Tastes from a Tuscan Kitchen (Hippocrene Cookbook Library) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)One of the newest additions to the simply outstanding roster of ethnic cookbooks from Hippocrene, "Tastes From A Tuscan Kitchen" is the collaborative effort of Italian culinary experts Diane Nocentrini and Madeline Armilotta who first met in a small village about 16 miles outside of Florence, Tuscany. They decided to co-author a Tuscan cookbook with recipes specifically designed for the American kitchen cook and which would reflect the culinary traditions, flavors, and dishes of the Mediterranean countryside of Tuscany. Showcasing more than 150 recipes that are easy to prepare on short notice, wholesome, nutritious, delicious and particularly suited to daily cooking schedules, the recipes range from appetizers, to soups and salads, to entrees and desserts. Of special note are the chapter of recipes devoted to the use of Eggs and section devoted to Tuscan wines. The recipes feature such tempting fare as Lasagne con Ragu (Meat Lasagne), Costolette di Maiale con Salvia e Chianti (Pork Chops with Sage and Chianti), Frittata di Patate e Verdure (Potato and Vegetable Omelet), Pomodori Ripieni con Riso (Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice), and Semifreddo al Caffe (Coffee Parfait). With the added inclusion of a chart of metric conversions, "Tastes From A Tuscan Kitchen" is a welcome and core addition to any family or community library ethnic cookbook collection.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Tastes from a Tuscan Kitchen (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Tuscany evokes visions of sunflower fields, clear blue skies, and delicious aromas floating through the warm breeze--central Italy at its most beautiful. The Tuscan cuisine is filled with nature's treasures. Fragrant olive oil, fresh herbs, fresh fish and vegetables, and warm creamy cheeses abound. Over the years, the authors have collected many recipes from friends and relatives living in the Tuscan region and throughout Italy; here, they present over 150 of the best. In Tastes from a Tuscan Kitchen, you will find a wide variety of recipes, ranging from such staples as Pasta e Lenticchie (Pasta and Lentils), Cacciucco (Fish Soup), L'Impasto (two perfect pizza doughs), to Castoletti di Maiale con Salvia e Chianti (Pork Chops with Sage and Chianti), Scaloppine al Limone (Veal Scallops with Lemon Sauce) and Polpette di Macinato (Tuscan Meatballs). Delicate crêpes are stuffed with a variety of savory fillings and covered with the perfect topping--a creamy, rich Béchamel Sauce. Then there are the sweet crêpes and charmingly named Bongo (Chocolate Profiteroles) that easily melt in your mouth. Tuscan sauces, crostini toppings fragrant with herbs, creamy risottos, even delightful ways to use leftovers--try Polpette di Patate (Italian Potato Cakes)--will have you turning again and again to this charming compilation of recipes. And the suggestions for Tuscan wines will keep your mouth watering for more.

Click here for more information about Tastes from a Tuscan Kitchen (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Read More...

Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef's Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is fabulous. I could not put it down. An accomplished chef that can write and tell an entertaining story. How many of those are around? The recipes are easy to follow. I skipped them on my first read and then went back and tried the ones I thought I could do. And they work. I got my family around the table and even though it was only fifteen minutes. There was no TV and no cell phones. I think this book is more powerful than Clark knows. Good food and family...spread it around.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef's Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal

Click here for more information about Out of the Frying Pan: A Chef's Memoir of Hot Kitchens, Single Motherhood, and the Family Meal

Read More...

Umberto's Kitchen: The Flavours of Tuscany Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Good delivery - good condition - right price - everything was great. Thank you.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Umberto's Kitchen: The Flavours of Tuscany

Just as Menghi's restaurants are known for their warmth, so this book is wonderfully lush to look at and enjoy.

Click here for more information about Umberto's Kitchen: The Flavours of Tuscany

Read More...

