE FLAVOR BIBLE. One of 29 books singled out."
—The Strand, New York City (Holidays 2008)

"Mixologists have been using the flavor theories of chefs for years to create cocktails and this is especially apparent in many of the 'culinary cocktails' that have dotted the cocktail scene as of late. For anyone with an interest in designing specialty cocktails, creating spectacular drink and food pairings, or exploring the realms of flavors and taste in general, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the ultimate resource — a giant thesaurus of flavor that was created by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg....THE FLAVOR BIBLE is a perfect compliment to Page and Dornenburg's WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and is an essential reference book for anyone interested in advanced flavor pairing....To understand flavor and how different flavors work with one another is essential for the advanced bartender and anyone interested in exploring new cocktails. THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the best resource I've seen yet that takes the professional experience of taste to the next level of study. "
—Colleen Graham, Cocktails.About.com (Holidays 2008)

"Holiday books worth a look. THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. A guide through hundreds of ingredients to coax more flavour and fun from food, by award-winning authors."
—Ron Eade, Ottawa Citizen (November 27, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. For the serious cook or those that aim to be, Page and Dornenburg have assembled a compelling toolkit that will allow culinary creatives to concoct their own recipes and develop ways to expand their repertoire.Indeed, there are no recipes here; rather there is a comprehensive encyclopedia of ingredients describing what they can be tastefully combined with. Each item is detailed by the season in which it is available, overall taste, weight, volume, cooking techniques and numerous tips. So, if you have ever wondered what to do with some of the more exotic vegetables, spices and meats you find at your local ethnic food store or Whole Foods, THE FLAVOR BIBLE offers a cornucopia of ideas for fresh experimentation."
—Sarah Zupko, PopMatters.com (November 26, 2008)

"Cracked Eggshells. Break an egg is what I say to wish a food-world friend good luck. You’ve seen it on my website. And now…did someone say irony is defunct? Here I am, walking on broken egg shells. To be officially declared redundant by New York magazine, long the oracle and chronicler of what’s hot and what’s not, the seal of approval and the namer of eras, is painful. I pass a mirror and am surprised to see I’m still there.  Had I thought I was embedded in the magazine’s DNA after 40 years of critiquing restaurants?....Dinnertime: The last laugh is dinner, I said. I hope so. That night, in the bitterest cold so far, we went with writer friends Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg to Salumeria Rosi, a block from our pad. They brought shopping bags of apples for us and genial Chef-patron Cesare Casella, apples so intensely perfumed I could smell them, unseen, across the table. I ordered a grade salumi platter, fast, to eat while we pondered the menu. Dornenburg, co-author with Karen of WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, chose a $36 Galarej Barbara d’Alba that went with fiery red peppers salty from anchovy and capers, and the luscious seven bean salad (Casella is after all, the Tuscan king of beans, as Karen noted)."
—Gael Greene, Insatiable-Critic.com (November 24, 2008)

(NOTE: We urge you to read this historic posting by Greene on the occasion of her last column in New York magazine.)

"Our foodie world, star-quality guests include award-winning authors and delightful husband-and-wife team, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.  Alternately described as cultural anthropologists and even 'the Jane Goodalls of the chef world' for their groundbreaking, award-winning works on the contemporary food revolution, they joined us to talk about their newest book — eight years in the making — THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based On The Wisdom Of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. By the way, Karen and Andrew are authors of several other books you're certain to know, like BECOMING A CHEF, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite books and won the James Beard Book Award for Best Writing On Food, CULINARY ARTISTRY, the first-ever reference on flavor compatibility and culinary composition, and CHEF'S NIGHT OUT, among several others."
—Nycci and David Nellis, hosts, "Dishing It Out" on 1500 AM and 820 AM in Washington, DC (November 23, 2008)

"The First Choice for the Last Course."
—Karen Page and Andrew Dorneburg, The Washington Post (November 23, 2008)

"This book [THE FLAVOR BIBLE] is amazing! You guys hit a home run....."
—Pat Miller, host, and Tyler Wiard, Elway's Cherry Creek executive chef and guest co-host, "Gabby Gourmet," KHOW Radio in Denver (November 22, 2008)

"Our guests today are two of North America's most imaginative cookbook authors: Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, whose new book is THE FLAVOR BIBLE...It's a strong candidate for our annual Top 10 list, which will be announced December 8th....Every chef should have a copy of this book."
—Anthony Gismondi and Kasey Wilson, hosts, "Tony and Kasey's Buzz on Food and Wine," CFUN Radio (November 22, 2008)

"Bookshelf: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Is this something new? A chef who cooks, a spouse who writes....Couple of times this pre-holiday season we've seen this (welcome) phenomenon.
First, there's chef Andrew Dornenburg and his wife and longtime collaborator, the writer Karen Page. Over they years they've developed a giant culinary database along with an easily understood style of presenting complex information (charts, interviews and such). Starting with BECOMING A CHEF and CULINARY ARTISTRY, both very popular with kitchen pros, they won a prestigious award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals for WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. With this season's THE FLAVOR BIBLE, they've confirmed their position as masters of the gustatory universe. For each conceivable ingredient (caviar, cayenne, celery) they assign a season, a taste, a flavor 'weight,' a flavor 'volume,' a function, flavor affinities, and assorted techniques and tips, along with a shopping list of related foods and cuisines. (Caviar: Russian cuisine, Champagne; Cayenne: avoid caviar). Page and Dornenburg quote several dozen top chefs in the course of their 375 page volume; Holly Smith (of Café Juanita) and Jerry Traunfeld (of Poppy) are the two locals."
—Ronald Holden, The Examiner (November 19, 2008)

"...This holiday season, in particular, economic realities are compelling many to stretch food dollars, returning leftover awareness to the front burner....'Thanksgiving makes November a traditional time for leftovers, so it seems like a good time to start focusing on making the most of leftovers year in and year out,' cookbook author Karen Page said last week. Leftovers should be looked at not as recycled table scraps but rather as ingredients full of taste potential, she said. The turkey sandwich, made with leftovers, is a good example, Page said. 'A lot of people look forward to the turkey sandwich the next few days as much as they look forward to the meal,' she said. Page and her husband, professional chef Andrew Dornenburg, collaborated on the recently published THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. The 384-page book contains no recipes, but it is rich with lists of compatible flavors. More of a culinary compass than a map, THE FLAVOR BIBLE will guide home chefs as they create and improvise, Page said. The book's list runs from A to Z — from apples to zucchini. Under each entry herbs, spices and other seasonings that best enhance the flavor are listed. Pumpkin, which gets a lot of attention this time of year, has an affinity for allspice, bay leaf, butter, cheese, cinnamon, cloves, cream, cream cheese, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, nutmeg, olive oil, onions, orange juice or zest, pepper, pumpkin oil and seeds, raisins, rum, sage, salt, sugar, thyme and vanilla, according to the book. Page said her husband likes to point out that upscale restaurants may use leftovers in some dishes, but they are not called leftovers. 'Andrew says in restaurants, leftovers are called 'what's in the walk-in,'' she said."
—Tom Perry, Des Moines Register (November 19, 2008)

