Cooking Books


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Cooking Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Cooking
A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos
Published in Hardcover by Ten Speed Press (1998-10)
Authors: Grady Spears, Robb Walsh, and James Evans
List price: $35.00
New price: $19.25
Used price: $10.95
Collectible price: $50.00

Average review score:

You'll Wear This One Out!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-12
We have a lot of cookbooks. Our copy of A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos looks like it's been rode hard and put up wet. Why? Because it's the real deal. Not just a collection of recipes that look good or sound good, this is full of recipes that are great! If you like to eat, you'll come back to it over and over. Some of the recipes will become tradition. Others will be lots of fun to make and eat when you've got company. All of them will make you wish you doubled the recipe. We love it!

Cowboy in the Kitchen
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-21
This is a wonderful book for anyone who loves Texas and Texas recipes. Our son lived in Texas for 8 years. His wife is from Texas. They were happy to get a "Texas Cookbook". GREAT recipes. The rub for steaks is fantastic.

Excellent for guys - you NEED to own this
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-12
Guys, if you want to upgrade your lifestyle from bachelor chow, if you want to impress the ladies, and most of all, if you want to have decent food at home or at work, you NEED this book. Now.

The stories are great, the author is a killer chef, and best of all, these are recipes YOU will like. If nothing else, get it to get the secret of his grill spice blend - it takes anything and makes it instanly a cut above anything else you've made.

But best of all, Mr. Spears shows us that cooking is not some girlie man thing, it's a cool thing. You'll eat better food, and women will realize you rock. I'm not kidding. Buy it now!

Simple, tasty and large portions - the way it should be
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-13
Although the recipies are good, easy to make and tasty it's the stories that accompany it that make the book. Grady doesn't try to be anyone he's not. He's a simple cowboy who enjoys cooking who fell into a career as a chef. Oh, and if you get the book, try the "Sissyfied Son-of-a-B*tch" it's definately better than it sounds.

The Best Damn Cookbook to Come out of Texas!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-15
As an avid cook and an amateur collector of quality cookbooks, I've seen a lot of theme cookbooks like this that are often more story that recipe. This cookbook combines both and is my absolute favorite cookbook ever! The recipes are amazing (though to all of you out there counting points/carbs/calories, etc., this is probably not for you), the back story is interesting, and the knowledge expressed in these pages is priceless to anyone from an aspiring weeknight cook to the most recent C.I.A. graduate (the cooking school, not the espionage organization). In short, there's something for everyone, and everyone will love the food from this book. As I write this, I'm enjoying the buttermilk biscuits that in a few days I will make into the buttermilk biscuit pudding with Southern Comfort cream!

Cooking
The Essential EatingWell Cookbook: Good Carbs, Good Fats, Great Flavors
Published in Paperback by Countryman (2006-04-17)
Author:
List price: $19.95
New price: $11.52
Used price: $12.96

Average review score:

Love it!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-13
This is such a great cookbook. There are a few recipes that call for ingrediants that you have to get at a specialty store but most you can get at a normal supermarket. The recipes are full of flavor and easy to prepare for the most part. Just looking through the book I get excited about cooking!

This Cookbook is ESSENTIAL to healthy eating!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-14
If you are looking for a myriad of tasty meals: appetizers, soups, salads, sides, main entrees and holiday menus that guests will rave about and ALL of the recipies are healthy, this is the cookbook for you. I have purchased several copies and given them away as gifts as my friends have complimented me on my dishes. My secret was this cookbook. Many of the meals are easy although there are some that are moderate or more complicated. Regardless of your cooking level, take the chance and learn to eat and cook well -- Bon appetite!

Great Cookbook!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-26
This is a great cookbook. It breaks down the recipes, tells you how much time they each take and gives an indication of how difficult it will be to make. The recipes I've made so far have all been great. I highly recommend this for people needing to find diet recipes.

Tasty dishes
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-30
Overall, I really like this cookbook. I was looking for new, exciting dishes that didn't pile on the calories. This certainly delivers. I've only made a handful of recipes but have yet to be disappointed.

