Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals

Average customer rating:

Rachael cooks up another classic!

Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals

It's okay..

Probably will not buy any more of her books

Ingredients

Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals: What to Keep on Hand, What to Buy Fresh for the Easiest-Ever 30-Minute Meals
Rachael Ray
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
General | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (A 30-Minute Meal Cookbook)

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Rachael Ray 2, 4, 6, 8: Great Meals for Couples or Crowds

Comfort Food: Rachael Ray Top 30 30-Minute Meals

ASIN: 1400082552
Release Date: 2006-04-18

Book Description

How can you get a wholesome, delicious dinner on the table without spending time on long lines at the supermarket? Rachael knows how!

Her secret weapon is keeping plenty of versatile, flavorful ingredients in the cupboard, fridge, and freezer, combining these staples with just a few fresh items—never more then ten—to create delicious meals for every night of the week. In Express Lane Meals, Rachael provides her personal go-to list of must-have items—so you can do a big shop every week then simply zip through the Express Lane to make any of these 30-minute meals.

She divides the recipes into three categories: “Meals for the Exhausted,” “ Meals for the Not Too Tired,” and “Bring It On! (But, Be Gentle).” No matter which you choose you’ll learn handy tricks and shortcuts to get the most impressive-looking meals on the table in 30 minutes or less.

These are Rachael’s quickest and easiest recipes yet and a breeze to shop for—because you shouldn’t have to spend all of the time Rachael saves you in the kitchen standing in line at the grocery store!

RACHAEL RAY IS A VERY BUSY LADY . . .

And she knows you’re busy, too. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a delicious, healthy, and home-cooked meal every night of the week. Not when cooking is as simple as this!

In Express Lane Meals, Rachael Ray is back and faster than ever! With her latest batch of recipes this beloved Food Network phenomenon takes her 30-Minute Meal concept to the next level, creating recipes based on staples from a well-stocked pantry and just a few fresh items—so few you’ll never be stuck on a long grocery line again.

YUMMO!

Customer Reviews:

Rachael cooks up another classic!.......2007-09-08

The idea behind this clever cookbook is to have on hand a certain amount of basic ingredients. Then, to complete one of the recipes in the book, all you have to do is stop by the store and pick up a few items on your way home from work- thereby qualifying you to use the "express lane"- hence the title of the book.

This particular cookbook of Rachael's contains not only easy to follow recipes, but also has a wide enough variety of them that will keep you from serving the same boring meals every night- a chronic problem at my house.

All in all a good cookbook that deserves a place on everybody's bookshelf, I give it five stars. Also recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator if you have trouble sticking to a healthy diet.

Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals.......2007-07-29

Have not cooked anything from this book as of this date. I have enjoyed reading the recipes.

It's okay.........2007-07-11

I bought this book because I really like her. Unfortunately, you have no idea which recipes are good.. and which are not. The book is also not ideal for placing next to you while you cook. They should change the binding! Another minus.. no pic of what the finished product should look like. I understand it's a budget book.. but there has to be some features to make me want to buy another one.

I think I prefer browsing on Food Network... there are reviews from other cooks on whether or not it is good.

Probably will not buy any more of her books.......2007-06-29

I recently recieved this book and have found a few recipes I want to try. However, living in a small rural western town, some of the ingredients are unavailable. Not really a problem for me since I susbstutute ingredients quite often.

My biggest problem with this book at the moment is the index: totally useless. As I thumbed through the book perusing, I found a recipe entitled "Steaks with Tangy Corn Relish and Super Cheese and Scallion Smashed Spuds." A day later, I wanted to find the recipe for the corn relish...I looked in the index under "C" for corn...nope, not there. "R" for relish...not there either. Oh, I remember, it was listed with steak in the recipe...looked under "S" for steak...nope, not there either. I finally find it under "B" for beef.

Another recipe in the book included a Spicy Citrus Salsa...can't find it under Salsa or Citrus, but it is listed under "C" for Chorizo.
Maybe it would be faster to thumb through the book until I find what I'm looking for?

I want to try the recipes for the condiments - to go with other dishes I make, but I'm having a very difficult time of finding that specific recipe. When I do find the recipe, it's rather difficult to separate those specific ingredients and directions from the rest of the recipe.
I will be making good use of a highlighter in this cookbook.

Ingredients.......2007-05-09

I'm new to cooking fresh food daily and am actually starting to like it. This cookbook has been tremendously helpful in that the recipes are quick and easy and the 'to-buy' list is usually short. The portions are generally for 4 and there's only 2 of us so we always have left-overs, which freeze or reheat nicely. I'll go through the book and buy 2-3 meals worth on Monday (it's still fast, maybe not express though!) and basically be set for the week.

I wish the cookbook had a list of the recipes that use the fresh-purchase ingredients. This would make it easier to use up the fresh-purchased ingredients if not used in one recipe. I still recommend this for quick, easy, tasty meals.

Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People

Average customer rating:

My favorite cookbook this year!
Hands-Off Cooking:Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals
Hands Off Cooking
The Perfect Book for Busy People Who Love Good Food
Adding Variety to my Routine

Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People
Ann Martin Rolke
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Quick & Easy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0471756814

Book Description

Perfect for today's hectic lifestyles, this quick-and-easy cookbook will help home cooks free up extra time without sacrificing great homemade meals. Distinctively different, this cookbook features dishes that can be prepared fast and left unattended while the cook answers an e-mail, spends time with the kids (or the guests), or simply relaxes. More than 100 delicious recipes include everything from main dishes and sides to breads and desserts. There are recipes for the crock-pot, stovetop, and oven. Unlike typical "quick" dishes, these emphasize freshness and flavor and avoid highly processed foods. With Hands-Off Techniques, Stress Savers, Eye Appeal ideas, useful tips on ingredients and equipment, plus timesaving recipes, Hands-Off Cooking is the cookbook busy people can't wait to get their hands on.