"Gourmet Cooking — Without Recipes. Watermelon and feta cheese don't sound like they go together like peanut better and jelly. But unusual pairings can make for great dishes — if you know how to match them correctly. We talk with two food experts about how even novice cooks can use unexpected flavor pairings to make great meals: Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, co-authors, THE FLAVOR BIBLE."
—Rebecca Roberts, guest host, "The Kojo Nnamdi Show" on WAMU Radio / National Public Radio (November 18, 2008)

"Our Favorite Cookbooks: Six gift ideas for the holidays. THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. The collection took eight years to compile, but it was well worth the effort. This is the ultimate guide to hundreds of ingredients along with the herbs, spices and other seasonings that turn a good dish into a great one. With an emphasis on flavor, the authors present a new approach to cooking by presenting traditional recipes that are taken to a new level by using a little imagination and harmonious flavor combinations. Readers are shown the roles played by the four basic tastes - salty, sour, bitter and sweet - and how to bring them into harmony with the foods that we eat. This can be done by determining which flavors have the strongest affinities with each other and heighten flavors through the use of acids such as vinegars and citrus juices. Flavors can also be deepened by the layering of specific ingredients and techniques. Seasoned with tips, anecdotes and signature dishes from some of the country's most respected chefs, this delightful guide is comprehensive, user-friendly and essential."
—Larry Cox, Tucson Citizen (November 18, 2008)

"Six Cookbooks Every Beginner Should Own. Want to learn how to cook ― but first you've gotta figure out how to boil water? Try these volumes ― hand-picked by REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE. food expert Nathan Lyon: 1) CULINARY ARTISTRY by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Says Nathan, 'This book encompasses what I feel most home cooks want to know, which is 'How do I use the ingredients I already have in my kitchen, and what do I pair with those foods?' I take it with me everywhere.'"
—Nathan Lyon, Real Simple (November 17, 2008)

"Starred Review. Award-winning culinary writers Page and Dornenburg believe cooking has undergone a revolution from being based on geography (e.g., French, Japanese, etc.) to being based on flavor. After writing about classic flavor matchups in CULINARY ARTISTRY and about how to combine food with drink in WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, the authors here return to their idea of creating dishes based on flavor and taste. The authors first discuss the four basic tastes and the roles played by weather, the season of the year, and other environmental factors in cooking. The rest of the book is an extensive alphabetic guide to different culinary ingredients. Each entry includes information on the ingredient's taste and the best cooking techniques as well as a list of other foods that work well with it. In addition, a range of award-winning American chefs contribute their valuable insights on using selected ingredients and ideas for different dishes. Rather than just another collection of recipes, this is a unique resource that both beginning cooks and serious chefs will find wonderfully inspiring and immensely useful. Highly recommended for all public library collections."
—John Charles, Library Journal (November 15, 2008)

"Call it a commandment for great cooking, knowing how to use the right flavors in your kitchen. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are co-authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, a new book on how to take the ingredients you have at home and figure out which ones work best together.... A must-have for every cookbook collection....A beautiful book. Congratulations!"
—Steve Sanders, "Lunch Break," WGN-TV (November 13, 2008)

"Five Great Books on Pairing and What They Have to Offer: WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT ($35, Bulfinch Press, 356 pages). The authors: Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, husband-and-wife team. Emphasis: Thoroughness, touching on every imaginable food and beverage. Organized by: Food matches, then beverage matches. Money quote: 'Those 100-point ratings ... have nothing to do with how well those wines go with the food you enjoy.' Unconventional wisdom: The ideal pairing for White Castle hamburgers? Rosé, white zin or an off-dry riesling. Nice touch: A fascinating look at similarities between certain wines, beers and teas."
—Bill Ward, Minneapolis Star-Tribune (November 12, 2008)

"Top 10 cookbooks for your Christmas gift list. Looking for the perfect cookbook for your foodie friends or that family member who really needs to learn how to cook? Good news, this year’s top 10 picks will help you choose a book that satisfies the extreme foodie on your gift list as well as the novice cook looking for how-to’s on everything from the basics of cooking to easy, elegant entertaining to deliciously preparing vegetarian fare. #1) THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Considered to be a definitive guide to bringing out the most sublime flavors of any dish, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is an invaluable resource for every day meals to please the family as well as formal dinners to impress the most discerning of guests. Drawing on the culinary insight of leading chefs around the country, authors Page and Dornenburg present a delicious compendium of hundreds of ingredients, the most optimal pairings, and expert techniques to make every dish utterly delish. The book even provides tips for mixing the best cocktails. Though THE FLAVOR BIBLE doesn’t contain a single recipe, it does give the home cook and seasoned chef a culinary reference with essential tidbits to tuck away for the next casual dish or four-course spread."
—Michele Thompson, MS, SheKnows.com (November 12, 2008)

A View From The Kitchen

"On a professional level I've found CULINARY ARTISTRY by Dornenburg and Page the single most useful book in my library."
—Michael Walsh, A View From The Kitchen (November 12, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE is...terrific....A wonderful Christmas gift."
—Judith Regan, "The Judith Regan Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio (November 11, 2008)

"It's a lot easier these days than it used to be to find really exotic ingredients in the local supermarket. But do you know what to do with most of them? Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have put together a reference tool that explains why you might want to include things like fennel pollen, yuzu juice or kaffir lime in your cooking — and then suggest other ingredients that can be combined with them. Their book THE FLAVOR BIBLE is published by Little, Brown and Company and I'm very pleased to welcome Karen and Andrew to the show today."
—Leonard Lopate, host, "The Leonard Lopate Show" on WNYC Radio (November 11, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE is the most wonderful, wonderful book.... It's informative and easy to read....It's a problem-solver."
—Barbara Nowak and Beverly Wichman, hosts, "Sauced!" on WLAC NewsRadio 1510 in Nashville (November 9, 2008)