The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Kitchen Series with Charlie Trotter is an inspirational book. The photos are glossy, beautiful, textural, and alluring. The recipes are innovative and they work.
I made one of the more elaborate recipes (Chicken Dumplings with a Stir-Fry of Shiitake Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts, and Mung Bean Sprouts in a Ginger-Soy-Hijiki Sauce) for a group of eight. It took a lot of time to prepare, but the reward came when my guests practically fainted from the gorgeous flavors.
Another recipe met with stunning reviews from my guests (Pumpkin Soup with Pheasant Breast and Fried Ginger), although I did serve it as a main course, and not as a soup.
Recipes are broken out into groups: Soup; Salad; Lobster; Scallop; Catfish; Salmon; Tuna; Pasta; Poultry; Pork; Duck; Beef; Dessert; including a Pantry section explaining how to make herb oils and other sauces used throughout the book.
I also purchased the Kitchen Sessions video set and became glued to the TV when I watched them. The videos are exciting and Chef Trotter's enthusiasm will send you off into your own kitchen to try it for yourself.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter

Click here for more information about The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter

Read More...

Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Though this book's recipes are for relatively humble dishes, most assume that the reader has at least some basic cooking knowledge. The majority employ ingredients commonly available throughout the United States, but recipes which demand eel, brains and rabbit (to name a few foods which terrify some Americans) are also included.
This having been said, this book's recipes are nevertheless generally more streamlined and less intimidating than Julia Child's recipes for dishes of comparable difficulty, and they are no less foolproof. The author's Hungarian goulash and dried fruit compote are easily within the range of a bachelor dad who cooks twice a year, and his duck with turnips will be a rewarding experiment for someone who's just stepping beyond the chicken-and-turkey frontier. The master's experience and taste are on display throughout, but professionals or sophisticated amateurs seeking novelty should look elsewhere.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen

Click here for more information about Paul Bocuse in Your Kitchen

Read More...

What's Cooking in Chemistry: How Leading Chemists Succeed in the Kitchen (Erlebnis Wissenschaft) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"This book was the idea of a group of graduate students working for L. F. Tietze, a respected professor at the University of Goettingen, Germany. Building on their hunch that inside almost every chemist is a chef waiting to get out, they wrote to 100 of the world's leading organic chemists and asked them to contribute to a cookbook in Tietze's honour. Sixty recipes arrived on their desks: everything from Green Eel a la Marie to Lemon Kiwi Pie, a work far from formulaic.[...] A few recipes are for industrial quantities of chilli or lasagne to feed students; there is an occasional admission that a recipe originates from a restaurant or a wife. A handful are set out with method and materials as if, rather leadenly, for experimental purposes. But, overall, there is an overwhelming flavour of people who cook often, with ambition and for pleasure." (modified according to Karen Gold in: The Times Higher Education Supplement, July 18, 2003, p. 20f)

Click Here to see more reviews about: What's Cooking in Chemistry: How Leading Chemists Succeed in the Kitchen (Erlebnis Wissenschaft)

Looking for future employment as a postdoc? Or desperately looking for the perfect present for a chemist friend? Maybe you simply enjoy cooking and reading about current developments in chemistry research? The first Who's Who in organic chemistry to show what top scientists like to cook - on the bench and on the stove - and how they have made their way. Use K. C. Nicolaou's recipe for fish and chips and read about his scientific work while preparing the meal that helped him finance his studies back in England. Containing more than 50 personal recipes and anecdotes from leading organic chemists, such as Lonely soup (Evans), Wild boar - Tuscan way (Waldmann), and Dulce de Leche (Vollhardt), accompanied by biographies and sketches of their current work, this is an exquisite delicacy for anybody who likes cooking, eating and chemistry.

Click here for more information about What's Cooking in Chemistry: How Leading Chemists Succeed in the Kitchen (Erlebnis Wissenschaft)

Read More...

12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets: Everyday Tips, Hints, Techniques and More Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book has a lot of content. A very thick book, pages full of tips and techs for the kitchen enthusiasts. For the price tag the book is worth the purchase.

Click Here to see more reviews about: 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets: Everyday Tips, Hints, Techniques and More


A multitude of ideas, tips and techniques to reward any serious cook.

A prerequisite for every kitchen veteran or aspiring home cook, this comprehensive reference answers virtually every kitchen query and speaks to every culinary concern and condition.

