Book Description
The revolutionary approach of Starting with Ingredients will transform the way we shop, prepare, cook, and even think about food.
Each chapter focuses on a single ingredient. The accompanying recipes in Chef Aliza Green's culinary tour de force demonstrate the broad range of possibilities for each ingredient, utilizing a variety of cooking methods, flavors, and ethnic inspirations.
This innovative work is the product of Green's ceaseless culinary curiosity and in-depth knowledge of ingredients. With these tools, she has created hundreds of clear and imaginative recipes that will enable experienced and fledgling home chefs to recognize how foods should look and behave, their fragrance and feel, their seasonal changes, how they are transformed by different cooking methods, and their flavor affinities. Extensive sidebars satisfy the most curious epicure.
Customer Reviews:
Biggest cookbook I've ever seen!.......2007-07-24
While I'm certainly no gourmet, and very few of the recipes would be feasible for me to try, it's a lot of fun to read. It goes into detail about histories of various foods as well as how they're raised, grown, slaughtered, used, etc. in various parts of the world.
I got it from the library but was astonished at the low price for a book exceeding 1,000 pages.
HOLY MOTHER! FATTER THAN THE BIBLE!!!.......2007-04-24
This book is AWESOME, simply put. The BEST work of food and cookery I have ever laid eyes on! A+++ BUY IT!
KB
A really BIG book........2007-02-17
I love this book . I never realized that the recipes I was always searching for were based on what I felt like eating. What is so great about this format is it takes me directly to the recipe that I am in the mood for. I had been baking banana bread last year and never found a recipe to suit my taste. The banana bread I made from this book was outstanding and easy. This is a great book also when you have the food and decide against the reipe you had chosen. Just a really great concept.
Excellent armchair cookbook. Buy It........2007-01-25
`Starting With Ingredients, Quintessential Recipes for the Way We Really Cook' by Philadelphia chef and cookbook writer, Aliza Green is an imposing tome which promises much, and generally delivers on it's promise, even if it lets us down just a bit on expectations now and then.
The book has ONE BIG IDEA that sets it apart from almost all other general purpose cookbooks. All recipes are in 100 chapters which represent one (or two, or a family of) principle ingredient. Examples of single major ingredients are Beef, Chestnuts, and Butter. Examples of two ingredient chapters are Calamari & Octopus, Carrots & Parsnips, and Bananas & Plantains. Examples of `family' recipes are Mushrooms, Cheese, and Greens. One special chapter entitled `X-tras: Basic and Useful Information for the Cook' covers the usual pantry preparations such as stocks and basic pastry recipes.
All this means that the author is realizing the promise of her title with no compromises. The virtue of this organization comes home as I recall Tom Colecchio's great dictum that one does not decide what one wants to cook before we look at what we have on hand. Ingredients, not dishes, always come first.
With that established, lets look at the recipes we get for that most important ingredient, eggs. Opening this chapter, we see another excellent aspect of this book. Each chapter begins with a table of contents for all the recipes and sidebars appearing under this ingredient. Here we encounter the second great strength of this book. Each chapter includes a great wealth of information on dealing with the ingredient. In the egg chapter, for example, I see (or at least take notice of) for the first time the instruction on how to freeze egg yolks by first stabilizing them with either sugar or salt, depending on whether you are more likely to use them for a savory or sweet recipe down the road. All the other sidebar tips are familiar to me, but I always value any book if it can tell me at least one thing I didn't know before (and not lead me astray in any way). After my initial pleasure, I'm just a bit surprised that for eggs in this chapter, there are scant seven recipes, covering:
A souffle (Broccoli with aged Gouda)
An egg tart (Milanese with spinach and peppers)
Buttermilk Pastry Dough
Huevos Rancheros
Spanish Potato and Chorizo Tortilla
Baked Eggs (`Dad's Venetian')
Baked Eggs (Florentine)
Out of seven recipes, I'm surprised that one, the pastry dough, is much more about buttermilk than it is about eggs, and that in the remaining six, there is no recipe for an omelet, basic scrambled eggs, fried eggs, or poached eggs! And, even on the `sort of' traditional dishes such as the version of the Tortilla Espagnola, the author does not use the most traditional (and easiest) recipe.
As I look through other chapters, I see the same pattern repeated over and over again. Many especially good tips and information, and an assortment of good `example' recipes, but not what you would consider `paradigm' recipes for the ingredient. In the lamb chapter, for example, we discover that American lamb is generally grain fed, while Australian and New Zealand lamb is grass fed. Now this may not seem terribly important, unless you happen to have just read an excellent book on nutrition that says that lamb is the very best red meat to eat because the animals are fed on grass!
