Food Books

A marvelous book. Full of facts about food along with interesting related information. Truly a fun-to-read book as well as a valuable reference.

This is a great reference book for anyone who loves to cook or just has an interest in foods of the world. At date I have bought 12 of them and have given them as gifts to friends arouond the world.

I found this book in the bookstore and thought it would help me with a new job as a cook. Well, it did more then that because it discribes nearly every type of term you could come up with when you cook.

I like how it discribes a particular food item and it's best usage. For example apple: Which are better for baking, eating, and cooking.

There are charts for every conversion possible and tables galor to help you prepare better meals.

I think reading this book has made my cooking at home better because it make me less scared that I might not get the correct taste by using the wrong foods. They even go gover you meat seltion and where they come from. This great for desiding what and how to prepare it.

The good thing about this comprehensive guide, is that there are no recipes with some minor exceptions; like a rux. This is good because it is a guide, not a cookbook.

Enjoy

For the past 4-5 years I've been trying to learn how to cook and of all the cooking books I have, this is one that is ALWAYS stuck between my desk and my kitchen for easy grabbing. No other book as been as handy as this, with the exception of my substitution book that sits right next to it.

It's also a great idea to include this in start kits for new cooks. Anytime one of my friends asks me what books they should get as starters I recommend this.

As a professional working in the industry, my yearning for culinary information never subsides. It may very well be insanity that causes me to focus so strongly on my profession, but I'm always reading and watching culinary related books and TV shows. Very often, you'll find that books and television don't always explain certain bits of information as well as you'd like if at all. And even then, their information is sometimes flat out wrong. That's when I turn to this book. It took years of convincing for me to give this book a try, but now it's the only food reference book that has it's very own place on my desk at home.

The book is basically a food related dictionary that describes a bit about history or culinary uses of nearly every culinary item, ingredient, or term. It also has a very helpful appendix that lists ingredient equivalents such as 8oz dry pasta noodles equals 4 cups of cooked, 15 graham squares equals a cup of crumbs, or 1 cup of dried pinto beans equals 2 1/4 cups of cooked. The appendix also lists substitutes for both ingredients and volume, high altitude baking adjustments, boiling points, temperature and metric conversions, oil smoke points and food label terms as well as consumer information sources.

If I'm looking for extremely in depth information on an ingredient or foodstuff, I may open up Larousse Gastronomic. But if I need the quick down and dirty on a cooking term or a conversion of some sort, which is more often than not the case, I grab this book.

A 1000 recipes for comfort food, maybe not from your mother, but from someone else's.
Just good cooking, straightforward, cooking that you can do at home.

Give this cookbook to all your friends, even the ones addicted to complicated cooking full of exotic ingredients.

This book is GREAT!!! It has a ton to mouth-watering recepies and is really worth the money.

I have really enjoyed this cookbook. I'm finding that it's a great source for good, basic recipes for all of my favorite traditional dishes. I also like the variations I've discovered on some old favorites -- the Baked Acorn Squash, for example, which uses orange juice to create a delicious sauce.

I really like this cookbook. Some parts seem very retro and homey, others quite current. A few of the recipes seem so simple you'll wonder why they're in a book, but they're helpful anyway, and sometimes become a springboard to lily-gilding (my weakness). I've only had a problem with one recipe, the bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin (the instructions call for way too much time in the oven). I have also had to spice things up a bit for our tastes, but I think families with small children or picky eaters will be happy with the level of seasoning. This book has become my go-to for weeknight recipes especially because they're reliable and mostly utilize pantry items.

Wonderful cookbook! I read the reviews and just had to go out and buy it for myself! I've been looking for a cookbook with EVERY classic American comfort food recipe, and this is it! It has everything from Appetizers (Spinach-Artichoke Dip and Deviled Eggs) to Breakfast (Biscuits and Gravy; French Toast and Oatmeal), Main Dishes (Chicken Parmesan, Turkey Tetrazzini, Crown Roast) to Sides (Green Bean Casserole from scratch!) and luscious Desserts (Apple Turnovers, Chocolate Cream Pie and Lindy's Original New York Cheesecake!). If you love to cook and want to get back to the good old days of comfort food, this book is a must buy!