One of the Best
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-09
My husband and I spent almost an entire summer eating out of this cookbook. The recipes are fantastic, especially if you aren't used to cooking with things like whole-wheat flour or dark, leafy greens. After buying this book, making homemade pizza with whole-wheat crust became a weekly event. What's really cool is that it inspired us to be more creative with healthy ingredients as well. We've done countless, healthy variations on the abovementioned recipe, and the Basic Chicken Saute recipe is one of the easiest, quickest, and most versatile recipes ever. All you really need is chicken and whatever healthy things you've got in the pantry or fridge. I also really enjoyed the vegetarian section. I'm not a vegetarian, but I enjoy having a couple meat-free meals per week. These were creative, flavorful recipes without a lot of that fake stuff that's supposed to make you feel like you're eating meat. In fact, all the recipes use real, honest ingredients; nothing spooky. Highly recommended.

Cooking
Fix, Freeze, Feast: More than 125 recipes to prepare in bulk and by the serving
Published in Hardcover by Storey Publishing, LLC (2007-11-07)
Authors: Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik
List price: $14.95
New price: $9.23
Used price: $9.35

Average review score:

Great Book, Great Recipes
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-16
My husband tends to stop at the grocery store on the way to work to pick up Breakfast Cookies and bean burritos for lunch. Thanks to this book, I have filled my freezer with homemade PB&J Breakfast cookies and burritos that he can grab on the way out the door...which saves us a ton of money!

Great cookbook!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-08
Good, basic recipes that aren't just cans of soup thrown on something. Nothing too bizarre. I've tried five of the recipes - so far the kids have liked them all - even the chicken broccoli bake. It's been easy to break down the recipes to try one entree to see how it tastes. Great recipes for homemade sauces & soups as well as a lot of main course meals and deserts. The Oatmeal Cookies w/ coconut & mango were delicious! And all the ingredients are packed together in the freezer so that your never short and ingredient to finish the dish! Well worth the money!

A MUST for every kitchen cookbook shelf!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-25
There are many reasons I love Fix,Freeze & Feast! It contains a multitude of delicious recipes that are easy to prepare and truly save you money. This is the second book written by these 2 ladies and just as the first it is proving invaluable in my kitchen. I wore out my first book and am on my way to doing the same with this one! I am a mom of 5 and we also care for my elderly grandparents living with us, so this book has been a lifesaver. I love having my freezer full of meals ready for my busy nights, unexpected guests and for giving to families who have a need. You will not be dissapointed with the quality of the recipes and the ease of preparation. Enjoy!!

Be open-minded
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-17
I am taking a summer class three nights a week while also working full time. I was panicking about putting dinner on the table for me and my husband until i found this book at our local library. I agree with most of the reviews, but I also wanted to add that it is easy to cut the recipes in halves, thirds, fourths, etc. There is only two of us and my husband likes variety, so eating the same meal three times in a month would not be ideal. I made and froze 14 meals, but really made 2 packages of 7 different meals. I just looked for recipes that used the same meats and some similar ingredients.

Saving time and $$money$$
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-03
We are a very active family and this book has transformed my time as well as my grocery bill. It is specifically geared to shopping "warehouse style". Now I am buying in bulk every other week and prepping 14-20 entrees in two to three hours, that need a minimum amount of attention before cooking and serving. Some of our favorites are the 4B's Flank Steak, Salisbury Meatballs, Honey-Glazed Chicken Thighs and Turkish Pork Chops. My husband estimated that I have cut our food bill in half. I like that we aren't wasting food in purchases I intended to make but find I'm too busy to actually prepare. I have bought a lot of OAMC books but I dont have two whole days of uninterupted time (nor do I want to!) for prepping. Fix, Freeze, Feast makes $en$e for me! :-)

Cooking
Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper, and Grandmothers Kitchen
Published in Hardcover by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (2006-10-06)
Authors: Marilynn Brass and Sheila Brass
List price: $29.95
New price: $7.75
Used price: $6.95

Average review score:

Just like what your (grand)mothers used to bake
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-14
Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered from Family Cookbooks, Original Journals, Scraps of Paper & Grandmother's Kitchen lovingly collects those intriguing bits of family history in the form of recipes scribbled on the backs of bridge tallies, grocery sacks, and yellowed bits of paper. Collected from used bookstores, flea markets, yard sales, and from friends, the dozens of vintage recipes ranging from the 1800s to the 1960s and today are snapshots in time, from the frugality of war rationing (Miss Emma Smith's War Cake) to bridge snacks (Graham Cracker Fudge, Mah Jong Candy) to Jewish comfort foods such as mandelbrot, hamantaschen, and challah.