For example, how do professional chefs get more juice from a lemon? They simply heat it in a microwave for 10 seconds and roll it on a work surface before cutting and squeezing it. Is wrestling with a pastry cutter frustrating? Pastry chefs grate cold butter with the large holes of a box grater for their dough.

In thousands of entries on every aspect of cooking and baking, Susan Sampson provides expert information that is indispensable in any kitchen, including:


Techniques such as altitude cooking, brining, emulsifying, Kosher foods and food dyes
Keeping produce safe from spoilage and keeping equipment free of nasty bacteria
Condiments, dairy products, eggs, grains, nuts, seeds, pasta, rice, sweeteners and vinegars
Ground meat, pork, game, organ meats, fish and mollusks
Secrets for great breads, biscuits, cookies, bars, muffins, cakes, puff pastry and chocolate
Shortcuts, embellishments, restaurant tricks, presentation tips, party planning and recipe development.


Whether they are just browsing or desperately trying to solve a vexing emergency, every home cook will treasure 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets.
(20091204)

Click here for more information about 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets: Everyday Tips, Hints, Techniques and More

Read More...

Helen's Asian Kitchen: Easy Chinese Stir-Fries Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I own Helen Chen's larger cookbook, "Helen Chen's Chinese Home Cooking" and consider it one of the best Chinese cook books a person could have. Many of the recipes in it have been favorites of mine, and some of the easier ones are duplicated in this slender new volume of stir fries. For the beginning cook, this book may be less daunting. From it, I've now cooked "Garlicky Green Beans"-quite tasty, "Shrimp in Tomato Sauce"-delicious, "Kung Pao Chicken"-yummy and fiery, and ""Kan Shao Green Beans"- stellar. Obviously, I am looking forward to woking my way through the remainder of its pages. I own many other books on Chinese food and cooking, but I can think of few of them as uncomplicated as this which manage to produce such deep, rich, tasty sauces.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Helen's Asian Kitchen: Easy Chinese Stir-Fries


"When I was growing up, my mother did all of the cooking at home and the variety was endless. But it was her everyday Chinese home cooking that I remember best-the often-revisited stir-fry dishes that are simple, easy, delicious, and part of the culinary repertoire of most Chinese families. I hope you will enjoy this collection of some of my favorites. Perhaps some will become part of your everyday cooking, too. So come with me to my kitchen and let me share with you what the Chinese do in theirs." -Helen Chen

Enjoy Easy Chinese Stir-Fries Like These:
Chicken with Mushrooms and Snow Peas
Braised Party Wings
Spicy Chunking Pork
Sparerib Nuggets in Black Bean Sauce
Stir-Fried Broccoli Beef in Oyster Sauce
Spicy Beef Shreds with Carrots and Celery
Coral and Jade
Flower Squid with Mixed Vegetables
Bean Curd with Black Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots
Ginger-glazed Carrots and Parsnips

Click here for more information about Helen's Asian Kitchen: Easy Chinese Stir-Fries

Read More...

Chef's Story: 27 Chefs Talk About What Got Them into the Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's no secret to my family and friends that I've always wanted to be a chef. Well, not always...but certainly for the last 10 years or so. I love to cook and do it all the time. So the subject matter of this book--how chefs decided to be chefs--was very intriguing to me. All of the stories are interesting. Some are surprising. And the book is one of those that can be picked up and read casually if you want, because the 27 stories are easily read one at a time. And you can skip around as much as you want. I love the format. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in cooking.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Chef's Story: 27 Chefs Talk About What Got Them into the Kitchen


Twenty-seven extraordinary chefs tell the personal stories behind their culinary triumphs.

Over the past decade, our culture's interest in the world's great chefs has grown phenomenally. Once known to only the most dedicated gourmets, these supremely talented men and women have become high-profile stars with restaurants as their stages—masterful artists working in the medium that binds us all: food!