In this book Alton Brown stays true to who he is on the show. Entertaining and very insightful. This is a great book for someone who loves food and the process of cooking. Especially for those who are interested in the why part of the how. Highly recommended.

Alton Brown is a genius. His forward in the book explains that a recipe is analogous to a set of directions to a house, but what if there's a detour? Or what if you want to go somewhere else after? You're stuck. But now, what if you knew the whole map of the area, not just rote directions. That's what Alton teaches. He organizes by chapters centered on methods of cooking, not types of food. He explains things in software (food) and hardware (pans, utensils, etc).

It's more of a science angle at food, and probably won't help expert cooks, but for someone like me it's great.

If you like Good Eats, then buy this book. Immediately. If you want to learn about the science of cooking and use it as a springboard to improve your cooking technique across the board (and seriously, who wouldn't), then buy this book. Immediately. Through Good Eats and his books, Alton Brown has been become my culinary inspiration and hero. Just get it people. You won't regret it. :-)

Get this, and read it as if it is a novel or some non-fiction.

Yes, of course, there are recipes. But, the most interesting parts are the narrative sections and not the "put 12 oz of something, and 10 cans of something else" you'd find other books - perfection through preciseness don't work in cooking (well, there is a place for it, but not all the time).

Enjoy the book, and enjoy the food!

Like most people here, I bought this book because I enjoy Good Eats on TV.
I am, however, a very experienced cook...so while I enjoyed this book a great deal, I can't say I learned anything or even picked up any new recipes. (Plus, it's just not the same without Alton's voice.)
However...
I am going to give this as an XMas gift to two young gentlemen I know who are fresh out of college & who will be cooking for themselves for the first time ever come September. I have no doubt it will come in handy for them.

This book will make you realize that the food choices you make, are not only good for your health but for the planet and all other living beings....we are all connected after all! I found this book very informative, organized and easy to follow. I have loved the few recipes I made already and look forward to making more. I highly recomend it!

This is a beautiful book, with pictures and quotes that are lovely and inspiring. Not to mention that the recipes are really fabulous! Great for entertaining vegan and non-vegan guests and having everyone feeling satisfied and complimenting the chef. The restaurant in Portland, Oregon is well worth the trip, as I'm sure the one in Hawai'i is as well. A must-have for any vegan kitchen.

I'm a vegan living outside NYC. I am a huge fan of your book, the hardcover, it's actually my favorite cookbook. It is beautifully photographed and just a lovely book to own and use in your kitchen!

I've tried about half of these recipes and had good success. Breads, pastas, pizzas, salads, dressings, deserts - it's all here. This is vegan heaven!

When my husband and I started following a plant based diet 19 months ago I never thought we'd make it. We borrowed about 10 vegan cookbooks from a doctor we know and most everything was awful. For a whole month I flat out did not enjoy eating. We then found 4 vegan cookbooks that were o.k. and I could finally enjoy what I had made.

Then, in March my husband stumbled upon Vegan Fusion. The cookie lover in me thinks the chocolate chip cookie recipe is worth the cost of the book in itself! Vegan Fusion is my "go to" cookbook every week. I have made quite a few recipes and all that I can say is, "YUMMMMY!". My 4 year old picky, "I just want a meat sandwich" daughter said of the split pea parsnip soup, "This is the best soup ever!" and had 2 helpings.

There are so many aspects of this book that I like. Of course the recipes are fabulous! Being new to the whole vegan scene, it has a lot to offer a novice vegan i.e. the legume cooking chart, tips on roasting everything from veggies to nuts, startling statistics on "global footprints" of the different diets people follow.