Sheila and Marilynn Brass have tested, tweaked, and updated these long-lost gems to the modern kitchen, an all-important step to ensuring success. Why is this important? In the good old days, measurements could be imprecise, the texture and type of flour depended on the mill it was ground at, and sugar came in the form of hard cones of loaf sugar that had to be broken and pulverized. Often, oven temperatures were omitted. In addition, they have chosen to use commonly available ingredients (and they include a handy primer on essential ingredients and tips on what was used in the test recipe), making these heirloom baked goods accessible to everyone.

The recipes are grouped loosely by occasion, from breakfast (Pineapple Walnut Breakfast Bars, Helen's Coffee Bans, Cranberry-Orange Cream Scones) to immigrant recipes (Hazelnut Cake, Libby's Coconut Linzer Bars, Canadian Sugar Pie, Mrs. Mattie James' Jamaica Caramel Ice Cream), church recipes (Christian Service Cookies, Reverend Brown's Cake, Black Pepper Hush Puppies), bridge snacks, holiday recipes , and a chapter on chocolate (French Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting, Mocha Ricotta Cake with Ganache Topping, Chocolate Coconut Bread Pudding).

The authors make heirloom baking accessible to the modern cook, and add insightful notes on the original bakers along with kitchen tips on substitutions and variations. This is a wonderful gift for anyone who's longing to recreate the smells and tastes of grandmother's kitchen and a joyous ode to simpler times.

One small caveat: according to their website, there is a misprint in the recipe for Mrs. Marasi's Butterballs, on page 252. Change the amount to 1 cup of butter, not 2 cups of butter.

A Bakers Bible
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-10
What a Gem of a cookbook, not only are the recipes outstanding but the Brass Sisters know how to write, the book reads like a history of baking. I have already used the cookbook several times and got rave reviews. This book stays on my kitchen counter.

Baker
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-23
I love this baking book. Great recipes. I have already baked three recipes from this book and all come out excellent.

watch out for the pan sizes
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07
I am giving this book five stars because every recipe I have tried has been, if not outrageously good, then at least delicious. Plus, the text is interesting and the pictures of antique kitchenware are great, making this my favorite cookbook to bake from right now. I am starting to notice a trend though, after making the chocolate peanut butter cake. It did not fit in the pan size that was recommended and ran out all over my oven. I then recalled when I made the lemon cheesecake it didn't fit in my smallish 9" springform pan either. I'll be paying more attention now; the recipes are worth this inconvenience.

Heirloom Baking is a treasure!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which was written in an easy to understand conversational tone. I love the history of the recipes and the clear instructions. I also liked that the authors tested store-brand ingredients against brand-name ingredients in order to be able to advise readers that we do not need to pay more to produce quality baked goods.

I liked that the recipes are for baked goods that I want to eat but do not duplicate recipes I have seen in other cookbooks (since I have more than 250 cookbooks, this is worth noting).

The book is published on sturdy pages and contains many photos of the finished products as well as of hand-written recipes and cooking tools of years gone by. My only complaint is a very minor one - I found the first page of each chapter a little hard to read as the text was superimposed over a decorative pattern.

I am grateful to the Brass sisters for "rescuing" these recipes from flea markets and antique stores in order to share them with the next generation of bakers. I encourage them to continue their search for lost recipes and to publish those, too.

This book would be an excellent gift, if you can bear to part with it!

Cooking
The Herb Book
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Bantam (1983-06)
Author: John Lust
List price: $4.95
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Comprehensive and easy to use
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-11
In this book, Dr Lust provides a quick reference on every possible herb you could need. The book is very useful as an encyclopedia of herbs and their medicinal uses.

Most Useful Book on Herbs Anywhere
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-13
This great resourceful paperback on herbs,is still the best one around.It's packed with useful herbal information and history.Anyone interested in herbs should read this book.Anyone also studying and practicing Wicca can learn a lot from this little book.For the cost of this book,its well worth it.When first published ,in 1974,it was well ahead of its time.Nowadays,everybody knows the health benefits of 'Green Tea',Ginko Biloba and Hoodia.Green Tea burns body fat,aids digestion,surpresses appetite,flushes out free-radicals,and kills bacteria around your teeth.I was glad to have read it years ago and it got me thinking about better,healthier living.It also got me interested in the environment and gardening.When you hurt the environment,you hurt others and it will come back to haunt you too.

