FamilyFood: Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad

Cookbooks To Savor

Nigella Lawson: Feast
What cooking, especially for family and loved-ones is all about.
Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee: Eating Korean
I would place this cookbook in my top 10 of all time. The recipes are delicious and each section is packed with the best of Korean home cooking. The stories are wonderful, too. Highly recommend.
Angelo M. Pellegrini: The Unprejudiced Palate
My favorite food-writer by far. A big thanks to childbearinghipster for turning me on to his writing. So inspiring. Start a garden and eat from it!
Irma S. Rombauer: The Joy of Cooking
(not the "All New", the old school one) I don't so much like this for main dish and salad recipes as for baked goods, sauces, and jams. I have my mother's copy, and when I was about 12, my favorite thing to do was to make tea sandwiches from this cookbook. Every weekend I'd make a couple of different kinds until I worked my way through all the spreads and fillings. A good basic cookbook.
Noh Chin-Hwa: Practical Korean Cooking
Deborah Madison: Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone
Madhur Jaffrey: An Invitation to Indian Cooking
Tess Mallos: The Complete Middle East Cookbook
Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Ada Boni: The Talisman Italian Cookbook
Julia Child: Mastering The Art of French Cooking
Jacques Pepin: Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques
This man has been teaching me to cook (on TV) since I was 9 years old. My Saturday mornings forever have been spent watching him on Public Television. I love him like he was one of my family.
Peter Berley: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
My most favorite veggie cookbook, and definitely in my Top 20 cookbooks list.
Anthony Bourdain: Les Halles Cookbook
O how I love this man.
Michael Ruhlman: The Making of a Chef
Not a cookbook, but still a must-read for anyone interested in cooking, chefs, and restaurants like I am.
Jamie Oliver: Jamie's Kitchen
The best of the Naked Chef bunch, IMO.
Mark Bittman: How To Cook Everything
Mark Bittman: The Minimalist Entertains

This salad is so easy to prepare it's stoopid. The key, though, it making sure you serve it immediately after you toss it so that the salt doesn't have a chance to wilt the cukes. I like it when the cucumbers are still icy-cold from the fridge and you get the pleasant crunch of sea salt with every bite. The recipe calls for ground toasted sesame seeds (You can find sesame seed grinders at any Japanese market.), but if you can't find a grinder a mortar and pestle will work. Or just sprinkle them on without grinding.

KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

2 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped into chunks
half a thinly-sliced small yellow onion, or 1-2 green onions, thinly-sliced
a drizzle of toasted sesame oil (maybe a teaspoon or two)
a hefty grinding of toasted sesame seeds (see photo)
sea salt to taste (large flakes are great, but avoid large the coarse rocks usu. found in salt grinders)
optional: shaved garlic is great in this, so are a few very thinly-sliced green chilis.

Toss everything together and serve immediately. Serves 4 as a side dish (or two of my children--they love this). We had this along-side kalbi (Korean BBQ ribs) last night.

Cooking Gear To Spice Things Up

All-Clad cookware
I use the stainless line. I love it because you can put it in the dishwasher. If you like to cook it is sooo worth it to have quality pots and pans. I recommend buying a set on sale and then filling in extras as you need them. (Watch for sales and specials.)
Cast Iron Skillet
Please get rid of all your teflon-coated non-stick plans and get a cast iron skillet. I use mine for searing meat, poultry, and fish and then finishing off in the oven. In fact, get two cast iron skillets—one large enough to hold two ribeyes and a smaller, fried-egg-sized one for making...well...eggs.
Food Processor
Quickly slice/shred veggies and cheese, make hummus or other spreads in a snap, and make pie crust without making a mess.
Global Knives
I am partial to the 18 incher. Yep, I like big knives and I cannot lie. If you like to cook (or even if you don't) you deserve to have good knives. At least one.
Instant Hot Water Dispenser
If you can't afford to have one built-in, this is a great alternative. It's nice to have boiling water at the push of a button to make tea, instant miso soup, or morning oatmeal for the kidlets.
Microplane Grater/Zester
Use this to grate citrus zest, nutmeg, and cheese. You could get a coarser one, but you don't need to. I have one and I use it for everything.
Penzey's Spices
A great resource for all your herb and spice needs.
Rice Cooker
Every family should have one.
Silpat
Silpat is a silicone mat used for baking. They come in various sizes. Items will not stick to it. It is a must for any home baker.
Stick or Immersion Blender
It doesn't have to be fancy, but try and get the highest HP you can afford. I use my stick blender (+ attachments) for making salad dressing (weekly), pureeing soups, making babyfood, and whipping cream.