"Flavored With History: Ever since Adam first bit into that apple, flavor has had an astounding effect on mankind.  Please join us as the award-winning husband-and-wife team of Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg speak about flavor pairings  in food and drink throughout history. Their talk will be based on their new book,  THE FLAVOR BIBLE:  The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs. This is a unique tome, in that it doesn't contain a single recipe.  Rather, it provides inspiration for the creation of an unlimited number of dishes.  One of their first books, CULINARY ARTISTRY, offered a groundbreaking approach to the idea of flavor pairings and garnered astounding sales [approaching] 100,000 copies; the book is said to have revolutionized the way leading chefs cook, including Chicago’s Grant Achatz of Alinea, who claims it is his most used cookbook.. THE FLAVOR BIBLE has already been described as CULINARY ARTISTRY on steroids."
—WBEZ.org, Chicago Public Radio (November 2008)

"Nov. 14. Washington Post wine columnists Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg discuss their guide to the ultimate in culinary geekery, THE FLAVOR BIBLE."
— Time Out: Chicago (November 2008)

"The Chart: Best-Sellers: Food Books Top 20. Recession emptying out your wallet? Cook at home! Here's the latest best-seller list from Kitchen Arts & Letters....8) THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg."
—Entertainment Weekly (November 7, 2008)

"Young chef not short on creativity: Working 70 to 80 hours a week seems like child’s play to this young, hip and extremely energetic executive chef at Arlington’s young, hip and extremely energetic Tallula Restaurant, part of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. New to his post, Andrew Markert is not new to the group’s network of local restaurants and their kitchens, having served as the chef de cuisine under chef Anthony Chittum at Vermilion, the group’s contemporary American restaurant in Old Town Alexandria....Where else does he get these ideas, one wonders. He answers that he turns often to the THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity so he does not crib ideas from another chef. Then he goes on to describe his rabbit pappardelle with candied pearl onions and pistachio froth, and you have to think that THE FLAVOR BIBLE stirs up some offbeat ideas, so much that the word 'playful' doesn’t quite sum it up...."
—Alexandra Greeley, The Examiner (November 6, 2008)

"DANIEL Boulud takes his Halloween costumes as seriously as he takes his four-star cuisine. The chef was decked out in a red-hot racing suit loaned to him by Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula 1 champion, at an after-hours party in Restaurant Daniel's 'spooky' lower-level prep kitchen. Other revelers celebrating the publication of THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg included chefs David Burke (as the Joker) and Balthazar's Riad Nasr with his face painted. Daisy May's BBQ chef Adam Perry Lang and 'Top Chef' winner Hung Huynh donned wigs, while Drew Nieporent wrapped a life-like snake around his neck. But Baroness Sheri DeBorchgrave stole the show as a buxom, transgendered spider whose 'male gender' kept falling out of her fishnet stockings."
—Richard Johnson, "Page Six," New York Post (November 5, 2008)

"National Public Radio has called them 'the brightest young author team on the culinary scene today.' Their books have won or been finalists for coveted James Beard Awards for food writing. They're wine columnists for The Washington Post, and their résumé includes hosting the first online chat done by Julia Child, back in 1996 when online chatting was a novelty. Now Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are headed for Milwaukee as part of a multicity tour for their new book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs (Little Brown, $35). They'll stop at the Milwaukee Public Market on Nov. 13 for a reception and book-signing. We caught up with the Manhattan-based husband-wife team to chat about their new book, an alphabetical guide to ingredients based on the expertise of famed chefs: Homaro Cantu of Moto in Chicago and Johnny Iuzzini, pastry chef of Jean Georges in New York, to name a few."
—Jan Uebelherr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (November 5, 2008)

gonzo gastronomy

"The zen of food, for me, is born out of creativity and imagination. While recipes serve as a great starting block, for those of us that relish preparing food, the kitchen is a place of transformation — where flour, yeast and honey become bread; where tomatoes, basil and garlic become a marinara; where eggs, cream and day old bread become bread pudding. But it is also a place where WE, as cooks, can be transformed. When you get in that creative 'zone,' crafting the meal is cathartic…hell, in my house it’s psychotherapy! So what I want, more than anything else, is something that will serve as a map in the kitchen more so than an actual guide. I want something that inspires. Apparently, what I wanted was THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Written by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and CULINARY ARTISTRY), this book doesn’t have a single recipe in it. Instead, it alphabetically references thousands of culinary ingredients (including liquors like scotch and rum) and lists flavor combinations that will serve as idea starters. Just choose an ingredient, cuisine, technique or season, and you’ll find lists of complementary ingredients that will rank as 'ethereal, highly recommended, and frequently recommended' as well as those you should avoid at all costs! If you have someone in your life whose soul belongs in a kitchen, THIS is what you have to get him/her for the holidays. Put the silly kitchen gadgets down and STEP AWAY. We will NEVER use them, except when you come to visit!"
—Katie Pizzuto, Gonzo Gastronomy (November 5, 2008)

NEWYORKBUZZ

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Ultimate Reference Book for Cooks. Here’s a scenario we’ve all been through: It’s dinnertime, and you open your fridge to inspect what ingredients you have to work with: some unidentified meat, maybe one or two veggies, milk that’s gone sour, and a pantry filled with spices and dried herbs. Ok, so now what? A recipe book will prove useless since you’re likely to be short of say a dozen ingredients, give or take. So you probably mix everything together and hope for the best. But the end result is always the same: a mediocre meal that just doesn’t taste 'right.' Wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of all the foods that taste good together? We can all think of a few classic food pairings: chocolate and raspberries, apples and cinnamon, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk, are a few of the matches made in my gustatory heaven. But what about some of the less obvious combos, like salmon and lentils or carrots and maple syrup? Now, with a new reference book aptly named THE FLAVOR BIBLE, you can look up any ingredient and find an exhaustive list of its most compatible flavor combinations. With THE FLAVOR BIBLE, the home cook or aspiring chef has all the inspiration he/she needs to create a flavorful meal. Besides learning what ingredients work best together, the book also defines the multiple factors that determine flavor, shares surprising food facts from famous chefs, and lists specific restaurant dishes where you can taste some of those perfect food combinations. Authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg were kind enough to answer some of this foodie’s questions...."
—Termeh Mazhari, New York Buzz (November 4, 2008)