One aspect of this book which may not appeal to many, but which I always consider important in a serious book about ingredients. This is the inclusion of the scientific names of all single species, where appropriate (obviously not appropriate for eggs or cheese or butter, but eminently important for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels Sprouts, especially since this tells us that all these four ingredients are members of a single genus, meaning that all have roughly the same nutritional value and there is a good chance they will cook in similar manners.
Like virtually every cookbook I have ever seen which has some novel organizing scheme, the author tends to color outside the lines just a bit here and there. On the one hand, there is a chapter on `Greens for Cooking', yet Spinach, Arugula, and the aforementioned brassicas (cabbage family) all have their own chapter. On the other hand, sidebars and recipes for one headlined ingredient often find their way into the chapter for some other ingredient, as when the technique for making North African preserved lemons appears in the Carrot and Parsnip chapter. This is on the rather thin fact that carrot salad is a very common North African dish.
The great size of this book (1055 pages) may suggest it is a good first cookbook or major reference cookbook. It is not. It cannot replace either your `Joy of Cooking' or `James Beard's American Cookery' or even Mark Bittman's `How to Cook Everything', as these books DO give you all those basic recipes for our most familiar dishes. It is also not as important as the best instructional books such as Julia Child's `How To Cook' or Madeleine Kamman's `The New Education of a Cook'. This is more like Mark Bittman's `The Best Recipes in the World' or `The Gourmet Cookbook' or `The Bon Appetit Cookbook'. And, in spite of its huge page count, I believe it has fewer recipes than these books. One problem with it's size is that except for the middle third of the book, it is a real pain in the neck to have the book lay open to a particular page without two large cans of tomatoes to weigh it down. It is very nicely, but rather stiffly bound. I believe the book is more at home by the easy chair than in the kitchen.
All in all, considering the VERY reasonable list price, this is a very good, but not great addition to any cookbook library.
Every Ingredient under the sun.......2007-01-16
this book is great. although i would have preferred glossier pages, it is really amazing, it gives every single ingredient and then gives you recipes for that ingredient, wow!
Amazon.com
With The Way to Cook, Julia Child creates a second culinary classic. Her first, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, introduced a generation of those used to preparing simple fare to what was then considered gourmet food, demystified classic techniques, and raised our culinary consciousness. In The Way to Cook, she also demystifies cooking techniques and does some consciousness-raising. This time, though, she speaks to everyone with little or no experience in the kitchen, which is most people these days. Always in tune with the moment, and ever the gracious realist, Child (although calling her Julia seems reasonable since she treats us with such open informality) explains in The Way to Cook how to boil an egg and stuff it, as well as how to make a perfect omelet and an elegant soufflé.
To help out readers who lack the most basic knowledge, she organizes the book by techniques rather than by ingredients. Soups are first, a relatively unintimidating choice to build confidence through delicious results such as true French Onion Soup and a contemporary Black Bean Gazpacho. Next come breads, updated to use a food processor to cut the kneading time. The fish chapter covers broiling a salmon steak and creating a sophisticated Crown Mousse of Trout. Chapters on poultry, meats, vegetables, and desserts are equally ample and wide-ranging.
When The Way to Cook was published in 1989, it accompanied a television series. A related set of videotapes, the first to teach cooking comprehensively, was offered simultaneously. However, more than 600 color photos in this book make it fully complete on its own.
The Way to Cook is a good reference volume, a useful gift, and a handsome way to follow Julia's career as she transformed from a French classicist to the ever-evolving, always clear and reliable teacher we have come to adore. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
In this magnificent new cookbook, illustrated with full color throughout, Julia Child give us her magnum opus--the distillation of a lifetime of cooking. And she has an important message for Americans today. . .
--to the health-conscious: make a habit of good home cooking so that you know you are working with the best and freshest ingredients and you can be in control of what goes into every dish
--to the new generation of cooks who have not grown up in the old traditions: learn the basics and understand what you are doing so cooking can be easier, faster, and more enjoyable
--to the more experienced cook: have fun improvising and creating your own versions of traditional dishes
--and to all of us: above all, enjoy the pleasures of the table.
In this spirit, Julia has conceived her most creative and instructive cookbook, blending classic techniques with free-style American cooking and with added emphasis on lightness, freshness, and simpler preparations. Breaking with conventional organization, she structures the chapters (from Soups to Cakes & Cookies) around master recipes, giving all the reassuring details that she is so good at and grouping the recipes according to method; these are followed--in shorthand form--by innumerable variations that are easily made once the basics are understood.
For example, make her simple but impeccably prepared sauté of chicken, and before long you're easily whipping up Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream, Chicken Provençale, Chicken Pipérade, or Chicken Marengo. Or master her perfect broiled butterflied chicken, and next time Deviled Rabbit or Split Cornish Game Hens Broiled with Cheese will be on your menu.