Excellent reference book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-14
I have used this book so much over the years that I am about in need of a new one. This has so many herbs packed into a small, fat book. Excellent!

Lots of Bang for the Buck
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-07
This is my second copy of this book, I bought my first one when I began to learn about herbs and wore it out from reading it so much. After 15 years of studying and 10 writing about herbs, this is one of my favorite books and I still learn from it. There is an incredible amount of information crammed into this 600+ page book, and its portable.

This is the One.
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-16
This is the one, the one book I feel anyone serious about herbs should have in their collection. It has proved invaluable to me in so many ways. It includes cosmetic and medicinal for most any herb you can think of. It is also good for information on traditional uses and background knowledge. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but once you get a grasp on how it is organised (it didn't take me long) it proves indespensible.

Cooking
James Beard American Cookery
Published in Hardcover by Little Brown and Company (1980-09)
Author: James A. Beard
List price: $29.95
Used price: $24.94

Average review score:

A little bit of Americana
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-16
This is not the best cookbook I have on my shelves, but I wouldn't want to give it up. I love to read this cookbook and learn how my ancestors prepared their food. There are many recipes presented as they were originally written with measurements offered in non-standard methods, for example as, "a teacup full". There are some surprising omissions, but all in all, it is a good cookbook.

An absolute necessity
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
One of the 3 basic cookbooks (Joy of Cooking, Better Homes & Gardens) you must have. Check out the blue cheese burger... worth the price. This goes out of print from time to time, so get it now.

OK, But Not Great
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-15
According to the editorial material, this is Mr. Beard's definitive cookbook. He is a culinary journalist of the highest caliber, and this is his penultimate collection of recipes gathered over multiple decades of culinary journalism. While it might be an impressive compendium of recipes, it is no better than many other cookbooks of similar intention. It is an interesting historical document, but is also a rather mediocre culinary resource, despite its distinguished pedigree. Considering the author's celebrity status, I was rather under whelmed by this cookbook. I do recommend it, but not enthusiastically. It does function as an all-purpose cookbook for today's typical home cook, but you can do better.
La Cuisine: Secrets of Modern French Cooking
The gold cook book
The Fannie Farmer Cookbook: AnniversaryThe Joy of Cooking Standard Edition: The All-Purpose Cookbook (Plume)
Selected Recipes from the Saturday Evening Post: All-American Cookbook
American Heritage Cookbook
New Cook Book (Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbooks)
The Good Housekeeping Cookbook

There are 2 distinct aspects to this cookbook. Over time, it has been widely hailed as important cultural anthropology. It is also an extensive compendium of home cooking. Neither aspect is especially convincing, but together, they make a decent culinary resource. Its main strength: for those who like to 'entertain at home' (OK, this an archaic term also from the era of the 'housewife'; by this, read: superbowl sunday, sunday dinner with the neighbors, baby showers, cocktail/diner parties, celebrations where food is expected, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's/Father's day, etc.), and you need a source for reliable, decent recipes that will feed a crowd.

The recipes themselves are the weak point of this book. Mr. Beard has openly cribbed recipes from far and wide, and expertly assembled them as the good journalist that he is. He has a tendency to present several recipes that are only marginally different. This is a good sign, inasmuch as this indicates that the author has significantly altered the original recipe to fit a mold that he knows works correctly, and it also indicates that the author has tested it or a similar recipe (`authentic' is not one of the words I would use to describe the recipes). On the bad side, it means that the scope of the recipes is not as comprehensive as you might think by counting recipes or pages. There are substantial gaps, including entire categories of recipes you would normally expect to find in such an all-purpose cookbook. It also means that much of the original techniques in the recipes have been filtered through Mr. Beard's au courant (circa 1970) sensibilities. I am also not convinced that ALL of the recipes have been thoroughly tested by Mr. Beard.

