Dana Cowin, editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine since 1995, hid a dark secret: kitchen incompetence. After years of experiments, failures and advice from friends and celebrities chefs alike, she learned that the keys to successful cooking are practice, patience and a few insider tips, which she shares in Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and Over 100 Delicious Recipes.
Anyone who has ever struggled at the stove will chuckle and empathize when reading Cowin's anecdotes about failed Internet recipes and roast chickens that come out "like an albino frog with wings" rather than beautifully browned. She offers easily mastered recipes (such as creamy, Riesling-spiked braised chicken with leeks, mushrooms and peas), nearly all of which are accompanied by suggestions for perfecting your technique by master chefs including Jacques Pépin, Mario Batali and Alice Waters. Novice and accomplished cooks alike will find a delightful education here, though gift givers should choose recipients who won't take offense at the implication that they, like Cowin, have culinary mistakes to master. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads