Food Books

I enjoyed this book. It had a lot of detailed information including website reference as well as a lots of yummy recipes I can't wait to make.

Excellent book. One of the very few books on chocolate that I own that actually contains lots of info about chocolate. Previously I've only collected recipe books but I have already read this book cover to cover and was delighted with all the information (valuable insights into chocolate manufacture, tasting, etc). The recipes look fantastic - I have yet to try them but I am very impressed by the information presented on chocolate. I wish I had purchased this book years ago before I started making chocolates and chocolate desserts it would have saved lots of time and mistakes.

I love David's cookbooks because the thread that runs through all of them is great ingredients simply prepared make wonderful desserts. My preschool daughters and I make truly homemade brownies together and it doesn't get any better than that!

Handy international travel/shopping guide and well-focused recipe collection. Very accurate and informative. Compact narrow book format is great for suitcases but a pain for comfortable armchair reading. Elegant, GORGEOUS photos are a big plus, but excessive wasteful "white space" and generous text-spacing (leading) should have been saved instead for a larger coffee-table book. Note that much of the shopping/address info in the 2004 edition reviewed here might need updating, so check if the publisher has done so.

If you love chocolate, and let's face it, most of us do, this book is definitely a must have! This 164-page book, with its spectacular photos by Christopher Hirsheimer of exquisite dishes that will leave your mouth watering, will take you on a complete chocolate journey.

Starting with a condensed history of chocolate and moving on to the properties of cacao leaves and plants, and bringing the reader into modern day, Mr. Lebovitz teaches the reader everything one could ever want to know about chocolate. In fact, the reader will also learn about the health and antioxidant properties of chocolate. Who knew chocolate was actually good for you?

A nice bonus in this book is the factoids presented as sidebar information that Mr. Lebovitz provides the reader, answering all those interesting little-known questions about chocolate we never even considered asking!

Just when it seems the journey through the world of chocolate couldn't get any better, The Great Book of Chocolate continues by offering the reader over 30 of Mr. Lebovitz's favorite chocolate recipes. Among these, the reader can salivate over such culinary desert delights as Double Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies and Black Bottom Cupcakes.

In summary, The Great Book of Chocolate, written by David Lebovitz, takes the love and appreciation for fine chocolates to a height only before seen by the great wine connoisseurs of the world, only a lot more tasty and fun, and, as Mr. Lebovitz points out, much healthier.

Chocolate Zoom Magazine
[...]

i got this book when i was learning to cook in grad school (and cooked vegetarian). my carnivore foodie husband and i still use it frequently, and think almost every recipe is great. the tofu dishes are excellent, the bean dishes great and the white bean pizza is my favorite comfort food. it is the best staple cookbook i have ever had.

Some of these recipes have become family favorites. With only a few unusual ingredients, this cookbook is more about preparation, using heat in creative ways to bring out the flavor. The best greens recipe I have ever used.

This is one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks, mainly because it is creative. I get tired of the same-old standard cook-the-tofu recipes, but this one has some unique combinations and great tastes. Some of the recipes are too time-consuming for me which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

I have been a vegetarian for more than 25 years, and this is my favorite cookbook of the dozens I have acquired. The recipes are varied and come out very well -- the Veggie Paella (pictured on the cover), made with the Mediterranean stock (recipe is also in the book), is out of this world! There are also wonderful recipes with quinoa and other grains and beans that aren't found in most cookbooks (try the quinoa tabouli or quinoa caviar for a treat!). I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys good meatless meals!

It's true. The recipes are good and only unnecessary fat is cut out. The recipes aren't too complicated or time-consuming and I haven't had a failure yet. If you like Alice Water's Vegetables, Deborah Madison and the like, you should enjoy this cookbook. Happy Cooking!

I was amazed at how many ways Ms. Fein has figured out how to make kosher food fun! The cover caught my eye, I wasn't even looking for a new cookbook. But boy am I glad I stopped and picked it up.
I don't know where to begin, all the recipes look so fabulous!
Love the creativity and the user friendly design of the book.
Thanks so much!!

This book is a great find - from fun recipes filled with loads of learning made easy. I look forward to flipping through the pages and finding a new recipe to try - they've all been hits with our friends so far. Easy to follow - definitely well tested - and they all paste the taste test of top notch food! Thank you, Ms. Ronnie Fein, for bringing this book to us!

Ms. Fine's new book is perfect for those of us who are not born cooks. Her tips and sidebars give excellent advice and make the recipes easy to execute. My favorite so far is Turkey Couscous Salad for which I used chicken that I had on hand. It is simple and delicious, not like anything I have prepared before. Ms. Fine also suggests other ingredients that would work in this dish; I will experiment with these. A wonderful recipe for lunch or supper on a warm summer's day.

This book is a winner. The recipes are simple, modern, and focused on fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy entrees. It arrived on Wednesday and by the following Sunday, I had experimented with six different recipes ranging from terrific side dishes to salmon to dessert. All were winners and I'll make them all again. This cookbook IS hip and you don't have to be kosher to enjoy it.

Bravo! I tried 3 recipes at different times: Couscous with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Almonds, Tomato Salad with Toasted Bread and Feta Cheese, and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. This book actually tempted me to go into the kitchen and try them. Not a place I generally like to be but it was quick and better still it not only worked but I receive received raves from my grandchildren. I am now going to work my way through the fish chapter for my husband and myself.
Thank you Ronnie Fein

I loved this book. Fagone writes in a style that's as engaging and erudite as Malcolm Gladwell and David Foster Wallace, and he brings an excitement and awe to a subject that many might consider too gross to be examined. Now that I know all the players, it's more exciting to watch the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog competition.

HORSEMEN OF THE ESOPHAGUS: COMPETITIVE EATING AND THE BIG FAT AMERICAN DREAM follows the author's journey to twenty-seven eating contests on two continents, from the U.S. to Japan, as he interviews some of the world's top eating champions and surveys contests, subcultures, and oddities of the food world. Any food fan will relish these fun vignettes of promoters, events, and eaters alike, wrapped n chapters of mouth-watering - and sometimes horrifying - descriptions of food and gluttons alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Competitive eating has to be one of the signs of the collapse of American culture. Or, is it? For one year Jason Fagone explores the cesspool of commercial gluttony and comes back with a surprising, and fulfilling story.

Sure, this book is about eating, but it's also a satisfying quest, like a good road movie. Jason Fagone takes us around the world to see best and the worst of this offbeat activity -- the worst is truly, deeply upsetting -- and to search for meaning in all those HDBs (hot dogs and buns). Often funny, sometimes profane, never boring, this book is a thoughtful work of serious journalism and great storytelling.

Ok, up front, let me say that I think that competitive eating is fairly weird and gross. This book only marginally shifted my idea that the whole thing is a bit of a freak show. I didn't think I'd like this book. My sister gave me this book because she has an unnatural fixation with hot dogs and spends way too much time in bookstores cruising the new release aisle. I am unfamiliar with this writer, as I guess it's his first book. But he has a strong voice, and an engaging way of explaining the most incredulous situations as very matter of fact. I sort of thought it as a more entertaining variation on "Fast Food Nation."

Frankly, some of the details are just weird or hysterical (dunking hot dogs in liquid so that they go down easier - yuck) and yet it's all nicely detailed and believable. One thing that is not evident from the cover is that the story is not just of the business of competitive eating, which I knew nothing about and which he covers well, but of America's huge appetites for everything. I found this aspect of the book surprisingly thought provoking. I say surprisingly, because I really just thought it would be about obese guys eating hot dogs. But it actually made me really think about these people, and why they do this to themselves, and more importantly, why we as a country do it - we just consume, consume, consume.

It's one of the few books that I've read in a few years where I think the title doesn't explain the book well, and a different one might have lent itself better to the actual material inside.

this book claims to teach kids about healthy eating but most of the recipes it contains are of either high fat eg macaroni with LOTS and LOTS of CHEESE!!or full of SUGAR eg the chocolate desserts.
kids LOVE some of these recipes basically because theyre full of fat,one recipe we did enjoy however was the apple and cinnamon muffins,they did taste real good and one of the salads was also good(not the ceasar salad though,yuck!!)
my son(whos eight) did make the pasta and cheese dish and wouldnt eat it because he said it tasted too cheesy.he did like the slush dessert though
call me strange but i believe that a cookbook which it amined at children shoul have low fat and healthy recipes.most of the recipes here are either high in fat or high in sugar.this is a disappointment for me and my family

I've never come across a better book to get kids going on learning to cook... My son made us a scrumptious meal the first night he had the book! I recommend highly.

I bought this book for my 8 year old daughter, who loves to be with me in the kitchen. What a pleasure it has been to see her so excited about meal planning and preparation. On her very first meal, she prepared pasta in a broccoli cream sauce with orange-lemon slush for dessert. Her 4 year old brother (who rarely finishes his first helping) went back for seconds. She invited her best friend to share her meal, and she received rave reviews. She already wants to know when she can cook again. The beautiful pictures are a real plus, so kids can see what it should look like when it's finished, as well as enticing them to try new dishes. Kids Cooking covers a wide range of basic techniques and ingredients, and it is, I believe, and excellent book.