I also note a couple of format deficiencies. The recipes do not specify the yield; you have to read the recipes closely to discern how many servings the recipe makes. The TOC of this book is woefully inadequate: it simply lists the chapter title. The chapters are thoughtfully divided into sections and subsections, but these are not listed in the TOC. You are more or less obligated to leaf through an entire chapter, which can be 100 pages long, to find something specific, or try your luck prospecting in the index.

The copyright of this book is 1972. It is mainly a collection of recipes of `home cooking' from the 50's and 60's. During this period, all females were `housewives', who did not go to work but instead got married, stayed at home, cooked, cleaned, and raised children. On the good side, the typical `housewife' had acquired substantial cooking abilities (not unlike the abilities expected of a newbie line cook applying for a job in a smallish restaurant) much superior to today's household, regardless of sex. There are many such collections of recipes, and Mr. Beard's effort is only fair to middling when compared to the competition. On the down side, this book has its share of recipes that are incomplete or vague, requiring the experienced touch of a `housewife' to make the recipe work correctly.

On the good side, this book is a valuable source of culinary anthropology, and it is this aspect that has made this cookbook justly famous. Throughout the book, Mr. Beard regales the reader with stories of what Americans ate, why they ate it, and how they prepared it. While this may be important to a writer or culinary journalist, it is at best an amusing anecdote for the typical home cook.

One of the best books I've ever read or owned
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-14
What books you would grab as you ran out of a burning house? Remember that old parlor game? This is one on my list. My copy is stained and spine-cracked and I could not live without it. It's the standard by which all cookbooks should be measured.

My Favorite Cookbook
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-14
I got one of these when they first came out in print, in hardback, back in the 1970s I think. It's obvious when you look at mine that it has been well-used and loved. I bought a recent edition for my daughter who is just starting out in her own place. I haven't compared hers to mine to know how the editions differ, so my review is based on my old hardcover. If you are looking for a cookbook with the basics of classic American foods I would highly recommend this -- far better than Joy of Cooking. It would make a great wedding or shower gift. It is logically organized, easy to understand, and interesting to just sit and read. The basics of how to cook a turkey, how to choose and cook various cuts of beef, basic bread and cookie recipes, it's all there. The recipes are easy to follow and reproduce and I've had great results every time.

Cooking
Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual (Klutz)
Published in Spiral-bound by Klutz (1987-10)
Author:
List price: $14.95
New price: $7.00
Used price: $0.21
Collectible price: $14.95

Average review score:

Klutz Kids Cooking Cookbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-09
My sister received this cookbook when she was little and it has the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in it. When my sister moved, she took the book with her and I wanted to get a copy for myself. When I received the book, I made a batch of cookies and the memories of when I was younger came flooding back to me. I highly recommend this book for people of all ages. Also, the playdough recipe is easy and fun too.

Easy and fun
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
My son (6 years old) and I love this easy and fun cook book. We have been trying for the recipes every weekend.

Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-08
This was the first cookbook I had recieved myself as a child. The ingredients are illustrated in a very clear appealing way. Even the measurements are illustrated which makes it very friendly for a child just attempting to cook. I gave this book to my neices and will pass on my copy to my boys, who are a little to young at this time. A great first cookbook. I'm glad to see it is still being published 20 years after I first recieved it.

I'm so glad I found this book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-15
I had this same cookbook when I was a kid, so I was surprised that I was able to find it again, what? 20 years later? My daughter and I have made several of the recipes, and she adores the book just as I did when I was a kid! She constantly flips through the pages and picks out something to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's nice to have something kid-friendly to share with my 5-year-old. She always wants to help me cook, and with this book - she gets to be in charge.

We Both Love It!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-06
I love to cook, and for years my little boy has wanted to help me out in the kitchen. Unfortunately, most of my recipes exist only in my brain so it was very hard for him to lend a hand.

This book, which I purchased only hoping to find one or two recipes we'd like, has turned him into an independent little chef in his own right. The instructions are very well-written, the safety precautions are clear and the foods themselves are all kid-pleasers. Well, let me rephrase that: they are all family-pleasers. We've made every one in the book and they've all been big hits.

He's quite proud of owning his own measuring spoon set, too. My only complaint is that the gold-colored paint used to label each spoon's measurements wore off quickly. That was easily solved by going over the raised letters with a permanent marker, though.

Fantastic book: a great gift for any kid!

