The French Laundry Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)A beautiful book that is nice to browse through for the non-culinary inclined and inspirational to those who love to cook. Keller is a genius, that is evident in the recipes. However, to successfully recreate a French Laundry meal from this book will be a daunting task for the more experienced home cook and virtually impossible for a beginner. The small portion sizes require at least 4 or 5 dishes to comprise an entire meal (although the recipes may be scaled up to more typical serving sizes without much problem). The book can be pretentious (witness the blurb entitled 'the importance of offal'), includes recipes that 99.9% of readers will not bother to attempt (stuffed pigs heads, for example) and more than a few recipes require a very well equipped kitchen to pull off (juicers, mandolines, silipat baking sheets, variety of strainers, etc...), but all seem accessible if you take your time and have mastered some basic cooking skills. A very fun and informative book for those who love to cook and enjoy a challenge in the kitchen. If you are serious, you will have a blast, learn a lot, and eat some spectacular food. If the food tastes this good when I make it, I can only imagine how good it is at the restaurant.

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The Cooking Contest Cookbook: More Than 120 Prize Winning Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)Over 10 years ago Joyce Campagna started the popular Cooking Contest Newsletter. Now, at the urging of her readers, she and her husband Don have written a cookbook. The Cooking Contest Cookbook is a collection of prize-winning recipes, original recipes using readily available ingredients. It is a handy source of new things to try, plus different approaches to old favorites. The part I like best is the desserts. GREAT CHOCOLATE RECIPES! YUM! If you have considered entering cooking contests but you don't know where to start, this cookbook will give you a look of what kind of things win. For people who read cookbooks like other people read novels, this is the perfect gift, but it is also a wonderful present for anyone who likes to cook, or wants to learn.

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Culinary Artistry Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a self-taught home cook who enjoys the activities of the kitchen. I entered the cooking arena one of the standard ways, using cookbooks. Collections of recipes familarized me with the techniques and ethnic cooking styles. Gradually, my cookbook collection included reference books that provided some of the theory behind tastes and preparation styles. Gold's 1-2-3 series, Peterson's Sauces, and others introduced to me the philosophies that allow a cook to go beyond mimicking a recipe to improvising and even creating a dish. Culinary Artistry is perhaps the best available reference for learning about the traditions of combining flavors and food groups.
It contains vital information that I suspect is taught only in some of the culinary schools. It provides valuable charts of information about cooking and menu planning. The book contains sections on Menus, including a seasonality chart and a chart explaining successful seasoning combinations. There is a section for Composing Flavors, the highlight of which is a chart showing successful food contrasts. Another section involves Composing A Dish. Here there is a chart showing great food matches and one showing seasoning matches. The Composing A Menu section offers a chart showing frequent accompaniments to meats and paragraphs presenting theories about Hors Douevres, Cheeses, and Desserts. This was a sparse and incomplete passage in an otherwise comprehensive book. Finally, there was a fun section addressing the Evolution of Chef's Styles. Here the authors provide sample menus comparing chef's offerings from earlier decades to their present day productions.
The volume offers multiple anecdotes, quotes, and side bars concerning the views of popular chefs. Various recipes are interspersed to illustrate the principles. My one criticism was that the book was laid out like a college textbook. Photos, captions, quotes, highlighted lines, sidebars, and other areas compete on the same page, magazine style. The book serves as reference, frequently glanced at rather than read straight through as a narrative.

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The New Book of Soups Review

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(More customer reviews)I use this book as a reference for creating soups at the restaurant where I work. I recommend this book to anyone professional or amateur.

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The CIA has updated and expanded the selection of recipes for The New Book of Soups. The New Book of Soups contains all the recipes you've come to enjoy from the original Book of Soups plus 30 brand new recipes and more than 130 new full-color photos. We also added a chapter devoted to stews as well as Shopping for Soup Ingrendients, a valuable resource for planning your trip to the market. The New Book of Soups is the home cook's ultimate guide for the preparation of delicious soups and stews for any season or occasion.