"What I'm Into: Marcus Jefferson. The 21-year-old is an aspiring chef at Sullivan....I went to China with Sullivan to cook at the Olympics. They worked us hard, but it was fun and I learned a lot. We cooked for George Bush Sr., Condoleezza Rice, and Michael Phelps....One of my favorite cookbooks is CULINARY ARTISTRY. It's a good book for writing menus...."
—Javacia N. Harris, Louiville Courier-Journal (November 3, 2008)

"On November 15th the Catskills come to Brooklyn as NACL Theatre (North American Cultural Laboratory, www.nacl.org) hosts the BORSCHT BASH, a party to benefit the theatre and its NYC premiere of ' THE UNCANNY APPEARANCE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES' this December at HERE Arts Center in Soho. The event will be co-chaired by actors Susan Dey, Judd Hirsch, and Mary Stuart Masterson....At 7:30 p.m.: Actress Susan Dey will auction off items geared to nourish the body, mind and soul. These items include a makeover at The Stephen Knoll Salon; one night at Ecce Bed and Breakfast in Barryville, NY; a $200 gift certificate to dine at Allen & Delancey; tickets to a Nets game (fourth row!) and a Giants game (lower deck!); a weekend at the NACL theatre and artist residence, a converted 1920s summer hotel; private Pilates sessions at Chelsea Movements; a collection of signed books by wine and food connoisseurs Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg; and more… "
— Broadway World (November 3, 2008)

"Three Best Bets for Culinary Reads: Did you know that fennel pairs nicely with langoustines, lobster and crab? Or how about Thai fish sauce with steak? Beyond the assumed tried-and-true pairings (tomatoes and basil, lamb and rosemary, apples and cinnamon), how do you know what flavors go together? Why not take a page from the best or, better yet, 374 pages? In THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg guide readers through thousands of food pairing ideas and suggestions to inspire the chef in all of us to create new and harmonious flavor combinations. Great cooking goes well beyond following a recipe. It’s also about knowing how to season and prepare ingredients to coax the best possible flavor and pleasure from them. Page and Dornenburg draw on the combined experience of dozens of leading chefs from top restaurants across the country, who share their flavor discoveries, cooking techniques and tips in sidebars such as 'Selecting and Using Salt,' 'Herbs 101' and 'Pairing Pastas with Sauces.' THE FLAVOR BIBLE, $35, is a must-have reference for all kitchen shelves — mine is right next to 'Joy of Cooking'.”
—Kirsten Ott, Life, Food & Style Editor, The Sunday Paper (November 2, 2008)

"Books That Cook. Each fall, publishers release the year's most-anticipated books by restaurant professionals as a prelude to holiday gift giving. Chefs and other readers will find inspiration in the amazing photographs, innovative recipes, unique stories and descriptions of hands-on techniques....THE FLAVOR BIBLE, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (Little, Brown, and Co.). To wean cooks off of recipes and encourage experimentation, Page and Dornenburg have created a comprehensive flavor-pairings reference."
—Restaurants & Institutions (November 1, 2008)

"Authors of New Cookbooks at Manhattan's Borders: Borders' Manhattan stores are hosting a November full of food writing and cookbook events featuring author appearances, discussions and book signings.  All events are free of charge. 7:00 pm, Wednesday, November 5 — Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg discuss THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs at Borders Kips Bay (32nd Street at 2nd Avenue).  For information call 212-685-3938.”
—Kate McDonaugh, editor, TheCityCook.com (October 22, 2008)

"Want to know more about pairing wine and food? Here are books to help make your match: WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (Bulfinch Press, $35). Here's a dictionary-style reference book, written by a husband-and-wife team, that has lists of which food goes with what. The advice works for both the expert and the newbie and is ideal when you want a suggestion for a new wine to liven up an old dish. The lists of pairings, organized separately by food and by beverage, are interspersed with advice from wine experts and chefs, quotes, anecdotes, menus and recipes. Some fun pairings: Hostess Twinkie with Asti; bacon cheeseburger with beer, especially Schlitz, or a Rioja; Cahors and cassoulet; and rose Champagne and raspberries."
—Melanie Grayce West, The Wall Street Journal (October 31, 2008)

Indian food and wine

"Wine news that matters: Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT who write regularly for the Washington Post on wine and food pairings brought out a delightfully fresh article on the ‘food and wine pairings that even included Indian dishes. It did make for a good feeling, as my advocacy of ‘Zinfandel with Indian food’ found a noteworthy resonance there. Gewuerztraminer, as all of us already know for being the most notable with strong and aromatic flavours of lychees and passion fruit perfected by nature for Indian food, was another wine recommended."
—Kulpreet Yadav, New Delhi-based wine writer, Indian-Wine.blogspot.com (October 31, 2008)

"'Loud' flavors — hot, spicy and/or acidic — can be tricky to pair with wine. There's no faster way to obliterate the nuances of a wine than to serve it with a dish whose flavors will jump out and make those subtleties disappear. Still, there's no reason to let such potential peril spook you. Here are some guidelines to make the matches work...."
—Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, The Washington Post (October 29, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE is an amazing new book. I'm Anthony Dias Blue with the Blue Lifestyle Minute. How do you know what flavors go together? The age-old question creates problems for many cooks, and sets apart great dishes. THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg will advise you on which flavor combinations to choose — from fennel pollen to kaffir lime to yuzu juice, this cookbook doesn't just list recipes, but encourages innovative new dishes based on harmonious flavor combos. Organized in alphabetical order and cross-referenced, this guide provides helpful combinations for meats, seafood, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and more. And if you're looking for compatible literature, pick up WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and CULINARY ARTISTRY by the same authors for companions to THE FLAVOR BIBLE. It's time for a book to de-mystify the essence of what makes good recipes — and this book does the trick."
—Anthony Dias Blue, WCBS Radio (October 28, 2008)

"I love to eat out but I do not like to cook. Yet, THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg could actually cause me to become a chef at home, something my husband never dreamed possible. First of all, the book is beautiful — you want to touch the pages of exquisite photos and then you want your food and drink to look just this beautiful....I have already ordered numerous copies to give as gifts and each person who has been lucky enough to receive it says they could not live without it."
—Rikki Klieman, "The Buzz Board: Smart People Recommend," Tina Brown's The Daily Beast (October 27, 2008)