Customer Reviews:

My favorite cookbook this year!.......2007-07-19

This cookbook is great for cooks at any skill level. The recipes are approachable, yet far from standard "quick-meal" fare. Lots of influences, including Thai, Indian and North African lend the recipes tons of flavor. Even though the author offers plenty of ideas to make the dishes even more convenient (buying a cooked chicken or diced onions, for example) the recipes often call for ingredients I usually have on hand, eliminating special trips to the grocery store. Whereas some of my cookbooks sit on my shelf gathering dust, this one is already dog-eared and food stained!

Hands-Off Cooking:Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals.......2007-05-17

I have made a good number of the recipes in this new cookbook. They all seem easy to make and then they turn out so delicious. The Vegetarian Chili has become a regular at our house. Last night I made Fish Vercruz; it was scrumptious!!! so I decided I had to spread the word about this great book.

Hands Off Cooking.......2007-05-12

I admit, and all my friends KNOW that I am not a cook, but this book looked like something that may help me make some simple dishes. To my suprise, the recipes are EXTREMELY tasty and simple !! I actually am begining to look forwaed to getting in the kitchen, and not only serve my family excellent food, but also to company !! Thanks so much Sue

The Perfect Book for Busy People Who Love Good Food.......2007-05-12

Every recipe I have tried so far has resulted in a truly superior meal...and true to the book's mission, prep is easy and not labor-intensive.

If you are extremely busy but value a great meal at home, you need to buy Hands-Off Cooking. I have already picked up copies for a couple of friends.

It's the best cookbook I have read/used in a long, long time.

Adding Variety to my Routine.......2007-05-07

I tend to work to much and get in a food rut, repeating the same meals until I can't stand it. I just tried my fourth recipe from this book, another success - the lamb meatloaf, and it continues to prove to have been an excellent purchase.

I buy the ingredients the night before I actually try the recipe. If I try to buy the same day then I get home too late to make the recipe. I like that the recipes seem to be just what the title promises - hands off. I do the prep and then some laundry or gardening - then dinner.

At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room

Average customer rating:

At Your Service, A Hands-on Guide to the Proffessonal Dining Rom
Best book there is on the subject.
A nice browser
Excellent
Move over remarkable service.

At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room
Culinary Institute of America , and John W. Fischer
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Service | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Professional | Professional Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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Remarkable Service: A Guide to Winning and Keeping Customers for Servers, Managers, and Restaurant Owners
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The Food Service Professionals Guide To: Waiter & Waitress Training: How To Develop Your Wait Staff For Maximum Service & Profit (The Food Service Professionals Guide, 10)
Lessons in Service from Charlie Trotter

ASIN: 0764557475

Book Description

"The nation's most influential training school for professional cooks."
- Time magazine

The essential guide to the exemplary service and hospitality that build customer loyalty...and restaurant reputations

In today's competitive restaurant environment, culinary excellence is not enough. Dining establishments must offer the kind of service that sets them apart. From the renowned Culinary Institute of America, At Your Service is the comprehensive, contemporary guide to help professionals learn the ins and outs of running a successful front-of-the-house operation: taking reservations and greeting guests, basic service, table-side service, beverage service, and money handling.

The book includes:

Guidelines to enhance service in a variety of settings, from formal French establishments to casual American restaurants
Sidebars and real-life anecdotes from industry professionals to reinforce the principles of good service
Effective ways to address staffing challenges Ideas to enhance the relationship between the front and back of the house
Sixty-four photographs of dining room service and techniques

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college's main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its additional campus for continuing education, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

Customer Reviews:

At Your Service, A Hands-on Guide to the Proffessonal Dining Rom.......2007-10-04

I only bought this book for my Restaurant Management class homework. I was suprised to find out that there was no question and answers at the end of each chapters, like most of my text books for class. Overall the book was very informative. I especially liked that it did have a lot of photos. Some of my books are all text reading, borrrring.At Your Service: A Hands-On Guide to the Professional Dining Room

Best book there is on the subject........2007-02-24

This book is the best book on the subject from the authority. A must have.

A nice browser.......2007-01-13

Listen it is actually a good manual to pick up before you open a restaurant for the third or fourth time.

Excellent.......2006-02-03

I was trained by the author John Fischer at the CIA. He is an excellent teacher of the FoH Art. It is truely an art to wait on people and give the guest every thing they could possibly want or need. John is a great and excellent teacher that dove into the realms of the ways and hows and whats to do and when to do it sequences. I got to see him in action behind a bar one afternoon serving up as the bartender that did not show that day. He was knowledgable about wines and bar drinks showing some razzle dazzle! He was "the man" when I had him. Thanks John and for even signing my book...guy

Move over remarkable service........2005-10-12

I attended the Culinary Institute of America and was trained by Mr. Fischer. I cannot imagine a single resource that does so much to demistify the key essentials of successful service than this reference. I recommend it to anyone in the industry or interested in the industry. The old standard (the bible until now) for front of the house reference has been remarkable service. An information filled text-book but a remarkably boring and mundane read. Entertaining, Original, Insightful, and Educational this is your one stop reading for front of the house.

Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand: 200 Delicious, Healthful, Simple Recipes

Average customer rating:

Healthy Breads
Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand
Complete--no matter how you bake it
4 methods to mix each recipe
This is a very Good Book!Whole Grain has the flour in it, not just bran.

Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand: 200 Delicious, Healthful, Simple Recipes
Beatrice Ojakangas
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bread | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 076453825X

Book Description

"Possibly the best such bread book on the market . . . every recipe a winner."-New York Times

This accessible book gives new and experienced bakers the freedom and flexibility they need to make excellent homemade loaves, with more than 190 recipes that range from a simple Sourdough Bread to a fancy Finnish Cardamom Coffee Braid. Celebrated as a "reliable and inventive recipe writer" by Publishers Weekly, Beatrice Ojakangas shares four ways to make each delicious whole-grain recipe step by step: by hand, mixer, food processor, and bread machine.