A wonderful companion volume to The French Culinary Institute's hit public television series, Chef's Story takes us into the private world of more than two dozen maestros of the kitchen—twenty-seven remarkable individuals who share their memories, their beliefs, and their passion for quality to reveal what helped them all become modern culinary legends.

Click here for more information about Chef's Story: 27 Chefs Talk About What Got Them into the Kitchen

Read More...

Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia's Christmas Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In some Christmas books, they are written as fairy tales, to entertain and keep young minds entranced, with characters and situations that make for happy endings. But with this particular new book, from the talented and creative mind of Lidia Bastianich, you have a true tale. A true tale of a harder life that some people had to live during more difficult times, but told in such an endearing way, that her message of love and family comes shining through.
This hardcover, 9"x11", 26 page tale of Christmas past, will enchant the little ones with how simple acts of love and the the true spirit of Christmas, brought joy to Lidia as a child. And now, as a grandmother herself, she brought the same happiness to her grandchildren. The pictures are large with generous use of soft, pastel-like colors, with words that even a little one could read.
It is a delightfully written story of how the Christmases in Lidia's childhood were celebrated; not with running around and buying and spending and stressing, as we tend to do in this present world, but in simpler more cherished time of understanding the essence of Christmas; in coming together as family and finding the simple stuffs around us to prepare for the birth of our Lord.
Joining together with artist Laura Logan, both pen and picture tell the story of how Lidia, her parents, her grandparents, and her brother, spent the Christmas season when she was a child, growing up during more sparse times. But times in which the simplicities of life were the most endearing. We join Lidia as she is recounting these stories to her own grandchildren, and the lesson and impact such closeness imparts to young children as the older generation passes on the memories of a era gone by and the joy that it brought to them.
Instead of the luxury of a big Christmas tree, she tells of a small juniper bush that held little blue berries on its branches, and was bedecked with homemade cookie wreaths and tangerines and pears and apples and figs and bay leaves and such, with ribbons to tie those special decorations. Candy was also placed on the bush but candy was quite a treat in those days, and whenever she and her brother would eat one of the candies, they would place small pebbles in the wrapper and place them back on the bush, so that no one would notice.
In telling this story to the children, they too wanted to have that same type of Christmas celebration, and in the earnestness that only children can evoke, carried out the same tradition through the same actions.
A gifted artist, Laura Logan has created darling caricatures of Lidia and her family, especially her grandchildren, and with color and imagination, brought the scenes to the pages of this book. As her grandchildren will someday cherish, this was a wonderful and touching way of being entwined in their grandmother's love and life.
At the end of the story, there is a grand caricatiure photo of the Bastianich family, including Lidia's mother, Erminia, along with Lidia's children, Tanya and her husband, and son Joseph and his wife, along with the grandchildren, gathered around the tree and fireplace, feeling once more the joy of her Christmas past.
Near the end, the book contains the recipes that make for a simple, yet memorable celebration such as Fruit Tea, Brutti Ma Buoni cookies, Fregolata (Cookie Crumbles), Crostoli (Fried Ribbon Cookies), Pignoli (Amaretii con Pignoli; these are delicious!), Biscotti ai Demi di Sesamo (Sesame Cookies), Crostata (Fruit Jam or Chocolate Tartlet Cookies), Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, PB & J Cookies, Angel Food Cupcakes, Simple Sugar Cookies, Almond Apricot Butter Cookies, Almond Stuffed Figs, Chocolate Star Cookies, Royal Icing, and Palacinkes.
The last 2 pages of this wonderful book is called "Decorating the Tree" which was a short little essay of sorts desribing how the Christmas tree (or bush!) can be decorated by finding the right ribbons and fruits, and how to use them to bring that memory to life.
This reminded me very much of the books I read in my childhood, which made me want to read them over and over again because of how warm and happy they made me feel. It also reminds me of times shared with my own grandparents and the stories they told; those memories are priceless to me. Yes, I am very much in awe of what Lidia does, and the talent that she has, but one would be hardpressed to deny the delight that such a simple story can bring to the heart. Peace.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia's Christmas Kitchen

Click here for more information about Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia's Christmas Kitchen

Read More...