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The Cook's Book of Intense Flavors: 101 Surprising Flavor Combinations and Extraordinary Recipes That Excite Your Palate and Pleasure Your Senses Review

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(More customer reviews)I have had the pleasure of dining in several of Molly and Robert Krause's restaurants and every meal created a wonderful memory for both the eye and the palate. I have waited with anticipation for this first cookbook and it has lived up to my expectations...and then some. On the way to a book signing I had the chance to look at my friend's copy. I would open the book at random and exclaim "We have to make this first." only to flip a page and announce "No, let's make this first." You'll have the same experience as you navigate the creative recipes aside their remarkably beautiful photographs. Friends have already targeted dozens of dishes to try this autumn season. Molly and Robert deserve all the respect and success they have had and this cookbook is just another feather in their very crowded culinary hat. "The Cook's Book of Intense Flavors" a must for your cookbook collection.

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Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the only cookbook that I know of that you will read from cover to cover. It is not the dry "do this in this order" kind of book, it walks with you on your culinary endevors like your mom or grandma would, telling you stories along the way, including the secrets that make not just sourdough bread, but unforgettable sourdough bread.
Sandor doesn't just tell us, he shows us, how to be self-sufficient about making and storing food (with little need for a stove or a refrigerator): making sourdough, cheese, miso, making tempeh, making wine, beer and, it seems, almost every other fermented food made the world over. And he gives you a list of resources where you can order the most mundane and exotic of starter cultures and even seaweed from our own Atlantic coast.
And your concept of "self" will never be the same again. He shows us how to reclaim and restore a part of ourselves that has protected us like the ozone layer protects the earth: the world of microbes in and around us, the protective cloak of the microecology that is meant to be a part of us like our skin.
Fermented foods restore a health balance like no probiotics and vitamins can. Happy reading, happy fermenting, happy eating!

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Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making Review

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(More customer reviews)This tome on sauce making is easily the most thorough coverage I have ever been exposed to. Well, it's the only one I've been exposed to, and I doubt there is anything as complete as this.
Readable, in-depth, expansive, edifying, and complete.
This is a book that needs to be studied and intellectually digested over a period of time as if one were attending college to become a world class chef. This is professional material and should be treated accordingly.
A prized gift for the professional, the potential professional, and the (really) serious home cook.
That being said, if you want to just whip up a quick sauce in the pan, I'm not sure this will serve your needs. There are dozens of sauce recipes, and they're good, but the idea behind the book is to teach you how to use a particular technique, then apply your knowledge in your own unique way. This is a "get a PHD in sauces", not a whip-it-up-quick index card recipe book.
Twenty muscular chapters include:
1. A Short History of Sauce Making
2. Equipment
3. Ingredients
4. Stocks, Glaces, and Essences
5. Liaisons: An Overview
6. White Sauces for Meat and Vegetables
7. Brown Sauces
8. Stock-Based and Non-Integral Fish Sauces
9. Integral Meat Sauces
10. Integral Fish and Shellfish Sauces
11. Crustacean Sauces
12. Jellies and Chauds-Froids
13. Hot Emulsified Egg Yolk Sauces
14. Mayonnaise-Based Sauces
15. Butter Sauces
16. Salad Sauces, Vinaigrettes, and Relishes
17. Pruees and Puree-Thickened Sauces
18. Pasta Sauces
19. Asian Sauces
20. Dessert Sauces
A superb instructional manual that will make you an expert if you study and apply some effort. It gets my highest rating and reccommendation for anyone who craves praise for their cooking prowess (like me).
- Alleyrat

