Read the book summary/notes here – The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Tim Ferriss

TOP 10 CUISINE-SPECIFIC COOKBOOKS

1 – American Cookery – James Beard
2 – The Food and Wines of Spain – Penelope Casas
3 – Mastering the Art of French Cooking – Julia Child
4 – The Classic Italian Cookbook – Marcella Hazan
5 – An Invitation to Indian Cooking – Madhur Jaffrey
6 – The Cuisines of Mexico – Diana Kennedy
7 – The Book of Middle Eastern Food – Claudia Roden
8 – Thai Food – David Thompson
9 – The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking – Barbara Tropp
10 – Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art – Shizuo Tsuji
Bonus: The Oxford Companion to Food – Alan Davidson

Dissect Books to Mastering Techniques of Manual Brilliance

• Mastering the Art of French Cooking – Julia Child
• La Technique – Jacques Pépin
• The Making of a Cook – Madeleine Kamman
  

SHORT TV

• Escape to River Cottage and Return to River Cottage– This is by far my favorite food series, and Escape to River Cottage is the strongest. Absolutely wonderful.
• Heston Blumenthal’s “Search of Perfection” on YouTube.
• Top Chef Season 6, episode 13: “Goodbye to Vegas”– Features Thomas Keller; Jerome Bocuse, son of Paul Bocuse; and a simulated Bocuse d’Or, the “Olympics of Food.”
• After Hours with Daniel (Daniel Boulud)- If you’ve ever wondered what chefs talk about over drinks late at night, this is the series for you.
• A Day in the Life (Morgan Spurlock series, free on hulu.com)- What does a typical Clay look like in the lives of Mario Batalì or Stephanie Izard? The former is now a celebrity chef, and the latter is the first female winner of Top Chef; who is still focused on creating the perfect restaurant. These 30-minute profiles are perfect pre-bed snacks. (For those interested, I also have a profile, which was filmed while writing this book.)

MOVIES
Documentaries

• Jiro Dreams of Sushí (Japan)-The most beautifully shot food film I’ve ever seen. During my last trip to Tokyo, I ate at the younger brother’s restaurant, where he was the consummate host.
• A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt (USA)-The perfect introduction to the trials and tribulations of being a chef, even (or, perhaps, especially) a brilliant one.
• Pressure Cooker (USA)-This is the only real tearjerker, a life-affirming story of a culinary teacher in Philadelphia who trains students to win full scholarships.
• Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (USA)- Les Blank’s incredible (and funny) movie about one ingredient: garlic. Features wonderful vintage footage of Alice Waters and early-era Chez Panisse.
• Kings of Pastry (France, Netherlands, United Kingdom)- Who knew pastry could be a full-contact sport? Just as in Pressure Cooker, you’ll notice that all the coaches are awesomely brutal.
• Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven (USA)- Before you open that restaurant you’ve always dreamed of, watch this and The Restaurateur. These are the troubles that even the best in the world have, so consider yourself forewarned.
• The Restaurateur (USA)- Follow Danny Meyer through the opening of Eleven Madison Park. Be sure to watch the epilogue in the Special Features Section.
• Eat This New York (USA)- A cautionary tale of opening a restaurant when you’re not ready for it. My favorite part is the chef interviews in the DVD extras.
• El pollo, el pez, y el cangrejo real (The Chicken, the Fish, and the King Crab) (Spain)- This covers the training of one Spanish competitor invited to the 2006 Bocuse d’Or.

Non-documentaries

• Ratatouille (USA)- Pixar rules. ‘Nuff said.
• Julie & Julia (USA)- Though a controversial film among foodies, it is a must-see for any new cooking student, in my opinion.
• Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan, USA)- This wonderful movie is worth watching just for the intro sequence. I love Taiwan and Taiwanese food.
• Tampopo (Japan)- A Japanese Amelie that predates Amelie. Watch this on a Friday night prior to cheat day, since you’ll immediately want to eat ramen.
• Babette’s Feast (Denmark)- Very somber, but the ending makes it awesome. You won’t forget the
  punch line.
• Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico)- Sexy, sexy, sexy. Great date movie.
• Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (France, Germany, Spain)- This is not technically about food, but
  about smell.
• Big Night (USA)- One of the most quotable food movies of all time. Chefs like this one, probably because Tony Shalhoub (Monk) loves food and hates his dumb-ass customers.
• The God of Cookery (Hong Kong)- The most ridiculous of the bunch. Have some “brownies” (wink, wink) and enjoy this Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) delight. The broken English
  subtitles make it twice as funny.