Get This Book

I was the recipe tester for this book last year:
















NPR just named it one of the ten best cookbooks of 2008!

You may have seen Jon & Vinny on their Food Network show, Two Dudes Catering.


For those of you who are wondering what the heck a recipe tester does:

1) Chef decides to write a cookbook. He/she gives their recipes (previously written on grease-stained index cards, if anything) to the editor. And the recipes probably serve about 50 people each.

2) Editor takes the recipes, pares them down to a reasonable serving sizes, and gives the edited recipes to the tester (that's me).

3) Tester makes the recipes exactly as written, tastes them, and gives notes to the editor. If the recipe fails miserably on the first try (which hardly ever happens), it gets edited and tried again.


It can be tedious, but I think it's fun. Having worked at the most awesome & nit-pickiest test kitchen in the world, I find this sort of thing soothing.

Hm, I think I'll post one of their recipes. If you promise to buy the book, that is...