Beatrice Ojakangas (Duluth, MN) is a well-known food writer, author, and consultant whose articles have appeared in Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Redbook, and other magazines. Her many books include the James Beard Award—winning Light and Easy Baking. She has been a guest on radio and television, including CNN, Martha Stewart Living, and Baking with Julia.

Customer Reviews:

Healthy Breads.......2007-02-18

Excellent - the best I have found for healthy bread. Low sugar, low fat, many methods of preparing/baking presented. Recommend to anyone who likes to bake - especially good for bread machines and small amounts.

Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand.......2006-11-12

This cookbook has a great selection of breads!

Complete--no matter how you bake it.......2006-10-29

Excellent instruction for everyone. It explains, in detail, how to make the particular recipe by hand, with an electric mixer or with a bread machine. I would recommend it to anyone interested in good bread.

4 methods to mix each recipe.......2006-04-15

Some of the reasons I bought this book:

First, each recipe has mixing directions for using a stand mixer, a food processor, a bread machine, or by hand. Since I have each of these and have even mixed bread the old fashioned way with my hands, I like having all these options available.

Second, the recipes are more down to earth than many of the exotic bread machine cookbooks. They are more healthy and wholesome. The recipes utilize whole grains, but are not necessarily 100% whole grain. They utilize regular bread flour plus many different types of grain that the average joe would not normally associate with bread.

Some reviews have been critical that the recipes are not 100% whole grain. There are some 100% whole wheat recipes but not every recipe in the book is 100% whole grain. The problem here is using 100% whole wheat with another non-gluten 100% whole grain such as rye or spelt that has little or no gluten and getting the bread to rise properly. Many of the flours used in this book by themselves would not have enough gluten to make a decent loaf of bread and 100% whole wheat vs. bread flour also is challenged to make a decent loaf that rises and is not overly dense. Some of these exotic grains will only work if you use them to make quick, non yeast breads.

So, the 100% whole grain charge is only partly correct. For example, who would try to make a 100% whole rye flour bread? You can incorporate whole grains along with bread flour and still eat very healthy and have a much better tasting loaf

That being said, she does have an entire chapter devoted to non-wheat breads such as "Buckwheat & Spelt" bread.

My major critcism of the book is that just about every recipe I have tried with my bread machine, I had to add up to 30% more liquid than called for in the recipe. In fact, I usually just assume I need to add an extra quarter of a cup. When the bread machine starts to mix the dough, I baby sit and am ready to add additional water.

Not enough liquid killed my previous bread machine when I tried to make a heavy, coarse rye loaf. It is much better to have too much liquid to start with and then add flour vs not enough and watch the machine bog down and jam. Be careful with your bread machine if you are making a whole grain whole wheat bread! If the stuff in your bread machine pan starts to look like clay that belongs on a potters wheel, throw it out! You have less than 50 cents invested in the flours! The motors in these machines are not even close to being as hefty as a Kitchenaid stand mixer. If the recipe calls for 4 cups of flour, hold back a cup and see how it mixes up and gradually add the rest until it looks like a good ratio of flour to water has been achieved. You are the boss, the recipe is to help you, not enslave you.

So, overall, ther are many good, healthy recipes utilizing whole grains that can be mixed as you like.

This is a very Good Book!Whole Grain has the flour in it, not just bran........2006-02-07

I enjoy this book and bake bread with this book. For those of you that don't have an understanding of what term whole grain means, look it up in the dictionary. It has the "whole grain" including your flour. If you are looking for no flour in your bread, or no gluten, you better not try making a loaf of bread. You must be wanting to make crackers or hard tack. Or maybe you need "Gluten-Free" There are other cookbooks out there. But if you really want to cook and bake easy, wonderful dishes your family will always enjoy, all of Beatrice Ojakangas's books are the one's you want. If you want to make crackers try Linda Foust's book on "Fun, Easy Recipes For Baking Delicious CRACKERS! Like Cookies, They're Better Homemade. ISBN: 0-936067-16-0 . (In her book are many types.)

Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
Hot Homemade bread!!!
An excellent place to begin
How I learned to bake bread!
Best Artisan Bread Book Period

Bread Alone: Bold Fresh Loaves from Your Own Hands
Daniel Leader , and Judith Blahnik
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Bread | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Artisan Baking

ASIN: 0688092616

Book Description

"Good bread is hard to find and easy to make," says Dan Leader as he draws you into the ancient world of traditional bread baking. Unlike any other bread book, Bread Alone will provide you with a comprehensive guide to creating—at home—the country-style breads that have consistently captured the imagination and the taste buds of the world.

In a richly told tale, Leader chronicles his crossings of America and Europe to locate the most vital ingredients at the source, to learn from the methods of the world's great bakers, and to perfect their traditional techniques. His recipes are ones that have been used for centuries: large sourdough ryes, rich and dark raisin pumpernickel loaves, real French pain au levain, big round wheats with walnuts, crusty baguettes, high and airy breads, and more. Made from organic, stone-ground grains, these breads are slow-leavened, hand-shaped, and baked to perfection on heated baking tiles. As you read through the recipes, you can almost smell the ancient aroma of baking bread. And as you begin to bake, you will learn the importance of the primary ingredient in great bread: your own observations.