"Some time ago I bought a book called WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. As all of you who have bought on Amazon, the system automatically started recommending 'other' books. Among them was THE FLAVOR BIBLE which was to be released September 2008; anyway, next thing I know is I have pre-purchased a copy. I have now had the book for almost one month and I am enjoying the book so much, I had to tell you about it. Basically the book´s philosophy is that most of us amateur cooks have enough basic knowledge on cooking techniques that we can now focus on flavors. You search for the item you want to cook (scallops) and it lists all the ingredients which a vast array of chefs (who they interviewed) said were good matches. It was a pleasure to go through my fridge and find out that the asparagus, the curry powder and the scallops that I had could work well together. I used my basic cooking knowledge and Diego says I haven´t cooked as well for a long time! I feel sorry for all my cooking books which now just adorn the bookshelf! This book would make any cook happy for the holidays!"
—Ana Keller, Keller Estate Blog (October 27, 2008)

Culinary School Guide Blog

"Top 100 Blogs for Foodies: Whether you love eating out or cooking at home, there are tons of sites on the net that cater to your foodie sensibilities. Here are some blogs that can direct you to great recipes, tips from chefs, health foods and even what to try while you’re on vacation. No matter what you love about food, you’re bound to find something that sparks your interest in one of these great blogs....Restaurants and Chefs: Where better to learn about food and new recipes than from the chefs and restaurants you love? You’ll find blogs of both kinds below: Becoming a Chef: This award-winning blog can keep you in the know about great places to eat and the adventures of authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page."
—Christina Laun, Culinary School Guide Blog (October 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg is...one of the more unique books that I've ever picked up. Phenomenal. All their books are. They take your cooking to the next realm."
—Ron Smith, host, "The Home and Lifestyle Show" on KTSA Newstalk Radio 550 AM (October 25, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg is the newest addition to my cookbook collection! This book has a large list of ingredients, with a list of other ingredients that go well with the main ingredient you looked up. This is perfect for me, since I often stray away from recipes, or make something based on what I have in my cabinets. There are also paragraphs by chefs with tips about how to bring out the flavors in your food. Also, there is a section that talks about how we taste and perceive food, and the importance of balancing flavors, textures, and temperatures."
—Katelyn's Food (October 25, 2008)

"Ever since I posted on my profile that I am a chef, I have received several messages asking how to improve a certain dish or do I have a good recipe for insert your protein here. I am happy to oblige and always do....There are several books about food complementing each other but this is my favorite and most chefs I know have this at work to help our brain farts (short term memory loss: walk to the store room and think 'what in the hell did I come here for?'). The book is titled CULINARY ARTISTRY and do not let the cover fool you. It does have great info from excellent chefs with some recipes but the important part throughout the book there are food complements. Hundreds and seasonal. Let's assume you are cooking turkey. Look up turkey and there will be a list of herbs, seasonings, vegetables, and meats that go well with the turkey. I recommend it highly."
—Cousin Eddie, BodyBuilding.com (October 25, 2008)

MySpace.com users who list CULINARY ARTISTRY among their Favorite Books: Auria; Brad in Los Angeles; Brent in Dallas; Brian in Los Angeles; Chef Dad in Spokane; Chef Jenn Felm in Solana Beach, CA; Chef Til Death in Pleasant Grove, UT; Colby in St. Louis; Corina in Tacoma; C-Town in Wallingford, CT; Dana in Bradenton, FL; Debera in Pasadena, TX; Elephant Chest in Vancouver, WA; Flour-Girl in Newcastle, CA; Genovera in Columbus, GA; Greg Engelhardt in Las Vegas; Gypsy in Brunswick, OH; Ingrassia in Cornfed, IA; Kaitlyn; KaraO in Louisville; Kesha; King David in Lincoln, NE; Kitty in SoCal; Lance in Champaign, IL; Lily; Mark in Holmen, WI; Mark in The Del, FL; Maurice; Melody in Berkeley; Michael in Seattle; Mickle Mina in San Diego; Mushroomcloud in Indianapolis; Myrtice; Nyla in Abilene, TX; Over You Both in Boston; Robyn Sullivan in Portland; Sam in Phoenix; Scott in Eugene; Sharlene; Steven in Brea, CA; Transparent in Fresno, CA; With the Seasons in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
—MySpace.com (October 2008)

"I just bought a fascinating new book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It's a compendium of ingredients and the herbs, spices, condiments and other foods that go with them. This is going to be a great resource for the times when I have something unusual that I've never cooked with and need to figure out what would work with it or to rethink and reconceive familiar ingredients to bring out new flavors."
—San Diego Foodstuff (October 23, 2008)

"Couples find working out together can be hard work: When it comes to exercising with a significant other, motivation and support can turn workouts into 'we time,' or unwanted criticism and control can make you crave lots of 'me time.' Couples who like exercising together say it’s a great way to squeeze in more time together while keeping each other moving...A great compromise is for couples to work out simultaneously, but not alongside each other. They’re separate but still doing something together. That’s what works for food and wine authors Karen Page, 46, and Andrew Dornenburg, 49. They began their marriage by running the Montreal marathon together in 1990 on their honeymoon and have been running together ever since. Several times a week, they walk the 1.5 miles from their New York City home to Central Park, run apart and meet up to go home. They run in opposite directions at different speeds around a loop, knowing their paths will cross. When they do, they shout an encouraging 'looking good' or 'great pace.'We slap a high-five as we run past each other,' says Page. 'Or I’ll pretend he’s a stranger and say, ’Hot legs.’”
—Lisa A. Flam, The Associated Press (October 23, 2008), ABCNews.com (October 23, 2008), AOL.com (October 23, 2008), The Canadian Press (October 23, 2008), Charleston Daily Mail (October 23, 2008), The Detroit Free Press (October 23, 2008), El Paso Times (October 27, 2008), Foster's Daily Democrat (NH) (October 25, 2008), The Globe and Mail (October 24, 2008), Lake City (FL) Reporter (October 26, 2008), The Montgomery Advertiser (October 28, 2008), MSNBC.com (October 22, 2008), Munster (IN) Times (October 26, 2008), Press of Atlantic City (NJ) (October 25, 2008), The Seattle Times (October 25, 2008), South Bend (IN) Tribune (October 26, 2008), The Southtown Star, The Tennessean (October 30, 2008), UpstateToday.com (October 29, 2008), and WTOP Radio (October 23, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE: Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg. 'It's kind of like chess,' says Joe Marcus, chef of the West Bank Cafe. 'You start with one move, and you see another move down the road, and then after that you're thinking two or three moves / ingredients, and you have a complete dish...It's an imperative. It's a great book. Every chef should have this book....'"
—YouTube.com (October 22, 2008)

"Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen is an exhaustive reference on nearly every ingredient imaginable....This book has become my primary food reference, along with the CIA’s The Professional Chef and Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page’s CULINARY ARTISTRY. For a less intensive and certainly more entertaining food science book check out Robert L. Wolke’s What Einsten Told His Cook.
—Garrett Kern, host, Garrett's Table (October 21, 2008)

"Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's last book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT was critically aclaimed, and one of my favorite cookbooks. Their new book THE FLAVOR BIBLE is similar...It is a beautiful book...Great information....I'm looking forward to your next opus."
—Patrick Neas, host, KXTR Radio, Kansas City's Classical Station (October 20, 2008)

I'LL EAT YOU

"Bacon Apple Squash Bread: On our day off last week, J and I sat around and baked with squash.  We consulted THE FLAVOR BIBLE, which I recently won in a giveaway from Joy of Desserts. This book is awesome and when you use it, you feel like inspired geniuses, or at least J and I did. You look up an ingredient, and it will give you a list of other ingredients whose flavor complements your theme ingredient.  A lot of them are traditional, obvious combinations, but there are also many you might not readily think of, which helps when you want to make something outside your typical flavor profile. Tons of great new stuff came out of the kitchen that day, including this great quickbread studded with dried apples and bits of crispy bacon."
—Lauren, psychotherapist, I'llEatYouDelish.blogspot.com (October 20, 2008)

"THE FLAVOR BIBLE is touted as 'A Groundbreaking Thesaurus of Compatible Flavors'. Its [sub]title is 'The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's most imaginative Chefs'. What better recommendation could there be for a wondrous guide regarding what flavors to add to which dishes? We all know that 'tomatoes and basil, lamb and rosemary, apples and cinnamon' blend well together to create lovely tastes. With the global market being what it is, new and exciting flavors are available on the shelves of our local stores just waiting for us to give them a try and discover our own favorites. This cookbook 'doesn't merely prescribe recipes, but rather inspires the creation of new dishes based on imaginative and harmonious flavor combinations.' Using this new guide can open up a whole new method of cooking and possibly enhance already favorite recipes. Bet you'd never think of adding cheese to pumpkin, mixing orange and rum, or adding rosemary to cabbage or risotto. The symbiotic relationship of so many flavors blending together makes the mouth water. The suggested flavors to be used in combinations for salmon, for instance, are endless — twenty for plain salmon — more for cured or smoked. It is impossible to list the possibilities placed before us here. Even an overview would take more than the space allotted for this review. This wonderful book — my chef daughter almost salivated over it — is 'filled with thousands of entries — organized alphabetically and cross-referenced' and providing a 'virtual goldmine of spectacular combinations for meat, seafood, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, and much more'. THE FLAVOR BIBLE would make a marvelous gift for the holidays — that is after you have purchased one for yourself. This cookbook is a must for every kitchen."
—Mary Ann Smyth, BookLoons.com (October 2008)

"Fall Favorites 2008: Cookbooks: I don't keep many cookbooks in my actual kitchen, THE FLAVOR BIBLE is one of few exceptions. I've long been a fan of Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, and their latest release is often just what I needed to give my creative juices a jolt."
—Heidi Swanson, 101Cookbooks.com (October 19, 2008)

S U P E R _C H E F

"[THE FLAVOR BIBLE] is not a cookbook but a reference book about what flavors work together for our contemporary palates....Throughout the chapter are sprinkled the names of chefs who work especially well in the different realms....More quotes follow with chefs discussing strategies for balancing flavor...Many of these quotes are remarkable because they give insight into the thought processes and philosophies of chefs....This is a valuable resource on a cook's bookshelf. The quotes from chefs and food authorities bring a depth to the lists of ingredients and expand ideas of how to bring flavors together."
—Juliette Rossant, SuperChef.com (October 15, 2008)

"A Little 'FLAVOR BIBLE' Reading: I was so taken by the concept of the new tome THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by husband-wife team Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg that I asked is we could chat a bit about their groundbreaking book. Q: Describe the basic concept behind THE FLAVOR BIBLE. It's at the same time both radical and logical...."
—David Leite, LeitesCulinaria.com (October 14, 2008)

"Oct. 18 will be a busy day at the market: Time to dust off your rolling pins and dig through those old family recipe files. Our second annual Hastings Farmers Market Apple Pie Contest will be held Oct. 18 at the market tent...And if that weren't enough excitement for one day...Please welcome celebrity cookbook authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg who will discuss and sign copies of their latest book THE FLAVOR BIBLE, already a hit in restaurant kitchens everywhere, as were their previous books (BECOMING A CHEF, [CULINARY] ARTISTRY, etc). In this book, the authors encourage all chefs to ditch recipes and go instead with basic principles of flavor. Their hefty cross-referenced 'encyclopedia' takes every ingredient and tells you quite simply how best to prepare it and what flavors enhance it. Page and Dornenburg, who also wrote WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT happen to be really nice, fun people to boot. You can also read their wine column in the Washington Post. Please don't miss their talk at 11 a.m. We will be selling their $35 book for a discounted price of $30. (Great holiday gift!)"
—Pascale Le Draoulec, Hastings Farmers Market Blog (October 2008)

"In THE FLAVOR BIBLE, Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have put together the be-all, end-all to figuring out what foods work best to bring out the best taste...A godsend...This is incredible. You've tapped some of the greatest minds in kitchens across America, for crying out loud...This is probably the most unique book on cooking out there."
—Don Weeks, host, WGY Radio (October 13, 2008)

"A sweet potato is not related to the potato. Nor is it related to a yam. It is its own, delicious thing and deserves widespread admiration beyond the Thanksgiving meal....The rich flavor of the sweet potato needs little tweaking and certainly does not need garnishing with sweet, puffy marshmallows on holiday tables. Try them steamed, sliced and sprinkled with herbs and a touch of butter. Or roast them, split open and top with a teaspoon of sour cream or yogurt mixed with horseradish to taste. Other compatible flavors, suggested by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg in THE FLAVOR BIBLE, include bacon, apples, onions, chilies, lemon and cilantro."
—Carol Mighton Haddix, Chicago Tribune (October 13, 2008) and (Tacoma, WA) News-Tribune (October 15, 2008)