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Real Stew: 300 Recipes for Authentic Home-Cooked Cassoulet, Gumbo, Chili, Curry, Minestrone, Bouillabaise, Stroganoff, Goulash, Chowder, and Much More (Non) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a longtime fan of cookbook author Clifford A. Wright, and was delighted to get a copy of his latest, "Real Stew." Perfect just as the weather starts coming on cold, this cookbook makes wonderful leisure-time reading and is chock-full of terrific recipes to boot.
Wright has set an ambitious agenda for himself here, including stews from all over the world. Hungarian Paprikash is here, as is Spicy Indian Eggplant Stew, Bedouin Lamb and Mushroom Stew, Swedish Sailor's Beef Stew, and more. I can't find one that doesn't come across as utterly mouthwatering. Stew is comfort food at its most primal, of course, and Wright gets down and dirty and primal with the ingredients. You'll find stews here calling for rabbit, for instance, and he even gives a brief overview of a Canadian specialty called Assiniboin Bear Stew (which he cautions you not to make unless you're prepared to marinate the bear meat in either wine or vinegar). Of course there are plenty of fish and shellfish stews as well.
Beautiful graphic design, numbered directions (in my view, a must for when the cook must look away for a moment), and easy-to-assemble ingredient lists help to make Wright's "Real Stew" a real winner for both beginner and experienced cooks.

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The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery: For Connoisseurs, Chefs, Epicures Complete With 2973 Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a Chef, and have borrowed copies of Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire from friends whenever I need it. On a lark, I ran a search on Escoffier here at Amazon.com. I was stunned to find this book for the low cost of $12 or so, knowing that every other copy I had seen cost $60 or $70. So I ordered it and paged through it. Well, it only prints 2300 or so of over 5000 recipes in Escoffier's treatise. Admittedly, probably more than the home cook actually *needs*, but nowhere does the book say that it has been abridged.
But, like many Amazon.com customers, I found myself in the position of thinking "but it'll cost me half the price of the book to send it back." So I wound up giving it to a friend who likes to cook, but doesn't need the "real thing."
Suffice it to say that if you want the real Esoffier, you're still going to have to drop the $60+ for the Van Nostrand Reinhold edition. Sorry, culinary students, you didn't luck up on a deal.
ToqueBlanc

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An American translation of the definitive Guide Culinaire, the Escoffier Cookbook includes weights, measurements, quantities, and terms according to American usage. Features 2,973 recipes.

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Chanterelle: The Story and Recipes of a Restaurant Classic Review

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(More customer reviews)Some cookbooks are made to be stared at, some are made to be used. The amazing thing about David Waltuck's fantastic, gorgeous, breathtaking new cookbook, CHANTERELLE, is that every single recipe works and is simple and so delicious that no matter what your skill level, every dish comes out perfectly. And it's so stunning that you can leave it on your coffee table. You will dazzle your friends and even yourself. Hats & Eyeglasses: A Family Love Affair with Gambling

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Lee Bailey's Soup Meals Review

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(More customer reviews)It is a great soup, dessert, bread receipies. Everything I tried was excellent,. I now want a copy of my own, and I can't find it anywhere. Do you have any suggestions??

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The author's sixth book is a collection of 32 sophisticated yet easy menus featuring soup as a main course. Delicious recipes for both hot- and cold-weather soups are accompanied by unusual appetizers, tasty breads, and luscious desserts. 118 full-color photographs and 17 black-and-white photographs.

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Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)I am so tired of fat free everything these days in the grocery store, so it was a real pleasure to read about fat...glorious fat. Maybe my cholesterol is getting jacked to Jesus, but my food has flavor now that I am cooking with fat. I tried McLagan's roasted chicken recipe and it was the best chicken ever...flavorful, juicy...I swoon at the memory. I look forward to trying more of the recipes from the book as soon as I can locate sources for well marbled meats, fatty fowl, and pork bellies. My in-laws are in their eighties and have cooked with lard all their lives. They are happy, healthy, thin, and the food just tastes good. I may croak a few weeks earlier than expected, but I will go out with happy taste buds. I really enjoyed reading about fat.

