Odd Bits

Food & Wine Magazine has declared cooking odd bits the must-try trend for 2011. What are the “odd bits”? They are cuts of meat that North Americans used to know very well indeed: cheaper, tougher, longer cooking, utterly delicious things like shank, cheek, brisket, chuck, kidney and ribs. When the prime cuts, such as tenderloins, breasts and chops, became more available and more affordable, we forgot all about the wonders of the odd bits. Jennifer McLagan is bringing it all back to us with this wonderfully inventive, informative, humorous and beautiful cookbook. Cooking the odd bits is no more stressful or involved than cooking a good steak, and it’s also quite a lot more fun. Other cuisines have long valued the odd bits, and recipes from Europe to the Middle East to Africa and Asia are featured, along with your favourite liver and bacon.

Rediscover your taste for “the rest of the animal” with Odd Bits, and you will soon be cooking with confidence and economy in your own kitchen.