"Staff Picks: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have created an extensive and comprehensive guide for cooks and chefs of all levels who are passionate about food. With imput from noted chefs across America, this book will help you explore various flavor combinations that will help you deepen, brighten and intensify your palate. Complete and concise, this kitchen must-have is a great way to discover and create new and exciting dishes."
—Alan, Staff, The Cook's Library in Los Angeles (October 2008)

"Too cool. Just received in the mail a book called THE FLAVOR BIBLE, and although I've only perused the first few pages I'm already hooked. There's a big part of me that's totally a list person, so I love the way authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg go about breaking down the experience of eating into categories, viz: *Taste: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami (this we know) *Mouthfeel: temperature, texture, piquancy (sharpness) and astringency ("pucker" inducing, a drying sensation as in highly tannic wine -- thus different from "sour") *Aroma: pungency, chemesthesis (tickling sensations as from carbonation, or "tricks" like mint seeming "cool") *And finally, the X factor: visual/physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. They go on to talk about chefs who embody these four X factors: Alice Waters and Dan Barber: Physical. The connection to the locale is strong, who source from their own farms, with an interest in the simple brilliancy of fresh flavors. Rick Bayless, Vikram Vij (because of their ties to specific cultures, people and traditions): Emotional. Grant Achatz (and other "conceptual" chefs, like Keller, Adria, etc.): Mental. Daniel Boulud and Patrick O'Connell: Spiritual. Because they transcend the previous three categories and attend to ambiance and service to create a meaningful experience. So here's the question: Where would you place our top chefs according to these categories? Allan Susser? Michelle Bernstein? Michael Schwartz? Johnny V? Stephen di Asprinio? Norman Van Aken? Dean James Max? Oliver Saucy?"
—Gail Shepherd, Miami New Times (October 10, 2008)

"The end of summer need not mean the end of grilling. For an autumn barbecue, take your cue from the flavors of Oktoberfest and serve up sausages. There are few ways to entertain a crowd so easily, yet leave them so satisfied....Beer is the natural beverage choice — especially a dark Oktoberfest brew — but it's not the only match. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE, recommend a German or Alsatian riesling or, if you prefer red, a Beaujolais with garlicky sausage or a zinfandel with grilled sausage....Nonalcoholic options include root beer, sparkling apple juice or cider (hard or not). Page and Dornenburg say that apples are a 'magical' pairing with sausage, and not just on the plate."
—Samantha Critchell, Associated Press (October 10, 2008), Augusta Chronicle (October 15, 2008), Baxter (AR) Bulletin (October 15, 2008), Blue Ridge Times-News (October 15, 2008), Cape Cod Times (October 15, 2008), (Seneca, SC) Daily Journal-Messinger (October 22, 2008), Daily Record (October 15, 2008), Dubuque Telegraph Herald (October 22, 2008), Gloucester Daily Times (October 15, 2008), Helena Independent Record (October 15, 2008), (Everett, WA) Herald (October 16, 2008), Hilton Head Island Packet (October 22, 2008), Hour (October 15, 2008), The Joplin (MO) Globe (October 29, 2008), Lexington Herald-Leader (October 15, 2008), The Morning Sun (October 15, 2008), (Springfield, MO) News-Leader (October 15, 2008), Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (October 15, 2008), Salem (MA) News (October 15, 2008), Scranton Times-Tribune (October 23, 2008), Waterbury Republican American (October 15, 2008), WRAL (October 10, 2008) and WTOP (October 10, 2008)

"Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg are the authors of eight bestselling books focusing on food and drink, many of which have been winners or finalists for James Beard and/or IACP Cookbook awards. They have been married since 1990, write a monthly wine column for The Washington Post, and blog at BecomingAChef.com. Their most recent book, THE FLAVOR BIBLE: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs, is an incredibly thorough and well-researched reference guide for home and professional cooks alike."
—Laren Spirer, Gothamist.com (October 10, 2008)

"A new resource for all kinds of cooking....Here is a familiar scenario: You've got a hodgepodege of ingredients at home and you don't have a clue as to what to do with them. Enter THE FLAVOR BIBLE, a new book which promises professional help in assessing what kinds of ingredients and spices work best together....A new book takes the ingredients you have at home and helps you figure out which ones work best together. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page are avid eaters and prolific cookbook authors. After spending years in the food world, they know how many people eat. 'We go to the grocery store, we go to the green market to see what looks great, we kind of buy things here and there, then we get home and say, 'What the heck am I gonna do with all of this?' said Page. So their latest project THE FLAVOR BIBLE, aims to help both home cooks and professional chefs. 'What we thought was any ingredient you could ever imagine — from apples to zucchini blossoms — if you want to know the herbs, spices and other flavorings that best enhance them, you can look it up in a single volume.' We caught up with them at The Spice House in Old Town, an excellent source for flavor enhancers. As a former chef, Dornenburg says the book serves as a reference point. 'If you look up apples, you'll find cabbage, cinnamon and maple all go together. OK, well I'm gonna go in the kitchen, don't need a recipe to dice some apple, to slice some cabbage, I'll saute it, maybe throw in some bacon, a little maple syrup, and I reduce that down and I'd serve that with a piece of chicken breast or pork,' said Dornenburg. He says simple, everyday ingredients like peppers, eggplant and garlic can be turned into completely different meals, depending on a few variables. 'Slice the peppers, slice the eggplant, the garlic.. throw it on a pizza with some mushrooms. No problem. Grab those same ingredients, dice them up, add some coconut milk, maybe a little cilantro, and you're in Asia.'"
—Steve Dolinsky, host, ABC-TV Channel 7 (Chicago) (October 8, 2008)

"FLAVOR BIBLE puts ingredient ideas at your fingertips. Let’s say you bought a tin of smoked paprika to use in a recipe, and now you’re wondering what to do with the rest of it. Or you’d like to move beyond your mom’s brown-sugar-heavy acorn squash recipe but aren’t sure which seasonings will work best. If you have THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown, $35) on your cookbook shelf, the answers are only a few page flips away. Authors Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg researched flavor combinations for eight years. They compiled a massive flavor database and interviewed top-name chefs — including Sharon Hage of Dallas’ York Street — about how they think about flavor. The result is not a cookbook; it is a reference book. Not a book for cooks who must have a recipe to follow, it’s more appropriate for improvisational or instinctive cooks. The meat of the book is an alphabetical list of some 600 ingredients and the compatible ingredients or uses for each; the most commonly mentioned combinations are listed in boldface. Also listed with each entry is the ingredient’s season, dominant taste (bitter, sweet, sour), weight (light, medium, heavy), volume (among herbs, parsley would be quiet and rosemary loud) and primary function, as well as recommended cooking techniques and tips."
—Amy Culbertson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (October 8, 2008)

