NBS recommends dining diaries

THE BAKER’S APPENDIX: THE ESSENTIAL KITCHEN COMPANION, WITH DELICOUSLY DEPENDABLE, INFINITELY ADAPTABLE RECIPES By Jessica Reed P799

The ultimate quick, yet thorough reference for bakers with every metric conversion and ingredient substitution you could want, plus 18 recipes for basic, fail-proof cakes, frostings, and cookies — with variations that combine to make dozens of desserts.

CORK DORK: A WINE-FUELED ADVENTURE AMONG THE OBSESSIVE SOMMELIERS, BIG BOTTLE HUNTERS, AND ROGUE SCIENTISTS WHO TAUGHT ME TO LIVE FOR TASTE By Bianca Bosker P749

With boundless curiosity, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism, professional journalist and amateur drinker Bianca Bosker takes the reader inside underground tasting groups, exclusive New York City restaurants, California mass-market wine factories, and even a neuroscientist’s fMRI machine as she attempts to answer the most nagging question of all: what’s the big deal about wine? What she learns will change the way you drink wine — and, perhaps, the way you live — forever.

APPETITES: A COOKBOOK By Anthony Bourdain P1,355

Appetites, Anthony Bourdain’s first cookbook in more than 10 years, boils down 40-plus years of professional cooking and globe-trotting to a tight repertoire of personal favorites — dishes that everyone should (at least in Mr. Bourdain’s opinion) know how to cook. It is a home-cooking, home-entertaining cookbook like no other, with personal favorites from his own kitchen and from his travels, translated into an effective battle plan that will help you terrify your guests with your breathtaking efficiency.

WINE ISN’T ROCKET SCIENCE: A QUICK & EASY GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING, BUYING, TASTING, & PAIRING EVERY TYPE OF WINE By Ophelie Neiman P1,105

Wine Isn’t Rocket Science is the guide you always wished existed. From how grapes are grown, harvested and turned into wine, to judging the color, aroma, and taste of the world’s most popular varietals, to understanding terroir and feeling confident ordering and serving wine at any occasion, this book explains it all in the simplest possible way. Every page, every piece of information, and every detail is illustrated in charming and informative four-color drawings that explain concepts at a glance.