In all, there are more than 800 recipes, including the variations--from a treasure trove of poultry and fish recipes and a vast array of fresh vegetables prepared in new ways to bread doughs (that can be turned into pizzas and calzones and hamburger buns) and delicious indulgences, such as Caramel Apple Mountain or a Queen of Sheba Chocolate Almond Cake with Chocolate Leaves. And if you want to know how a finished dish should look or how to angle your knife or to fashion a pretty rosette on that cake, there are more than 600 color photographs to entice and instruct you along the way.
A one-of-a-kind, brilliant, and inspiring book from the incomparable Julia, which is bound to rekindle interest in the satisfactions of good home cooking.
Customer Reviews:
A serious tome for serious home cooks.......2007-08-20
This is a serious tome for serious home cooks. While hardly exhaustive in terms of scope, what turf Julia DID choose to cover in this particular volume she covered in excellent depth, with full instructional details and even some helpful photos:
* Want to do a standing rib roast of beef, from scratch, with all the trimmings (pan gravy and yorkshire pudding), along with instructions on how to butcher it beforehand and carve it after it comes out of the oven ? It's in there.
* Want to make French style baguettes, from scratch, along with instructions on how to mix, knead, rise, shape, mist & bake the dough ? And how to cool, cut and serve the finished bread ? It's in there, and don't even DREAM of being stingy when it comes with serving it with generous amounts of REAL gourmet butter, because margarine, to paraphrase the grande dame (bless her), "is for the clueless and timid hoi polloi who've been brainwashed into thinking butter is bad for them and doesn't taste better than the fake stuff ... poppycock !"
* Rack of lamb ? Whole leg of lamb ? Crown roast of pork ? Whole salmon ? It's all in there, along with classic sauces and presentation photos for each.
And unlike Betty Crocker, Julia's meat doneness charts owe their allegance, first and foremost, to TASTE, rather than to USDA-inspired legaleze. Props to her for that.
This book is a must-have book for both hardcore home cooks, and professionals alike. Several of my friends are professional chefs, and ALL of them own copies.
NITS: Julia's great, but she's not perfect. Nobody is.
(1) Take for instance her otherwise wonderful rib roast of beef recipe mentioned earlier ... most pros who specialize in meat will agree that it's best to take large roasts out of the fridge at least 2 full hours in advance, before roasting them, on order to let them shed some of their cold and to retain the widest possible zone of pink in the finished roast without compromising proper doneness. Julia neglects to mention that. It's a small point, but an important one, if you're [...] about perfection. Other than that, her recipe and technique is dead on. Personally, I like to rest meat at room temperature until it reaches 50F internal before roasting it.
(2) Another minor nit is that she's still lagging a little behind the times in terms of the latest culinary technology. Julia's old school, and that's a major part of her charm. She's got SOME modern conveniences, like food processors and stand mixers, but not the more cutting edge stuff like wireless digital thermometers (see image below), which are a godsend for remotely monitoring roasts and knowing when they're done to perfection.
The Fabulous Julia Child.......2007-08-06
As all of her books are, this one is fabulous! Wonderful basic recipes and many ways to vary them. Great photos! What can I say - she was the greatest!
In her book - My Life in France (also purchased from Amazon) - she said that The Way to Cook was one of her personal favorites. I love everything she has ever written!
Buy this book.......2007-04-05
Of course, you don't need me to tell you that Julia is the master. However, you may be wondering whether you should get the lower priced paperback or the hardcover version. This is a big, heavy book printed on heavy, high quality paper. I found the paperback at Borders (~$40), so I could handle it myself. I felt that I would break the binding pretty quickly. It's just too big to be suited to paperback. Spend the extra money and get the one that you'll be able to pass on to the next generation of cooks in your family.
Worth every dollar.......2006-06-17
This book is meant to be pedagogical rather than just listing a bunch of recipes (although there are a lot of good ones in here; almost 800 according to the back of the book). This book is more for the advanced beginner/intermediate cook who is ready to take their abilities to the next level.
There are plenty of step-by-step instructions for basic techniques, such as making broth, trussing chickens, preparing roasts of various kinds, making dough, etc. I always pull it off the shelf when trussing a chicken, since I can never remember how to do it. The steps are illustrated very well and she includes different variations for each technique.
The book is organized the way most cookbooks are: according to category. Some of the categories are: soups, eggs, breads, fish&shellfish, poultry, meat, salads,pastry doughs and desserts.
As a Frenchman who loves French food, I really appreciate Julia Child's attention to detail and love for cooking.
I would also recommend the French Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Loamis, which is my favorite cookbook, bar none.
Not Julia's best.......2006-06-04
I have the first edition of this book and had problems with recipes, some I knew were wrong and could figure them out. I heard from the publisher and there were more than 20 mistakes which were fixed in subsequent printings. So if you are buying this do not get the first edition!!!