These are some of the breads and techniques you will master:

In the chapter "Becoming Bread," you will learn to identify and shop for the highest quality flour available. And you will seek it out because you'll taste the difference.
Making a poolish will become second nature to you as you master the Learning Recipe: Classic Country-Style Hearth Loaf and its delicious variations.
Whatever your schedule, there is a bread for you. In the chapter "Straight-Dough Breads: Traditional Breads for a Modern Life-Style," you are shown how to start and finish a recipe in five hours, or morning-to-night, or night-to-night.
You will bake sourdough bread in its many forms. By gently introducing the concept of sourdough—how it is made, how it is maintained, and how to get the best flavor from it—Leader demystifies it and makes it accessible to you.
Discover the wonders of rye bread: From the dense and chewy Finnish Sour Rye to the fragrant Danish Light Rye, everyone's tastes are served.
The mystery of pain au levain, French for "bread from a sourdough or wild yeast," unfolds into an understandable, user-friendly process. From My Personal Favorite Pain au Levain, a typical large Parisian loaf, to Pain au Levain with Pecans and Dried Cherries, the "Family of Traditional Pain au Levain" includes some of the best loaves baked around the world.
A perfect baguette is a beautiful thing. From shaping to scoring, you will learn how to make the authentic French baguette at home.
The purpose of an organic certifier—find out how and why one farmer becomes dedicated to his role as land steward.
Brioche, Chocolate-Apricot Kugelhopf, Panettone, and Semolina Sesame Rolls are a few recipes you will find in "A Family of Breads Inspired by Traditional French and Italian Breads."
Finally, when a quick bread is all you have time to bake, you will find recipes for such delights as Vanilla Bean Butter Loaf; Dried Pear, Port, and Poppy Seed Loaf; and Provolone Sage Corn Loaf.

Bread Alone is the bread book that cooks and bakers have been waiting for. From the wheat fields of the Midwest to the hot and steamy boulangeries of Paris, you will travel the long and delicious road to flawless bread baking. You will emerge a better baker and with a deeper understanding of what it takes to make perfect loaves. Bakers entertain you with stories of their love of baking (even in the most adverse situations). Bread Alone is the bible of bread books and a must-have for bread lovers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-01-10

I had the pleasure of taking a few classes with Mr. Daniel. I love the passion he has for our industry. Its a great book. I've tried some of his recipes. Yum-oh!!!!!!

Hot Homemade bread!!!.......2006-02-26

This book was suggested by a chef at the college where I am taking a wonderful baking course. Bread Alone gives you the basics of baking as well as answering the many questions we all have. Great recipes. Buy it and enjoy.

An excellent place to begin.......2005-12-15

Before buying this book, I'd not done much bread baking before. On the few occasions I had tried, invariably the results were lifeless white breads that seemed to have more in common with the flavor and texture of paste than bread. With Daniel Leader's book I learned the value of bread starters and slower fermentation. This lead to a marked improvement in the flavor and texture of my bread. (it also makes baking a lot more fun).

My favorite discussion in the book is the description of the Levain and other wild yeast breads. The procedure for creating a starter in the book worked surprisingly well for me and the resulting bread is fantastic. I'm now an "avid" baker and my family and I have gotten a lot of enjoyment from the start I found in this book.

How I learned to bake bread!.......2005-09-11

I purchased this book because I had tried to bake bread in the past and the results were disapointing. I found this book extemely helpful and it has become my baking "Bible". I know it can sometimes be tedious, but if you try to follow the instructions as close as possible, the results are absolutely delicious! I have even started ordering organic stone ground flour and the flavor and texture of my bread has improved as the author said they would. Buy this book if you are serious about baking delicious bread.

Best Artisan Bread Book Period.......2005-05-25

Absolutely sure fire book for baking artisan bread. Each section of the book has a core of recipes that followed will result in wonderful bread. The only thing you need to watch is the amount of flour that a recipe calls out. Depending on density it varies wildly, but to give him credit he does say to weigh it, but you need to experiment with the correct texture and feel. I have probably 10 books on breads, but this is the one I use and the one I can't live without.

Also it has an absolutely surefire Pain de levain recipe with about 6 variations of the same recipe, and two of the best baguette recipes I have tried. No other recipe has given the results that this book does. The sourdough starter is sure fire also.

If you want to learn how to bake good bread using only flour, water, salt, and starter/yeast this is it.

Average customer rating:

masterful
EXCELLENT & RELIABLE SERVICE : )
Inside the mind and heart of a great cook
Farmhouse cooking raised to high art
Real Authentic Italian Flavors

Cooking by Hand
Paul Bertolli
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing
The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating
Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Pâtés
Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery
Chez Panisse Cooking

ASIN: 0609608932
Release Date: 2003-08-19

Book Description

One of the most respected chefs in the country, Paul Bertolli earns glowing praise for the food at California’s renowned Oliveto restaurant. Now he shares his most personal thoughts about cooking in his long-awaited book, Cooking by Hand. In this groundbreaking collection of essays and recipes, Bertolli evocatively explores the philosophy behind the food that Molly O’Neill of the New York Times described as “deceptively simple, [with] favors clean, deep, and layered more profusely than a mille-feuille.”

From “Twelve Ways of Looking at Tomatoes” to Italian salumi in “The Whole Hog,” Bertolli explores his favorite foods with the vividness of a natural writer and the instincts of a superlative chef. Scattered throughout are more than 140 recipes remarkable for their clarity, simplicity, and seductive appeal, from Salad of Bitter Greens, Walnuts, Tesa, and Parmigiano and Chilled Shellfish with Salsa Verde to Short Ribs Agrodolce and Tagliolini Pasta with Crab. Unforgettable desserts, such as Semifreddo of Peaches and Mascarpone and Hazelnut Meringata with Chocolate and Espresso Sauce, round out a collection that’s destined to become required reading for any food lover.

Rich with the remarkable food memories that inspire him, from the taste of ripe Santa Rosa plums and the aroma of dried porcini mushrooms in his mother’s ragu to eating grilled bistecca alla Fiorentina on a foggy late autumn day in Chianti, Cooking by Hand will ignite a passion within you to become more creatively involved in the food you cook.

Customer Reviews:

masterful.......2007-01-16

another perfect example of a book that combines philosophy with cookery with the result of a flawless melding of the two. as a culinary professional, i have found this book to be incredibly inspiring. i have used the recipes and techniques in the book both at work and at home, with great success. sometimes when i am exhausted after a long days work, i just open this book for a pick me up, whether it is the story of his son's batteria (the balsamic vinegar array) or his charcuterie recipes (not found in many other cookbooks) or the spare illustrations (so rare in these days of gastro-porn) there is clearly something special about this book.