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Ani's Raw Food Essentials: Recipes and Techniques for Mastering the Art of Live Food Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been over 10 years raw and over 10 years macrobiotic before that. During this time I have viewed countless cook books. Ani's Raw Food Essentials is one of the best. By design, it's an impressive book. It has a beautiful layout along with the strength and feel of a high quality text book. It provides detailed instruction for basic raw food staples (salads, soups, smoothies, cereal, wraps, sandwiches, and rolls), comfort food favorites (pizzas, pasta, cheezes, scrambles, pancakes, pies, cakes, cookies, and ice kream), and innovative creations that will leave you and your friend's heads shaking in amazement (tortilla soup with jalapeno-lime kream, Korean dumplings, vanilla and lemon Kream crepes, and scones!!). Whether you are a beginner or advanced student, you will find that it does all these things, and it does them all very, very well. A couple distinguishing factors make her book stand out from all the rest. First, instead of limiting itself to a series of recipes, it provides the theory and concepts behind each of them to a far greater extent than I've seen before. Whether it's the basics of salad dressings, cheezes, soups, pizzas, smoothies, wraps, or deserts, Ani provides detailed instruction that will give you the power to develop your own creations. Second, she incorporates a broader range of ingredients and by doing so lessens the reliance upon high fat seeds and nuts that some people may be concerned about with raw food. You will learn how to utilize fruits, veggies and sprouted grains in places where you may have previously used seeds or nuts. By way of example, her mock tuna salad is made with carrots instead of sunflower seeds, and her onion ring batter is made with a buckwheat base. Of course seeds and nuts are still used in good proportion throughout as they provide essential oils and protein, but you will be pleasantly surprised to learn how to utilize more fruits, veggies and grains in your courses. Finally, there is a most charming 2 page chapter on how to incorporate raw food for our canine friends. In the beginning pages, Ani discusses how this is her version of "Raw Foods 2.0." She is being modest. Her book reaches the next level beyond that.

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Chef Ani Phyo is back with Ani's Raw Food Essentials, full of everything you need to know to master the art of live food. Phyo shows you how to whip up simple, fresh recipes using what you've already got in your kitchen while also offering tips on dehyrating and more sophisticated techniques. Looking for innovative meals that are healthy and delicious? Phyo offers everything from classic comfort foods like nachos and burgers to Reuben sandwiches and bacon, along with more gourmet dishes like risotto, angel hair pasta, and her "you-won't-believe-they're-raw" desserts.Ani's Raw Food Essentials once again proves that you don't have to sacrifice taste to reap the benefits of raw foods, all while living a greener lifestyle. Recipes include: Broccoli and Cheeze Quiche, Kalamata Olive Crostini, Cashew "Tofu" in Miso Broth, Grilled Cheeze and Tomato Sandwiches, Cheeze Enchilada with Ranchero and Mole Sauce, Pad Thai, Pesto Pizza, and many more.

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Taste of Home: Winning Recipes: 645 Recipes from National Cooking Contests Review

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(More customer reviews)The title really says it all. Wonderfully put together, and filled with good home style cooking meals. This is no means a cookbook of sophisticated cuisines, but for everyday living which is so appealing to the average household. Great ideas for quick throw togethers when the day is too hectic, and many many pictures for those who insist they will only buy cookbooks with pictures. Not all recipes are 1st place prize winners, but they are nice incentives to try the dishes along with all the other mouthwatering dishes published in this winner of a cookbook.

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For the first time, in one comprehensive collection, Taste of Home brings you 645 ribbon-winning recipes—all easy to make with step-by-step instructions and everyday ingredients. Thousands of recipes from great home cooks were submitted, sorted, screened, tested and judged in national cooking contests by the food editors and test kitchen professionals of the world's #1 cooking magazine, Taste of Home. Enjoy the very best of these prize-winning recipes, all gathered into this comprehensive collection of Taste of Home Winning Recipes. Peek inside and discover... *645 ribbon-winning recipes, all made with everyday ingredients and easy-to-follow step-by- step instructions *Full-color, mouth-watering photo with every recipe *17 scrumptious chapters, including world-class appetizers, soups and entrées, plus top- rated breads, desserts, and sweet treats *At-a-glance icons highlight the first-place winners in each chapter *Handy tab dividers make it easy to find and flip to the chapter you want—an alphabetical index on each tab divider allows you to quickly preview each prize-winning recipe *Practical reference section includes a food substitution chart, food equivalent chart, spice and herb information, and a food storage chart Whatever the occasion...whatever the meal...with Taste of Home Winning Recipes in hand, you'll have 645 top-honor recipes.