Product Description
This course provides the information you need to start and operate your own mobile food business. Learn how to sell food to hungry people at strategic locations and make a good profit at the same time. You can sell food at busy downtown street corners, festivals and fairs, school events, church gatherings, ball games and craft shows. Successful businesses have been built around Pizza, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Barbecue, Coffee, Soft Drinks, Ice Cream, Pop Corn and many others.
The 2 DVD's (2.5 hours running time) present an overview of many aspects of a mobile food vending business. The author gives a complete tour of a fully equipped Barbeque Concession Trailer and shows how to cook, prepare and sell the various menu items that are essential to success. Further topics are: finding a Restaurant Commissary, selecting a great location and making extra money on weekends or in your spare time. You will also learn many inside secrets that are based on the experience of a thriving and successful food vending business.
The included book (87 pages) is packed with additional business and marketing information. Helpful advice is given on selecting the best foods to sell, working with your local Health Department, purchasing food in bulk and increasing profits with catering jobs. Learn what cooking equipment you need and find out how you can get started with a very modest investment. Other tips and tricks of the trade include ways to design and build your own Concession Trailer. Also included are the favorite BBQ recipes that will help you win loyal customers who will come back for more day after day.
This authoritative guide is the most comprehensive volume about the mobile food business on the market. It shows you in an entertaining and practical way how you can supplement your current income or even create your own full time job. Find out how you can take advantage of this opportunity and cash in on the basic human need of food!
Customer Reviews:
Recommended!.......2007-05-08
To address some of the questions that the reader might have:
* This course is very easy to digest but will take about 4-5 hours of your time.
* It covers a great deal of many different subjects related to concession sales.
* Previous experience in this field is not necessary.
* The Dvd's give several good menu suggestions next to full instructions on preparing a variety of barbecue meals.
* Mr. Robertson shows a lot of experience and enthusiasm in his field.
* There is an Index of links as well as recipes towards the end of the book.
The author did an excellent job at describing ways how to get started in your own concession vending business. I have been operating a ball game concessions stand for over 8 years, next to my day job as a teacher and I have become quite experienced in this field. I know that there is a lot of money to be made with food sales. At sports events, the food and drinks are an essential part of the whole fun, no matter how pricey they are. The only drawbacks are the ever increasing concession fees to set up at the games. This is yet another reason, why owning a business as an independent operator makes a lot of sense.
After reviewing this course, I was able to learn a great deal more about concession sales. If you are thinking about starting out in this field, I can highly recommend it!
fun and informative!.......2007-02-16
I originally bought this for my husband and ended up watching the DVD's with him. They are really packed with a lot of information and with valuable tips from a real professional.
Now BBQ became our first choice of foods to sell. The recipes in the film are truly wonderful and turned out well the first time we tried them. We also will focus on Tex-Mex foods that are very popular in our area.
The book gave us lots of good ideas that we will use in our own business. The author is right: cooking for fun is one thing- cooking for money is another! It was good to watch someone else do it first. Probably saved me from making lots of mistakes!
Overall, I am extremely happy with this purchase and I am glad I found it!
An excellent purchase.......2006-12-13
This was by far the best purchase I made on amazon this year. I enjoyed watching the DVD's that covered far more than I expected.
I have always wanted to have my own restaurant, but never have been able to get it together. The trailer food business is more my thing, as I can leave it parked in my backyard when I don't want to sell. I had trouble finding information on the subject of mobile food vending and I wish I would have seen this course earlier. It has taught me a lot about this business. The film showed interesting background info and a lot of food being prepared for resale. The ribs looked delicious and I now always cook my ribs this way. Watching the procedure is like being there and much better than just reading about it...
The book is easy to follow and covers pretty much everything I needed to know. I am not much of a chef, but people were all impressed by the food I prepared the way it is described in the book. I fed over 300 people in one day by myself at our block party and made good money doing it. This guide was very helpful to me in my rural area. It also made me feel like I can actually put a business like this together in my spare time.
Average customer rating:
- Good primer for flexitarians and those who need more fiber
- Extraordinary book
- A Definite Winner
- Practical approach fast recipes great basic book
- Easy and basic but not bland
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366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains
Andrea Chesman
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Sauces, Salsa & Garnishes
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Rice & Grains
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Healthy
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Vegetables & Vegetarian
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
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ASIN: 0452276543 |
Book Description
Andrea Chesman presents 366 creative and flavorful "natural gourmet" recipes using a wide variety of beans and grains, like basmati and jasmine rice, adzuki beans, amaranth, and quinoa. Organized by course and main ingredient, these dishes range from light and lively starters to hearty and soul-satisfying foods that stick to your ribs but not to your waistline. American favorites are well represented here, but adventurous cooks will be pleased to find ethnic cuisines dominating this mouthwatering collection, including such recipes as:
* Spicy Vegetable Couscous
* Pesto Pasta with Cranberry Beans
* Smoky Black Bean Burritos
* Jamaican-Style Rice and Peas This wonderful addition to our 366 Ways series features foods that are among the most versatile and healthful in the human diet, not to mention absolutely delicious.
