Teach dad to cook this Father's Day

Photo credit: Urbanite

By Emily Mathis

Special to amNewYork

Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries & Shakes

by Bobby Flay with Stephanie Banyas & Sally Jackson, $25.95

Bobby Flay is certainly a force in American food. His ninth book is an attempt to create an American summer food bible of sorts with chapters on burgers, fries, potato chips, onion rings, condiments and seasonings, and milkshakes. Each chapter begins with an essentials section to cover the basics of each. Highlights include a garlic and butter burger, sweet potato fries, buttermilk onion rings, chipotle ketchup and a toasted marshmallow milkshake.

Knack Grilling Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Delicious Recipes

by Linda Johnson Larsen, $19.95

This how-to grilling cookbook is a picture-driven quick read. Shot by Debi Harbin, a top food photographer and one third of the 2008 Florida State Champion barbecuing team, the book covers everything from the right equipment to ways to add flavor to how to actually cook the food. It also features recipes for marinades that reduce harmful chemicals caused by cooking over a fire

Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill

by Elizabeth Karmel, $19.95

A North Carolina native, Hill Country’s executive chef, Elizabeth Karmel, offers 400 “flavor accessories.” These marinades, brines, sauces, glazes, salsas, rubs and more, can be mixed and matched. The book is broken up into four parts beginning with grilling 101, then on to the soaked section (any wet pre-grilling preparation), slathered (applied almost cooked) and, finally, seasoned (a light flavoring).

Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint

by Chris Lilly, $24.99

The Big Bob Gibson barbecue mecca is located way down south in Decatur, Ala. With the restaurant’s competition cooking team having won 10 world championships in the past 11 years, it’s hard to argue many know more about barbecuing. The book’s author and restaurant’s executive chef, Chris Lilly, explains the how-to of low and slow cooking. He provides recipes for pork, beef, chicken, ribs, sauces, slathers and side dishes. The book also gives an insight into BBQ culture.

Mix Shake Stir: Recipes from Danny Meyer’s Acclaimed New York City Restaurants

$29.99

From the man behind some of the city’s most iconic restaurants — such as Union Square Café, Shake Shake and Eleven Madison Park — this book offers 200 pages of cocktail and bar fare recipes, complete with beautiful photos. It instructs on basics such as making the best ice for cocktails, and includes recipes for classic cocktails and the restaurant group’s originals.There are also helpful sections with tips on applying the right salt and sugar rims, and a spirits lexicon.

Burger Bar: Build Your Own Ultimate Burgers

by Hubert Keller with

Penelope Wisner, $22.95

Hubert Keller, chef and owner of Burger Bar in Las Vegas and St. Louis, goes far beyond the standard beef patty to invent a world full of burgers in every form — from shrimp to s’mores.

There are 50 burger recipes. Highlights for meat lovers include the blue-cheese-stuffed burger sliders and the Provençal (lamb) burger. Lighter takes include the roasted pumpkin-quinoa burger. The final chapter is dedicate to dessert burgers, such as the chocolate-hazelnut burger. There are also recipes for fries and shakes.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Delicious
• Digg
• Stumble Upon