EXCELLENT & RELIABLE SERVICE : ).......2007-01-05

Fast international delivery. Book arrived in perfect condition - Thankyou.

Inside the mind and heart of a great cook.......2006-11-14

I have thoroughly loved reading this cookbook. Even if you never make any of these recipes, you will love learning how this great chef looks at the world of ingredients. Fortunately, the lion's share of his insights surround common foods which you and I enjoy all the time, such as tomatoes and artichokes. His chapters on pasta and "bottom-up" cooking are wonderful culinary reading. This book would make a great gift for someone who loves to cook but already has the big name cookbooks.

Farmhouse cooking raised to high art.......2006-07-14

There are many cookbooks out there that treat food as secondary. Their first concerns are time [Rachel Ray's focus on 30 minute recipes], waistlines [a new diet cookbok every day], money [cooking on a budget], impressing the neighbors [cooking quick, vapid, and flashy tray-foods], etc. It's remarkable, even in our food-neurotic culture, that so few cookbooks deal first and last with FOOD. Paul Bertolli's Cooking by Hand isn't just focused on food, it is passionately, single-mindedly, worshipfully, crazily in love with food and with ingredients, and with food's ability to draw friends and family together. This lusty focus generated a book like no other. In it, Bertolli efuses about tomatoes, engages in much hearty gesticulating about pork trimmings, goes on for seven pages about home prosciutto-making, writes a tear-jerking letter to his infant son about balsamic vinegar, and philosophizes at some length about terroir as a metaphor for human development. And, somehow, he pulls it off. His enthusiasm is infectious. My overwhelming sense of Paul Bertolli after reading this book [and cooking from it] is that he is totally, profoundly, madly in the thrall of good food. He makes other chefs look tepid or undercommitted. I'd probably have a hard time working for him, in the face of such over-riding passion every day, but I will be travelling 1,000 miles to his restaurant this fall because he's ignited in me a hunger that eschews caution.

I am happy to report that the recipes stand up to all the heavy breathing. The conserva of tomatoes has revolutionized my sauce-making. The illuminating instructions for sugo have caused some very quiet, almost prayerful pasta courses at my table. The Bitter Orange Cake with Compote of Blood Oranges is one of those foods that will end a meal in such a way that you will feel haunted for weeks until you get it in your mouth again.

I highly recommend this book, both as cookbook and as a gospel.

Real Authentic Italian Flavors.......2005-08-26

Although we haven't read the book cover to cover, we have made a few recipes. These are true Italian flavors, reminiscent of a great little restaurant in Bordeaux, with 4 tables run by an amazingly gregarious Italian who did everything by hand, and by himself (cooking, serving, entertaining, washing, driving to Italy for supplies). These are not watered down versions of Italian food so commonly found in classic American Italian cookbooks (ex. Rao's Cookbook).

Try the Bolognese sauce made with hanger steak (make sure you use homemade stock) or the Chicken Cannelloni (make enough to freeze for quick dinners) and you'll be a convert. These recipes might take time (good things do), but they are far from difficult. The flavors are deeply concentrated and will leave you speechless. Oh, and do open that good bottle of wine.

The Perfect Recipe: The Ultimate, Hands-Down Best Way to Cook Our Favorite Foods

Average customer rating:

Simply the best cookbook you will ever buy!
Very nice "entry level" book for potential "Cook's Illustrated" fans
Get the "Best Recipe" instead from Cooks Illustrated.
my favorites from this book
Easy to follow, clever, and delicious!

The Perfect Recipe: The Ultimate, Hands-Down Best Way to Cook Our Favorite Foods
Pamela Anderson
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

CookSmart: Perfect Recipes for Every Day
Perfect Recipes for Having People Over
How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart
Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals
Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You'll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining from the Diva of Do-Ahead

ASIN: 0395894034

Amazon.com

Have you ever felt a little besieged by recipes? Ever opened up the newspaper to the food page and found yet more recipes that may or may not taste like anything you might want to have in your mouth? Ever longed for simplicity, for that one recipe you know is going to work time and time again? And not a recipe for some weird combination of foods that don't belong together on a plate, but for the kind of dishes you put on your table over and over again? Ever wondered what cookbook to send off to college with your child, the one who has been eating you out of house and home but for whom cooking is pouring milk on cold cereal? Pam Anderson, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated, has your answer.

"I wanted a stir-fry formula that I could commit to memory and make with meat, vegetables, and flavorings I had on hand, and a number of different sauces," Anderson writes. "I wanted a chicken pot pie that I'd actually have time to get on the table on weeknights, and macaroni and cheese that both my kids and I would eat. I wanted foolproof coleslaw and potato salads that would go with all sorts of dishes.... I wanted answers to questions that had been dogging me for years. Which cut of beef is best for stew? When mashing potatoes, which comes first: the butter or the milk?"

The Perfect Recipe answers these and many, many more questions. Anderson sets herself the task of finding the perfect recipes for, say, chicken stock, and explains how she got to her result. You end up learning a little bit about the science and chemistry of cooking. Then she gives you several delicious, and perfect, recipes for chicken soup. Or clam chowder. Or beef onion soup. She walks you through chicken and, after having roasted 40 turkeys, she shows you how to get perfect results every time. Her brownies are every bit as fudgy, chewy, and cakey as she claims. Her muffins are divine.

