The art of actually preparing a meal has become a thing of the past. Who among us (who is not collecting on a bogus personal injury claim) has the time to seek out the various ingredients needed to prepare a proper meal, not to mention all of the digit-endangering chopping and preparation, setting and watching of timers and fine-tuning the olfactory senses to the smell of something smoking in the kitchen?

Most of us are happy enough to sit with a heaping bowl of something microwaved back to life and watch shows like Iron Chef, America’s Next Food Network Star, and Top Chef and these tomes are enough to keep it that way.