Cooking by Hand
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This is a thoughtful, rigorous, and deeply personal book from one of California’s most respected chefs—a collection of essays and recipes that explore not just what to cook, but how and why.
Paul Bertolli, formerly of Oliveto and Chez Panisse, brings a craftsman’s sensibility to the page, offering painstaking instruction in techniques not often found outside restaurant kitchens: making balsamic vinegar, curing whole muscles of pork, shaping hand-cut pasta.
Yet the tone is not clinical—it’s vivid, even lyrical, grounded in memory and philosophy as much as method.
“Twelve Ways of Looking at Tomatoes” and “The Whole Hog” are among the standout chapters, blending precise recipes with personal essays on ingredients, seasons, and the role of the cook.
This is a book that encourages ambition, and rewards close reading.
Recommended for cooks ready to go beyond recipes and start thinking like a craftsperson.
Hardcover. Black-and-white photographs throughout.
