UChicagoReads: Cookbooks

UChicagoReads features books written by UChicago staff, faculty, students, and alumni or those written about University topics. Do you know of a book we should feature? Do you have a book of your own? Email us at uchicagointranet@uchicago.edu.

The holiday season brings many celebrations, parties, and get-togethers which often require a dish for entry. This edition of UChicagoReads has you covered with three cookbooks by alumni of the University of Chicago. Whether you’re learning how to cook, hosting your own fabulous dinner party, or bringing the perfect drink pairing to a white elephant gift exchange, we hope this collection can spark some inspiration in your kitchen.

Chemistry for Cooks: An Introduction to the Science of Cooking

Sandra C. Greer
© 2023 | 304 pages

Synopsis

How does an armload of groceries turn into a culinary masterpiece? In this highly accessible and informative text, Sandra C. Greer takes students into the kitchen to show how chemistry—with a dash of biology and physics—explains what happens when we cook.

Chemistry for Cooks provides all the background material necessary for nonscientists to understand essential chemical processes and to see cooking as an enjoyable application of science. Greer uses a variety of practical examples, including recipes, to instruct readers on the molecular structure of food, the chemical reactions used in cooking to change the nature of food, and the essentials of nutrition and taste. She also offers kitchen hints and exercises based on the material in each chapter, plus do-it-yourself projects to encourage exploration of the chemistry that takes place when we cook food.

About the author

Sandra C. Greer (SM’68, PhD’69) attended the University of Chicago to get her graduate and doctorate degrees in the 1960s. With 30 or so students in her class, she was one of only three or four women but felt welcomed and respected by her advisor, Lothar Meyer. She didn’t learn to cook until economic necessity forced her to in graduate school. “In some sense, it was natural for a thermodynamicist, which is what I consider myself, to get interested in cooking,” she says. “But also, I like to eat.” You can read more about Greer in her recent interview with UChicago Magazine.

Literary Libations: What to Drink with What You Read

Amira K. Makansi
© 2018 | 224 pages

Synopsis

What should you drink while you enjoying one of your favorite books?

With The Great Gatsby, Literary Libations recommends a bubbly, boozy French 75. A luscious Chocolatini with Bridget Jones's Diary. Old vine California Zinfandel with The Grapes of Wrath. Lager (by the pitcher, from your local dive) with Fight Club. Refreshing citrus shandy with Their Eyes Were Watching God. And don't you dare open Dracula without a Bloody Mary near at hand!

Now book lovers everywhere can raise the perfect toast to Shakespeare, Austen, Kerouac, Woolf, and more. With drink pairing recommendations for nearly 200 classic and contemporary works of fiction, including non-alcoholic pairings for kids and young adult books, Literary Libations is a useful addition to bookshelves and bar tops everywhere.

About the author

Amira K. Makansi (AB’10) graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in history and began pursuing a career in wine. She spent her first few years climbing around stacks of wine barrels and hoeing weeds out of vineyards in France. She got into writing accidentally, when her mother had a crazy dream and wanted to turn it into a book. That book became The Sowing, the first book in the young adult dystopian SEEDS series, which has been optioned for a Hollywood production. When not writing, Amira spends her days hiking, running, skiing, and rafting through the wilds of Oregon with her dog, Alder.

Eat & Greet: Unforgettable Party Menus from Your Kitchen

Vineeth Subramanyam
© 2015 | 182 pages

Synopsis

Eat & Greet presents a carefully selected set of complete party menus, each based on a specific theme around cuisines (e.g., Indian Feast, Mediterranean Table, European Bistro) and seasons (e.g., Autumn Fever, Winter Warmer, Spring Fest). The book also includes a “Brunch Spread” and “Small Plates” menu for a total of 12 menus—enough for a year of monthly entertaining with about 100 recipes overall. While each menu is designed to be standalone, readers can mix and match items from different menus or add recipes to create themes all their own. Happy entertaining!

About the author

Vineeth Subramanyam (MBA’07) is a global food enthusiast, self-taught chef and cookbook author living in San Francisco. Subramanyam got interested in cooking as a teenager and since then, has had the opportunity to travel extensively around the world and sample a wide assortment of cuisines. Through the years, Subramanyam has contributed recipes for cookbooks, helped organize cook-offs and expanded his cooking repertoire with a global perspective. Subramanyam wrote his first book, Everyday Cooking for Beginners, while attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.