"...Here, in the words of flavor diva Karen Page, co-author of the newly published THE FLAVOR BIBLE, with Andrew Dornenburg: 'It may seem odd for a meat to pair well with sweet flavors at first, but meats such as duck, venison and pork have long paired well with fruit,' said Page. Page’s flavor map: Bacon plus pancakes equals bacon cupcakes, bacon cookies, bacon corn bread. Bacon plus waffles equals bacon soufflés. Bacon plus French toast equals bacon custards, bacon bread pudding. Bacon and sweet is a flavor match Page has seen chefs embrace across the country. 'It’s funny how chefs will get on a bandwagon and using bacon as an accent to desserts is definitely one,' said Page. Evidence of the national palate embrace of sweet, sweet bacon? Try bacon baklava at Louisville’s Brown hotel. Or bacon and egg ice cream with pain perdu (caramelized French toast) at the Michelin three-star-rated Fat Duck restaurant near London. And in New York City, Page said, Gramercy Tavern serves a milk chocolate tart with crme frache and bacon. And the Dovetail Restaurant in New York? Brioche bread pudding with bananas and bacon brittle. And, of course, here in the Northwest, Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts has received national attention for its bacon maple bar doughnuts....Page explained, '… Do we love bacon and maple syrup because we grew up with it for so many years at breakfast that it’s become a comfort pairing? Or is there something deeper at play?' Indeed, the pairing of bacon and sweet could very well make sense because of their botanical relationships, said Page. 'When you think about maple syrup, it is the reduced sap of maple trees. Bacon is often smoked with wood from trees. So nature surely has something to do with it, too.' Familiar flavors are much more acceptable to the culinary curious. 'The key for coming up with bacon desserts, since there is not a large and/or long tradition of them, is to reference flavor pairings that are familiar to the diner,' said Page. 'That involves deconstructing the familiar and then reconstructing flavors into the unfamiliar that manages to seem familiar.'"
—Sue Kidd, McClatchy Newspapers (October 8, 2008), The Akron (OH) Beacon Journal (November 5, 2008), The Belleville (IL) News Democrat (October 27, 2008), The Connecticut Post (November 3, 2008), The (CT) Hour (November 5, 2008), and The (Tacoma, WA) News Tribune (October 8, 2008)

Cooking with Rachael

"Book of the Month: CULINARY ARTISTRY. My book recommendation this month is for the person who doesn't like to follow recipes, but sometimes needs inspiration on what foods pair well together. Written by the same authors who published my previously recommended book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, Page and Dornenburg don't include many recipes in this book; instead you find many suggestions on what foods pair well and which cuisines use which flavors. For example, assume I am stumped as to what I should make for dinner. I look in my kitchen and see that I have some leeks to use up. Opening the book to leeks, I am given recommendations on which foods go well or extremely well with leeks: bacon, beets, Gruyere, peas, etc. Along with this list is a suggested list of ways to cook your leek: boil, braise, puree, steam or stew. I may decide to braise my leeks and serve them as a salad with bacon and truffle oil or perhaps make a Gruyere-leek quiche. I find this book particularly helpful when making sauces and soups or working with a new ingredient. One of my favorite tips from this book was the suggestion to pair lime juice and mango. I rarely eat a mango without a little lime now...maybe a dash of salt. It is the perfect marrying of flavors. The book is broken up into many sections that provide great reading entertainment as well: Sample Menus, Dish and Menu Composition, and thoughts by well-known chefs throughout. My favorites include the bits where chefs are asked what they would make if they were on a deserted island and could only bring 10 ingredients...their rationale behind each is very entertaining."
—Rachael Rydbeck, Cooking wtih Rachael (October 8, 2008)

[the nest]

"Experimenting with flavor combinations?...How could two seemingly unmatched ingredients come together to create such an unexpected, incredible flavor? (And, I wondered, how could I make that happen more often?) Enter: THE FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of the bestselling WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT. Among other things, it’s an encyclopedia of flavor affinities. Entries on hundreds of ingredients — herbs and spices, seafood, meat, cheeses, nuts, veggies, fruits — are cross-referenced with classic and unusual flavor combinations. Think about the possibilities…you’ve got asparagus in the refrigerator, but zero inspiration for what to do with it. Flip to the entry:
Almonds, anchovies, artichokes, basil, bay leaf, beets, bread crumbs, brown butter, unsalted butter, capers, caraway seeds, carrots, cayenne, cheese (chevre, Fontina, goat, Muenster, Parmesan, Pecorino, ricotta, Romano), chervil, chives, crab, heavy cream, crème fraiche, dill, eggs and egg dishes, fava beans, French cuisine, garlic, ginger, ham, hollandaise sauce, Italian cuisine, leeks, lemon, lemon thyme, lime, lobster…
You get the picture. And that’s barely half of the list."
—Colleen Nest, TheNest.com (October 8, 2008)

"New Books: THE FLAVOR BIBLE. Page & Dornenburg. This dynamic duo writes some of the best reference books around. Whether a professional or home cook, you need their books on your book shelf. Remember BECOMING A CHEF ($32.95), CULINARY ARTISTRY ($32.95) and WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT ($46.00). This latest tome brings it all together under the banner of flavour and they don't disappoint. Hardcover, 380 pp. $38.00."
—The Cookbook Store, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year in Toronto (October 2008)

"Last week in Fork Play, my newsletter, I asked readers what they could give up in their food budget and what was sacred....The response indicates many New Yorkers plan to cook more, eat out less and carry lunch to the office. Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, co-authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE (Little, Brown), would rather give up eating out before giving up organic eggs from the Union Square Greenmarket. Ditto for great bread — Amy's Bread is worth the price. As wine columnists for the Washington Post, they always have an open bottle that needs to be finished.  When dining out, they call to see if they can bring it. 'Even with a $25 corkage fee, it can be less than the least expensive wine on the list.' And they are