I live in a small town (<2,500 people) and I can find most of the ingredients at our local healthfood store. The only thing I'm sure I can't get locally is green coconuts. I guess I'll just have to go to Kuaui - oh, darn!

I recommend this book to every vegan and health conscious friend I know!

That's a big statement but I can tell you with all honesty. This is the best cookbook I've ever read, more importantly it is the best cookbook I've ever USED. And, do I use it often, YES! Here Tony Bourdain shines not only as an amusing and talented writer but exposes to us all to the REAL principal behind all great dishes, and not just French food, that good, quality ingredients coupled with time-proven methods ARE the best. I have been a cook for many years and I specialise in Italian cookery but Tony's book brought me back to appreciate French-style cookery as never before. But the country of origin doesn't matter, it's the approach. No BS! Tell it like it is. All cookbooks are, to me, guides, but Tony has the nous to say, in places, you MUST do this and that. Little details and quality advice tips that take a good dish to 'great' status. His, utterly correct emphasis on the basics like a good stock or jus, tells us that these are the real fundamentals of good cookery. And, he shows us that which is so true: all great cookery has its origins in 'peasant' food, be it French, Italian, British or Asian. I class this book and Fergus Henderson's, 'Nose To Tail Eating' as two of the most important cookbooks of the 20th Century.
William Kenneth Halliwell
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

The recipes includes are a bit difficult in my opinion (especially finding the right ingredients), but Bourdain's aim is to challenge you and not to dumb down everything, which I appreciate.

His writing style is very approachable and unlike with most cookbooks you feel like he's talking to you as he warns you to not overfill the blender when you are making soup and hold the top down tight unless you want soup all over you.

I've made one thing so far which was mushroom soup and it was delicious, so I can imagine the the rest of the food is equally so.

Classic cooking done in classic Anthony Bourdain style. If you like his TV show, you'll love this book.

This is a bible and a foundation for anyone interested in seeing good results from their efforts in undertaking french cooking. These recipes are durable and refined for someone who wants to illicit "oh wow" responses from their guests. I can't overstate the social value of enlisting your friends and local grocers and butcher for this journey. This is a book for someone with some time and love to dedicate.

I was quite pleased to receive this cookbook as a gift, but disappointed once I started cooking the recipes. Mr. Bourdain's talents as a writer are not to be denied, but it must be said that these recipes are a bit anemic and wanting. While I definitely appreciate his passion for good food, that passion doesn't seem to extend into making the actual food himself. Which is totally fine -- Bourdain's advocacy for top-quality cuisine is definitely appreciated -- but it means I'll look elsewhere for the nuts and bolts of good recipes.

My mother-in-law lent me this book after I expressed an interst in raising chickens. We also heat with wood, so the woodstove, wood splitting and heat capability from the wood section was very interesting, and informative. I can't wait to read more!!

Well maybe not exactly nigh, and maybe not exactly the end...but certainly some changes are lurching our way as the current economic meltdown rains on our way-complicated, stressed-out, nature-deficient parade. Skyhorse called it right by calling this book back into print--and under editor Abigail Gehring's guiding hand the book has been enriched with new graphics and some new content (including internet referrals to information sources.)
Reading this book opens a window into a lifestyle that you've been missing at the core of your being...and opens the door to get you into it.

Until I checked this book out of the library, I had rarely given a thought to getting "back to basics," that is learning how to be more self-sufficient. After I read the book, I soon bought it, because it opened my eyes to the many ways that I am almost entirely dependent upon others for my basic needs. "Back to Basics" is a helpful guide for those who want to get away from it all and live totally independently on a farm, and even those like myself that live in town, but that want to become more self-sufficient, and less dependent on expensive fossil fuels and foods that someone else has raised or grown.