* Recipes are high in flavor, low in fat.
* Each recipe includes a detailed nutritional analysis, which counts calories, fat, percentage of calories from fat, protein, fiber, sodium, and calcium.
* Vegetarian dishes dominate the collection, but healthful variations include salmon, shrimp, and chicken.
Customer Reviews:
Good primer for flexitarians and those who need more fiber.......2007-09-20
I purchased several vegetarian cookbooks at one time once my boyfriend and I made the decision to become flexitarians. This book, more than any other, has helped us make this transition. Yes, I grew up in the south and know how to cook beans & greens and vegetarian chili. This book introduced me to quinoa (my new favorite!) and got me thinking about how to approach cooking in a whole new light. Highly recommended for vegetarians, or even meat eaters who need to add some fiber to their diets. Well written, and the recipies are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were pictures - I'm just a visual person, and I tend to prefer cookbooks with photos.
Extraordinary book.......2007-08-07
With the exception of ONE recipe, which I found bland, everything I've tried in this book has been exceptional. I use it all of the time.
A Definite Winner.......2007-01-26
I (James' wife) found this cookbook in a bargain bookstore 7 years ago and found it to be a treasure chest of great recipes using beans, lentils, etc. We own many international cookbooks and I like how this cookbook incorporates international flavor without too much extra work. Most of the ingredients I keep in my pantry. Every Wednesday our family has a meal featuring beans and I have used the ideas and recipes from this book to prepare these meals. My copy of the cookbook is full of bookmarks, I have so many favorite recipes. I have since purchased many more copies of the cookbook to give to relatives and friends. I also know that many of my friends have purchased the book on my suggestion. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for new ways to prepare beans, lentils, rice, and other unique grains. These recipes can convert the uninitiated to a love of tasty vegetarian cooking.
Practical approach fast recipes great basic book.......2006-08-31
The book has a number of strong points: the recipes are usually low in fat, there are many suggestions for vegetarian dishes but also options to add in meat, every pulse you can think of is covered and a good number of the recipes use time saving products such as already processed barbecue sauce or tomato paste etc. This has its benefits but also, in the case of some items, if you are located in Europe the suggested items aren't readily available. The book extensively covers different types of rice, grains, beans etc, and contains information on soaking and cooking times. There is a large section on deserts, rice puddings and other kinds of sweets with some original suggestions. Overall, however, few of the recipes sparkle with creative flair, many are variations of what you intuitively mix together yourself if you are moderately creative and have a well stocked kitchen. If you are an experienced cook looking for creative and exciting input, i.e. you flick through books and then assimilate suggestions to incorporate into your own cooking you might want to have a look at the Ajurvedic cookbook by Mirjam Gazin Hospodar, which also has many grain, rice etc recipes, however not low-fat and more time intensive than the rice beans and grain cookbook. If you 1) are not experimental when cooking 2) want step by step solid instructions 3) don't like spending ages in the kitchen 4)like healthy low-fat fare 5) want a good summary of grains, rice, pulses and how to treat them and don't already have a book, then this book is a very good choice for you.
Easy and basic but not bland.......2006-08-21
This is the book I have been looking for. I have always liked beans and grains but what to do with them other than tabouli and chili? The recipes are for simple basic food, ingredients that can be found in most supermarkets and I don't need my french dictionary ! I had the Red Lentil Vegetable Stew for supper tonight and it was great!
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Want to eat healthful, delicious food without self-deprivation? Sally Schneider's A New Way to Cook shows you how. Schneider's approach is global: not only does she provide 600 recipes for a wide range of truly satisfying, good-for-you dishes, she offers a blueprint for better eating and cooking, no matter the recipe. Her mantra? No need to give up flavorful fats and the pleasures of salt and sugar, which are intrinsically necessary to a satisfying diet, she maintains. No food is excluded in her plan. Applying moderation, portion streamlining, and a number of unusual techniques--for example, you get all the flavor and satisfying mouthfeel of fat without excessive calories if you emulsify it first with water or other liquids--she offers her better way. Those of us caught between the need to eat sensibly and the reasonable desire to derive maximum enjoyment from food, impulses often at odds, will welcome her cookbook.