While most of these recipes are for everyday foods (and what could be more important?), there are a number of recipes dedicated to entertaining--how to cook the perfect prime rib even though you only do it once a year, for example. Anderson truly delivers the building blocks of good, sound, flavorful cooking--the kind of cooking you can always count on. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

Which comes first when mashing potatoes-the butter or the milk? What grade and grind of meat make the best hamburgers? How do you roast a turkey so the breast meat is as moist and juicy as the legs? For the tenderest muffins, should you use buttermilk, yogurt or milk? At what temperature should you cook prime rib for the most succulent results? Is it possible to create a fudgy, cakey, chewy brownie all in one? Most of us don't have time to figure out the answers to questions like these. We need somebody to do the work for us and get our favorite recipes just right. In this book, Pam Anderson, executive editor of the highly successful magazine Cook's Illustrated, does just that. Painstakingly conducting test after test, Anderson arrives at not only the best recipe but frequently the most convenient and sensible one: -- A simple formula for a stir-fry that can be varied with different combinations of meat, vegetables and sauces. -- French bread so easy it can be baked every day. -- Chicken pot pie for weeknights, made with chicken breast rather than whole chicken. -- Macaroni and cheese as effortless as boxed, but three times as satisfying. -- Pizza dough that rises in just one hour or throughout the day. -- A cobbler that can be prepared with dozens of different fruits, making it 40 desserts in one. More than 150 recipes in all, with dozens of step-by-step illustrations of techniques, comparisons of products and useful tips.

Customer Reviews:

Simply the best cookbook you will ever buy!.......2007-10-01

This book is full of test kitchen recipes that you really can use daily. The ways that they are explained and the mistakes they have made and show you how to avoid are priceless. My sister loved my book so much I had to buy her her own copy! Don't miss this one it is my favorite cookbook on the shelf and I collect them in the dozens!

Very nice "entry level" book for potential "Cook's Illustrated" fans.......2007-02-18

This book's style and editorial format has a lot in common with Shirley Corriher's "CookWise" and the output of the Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen group, which isn't surprising since Anderson was once affiliated with CI. Anderson brings much of that same chatty, educational style to "The Perfect Recipe"; some people will like it, some people will hate it, depending on what they want from their cookbooks. I happen to really enjoy this kind of cookbook style, so I quite like it.

Other reviewers have mentioned that "Perfect Recipe" is practically a remake of CI's "The Best Recipe", but has far fewer recipes and represents a lesser value for the reader (although it also costs less). The criticism has merit, but I think this book still has a place if the libraries of some cooks. I am thinking here of novice and middling cooks who find the dense, cluttered potpourri layout of the CI books unappealing or intimidating. There are also cooks who couldn't care less about ingredient and appliance brand reviews that pad out every variation of CI/ATK books. For these reader, "The Perfect Recipe" offers a contrasting format with a much simpler and easier-to-follow style - even the typeset and margins are larger and any given page is usually only devoted to one variation of a recipe.

A good example of the cookbook's value is Anderson's chapter on roasting chicken. She shows how to "butterfly" a chicken for quicker/easier roasting, and gives several variations of the recipe, any one which will yield excellent results. I was basically afraid to try this method before reading this chapter (even after seeing Alton Brown's excellent show on the subject) , but Anderson's detailed instructions removed those qualms and left me raring and eager to try it. If a cookbook empowers me to try one new thing, I consider it worth the purchase price...so I am happy with "The Perfect Recipe". I am confident that other readers may well find that Anderson's style is just the ticket to help them get past their fear of other basic topics in food prep.

Weaknesses: For my taste, the chapter on "Special Occasion" foods (crown roast, Thanksgiving turkey, etc) was both too long and too short. Most of these recipes are of little use for a single bachelor - but if you are going to have them, you need more than just a few standards). But I understand that Anderson was making a judgement call on how to structure her book, and that other people will regard the chapter as a Godsend.

So if you are a hardcore cook with 200-300 volumes in your library (including some or all of the "Best Recipe" volumes) you probably won't need (or want) "The Perfect Recipe". But if you are a newer cook trying to upgrade your recipes to the next level, Anderson may provide you the entry you are looking for.

Get the "Best Recipe" instead from Cooks Illustrated........2006-11-23

Pam Anderson was the editor at Cook's Illustrated for years. Her 1998 book, while it won the Julia Child Award, has identical recipes in "The New Best Recipe" and also in "The Best Recipe", printed in 2004, both by Cooks's Illustrated, with WAY more recipes than Pam's book.

Get the "New Best Recipe" instead from Cooks Illustrated, with over 1000 tested recipes, because it has:

1. Way more recipes to choose from
2. Costs about the same as Pam's book
3. Most importantly, it condenses Pam's roundabout writing with a simple straight forward style
4. it is 6 years newer, and has updated some recipes, and added hundreds more!

Pam's 300 odd pages are puffed up by large print. The New Best Recipe has ~1000 pages that are chock full of simple helpful information.

Pam's book needs much editing, for example, on page 100, it says "If you plan to soak the chicken longer than eight hours, reduce the salt from 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons". Sounds to me like a doubling of salt amount, not a reducing, I don't know if she really meant to double the salt...and there's many more sloppy statements to wade through.

Some people feel they need only one main cook book and go for The New Best Recipe, Joy of Cooking (versions before 1976), or another such classic. Save your money , and get a recent version of one of the classics.

my favorites from this book.......2005-12-23

This book is easy to read and follow. There is enough information without being overwelming. I haven't tried all of the recipes, but the ones I have tried are now THE recipe I use. The meatloaf is outstanding and special enough to serve to guests. (Try making it free-formed). The apple pie solves the double-crust problem and is the BEST apple pie recipe. When I make it, I mix it up and use an assortment of apples instead of one variety. The pancakes are very good and is my Sunday morning staple (with the addition of blueberries). I just made the muffin recipe last weekend for overnight guests. I added 2 mashed ripe bananas and a cup of frozen blueberries to the base recipe. Also sprinkled raw sugar over the tops for a little crunch. Very good. All I can say is ...finally a recipe for a true muffin that is not the consistency of cake!

My point is this: these recipes are so excellent that I do not feel a need to search for any other. I can only hope that it holds true for the rest of the book.

Easy to follow, clever, and delicious!.......2005-08-06

Some of my favorite recipes came from this book. It's well-written, well-designed, and most of all USEFUL! Makes a great starter cookbook. Every recipe I've made from this book has turned out great!

