THE COOK’S APPRENTICE

Stephanie Alexander, Lantern, $45

There’s a chapter for each foodstuff, 54 of them. Alexander assumes total ignorance. However, for even the most expert cook there’s something to learn. Alexander walks through the entire recipe with you, looking over your shoulder and coaching you to react to the signs. She says that when she developed the concept she had a curious teenager in mind. Yet week by week I marvel at the blank looks of older quizzers when faced with a foodie question on Seven Network’s The Chase Australia. Alexander’s new book is a launch pad to greater confidence.