Ratio - (Ruhlman's Ratios) by Michael Ruhlman (Paperback)

About the Book

From the author of "The Elements of Cooking" comes a groundbreaking book that explains the very essential truth of cooking: it is not the recipe itself but rather two unchanging components that make all food come together.

Book Synopsis

Michael Ruhlman's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller gets at the very "truth" of cooking: it is not about recipes but rather about basic ratios and fundamental techniques.Ratios are the simple proportions of one ingredient to another. Knowing a culinary ratio is not like knowing a single recipe; it's instantly knowing a thousand. Why spend time sorting through millions of cookie recipes online or in cookbooks? Isn't it easier to remember 1:2:3? That's the ratio of ingredients that consistently make a basic, delicious cookie dough: 1 part sugar, 2 parts fat, and 3 parts flour. From there, add anything you want--chocolate, orange zest, walnuts, cinnamon, almond extract, or peanut butter, to name a few favorite variations. Replace white sugar with brown for a darker, chewier cookie. Add baking powder and/or eggs for a lighter, airier texture. Biscuit dough is 3:1:2--or 3 parts flour, 1 part fat, and 2 parts liquid. Vinaigrette is 3:1, or 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, and is one of the most useful sauces imaginable, giving everything from grilled meats and fish to steamed vegetables or lettuces fabulous flavor. Change its ratio and bread dough becomes pasta dough; cakes become muffins become popovers become crepes. Once you know the ratio, you no longer need a recipe.Ratio also helpfully teaches readers how the fundamental ingredients of the kitchen--water, flour, butter and oils, milk and cream, and eggs--work together. In a world full of overly complicated recipes, award-winning author Michael Ruhlman delivers an innovative, straightforward book that makes the cooking easier and more satisfying than ever.

Review Quotes

"An elegant book on technique... inspiring." -The New York Times "Fascinating... After decades of following other people's recipes, the anti-recipe book helped me to invent a few of my own." -Slate "Cooking, like so many creative endeavors, is defined by relationships. For instance, knowing exactly how much flour to put into a loaf of bread isn't nearly as useful as understanding the relationship between the flour and the water, or fat, or salt. That relationship is defined by a 'ratio, ' and having a ratio in hand is like having a secret decoder ring that frees you from the tyranny of recipes. Professional cooks and bakers guard ratios passionately so it wouldn't surprise me a bit if Michael Ruhlman is forced into hiding like a modern-day Prometheus, who in handing us mortals a power better suited to the gods, has changed the balance of kitchen power forever. I for one am grateful. I suspect you will be too." -Alton Brown, author of I'm Just Here for the Food