Proceeding with an enumeration of essential techniques and "strategic" ingredients (for example, buying high quality can help check calories as people tend to eat less when they eat better), Schneider then offers her innovative recipes. These run the gamut from "Fried" Artichokes with Crispy Garlic and Sage to Oven-Steamed Red Snapper with Fennel Leeks and Curry to Chocolate Chestnut Truffles (chestnut purée helps keep calories in check). Many of the recipes include variations and improvisations--a basic roasted vegetable formula, for example, also offers "tutorials" that encourage cooking freedom. Schneider also presents flavor-enhancing component recipes (such as that for roasted garlic), as well as tips, charts, and other useful information that further extend the book's usefulness. With a chapter on "flavor catalysts" like dry rubs and flavored oils; nutritional analysis; and mail-order and other resources listings, the fully color-photo-illustrated book is a sure thing for readers who want to eat healthily and well. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
Winner of both an IACP and James Beard Foundation award, and a main selection of the Good Cook Book Club,
A New Way to Cook is filled with more than 600 recipes and a wealth of techniques, tips, and practical information. With more than 100,000 hardcover copies in print, it is 756 pages of award-winning thinking and all the deliciousness and joy food can convey.
The irresistible appeal of
A New Way to Cook lies in Sally Schneider's talent for creating vividly flavored dishes that satisfy our passion for great food and our desire for balance in the way we eat. Her recipes— all standouts—are healthful, yet use all the ingredients we love, such as butter, cream and bacon. Using new and exciting techniques, she reinvents all our favorite foods. In addition, variations amd improvisations demonstrate how to build dishes from simple elements with little effort.
Customer Reviews:
Not your typical "diet" cookbook.......2007-03-16
This book is more of a change of lifestyle book than it is a diet book. The recipes are well written and, so far, every one I have tried has been excellent. There are some really smart, well-conceived methods for reducing fat and calories in each recipe without compromising taste. Schneider makes some very simple suggestions that will change your way of cooking (literally) and thinking without making you feel like you are doing any injustice to your palate. I highly recommend this book.
recipe ingredient problem.......2007-03-08
I tried the Foolproof Pastry recipe in this book and the dough didn't come together. I did go ahead and use it (it was a topping for a deep dish berry pie). It tasted ok, but I looked at a recipe for pastry provided in a class that I'd taken recently and it was nearly identical BUT it included 1/3 cup of water. I think that that's what's missing from this one.
One of my most used Christmas gifts........2007-02-20
I got a copy of this cookbook for Christmas and then bought 2 copies for gifts. If you are in a rut with meals, this is a great way to add some interest to meal prep. The recipes are easy to follow and usually have substitutions for ingredients to allow for taste and what you may have on hand. This has become the first cookbook I check when I want to make something new. Maybe I shouldn't call it just a cookbook because there are ideas on tools and methods included also.
My favorite.......2006-12-31
I have many cookbooks but always reach for this one first. It has easy to follow recipes that don't require hours or ingredients that you won't be able to find. It's a real keeper.
Fantastic, but not for people who don't actually want to learn how to cook.......2006-03-14
Have you ever sat down to a really fresh delicious meal with nuanced flavor, and then realized that you've been eating bland processed food all week? Has it made you swear to seek better quality food for yourself? If so, this book is for you.
I love this cookbook, but I have to agree with the reviewer who wrote that this is not necessarily the best cookbook for the very busy person. Nonetheless, I still give it 5 stars, because the author isn't making a super-speedy meal claim, and with practice her recipes can get a lot quicker. Also, some of the less time-friendly recipes can easily be adapted. For example, I subsituted chicken breasts for the whole chicken in the FANTASTIC garlic & herb roasted chicken. For me, this cut down on prep time and the problems of trying to get anyone to eat dark meat, plus I have chicken for salad toppings and sandwiches. Memorizing some of the simpler recipes also speeds things up. The first time I made 'warm spilling fruit' I was very slow. Now that I know it's fairly simple, I can throw everything into a pot and have it done in 5 minutes, in time to spoon on top of plain oatmeal. I have learned that cooking certain fruit (such as blackberries) makes me much more likely to eat things that I don't normally like.
Also, a person can get around the issue of grocery shopping by doing some planning for the week. Buying a few frozen items is a small compromise (in my opinion).
Some readers may just be having problems with the lost art of cooking in this country. When was the last time someone you knew planned their meals ahead or focused on using herbs and spices and avoided 'pre-prepared' items? These things used to be common though.
I would rate this book on par with any other book that encourages proper sit-down meals. There's nothing "boil-in-bag" about it, but you can get high quality meals in a reasonable amount of time. Yes, there are some more elaborate recipes, but there are other recipes that are pretty reasonable. Also, if you think of ways to use left-overs, it's possible to cook once every few days, but have the fantastic flavor for a while longer. Normally, I *hate* left-overs, but then normally left-overs are bland and tasteless. I have to fight with my significant other over leftovers when I cook from this book. Left-over chicken can go on a salad, and on a soup -- into which a few left-over vegetables are tossed. True, the author doesn't give you guidance on how to eat left-overs, but I think this is also because her cookbook seems fairly family oriented (as opposed to a single person living alone). Portion sizes are very reasonable and can suit 2 people fine, but cooking for 1 occasionally requires adjustment (ex. chicken breast instead of a whole bird). For the first time ever, I made salad dressing and had zero left-over.