"Back to Basics" is a colorful, easy-to-understand encyclopedia of basic skills. There are hundreds of color photos, and most lessons are laid out step-by-step, making the concepts very easy to learn. The book is divided into six basic parts:

I. Land: Buying It - Building on it (how to choose land, build a home, develop a water supply, create a sauna, etc)

II. Energy from Wood, Water, Wind, and Sun (making your home more efficient, how to use wind energy, setting up a solar-powered house, etc)

III. Raising Your Own Vegetables, Fruit, and Livestock (how to properly grow all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and grains, how to farm fish, beekeeping, butchering an animal, etc)

IV. Enjoying Your Harvest Year Round (canning, preserving all kinds of foods, making cheese and wine, etc)

V. Skills and Crafts for House and Homestead (making natural dyes, weaving, woodworking, stenciling, soapmaking, making homemade perfumes, etc)

VI. Recreation at Home and in the Wild (camping, canoeing, kayaking, celebrating holidays, etc)

This book definitely has the potential to help all of us live more self-sufficiently, learning to do the things that our grandparents probably learned growing up. However, one possible drawback is that becoming self-sufficient takes a lot of work, and in the case of switching your home over to some type of alternative energy, a lot of money as well. Most readers are probably not going to have the land, time, and money to make some of the more significant changes suggested. However, the book still offers a lot for the rest of us, and at the least, educates us as to what it takes to live in a self-sufficient manner. Another possible drawback is that the book tries to squeeze a lot of information into 456 pages. This means that while you are getting a very concise, and surprisingly detailed, overview, you may need to consult more detailed sources if you need more help than what the book offers.

Overall, this is an interesting and useful book that offers practical ways to become more self-sufficient, something that is highly relevant in these times of rising energy and food prices. My family has already used some of the ideas, starting our first garden this year.

This is a classic on pre-oil skills of the 19th century. It is becoming an important work again. But the latest edition of it is published by Skyhorse Publishing

This book was published twice by Reader's Digest when there wasn't much demand for it. Skyhorse Publishing took it over and made enough "significant changes" to establish their own copyright over it. But the changes are just different pictures and rearranged pages!

This book is just about to come into its own due to the demise of oil and the Dollar. These are skills the general population must relearn. But the pre-oil generations are all gone.

As a health-conscious omnivore, I was looking for a book to help me get past the sandwich-rut in my lunch box. I don't have kids, but I can attest that my husband and I love the recipes in this book, and I feel even better about my health with these vegan recipes. Even if you're not vegan, you're sure to get great ideas.

This is exactly the book to get for any vegan who brings a lunch to school or work. The meals are geared towards young children and the book is geared towards their parents, but the content is suitable for any vegan who makes sack lunches and is tired of PB&J all the time.

They need to make two more books:
1. The Vegan Children's Cookbook - the easy stuff that kids can prepare themselves
2. The Vegan Worker - more adult sack lunch and picnic foods

Vegan Lunch Box really doesn't need yet another stellar review, but it's getting one anyway! This book is full of more than great recipes, it is full of great complete meals, each one balanced and fulfilling. I have only had a chance to try a few of the meals so far, but I don't think I could be without this book now. Everything I have tried tastes great and is easy to make. Now all I need is one of those bento boxes or stackable stainless steel things and I'm set! Thanks so much to Jennifer and her family for publishing this wonderful book.

Having looked at the blog at [...]a number of times, or should I say drooled over the blog, I finally purchased the book. I have to say this is an amazing book with fantastic recipes, photos, ideas, tips and hints that are great for kids and adults. I can't wait to fill my new lunchbox with some of these vegan goodies!!!

This book has made me excited about packing a lunch! All the recipes look delicious and I can't wait to try them all out! Jennifer McCann has done such a wonderful job of showing that vegan meals (specifically lunches) can be diverse, healthy and fun! No one has to feel deprived when eating from home after reading this book!