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The Everything Pressure Cooker Cookbook (Everything Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently purchased my first pressure cooker and was looking for a good cookbook for it. I ordered this book and another by Cinda Chavich. This book easily could have been a five star but for a couple of issues.
1. The author uses an electric pressure cooker which has 3 settings for pressure (low, medium & high) I have a stove top cooker with no variable setting. If it included cooking times or some sort of directions for cooking in a stove top cooker it would have been extremely helpful. If you have an electric cooker or variable psi settings this book would work very well for you.
2. The index in the book is so useless it really would have been better if they omitted it altogether. If you're looking for a chicken recipes it simply says chicken and list page numbers. There is no place in the book that you can go to for a full list of recipes.
3. The tables of cooking times would be more helpful if they included the amount of water. The other cookbook I purchased had much better cooking charts.
Overall the recipes I have tried have all been very good and easy to follow. They are very basic recipes without a lot of fussy ingredients, perfect for everyday meals. I like that it includes a good variety of recipes including breakfast as well. Overall I really do enjoy the cookbook a great deal.

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Pressure cookers will boost flavor and cut cooking time a whopping 70 percent?but only if you know how to use them. In this cookbook, author Pamela Rice Hahn teaches you about the joys of cooking with a pressure cooker. No longer the dangers they once were, these time-saving devices are godsends to busy cooks everywhere. In no time, you can whip up:Roasted Red Bell Pepper PestoCranberry-Braised Turkey BreastBalsamic Pork Chops with FigsHalibut in Black Olive SaucePeanut Butter and Fudge CheesecakeFor that slow-cooked taste in far less time, a pressure cooker is the perfect solution. Veteran cookbook author Hahn has been conjuring up recipes using her pressure cooker for years. With a full spectrum of pressure cooker recipes at your fingertips, you can create delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert dishes in no time flat!

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Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great recipe book for slow cookers. It is not a dump and go recipe collection, there is some prep time, usually between 5 (the shortest amount of time) and 20-30 minutes. About 20 minutes looks to be the norm. But by taking this prep time what comes out of your slow cooker is a great meal. The author states that he only wants to give recipes that would be as good made in a slow cooker as if you had made them in a traditional way. What I have made lives up to this expectation.
Also, there are many recipes that I am looking forward to preparing. That is the problem with many slow-cooker books, there just aren't that many recipes that look all that appealing to me - how many different chili recipes do I need? This book has a good selection of recipes that I had not seen before with easy to find ingredients for foods that I think that my family will enjoy. Not that there aren't several company appropriate recipes, because there are, but, there are also great week-night recipes.
I didn't intend to buy another slow cooker recipe book, I already owned 3 or 4 in addition to my collection of other cookbooks, but after seeing this one in a book store and looking through it, I had to have it. I've only made a couple of recipes from it, but both have turned out great, and there are many more that I intend to make.
Khandi

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Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)As a vegetarian, Mollie Katzen's cookbooks have been my bible, but my sons eat meat, and this book comes out just in time for one to graduate college and start his own household while the other moves off to college in an apartment with a kitchen for him to start cooking in. The recipes are of a wide variety, all easy and quick for the beginning cook. Since I have no idea how to cook or serve meat, this book is the perfect send-off for both my sons so that they'll eat well and healthily and learn the basic tools of the cooking trade. Coming from Mollie Katzen, I trust that the recipes are all nutritious and delicious, and that's a priceless gift!

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