Killer Cocktails: An Intoxicating Guide to Sophisticated Drinking (Hands-Free Step-By-Step Guides)

Average customer rating:

Wondrich Delivers
Suave and engaging guide
Best of the Best Cocktails
Great Guide for Beginner as well as Experienced Mixers
Great Content - Terrible, Terrible Design

Killer Cocktails: An Intoxicating Guide to Sophisticated Drinking (Hands-Free Step-By-Step Guides)
David Wondrich
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Bartending | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails : From the Alamagoozlum Cocktail to the Zombie
The Joy of Mixology: The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft
The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes
Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (Classic Cocktail Books series)
Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around the World

ASIN: 0060740728
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Book Description

Killer Cocktails is a unique hands-free, stand-up guide with all the advice and guidelines you need to set up a home bar and learn the art of mixing cocktails the right way. The drinks you'll find in here avoid novelty products, artificial flavors, and colors not found in nature. They're heavy on tradition and light on trendiness. You also might learn a thing or two, from the origins of the John Collins (no Toms, Dicks, or Harrys here) to why the Daiquiri should be resurrected from its status as the wimp of all cocktails (it was JFK's fave, after all).

And that's not all. While respecting the traditions of balance and simplicity that our mixological forefathers founded, Killer Cocktails also shows you how to be creative. First you master the basics and only then can you start substituting vanilla vodka for rum, or rhubarb for raspberry. But if you're simply in the mood for a Rye Old-Fashioned, the real recipe is right here.

Customer Reviews:

Wondrich Delivers.......2007-09-29

The recipes are stellar, the writing is casual and witty, and the history fascinating and relevant. A good selection of classic and modern drinks. My new favorite reference when cocktail hour rolls around... and with this book, it never seems to come quickly enough. I like to find recipes in Killer Cocktail and turn to Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology as the ultimate reference. I recommend this book for cocktail novices and experienced mixologists alike. Wondrich's writing really seals the deal for me, and his bottomless knowledge of history ties it all together.

Suave and engaging guide.......2006-10-19

Elegantly laid out with tasty historical tidbits. Eases one into the art of making cocktails with a simple layout and straightforward recipes.
Organization may be slightly bewildering to some, but it has its own logic and artful presentation. Fun and educational, and what a price!

Best of the Best Cocktails.......2006-02-17

I have tried most the the recipes and have not found
one that I did not like yet!!!!!!!!

Great Guide for Beginner as well as Experienced Mixers.......2005-06-17

I found Killer Cocktails to be exceedingly helpful in developing my basic background of mixing drinks. Wondrich's ideas are presented in a witty, relaxed, and outside the box manner. He provides necessary information on not only the right way to mix great cocktails, but also the simple steps in setting up a home bar. Moreover, Killer Cocktails is set up as an easel format, so that it stands on its own while you are busy creating new and flavorful drinks. I actually found this to be an incredibly novel and useful way to thumb through the distinct recipes and tips.

I gave this to my father as an early Father's Day gift, and even he, who I thought to be more of a cocktail connoisseur, found the book to be extremely knowledgeable and fun. For every recipe that is given, there are also entertaining stories and trivia that are great to throw out at cocktail parties.

After following Wondrich's tips and guide, I'm definitely much more comfortable and excited to tend to the bar at my own parties. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to enhance his or her knowledge of creating and mixing cocktails, but doesn't want to spend the money or the time on a bartending class.

Great Content - Terrible, Terrible Design.......2005-05-28

There is some great information in this book - it's well written and fun to read. I might make is much use of it as I do Ted Haigh's "Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails" or Dale Degroff's "The Craft of the Cocktail" or Gary Regan's "The Joy of Mixology", but I feel like throwing it away. Why? It is next to impossible to use.

Someone had the bright idea of making it spiral bound at the top. To read through it requires flipping one page at a time, and turning the book over. A cocktail picture will be on one page, the recipe on the reverse - to see the recipe, you have to flip the page over the top and turn the book around. Very annoying, as the pages want to go every which way, since the binding is at the top. There is a cover flap that extends below that gets in the way as you flip back and forth. It makes it very hard to use.

It really is a mess. Avoid the aggrevation, save your money, and buy one of the three mentioned previously. If you have them, you might consider it, as there is good stuff here. But be prepared for a struggle reading it. I finally removed the spiral binding, punched holes in the side, and put it in a small loose-leaf binder. Now I can relax while I prepare for the cocktail hour.

From This Hill, My Hand, Cynthiana's Wine

Average customer rating:

book review
Read for learning grapes and winemaking and just LEARN
Learn a lot, and laugh some too; This book is wonderful...

From This Hill, My Hand, Cynthiana's Wine
Paul Roberts
Manufacturer: Resonant Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spirits | Drinks & Beverages | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Grape Grower: A Guide to Organic Viticulture
From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine

ASIN: 0966871626

Book Description

From This Hill, My Hand, Cynthianas Wine is more than just a book about wine it is a work of environmental philosophy blending the values and ideals of aboriginal Americans with ecologically-minded commentators admired in European-American history and contemporary letters. Here we find Henry Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, and Wendell Berry to be philosophical brothers of Chief Seattle.

By grounding abstract environmentalist concepts in the gritty reality of growing wine grapes, author Paul Roberts shows how small-scale farming, using sustainable principles to offer diverse creations, can bring humans and nature into closer harmony.

Customer Reviews:

book review.......2001-09-21

I was hoping to find out about growing cynthiana grapes-this was not the book. This is an interesting book of one man's experience with wine in general and his unending awe of the cynthiana grape.

Read for learning grapes and winemaking and just LEARN.......2000-06-29

Tremendous book, phenomenal impact on how we think about grapes, agriculture, and philosophical look at man and his interactions with nature. Mind you, you also get to learn about grapes and winemaking. Recommended by a Louisiana Wine maker and grape grower while on vacation, I was enchanted throughout.