Cooking
May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World
Published in Hardcover by William Morrow & Co (1992-09)
Authors: John Robbins and Jia Patton
List price: $23.00
New price: $3.50
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $23.00

Average review score:

Super Delish
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-01
Though I am not totally vegan yet, I have been working my way towards a more plant centered diet. I remembered seeing really great looking recipes in this book and decided to order it. It's a shame this is out of print and hasn't gotten more attention. One thing I needed help with is that I have a huge sweet tooth but can't tolerate any type of sugar. The dessert recipes in this book all use natural sweeteners ilke fruit juice concentrate and maple syrup. They also have no saturated fat. The Caramel Apple Crunch is simply amazing, it tastes just as rich and delicious as the apple crisp mom used to make. But with none of the butter or refined sugar. It calls for Fruitsource, which is no longer available, but I use a product called FruitSweet. The carrot cake is also wonderful,it used an interesting blenderized mix of sweetener, orange zest, oil and raisins to create a really terrific flavor. For Christmas, I made the pecan pie and the apple-cranberry bread pudding, both got raves. I want to try more of the savory recipes now, but only gave four stars due to the savory results so far: the broccoli soup was fair, kind of bland, and the cornbread was really dry and not good. Overall though, an interesting read with a lot of great recipes. Jia Patton should put out her own cookbook.

have I bought you this book yet?
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-13
This is the first book on becoming vegan and the first vegan cookbook I ever bought. I'll be needing a new one soon, as the one I have now (second copy) is getting too dog-eared and stained to read. Robbins concisely presents every reason for becoming vegan, and backs them all up with extensive, useful footnotes. And the recipes are just plain delicious! The Mexican Black Bean Dip & Eggplant, Vegetable & Tahini Spread are addictive. The Caramel Apple Crunch makes a cold, sad day all better. The Plum Cobbler is just the thing to make when Italian prune plums are in season. The only sad thing is that he lives in Santa Cruz & I don't, so the delicious recipes focusing on what is in season don't work as well for me as for him.

Loved the recipes
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-08
I loved the hints and tips for mainting a cupboard and kitchen, and the nice recipes that I have been using/modifying for my own use. The information in the beginning is nice, too, although mostly a reprint of Diet for a New America.

The updated sections on fish and milk were very interesting, however, especially fish, which is touted today as a wonder-food for older people hoping to live longer. Many fish today arrive at your supermarkets having previously been mold-contaminated from sitting out in the open too long, and many contain high concentrations of Mercury, which also has been documented in a recent Reader's Digest article.

Just like what Marianne Williamson said on the front cover of this book: "I hope everyone reads this book!"

Third World issues/possible solutions addressed.
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-31
Diet for a New World will make you think twice about your next meal. Robbins offers real solutions to third world issues. When we consume meat, the crops were grown in abundance in a third world or extremely poor country, then it was exported to a meat farm to feed the cattle. Robbins explains that the grain used to feed the cattle could have fed the starving population of the growers and us as well.

Some of this book is difficult to read because it makes us take a serious look and the way live, eat and purchase everyday items. I'm glad I did- it changed my life.

Becoming vegetarian or vegan is only part of the solution. Buy the book, read it, practice it, bring veg dishes to gatherings and share what you know. Buy the book as a gift too, that's how I got it.

I realize we have One Earth and One Chance- let's make it count. John Robbins can get you started on the right path.

May All Be Fed - Diet for a New World
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-06
Wonder what one person CAN DO to improve not only your own life but that of the entire planet? Read this book. It is filled with understandable information that can radically change your health, the health of the planet itself and give the opportunity for life to others as well. This book has changed my life...so much so that, after reading the library's copy, I am buying one.

Cooking
Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France's Cote d'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella
Published in Hardcover by Broadway (2007-05-22)
Authors: David Shalleck and Erol Munuz
List price: $23.95
New price: $11.10
Used price: $10.00

Average review score:

Don't read on an empty stomach!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-01
I loved this book! Perfect summer read. Plan to cook a lot after reading! The recipes are easy, but amazing. Will not disappoint! Ten years ago my husband and I sailed the west coast of Corsica. This was such a nice reminder of the trip of a lifetime. We did all our own cooking on that trip, but it was nice to see exactly what was going on on all those huge yachts that passed us by!