In a Roman Kitchen: Timeless Recipes from the Eternal City Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Two books on Roman cooking have appeared within the last eighteen (18) months, which gives us a golden opportunity to proof one against the other to find the better book. The first published last year is , `Cooking the Roman Way' by David Downie. The second, more recently published book is the current subject `In a Roman Kitchen: Timeless Recipes from the Eternal City' by Jo Bettoja.
In general, Downie's book appears to be based more on restaurante, trattoria, and osteria recipes while Bettoja seems to rely more on home cooking recipes. Still, there is a significant overlap of recipe names. I had no trouble at all finding five recipes with the same traditional Italian name, although the English translation of the name may have been a little different. I give high marks to both authors for giving the Italian names of all dishes in both the text and the index.
I compared the recipes for five dishes:
Gnocchi di Semolino alla Romana
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Cipolline in Agrodolce alla Romana
Carciofi alla Giudia
Frittata con Zucchini
Although no pair of recipes was the same, I can find virtually nothing in these five recipes which would suggest that one author was presenting consistently superior recipes. I was slightly annoyed with Downie for specifying white coctail onions in the Cipolline recipe, especially since I have no trouble finding cipolline in my local Pennsylvania megamart. My conclusion that Downie relies on the Trattoria and Bettoja relies on the home is in the sources they cite for their recipes. Both appear to give equal time to the influence of the Jewish quarter on Roman cooking.
In Bettoja's case, the focus seems to be on a large number of recipes for each major type of Roman dish. She has, for example, more pasta, artichoke, and fava bean recipes than Downie, and also more dessert recipes. This is ironic since Downie controverts one of my hero Mario Batali's claims that Italians do not go in for sweets.
In contrast, Downie includes many seminally Roman recipes which Bettoja simply ignores. He has excellent recipes for making both Pizza Bianco, a certifiable Roman speciality, and fresh fettucini, including sound recommendations on making the fettucini completely by hand and with the assistance of power mixers and power pasta rolling machines. Most surprising of all is that Downie includes the recipe for Gnocchi di Patate while Bettoja does not. My understanding from Mario is that this is a Roman speciality and every trattoria in Rome serves it on Thursday. Alternately, Claudia Roden identifies it as a northern (Friuli) Italian speciality. Since Downie specifically cites potato gnocchi as the Roman canonical dish for Thursday and thereby agrees with Mario, I have to assume that while the dish may be promenant outside Rome, it is certainly a distinctively Roman dish as well.
Bettoja is a teacher who runs her own culinary school in Rome while Downie is a culinary journalist, so it surprises me that it is Downie who has the superior sidebars on some basic techniques such as how to clean an artichoke (sidebars with step by step photographs) and how to roast and skin sweet peppers.
Even though Bettoja's book is later and even though the books have identical list prices and almost identical page counts, Downie's book is much richer in the quality and quantity of it's photographs, almost all with useful captions. I generally do not count good photography to a cookbook's credit, but in the case of a book dedicated to so photogenic a location as Rome, I must make an exception here. For the identical price, Downie and his photographer and editors have simply done a much better job. Downie's book is also richer in sidebars on general Roman and Italian culinary matters. His headnotes for individual dishes are also richer in explaining the history of many dishes such as Fettucini Alfredo and Fettucini alla Papalina.
In the battle of the blurbs, Downie has Mario and Carol Field while Bettoja has Lidia Bastianich and Frances Mayes on her back cover. I think that's a tie.
I would buy both of these books, even with the rather substantial overlap in named dishes. The overlap is actually a plus for amateur foodie scholars, as it gives one the sense of exactly how different two sources can be with exactly the same dish. Bettoja is a great source for pasta recipes and Roman desserts, while Downie has much greater success at evoking the Roman ambiance and in covering deeper techniques. Downie also wins the points on domestic sources for flour and other Italian specialities. Bettoja rather quixotically gives us the telephone numbers of companies in Rome. Not very useful unless you plan to visit Rome in the near future.
Both books are recommended. If you need to choose one, I would pick Downie's book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: In a Roman Kitchen: Timeless Recipes from the Eternal City