This cookbook is great at encouraging improvisation by providing a palette of skills and options centered around basic recipes, as well as the standard recipes. For example, there is a fruit tart recipe that enourages the reader to choose their own type of fruit and their own flavor and mix to preference. It's rare that you can find a cookbook that will give you a 'general' recipe that you can play with to preference. I have made the fruit tarts multiple times (admittedly with store bought pastry) and each time used a different combination. The same goes for the fruit & nut salad (not the exact title) -- which gives you a list of possible types of fruit and possible nuts to use, depending on what's on hand. The salad recipe is particularly handy for when you don't want a boring salad, but haven't got time to buy new ingredients. One time I used left over clementines, dry cranberries, and walnuts bits -- post-holidays.
American readers may find there are slightly more recipes for rabbit etc than we are used to. I also wish there was slightly more information about vegetatian meals, but her chapters on legumes and grains are implicitly pretty helpful.
I did not find any of her techniques particularly difficult (she has a good glossary of instructions in the back); but I imagine that for many people who are used to 'heat and serve' cooking, it may seem like a lot. You do have to get used to keeping certain things (like lemons) on hand, and getting comfortable with a new recipe. My grandmother was a great cook, so a lot of this stuff slowly is coming back to me. I can't pretend I love spending time in the kitchen, but I appreciate food that isn't boring and for me that means doing more than just 'heat and serve'.
The best thing about this cookbook is that you can have a 5 star meal and feel totally indulged without eating anything bad for you. The quality of the flavor in her meals is fantastic. The garlic roasted chicken in particular has won me tons of compliments (to the point where more than one person has said a meal at my house was better than most of the restuarants in the area). Getting something with flavor, breaks the monotony of the usual american diet, and thus cures the tendency to mindlessly munch on things that taste 'good' (chips, chocolate etc).
I would recommend this book in conjunction with the "Frenchwomen don't get fat book" because it really does make a person feel indulged rather than deprived. I actually find cooking from these recipes relaxing because I know I'll really enjoy the meal, wihout having to worry about calories.
Average customer rating:
- all recipe no substance
- An improvement over her last book
- Eat Healthy and Love It!
- Eat Healthy and Love It!
- Avoid this book like the plague!
|
Cook Your Way to the Life You Want
Christina Pirello
Manufacturer: HP Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Healthy
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1557883742
Release Date: 2002-06-04 |
Book Description
The host of the Emmy Award-winning cooking show "Christina Cooks!" Christina Pirello knows all about getting the most out of life--by getting the most out of your food. Her new book includes:
* 150 delicious whole-food recipes, menus, and home remedies
* a personalized nutrition profile to match one's lifestyle
* optimum eating patterns to access the body's natural energy
* no calorie-counting or portion control
Customer Reviews:
all recipe no substance.......2004-12-22
I ususally enjoy Christina's books, however this book was very disappointing. It lacks her usual commonsense approach to health and food and instead focuses one chapter on ancient chinese knowledge of the 5 elements applies this to food and modern day malady, and that is it. The rest of the book is recipes, which I have noticed she tends to reuse in her other books. This is the worst book out of her series, I reccomend skipping this one altogether and going for GLOW and cooking the whole foods way
An improvement over her last book.......2001-07-21
For four reasons: 1. No fish- thank you! Since she does, to some extent, market herself as a vegetarian, it doesn't make sense when she includes fish in her books- especially when she doesn't eat it herself. 2. She gives a very detailed explanation about the elements in the macrobiotic philosophy and what foods have which elements. It's complicated to plan your meals around those guidelines, but sometimes it's worth it. 3. She offers a section at the end on home remedies, some of which were previewed on her show and some of which I saw for the first time here. Her weight-loss drink really DOES work, as does her kidney drink. 4. I thought the recipes in this book were better. I think she made an effort to make this book more accessible to the general public (a delicious recipe for pecan-pumpkin squares come to mind) and it really shows.
Definitely worth a try.
Eat Healthy and Love It!.......2001-03-14
Since I discovered this cookbook, I've enjoyed cooking and eating like never before! I chose to go on a macrobiotic diet because of some minor health problems, and Christina Pirello's two cookbooks have made the transition virtually painless. This is saying alot because I previously ate meat, dairy, and sugar on a daily basis. I can honestly say that with these cookbooks I haven't missed them! I've also entertained using this cookbook and gotten rave reviews from friends who are great cooks but enjoy using a lot of unhealthy ingredients. To quote one of my guests, "If this is macrobiotic, then sign me up!" Try the Black Bean - Squash Soup, the Creamy Mushroom Soup, and the Mediterranean Vegetable Paella, to name a few. My husband also loves this food. I feel like we're eating the healthiest diet on the planet and loving every minute of it. Thank you Mrs. Pirello!