Typically, I am not in favor of books that show bad role models but the kids in this book are SILLY eaters and most of them are eating healthy foods, just not in a healthy way. (Can you imagine living ONLY on milk or applesauce? THAT'S SILLY-- kids will understand that!) What makes this a GREAT book is the language (the poetry is SO fun to read aloud) and the illustrations which show the toll this kind of "silly eating" has on the huge and quickly growing Peters family. I love Frazee's drawings of family life showing all of the clutter and mess generated by the large family. If nothing else, it will make you feel better if you have laundry that needs folding and dishes piled up next to the sink as you take some time out and read to your kids!

This is a great book, wonderful pictures that help to teach and tell the story. My kids love it. It's well written and fun to read. It captivates a large age span. Yes the family does end up eating cake, but you can teach about picky eating from what is happening to the mother in the pictures. This book has helped with and led to many good converstaions about healthy eating attitudes with my children (ages 7,5,&3). I love this book!

My daughter and I love this rhyming book. We bought an extra copy for her friend's birthday. It is my favorite book to read to her. I bought it when she was 4. She still loves it at 7.

What a book! Where to start explaining why I adore it? A frazzled mother, picky (but not obnoxious) children, a house overflowing with messes and love. Beautifully written with none of the dreary, predictable rhymes found in too many children's books. A storyline of a mother coping as well as she can for as long as she can, finally blowing her cool, and her maturing children stepping up to accept new responsibilities. Ahhh.

Without Marla Frazee's illustrations, the book would still be good, but the illustrations are even more wonderful than the words. The mom is persistent, hardworking, loving. She has a Zen-like serenity, MOST of the time. I love that she's taller than the dad, and that she wears Converse All-Stars, and that her hair falls into her face sometimes. The dad is cool, too, even though he isn't a significant part of the text. I love that the trees grow, the cats have kittens, the apple and lemon trees bear fruit. I love that the family is able to get it together so that the mom gets time to play her cello again. She has earned it, that's for sure.

This book is a treasure. Buy it, savor it with your kids. And the next time you are faced with "I'm bored!", enlist your children's help in baking Mrs. Peters' Birthday Cake. There's no recipe, but start with oatmeal, applesauce, milk, eggs, etc... you may need to add a bit of baking powder, and some sugar. Just wing it. Even if it doesn't turn out "pink and plump and perfect," you will have done something pretty cool with your kids. With luck, they will even help in cleaning it up afterward.

This book has brilliant illustrations and my children love the cadence of the rhyming in the book. It is a very clever story - and the theme of picky eaters is one that resonates with every Mom I know. We have brought it to school to read to the classes and have given it as gifts to many friends. It's our favorite book. Highly recommended!

An interesting and detailed book. Be advised that one needs to plan ahead before experimenting with this chemistry. The author also advises of that!

This book is wonderful especially because it bakes GF with a minimum of ingredients. If you have done any GF baking you know it requires many ingredients and many egg whites. Most of these recipes use whole eggs and a brown rice flour mix (that you can buy already mixed at Authentic Foods) that is easy to have on hand. If you are new to GF baking, by all means start here.

I bought this book and several others to bake a treat for a family whose daughter has celiac disease and numerous food allergies - egg, soy, nuts, and citrus among others. I found a recipe for chocolate sandwich cookies, which was easily adaptable for the child's needs, using pure palm shortening instead of soy shortening, egg replacer for the eggs, and parchment paper instead of cooking spray. (Bonus: you can reuse each sheet of parchment paper once, since the cookies do not lose a lot of butter while baking.) The recipe was overall easy to prepare, and made oodles of little sandwich cookies, which were delicious enough to stand on their own merits. I tested the cookies on several unsuspecting people, and everyone raved about them. My husband ate about six before he could stop himself. So my friends' four-year-old daughter was able to have "Oreo" cookies for the first time in her life, thanks to this book. I didn't try any other recipes in this book, and I gave it to my friend so she could explore it further; but I imagine the other recipes will taste as delicious because the author appears to have put a great deal of thought and effort into creating recipes that recreate textures and flavors people love.