"Not only has Jo Bettoja captured the intensely flavorful, bubbly, textured cuisine of Rome in her delightful book, she has captured the spirit of the Romans in each recipe.This wonderful addition to the world of Italian cookbooks will make you savor Rome with every bite." -Lidia Bastianich, author of Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen and Lidia's Italian Table, and host of the PBS series Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen"Of the major cities, Rome has the biggest heart. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the street markets and at the Roman table. Jo Bettoja takes us there-she cooks with a heart as full of largesse and gusto as that of her adopted city."-Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun"No one can come close to Jo Bettoja in either knowledge or intrinsic understanding of Roman cooking. She has lived in Rome for so long that the waters of the Tiber are mixed with her blood. In a Roman Kitchen is a classic." -Nick Malgieri, author of Great Italian and Perfect Cakes--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Click here for more information about In a Roman Kitchen: Timeless Recipes from the Eternal City

Read More...

Gourmet's Quick Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have owned this book for years and have ordered and given several copies to friends and family. This is a great little book for the two-person household. Best of all, the recipes are easily accessible for the novice as well as the experienced cook, and can all be made quickly.
Organized as all the "Best of Gourmet" series are (i.e., appetizers, soups, quick breads, fish & shellfish, meats, poultry, breakfast and cheese and egg dishes, vegetables, salads, desserts), with a few suggested menus at the beginning, it is a very easy book to use. I have made about 75% of the recipes in this book over the years, and there are only a couple that I would not make again -- not because they are "bad", but because they did not suit my palate or my partner's or daughter's. There are a number of recipes in the Vegetables section that make wonderful vegetarian entrees -- for example, the pita pizzas are delightful and quite filling. The Indian menu at the beginning of the book is absolutely wonderful! On a day to day basis, the chicken and fish dishes can't be beat for weekday cooking. Many of the recipes double easily for four people, too.
I highly recommend this book. It is difficult to find recipe collections tailored for two, and this is a very good one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Gourmet's Quick Kitchen

With 205 recipes and 45 full-color photos, this is a beautifully packaged, easy-to-use cookbook. Gourmet's Quick Kitchen presents ten complete menus in a format tailor-made for today's busy lifestyles, and is a captivating collection of recipes designed for people who enjoy eating good food--even when they don't have a lot of time to prepare it.

Click here for more information about Gourmet's Quick Kitchen

Read More...

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Alone in the Kitchen With An Eggplant is a tribute not only to food, but to the act of eating and preparing it, the savoring of a specific meal, or simply the privacy to enjoy it. With a range of writers, some known for food writing (M.F.K. Fisher, Marcella Hazan, Amanda Hesser) and fiction writers (Jami Attenberg, Dan Chaon, Ann Patchett) covering basic to fancier dishes, it's got something for everyone, even the non-foodies. For some of the authors, eating alone can be, well, lonely, and I'm glad this perspective was included, while for others, such as Holly Hughes in "Luxury," because of the constant demands of her kids ("Yuck, Mom, why is the rice so slimy?" "Mom, this has boogers in it."), eating alone is a treasured treat. She has meals she only eats alone, like liver, because she "couldn't bear it if" her kids spit it out.
The authors who tackle a specific food do so with an urgency bordering on lust, and their unusual choices (most contributors aren't choosing traditional comfort foods here like macaroni and cheese or pizza, or, okay, maybe those are just mine) may make you reconsider certain foods. Haruki Murakami eats spaghetti for a year, "as if cooking spaghetti were an act of revenge," and his preference for eating it alone is balanced with the intrusion of a phone call that tears him away from his favorite meal. Phoebe Nobles eats asparagus every day for two months in her quest to become an "asparagus superhero." Erin Ergenbright shares a tale from the other side of the spectrum, as an observer of a solo female diner (aka "NGL," No Garlic Lady") at the Portland restaurant where she waits tables, clarklewis. Her tricky relationship with this diner, as well as her own (mis)adventures in the world of food, are interspersed and contrasted and, by the end, made me want to dine at clarklewis, alone or otherwise.
I especially enjoyed Laura Dave's humorous yet very real rules on "How To Cook in a New York Apartment" ("Don't cook that which leaves its smell behind" is #1) and what could be considered its counterpoint, Courtney Eldridge's biting "Thanks But No Thanks," in which she documents how her foodie ex-husband and his food critic mother made the act of eating almost a chore (but did introduce her to sushi so delicious "it was all I could do, biting my tongue, to keep a postcoital I love you from escaping my lips." Even so, her husband's class bias and food snobbery drive a wedge between them, and Eldridge's straightforward style is especially welcome.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