I love this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-02
I have been to most of the places David mentions in the book. Last year in Portofino I watched a yacht like the Serenity dock and noticed the activity that took place in order for the owners and guests to come ashore for their lunch. They were seated next to me at the restaurant and, eavesdropping, I wondered what life on that yacht would be like.

I ran across this book on another Amazon book search and it looked so interesting that I bought it without knowing anything about the author. David brings the international food scene and the yachting scene to life in a down to earth and warm way. I traveled in my mind right along with him.

It is one of those books that I read slowly towards the end in order to savor the last pages before I finish reading. I highly recommond this book.

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-26
I felt like I was right there on the yacht, in the Med and tasting all of the wonderful meals. Once I picked up the book, I couldn't put it down. I have made a couple of the recipes in the back of the book and they were wonderful. A must read, especially if you like traveling, the beach, boating and cooking. Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful. I just can't say it enough.

A delightful... (even a little suspenseful) read.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-30
Excellently written. There's the excitement of how David finds his provisions in each port. There's also the fear of whether of not a particular meal will "work" with the extremely demanding owners of the yacht. And the suspense of how a meal will be prepared (for sometimes over 100 guests!) within the confines of a yacht's galley. Then there's the thrill of some moments of real sailing ! All this along with the purely human adventure in following David's search for mastering his profession.

I particularly enjoyed the map of the journey included on the inside cover, along with the detailed maps preceding each chapter. This added the additional benefit of the adventure being a descriptive travel guide as well ! And top this all off with the included bonus 50 pages of recipes at the end. (And each of these recipes include very specific & detailed instructions for preparation.) Bravo. Bravissimo Davide.

Almost as Good as a Trip to the Mediterranean
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-05
Here are the totally engrossing true adventures of a young American who is engaged by a very wealthy Italian couple, to be the chef on their newly refitted luxury sailing yacht, 'Serenity'. The sounds, sights, delectable aromas and glamour of this Mediterranean summer leaps from each page. We experience with chef David,(or Daveed as la Signora the mistress of the yacht calls him when angry), the high and low moments of his very demanding job. There are laughs aplenty in this new book and plenty of material for daydreaming after the last page has been read.

Cooking
The New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life
Published in Hardcover by University of California Press (2005-03-08)
Author: American Institute for Cancer Research
List price: $25.95
New price: $12.91
Used price: $9.00

Average review score:

my new fave ... great even for a vegan diet
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-26
I'm on Day 6 of a 30-day vegan challenge (just diet, not lifestyle). I just got this book last week and the timing was perfect. It has dozens of gourmet-tasting but easy recipes that are either vegan or easily converted--vegetable recipes, soups, salads, grains, and even some desserts.

Most of the recipes focus on plant foods (which is the whole point of "the new American plate"). The grains recipes often rely on intact grains, which I prefer over flours. The recipes are pretty simple but contain yummy combos I would never have done on my own, like quinoa with peas and sage, or roasted parsnips with sweet potatoes and apples.

The book has a nice layout, a thorough index, and photography that makes me drool (yes, over vegetables). I just wish I could find more books exactly like this one. I'd give it more stars if I could.

Favorite cookbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-08
I've been cooking healthy for a while, but this is by far the best overall cookbook (healthy or not) I have come across. Everything I tried has been great. Even my picky daughter has bought a copy and lives by it, so whether you have gourmet tastes or plebeian like my daughter, it is a perfect cookbook.

The Best Cookbook
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-26
It amazes me that the best healthy eating cookbook is also the best cookbook for modern American cuisine. My fiance bought this book about a year ago and I am consistently impressed by the variety and taste of the food contained within (it also helps that she is wonderful). My personal favorite: the couscous with raisin, apricot and ground beef.

Great read
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-09
I received this book wrapped in plastic and once opened I was overwhelmed with the smell of mildew. Once all was corrected (great customer service) I enjoyed it. I have cooked several things and tried new legumes I had never heard of. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the art of cooking healthy unusually good foods.

This cookbook is GREAT.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-30
Having recently gone into remission, one of my key focuses is to eat healthier, etc. This cookbook really helps. I know what I should eat, the problem is making it taste good enough. This cookbook knows what spices go well with vegetables, etc. to make them wonderful. You can eat well without feeling guilty.


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