I have tried two of the recipes and found them both to be excellent. My brother has Celiac and I made him chocolate chip cookies for a graduation and he loved them. There were others at the party who did not know they were "special" cookies and they enjoyed the cookies as well. I also made a family cheese pie recipe that normally has a graham cracker crust and I subed their pie crust and it turned out great! No one even knew. I'm excited to try some of the other recipes to surprise him when he comes to dinner at my house.

I was very pleasantly surprised after trying several of the gluten-free recipes in this book. My family members that CAN eat gluten prefer these recipes to the glutenous ones! I've tried other book's recipes that claim this type of hype, but then it's clear once you make something, that it doesn't hold a candle to the real thing. Well, Ms. Roberts has figured it out. Thanks to her for taking the time to get it right!

This is the second copy of this book that I've had. I was given the original back in the 80's by an American friend. When I took some mixes on a house boat holiday with friends recently they were fascinated and asked me to try and get a copy for them. That's when I found the new edition, and its so much better than the original with many more ideas and reduced fat versions. I use it even more now.

I own the 1981 edition of this book which has over 200 recipes. I'm getting the new version, which has over 300 recipes. I can't wait to see the new recipes! My daughter also wants her own copy of this book.

This is a great cookbook for not only saving time, but making mixes to give away for gifts at Christmas time.

Wow....this book has been fantastic...and I've pretty much boxed up the majority of my cookbooks, but this one is in the kitchen on the counter. My whole family have enjoyed the Mixes from this book...I like having the containers that hold the mixes readily available, thus making the mix speedy and effective...my grandkids really enjoy the rolls that "gramma" makes from the Make a Mix...I also made a memory for them to remember this gramma's cooking!!!! It's awesome!

I LOVE love love this cookbook. I love to make things from scratch for so many reasons and this cookbook has changed my life! I admit that I've been borrowing the book from my local library but hope to get my own soon. This cookbook is saving me so much money because I am able to buy things like chicken breast (which can be quite expensive for us budget-conscious people) in bulk and make TONS of meal "bases". I have told my friends about this cookbook and they're getting into it as well. It's gotten exciting for us to tell each other how much we spent on our groceries and how many meals we'll get out of it.

I'm thinking about holding a Make A Mix cooking class for my MOPS group if I can figure out exactly how to put one together.

This might sound lame, but this is the most excited I've gotten about a cookbook EVER. Last night we had the sour cream enchiladas. My husband took one bite, closed his eyes and smiled. It was fabulous. I make the dinner rolls all of the time. I made meatballs for the freezer last night. I was able to make a menu for the next 3 weeks (included some dishes that I'll freeze) and it was so easy since I have several of the mixes already prepared or ready to put together.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I'd love to see another one come o

Make-a-Mix is a great concept cookbook. It provides do-it-yourself recipes for mixes that you can then later turn into cooked dishes at a moment's notice. Ranging from slice-and-bake sugar cookies, to gravy mix, to a sweet quick-bread mix, you'll find everything from breakfast to dessert to main-dish meat mixes. The cover advertises 306 recipes made from 67 mixes.

The layout of the recipes is fairly clear, although there's something about the font and placement of the "makes..." portion (the part of the mix recipe that points you to the other pages in the cookbook where you'll find recipes that use it) that makes it easy to overlook. There are no photos; most of these recipes are relatively simple, so that isn't a huge deal in my opinion.

For a book founded on the principle of making things from mixes I guess I expected them to want to showcase the versatility of those mixes as much as possible; after all, I don't see the point in keeping a single-purpose mix around for most things---I doubt many people constantly make a single type of brownies or cornbread over and over. On the other hand, some of these are fairly versatile, such as the sweet quickbread mix.

The one glaring omission we came across was in the "Our Best Brownies" recipe. We quickly found that there was just no way you could make a brownie batter out of the mix with the amount of liquid provided in the recipe---it seemed clear an ingredient had been omitted. We were able to add enough liquid to make it come out decently, but the brownies weren't particularly amazing. Luckily the cornbread recipe made up for it in terms of quality.