Learn a lot, and laugh some too; This book is wonderful..........1999-11-20

I bought this wanting to learn about grape growing, but ended up learning so much more. Paul Roberts writes fluently about wine growing, but also focuses on the environment and philosophies of farming. It's really a great book to immerse yourself in the traditions of farming and grape growing, while at the same time laughing with Roberts about his experiences and his search for the perfect wine.

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)

Average customer rating:

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago
Sweet hands: reading through the recipes.
This really takes me back
You'll be Cooking Up Mouthwatering Trini Dishes in No Time
Best book on Trinidadian cooking

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)
Ramin Ganeshram
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Boooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Caribbean & West Indian | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Caribbean Cooking
Eat Caribbean: The Best of Caribbean Cookery
Lucinda's Authentic Jamaican Kitchen
Caribbean Cocktails
Island Cooking: Recipes from the Caribbean

ASIN: 0781811252

Book Description

Sweet Hands Island Cooking from Trinidad & Tobago

Callalloo and Buss Up Shut, Mother-in-Law And Kuchela, Chip Chip and Doubles. The verbiage of Trinidad's cuisine is both lyrical and mysterious. The variety of foods from this Caribbean nation and their fanciful names tell the story of a rich and eclectic cultural hertiage. A British colony from 1779 until 1962, during those years Trinidad & Tobago's population grew to include East Indian and Chinese indentured servants who worked in the sugar plantations alongside former African slaves. Trinidadian food is marked by the blending of these cultures. As such, curry, Indian breads, callaloo (a soup of West African origin), and fried rice are all among the national dishes. SWEET HANDS: ISLAND COOKING FROM TRINIDAD & TOBAGO includes these dishes, as well as many others, including Shrimp Creole, Beef Stew with Dumplings, and Ginger Beer. Also included are fascinating histories and anecdotes on such topics as Trinidadian rum, Buccaneer Cooking, and Black Cake. Beautiful photographs! by Jean-Paul Vellotti bring this beautiful island nation and its unique cuisine to life.

Customer Reviews:

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking From Trinidad And Tobago.......2007-07-17

Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago includes a variety of traditional island dishes including both sweet and hot main meal meals using beef, chicken, pork, goat, and lots of fish. There are also a lot of spicy vegetable main meals and side dishes and some really nice desserts, many making use of the sweet taste of coconut.

The recipes in this book are simply delicious, extremely filling, and will be enjoyed by even the most finicky audience. The food is often quite colourful and beautiful looking, even when I cooked it, which strangely seems to add more enjoyment and taste to the meal. One should note, however, that many of the recipes in this book are so tasty because it takes a good deal of time to prepare these dishes. Some of the meat marinades need to be prepared two days in advance and many of the dishes include dry chickpeas and split peas that have to be soaked overnight and then cooked before the recipe can be prepared.

Sweet hands: reading through the recipes........2007-07-17

I live in Norway. Reading this was like seeing/tasting the food of my childhood. Brought back fond memories of schooldays and buying DOUBLES from the best street vendor near San Juan Market. Instant recognition that the recipes were following through on the traditional culinary treats in T & T. Plan to start cooking during my Summer hols. Sweet Trini food!

This really takes me back.......2007-03-09

I can see where the author is coming from in her love of Trini food. My mom is from Trinidad and only my grandma would make the traditional dishes for us, but I've always loved them since I was a child. My grandma never used recipes, she just knew what was in the dishes but never exactly how much and she never measured anything so I wasn't able to learn how to cook traditionally from her. The recipes in this book are great and easy to follow. It also reminded me that sometimes you just need to make do with what you have (try the doubles recipe with a can of diced potatoes instead of chickpeas and serve over rice). I still struggle a bit with the roti, but I've never made bread before. A rolling pin has helped a lot. This book covers all different aspects of cooking, from blending your own spices, to making full dishes, soups, and desserts. Truly a great value!

You'll be Cooking Up Mouthwatering Trini Dishes in No Time.......2007-02-17

I went through my cookbooks, to see if I could weed some out, because I have too many to mention. It's hard getting rid of a cookbook, especially one with a few recipes in it that you've come to love. But I've scanned the recipes I need to keep forever into my MacBook. However, there were an even dozen I couldn't part with. These are books I turn to time and time again, even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet chef.

SWEET HANDS is one of those books I had to keep, not only because I've spent so much time in Trinidad (and a little in Tobago), but because of all the cookbooks I've seen there, I believe this one is the best. Even though I consider myself somewhat of a gourmet cook, I never really mastered the art of doubles, and I'd seen them made hundred of times, until I used the recipe on page 190 in this book. I think maybe it's the kuchela. I just never could seem to get the flavor I was after with the kind I bought at the High Lo Supermarket, but then a friend of a friend named Nazir had his wife make me up some and WOW do my doubles taste extra special now. Still, if you can't get Nazir's wife's kuchila you can probably find something that will do in a local West India Market. Basically, kuchela is made of mangoes and peppers, so you maybe could even try something else. Anyway, I'm digressing. This is a great cookbook, one which should belong to anybody who wants to call herself a Caribbean chef.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Best book on Trinidadian cooking.......2006-12-31

Growing up in trinidad and tobago is a unique experience and the foods there are definitely #1 compared to a lot of other islands. When I first moved to the USA, I was not all that concerned with trying to find the foods since there was a place for roti near our house, and you can find most of those ingredients in Miami. It was not until after college when i moved to the Northwest States that I felt "homesick" for dahlpuri and callaloo and other such things. I have purchased and tested several books that are a generalized Caribbean cookbook, as well as hunted down the Naparima Girls Guide to Cooking. It was not until I found Sweet Hands and read through it that I found what I needed.
The pictures of Trinidad and the stories bring that element of history and home and passion to the recipes. And I LOVE that she offers substitutions for some of the ingredients. I made a callaloo stew with swiss chard and spinach as suggested, and while the taste was slightly less sweet, it carried such a good flavour that I felt I was home again. Those other cookbooks maybe going to the second hand store.

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