Eat Healthy and Love It!.......2001-03-14
Since I discovered this cookbook, I've enjoyed cooking and eating like never before! I chose to go on a macrobiotic diet because of some minor health problems, and Christina Pirello's two cookbooks have made the transition virtually painless. This is saying alot because I previously ate meat, dairy, and sugar on a daily basis. I can honestly say that with these cookbooks I haven't missed them. I've also entertained using this cookbook and gotten rave reviews from friends who are great cooks but enjoy using a lot of unhealthy ingredients. To quote one of my guests, "If this is macrobiotic, then sign me up!" Try the Black Bean - Squash Soup, the Creamy Mushroom Soup, and the Mediterranean Vegetable Paella, to name a few. My husband also loves this food. I feel like we're eating the healthiest diet on the planet and loving every minute of it. Thank you Mrs. Pirello!
Avoid this book like the plague!.......2001-02-05
I tried several of the recipes in this book. All I can say is that they were all AWFUL! Fortunately I got this book from the library so I wasn't out any money. But I did spend a lot of time running around looking for unusual ingredients (brown rice miso, etc.) for these recipes. If this is what macrobiotic cooking tastes like then get me the HELL out of here! I think I'll stick with meat and potatoes.
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!
Average customer rating:
- Cooking Light Low-Fat Low Calorie Quick and Easy Cookbook
|
Cooking Light Low-Fat Low-Calorie: Quick & Easy Cookbook (Low Fat Ways to Cook)
Leisure Arts
Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Quick & Easy
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Healthy
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Low Fat
| Special Diet
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Foods
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Low Fat
| Diets
| Diets & Weight Loss
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Low-Fat Diet
| Special Conditions
| Diets & Weight Loss
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Cooking Light Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Quick & Easy Cookbook (Cooking Light)
-
Low-Calorie Cookbook
-
Southern Living: Our Best Low-Fat Low-Calorie Recipes
-
Good Morning America Cut the Calories Cookbook: 120 Delicious Low-Fat, Low-Calorie Recipes from Our Viewers
-
Cooking Light Desserts Cookbook (Cooking Light)
Accessories:
-
Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 0848715918 |
Customer Reviews:
Cooking Light Low-Fat Low Calorie Quick and Easy Cookbook.......2000-11-16
These recipes definately save fat, calories and time. The meals taste great and you don't feel like you are sacrificing on taste. Some recipes do take a little more time than the book states but they are well worth it. I also like that they break down the calories by what percent come from fat. I like the recipe tips offered in the book as well as how the book is broken down by desserts, meatless, fish, etc. This is a winner which I will send to my friends.
Book Description
Published in 1903, this was the original "way to a manis heart," featuring authentic American recipes, European cooking, and Jewish favorites. It was put together by the cooking students at the Milwaukee Settlement House and was an important staple of the American kitchen for more than fifty years.
Customer Reviews:
The New Settlement Cook Book.......2007-01-15
I have been using this cook book for 45 years. My mother bought it for me when I married. Her book was a previous printing and even told the new cook how to kill the chicken before cleaning and cooking it. My three daughters now use it in their homes. It has wonderful recipes that are plain, good cooking. It is the cook book I reach for first.
Cookbook is Great!.......2006-11-10
I am very pleased with the prompt service on this order. I love the cookbook! I bought the book mainly as a historical source, but many of the recipes are wonderful. A real trip back in time. Thanks!
Excellent "basic" cookbook.......1998-10-26
I received this book as a gift about 15 years ago & it is by far my most often used. It was originally copyrighted in 1901 & has been revised many times, however many of the recipes still appear as they did then. Recipes range from the very simple (scrambled eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches) to exotic (Fondue Bourguignonne). It will take you from breakfast to an after dinner cordial - all from scratch. Recipes are easy to follow. Basic equivalents (i.e.2.20 pounds = 1 kilo) & substitutions make converting any recipe easy. And it contains much more than just recipes. There are menu planning ideas, freezing, canning & dehydrating charts, special diet recipes, & even a stain removal guide! This is a great book for the beginning cook or someone that needs a bit of everything all in one place.
Books:
- Talk About Good
- Thai Food
- The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef
- The Art of Pizza Making: Trade Secrets and Recipes
- The Baby Bistro Cookbook: Healthy, Delicious Cuisine for Babies, Toddlers, and You
- The Best of Mexico (The Best of ...)
- The Boleyn Inheritance
- The Bread Bible
- The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook
- The Cake Bible
Books Index
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The Improvisational Cook
Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating
What's a Cook to Do?: An Illustrated Guide to 484 Essential Tips, Techniques, and Tricks
A New Way to Cook
Kitchen Sense: More than 600 Recipes to Make You a Great Home Cook
