Have a date this weekend you want to impress and can’t get a reservation at Alinea? If you have some cooking chops, or a partner that’s attracted to unproven culinary hubris, we suggest making a romantic dinner for two with the help of Modernist Cuisine at Home ($140). The take home version of the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook of the Year weighs in at 456 pages of date-impressing goodness, and, like the title implies, is filled with much more realistic recipes than its bigger, five-volume brother (there’s an entire chapter on mac and cheese). For those who prefer keeping their library pristine, Modernist Cuisine at Home comes with a waterproof “Kitchen Manual” that includes reprints of each recipe in the book to ensure you have clear, protected directions every step of the way. Studio-dwelling Lotharios needn’t worry about having a chef’s kitchen either, as there’s an entire section of the book dedicated to microwave cooking.
Buy Now: $140