Click here for more information about Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

Read More...

Osteria: Hearty Italian Fare from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The photography is great and many of the recipes quite tasty. But on more than one occasion while I cooked from this book, some instructional step was either missing entirely or glossed over (insufficient detail). After a couple of times of this, the topper was the lasagna recipe, which not only failed to tell me to cover it (as just about every other lasagna recipe in the world tells you to do -- I failed to honor my instincts and of course, the lasagne burned), but it also didn't tell me what to do with the tomato mixture it asked me to prepare. I winged it and figured it out -- after all, this is not rocket scient -- but it would have been nice to have better instructions.
Hopefully the author will get another pair of eyes to read his recipes and actually cook them before he publishes another book. I have officially retired this book and won't be cooking anything new from it -- cooking can be frustrating enough without a poorly edited cookbook to add to the problems.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Osteria: Hearty Italian Fare from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen

Click here for more information about Osteria: Hearty Italian Fare from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen

Read More...

Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen: Over 100 Wickedly Tempting Recipes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you have a copy of White Heat then you should get this as well. Pure Marco Pierre White. So many of the recipes are so simple at heart, some of the ingredients can be a problem to obtain but focus on what you can obtain and cook with that. A great insight into how simple flavors and highlighting simple elements of food can yield awesome results. Damn good book. All learning chefs should grab a copy.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen: Over 100 Wickedly Tempting Recipes

Known for his ability to make both headlines and scrumptious, innovative international cuisine, renegade chef Marco Pierre White serves up a range of delicious recipes in this mouthwatering collection. The dishes offered range from Partridge Pie with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce to Melting Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Cream, and all are illustrated with step-by-step photographs. A range of shortcuts, masterful tips, and tricks of the trade are also included to provide at-home chefs a taste of what it's like to cook in the company of a culinary genius.

Click here for more information about Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen: Over 100 Wickedly Tempting Recipes

Read More...

Kitchen Science: A Guide to Knowing the Hows and Whys for Fun and Success in the Kitchen Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great book for the kitchen, and there are no recipes. This book explains why you get the results you get (and how to fix them), such as why my steaks toughen as they cool and why I lost color in my parboiled vegetables. I now know whether or not an egg is raw or hard boiled (without cracking it to find out), how to care for my knives, how to check for temp. accuracy in my oven, why the grocery store shouldn't sell green tinged potatoes, and whether or not the chicken I bought has ever been frozen. Simply a great book that'll have you saying "Aha! with every page.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kitchen Science: A Guide to Knowing the Hows and Whys for Fun and Success in the Kitchen

This book takes the mystery out of creative cooking by requiring love, imagination, art -- and science from the cook. Hillman's years of experience render cooking conundrums comprehensible and transform the way we approach food.

Click here for more information about Kitchen Science: A Guide to Knowing the Hows and Whys for Fun and Success in the Kitchen

Read More...

"A Woman's Place Is in the Kitchen": The Evolution of Women Chefs Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I loved this book. As a recent graduate of a culinary school and a mid-life career changer, this book gave me much insight into the culinary field. I loved all of the personal stories in the book and I enjoyed the historical footnotes

Click Here to see more reviews about: "A Woman's Place Is in the Kitchen": The Evolution of Women Chefs

A survey of professional women chefs, this book provides an up-close-and-personal perspective of what a career in the food industry involves for today's women and men.

Click here for more information about "A Woman's Place Is in the Kitchen": The Evolution of Women Chefs

Read More...