I bought this for my young nephew for his birthday and it made him feel so grown up!! With my sister's help all three of her kids were able to easily have lots of fun making these recipes that are especially designed with kids in mind - things kids love to eat, lots of pictures, easy to follow. The kids were so eager to make dinner for the whole family!

This is one of the better Children's Cookbooks out there. This one reminds me of the old Betty Crocker style children's cookbooks that I grew up with. This book has a nice section on tools of the kitchen, preperation methods all fully loaded with pictures. The recipes can be prepared easily, and best of all they taste really great. The book has a wide variety of recipes too, some easy things, and some more advanced recipes so that children of all ages will be able to enjoy this one.

First, $99.95 for a used copy? Are you kidding me? This book retails for $28.00 and sells for $21.09 on another Korean bookstore site. Maybe it is $9.95? Most of the recipes are simple and straight forward. The directions are easy to follow, and the results are consistently delicious.

I was looking for a good basic Korean cookbook, and this one fits the ticket. The instructions are clear, and the personal notes throughout are a nice touch. I did not want to pay $100 dollars (!) for a $25 book, so I googled the title and found it at a small, Korean specialty dealer for $25. (just a hint! ^_^ )

Finally...the cookbook I've been searching for! I am of Korean descent and grew up on its cuisine, but never really learned the ins and outs of Korean cooking other than the most basic dishes. I always thought many of the dishes were cumbersome and time consuming, but this book made the process enjoyable.

I have several other Korean cookbooks and none of them can compare to this one. It's chock full of information and excellent tips that my mother or mother-in-law never even taught me. It made me want to try recipes that I never thought of making, and they were all excellent! I would give it 10 stars if I wasn't limited to 5.

This is by far, the best Korean cookbook I've come across! Everything I've made from this book is very delicious. I'm sure that if you got this book, you'd really enjoy it, too!

Since I purchased this book, I have been continued refering back to it and cooked following the recipe. I have my menu planned for a month but this book made me changed my menu this month. Since the meat I purchase basically a standard meat, and most of the condiments are all easy to find in the grocery store (if you dont have some of them, no worries, the book also jot down ALTERNATIVES we can use to make them--i.e. red pepper paste). I happened to have most condiments available in my pantry. So I tried several recipes out of the book and have been really pleased with the result. I never imagine I can cook bulgogi/kalbi sauce from the scratch (I usually buy the pre-mix sauce). I skimmed through the recipes and most of it are not too intimidating or hard to follow. On addition to those great recipes, I love reading the story/introduction of the book. Must have!!

Amazon is great. The book was delivered on time & was in great condition. My son absolutely loved the story. It was a fun read & he couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next!

I liked this book alot. I recommend reading it. It never got boring for me, which was good because usually in books I do. But i found in this book that it was alot better then i thought it would be. I thought it would be good, but it was awesome!

This book was a great story for third graders. I wonder if the math concepts were lost on them or not. Jessie makes notes about economic ideas like franchising and profit margins, which may be a little abstract for younger readers. There are some wonderful math ideas within the story, however, like when Evan figures out division using pictures. It is a great conversation starter on how people use different strategies to solve math problems. And the real-world number problems are fantastic!

The kids' parents are seperated and the father has left them. This isn't really a strong theme for discussion, other than possibly how it affects the kids' relationship. (i.e. they are actually really good friends and help each other a lot, complimenting each other's strengths and weaknesses.) Something to keep in mind. My students did not seem to even notice this part of the story.

My son's third-grade teacher is reading this book aloud to the class. He loves it so much he wants a copy of his own! It's an honest, apt depiction of children's real emotions and behaviors. Like Beverly Cleary, Ms. Davies does not try to sugarcoat kids' anger, fears, and how those can be acted out. Children clearly recognize and respond to this.

Out school also had the pleasure of bringing Ms. Davies in for an author visit. She made a real connection with the kids at all different grade levels, and won high praise from the teachers and school librarians! She has written other wonderful books, for pre-school through elementary.

I've got a sister just like Jessie, but I'm the smarter one, and we can both understand feelings. We're both misers, (Nora a little bit more), But she likes lemonade stands way more. I really liked how they both sabotaged each other's money to become the winner of the Lemonade War. I can also relate, because I play with Nora a lot, but if I found she was being promoted from 3rd to 5th, I would be the same as Evan. Jacqueline Davies sure can write a story about a conflict between a brother and a brother. Even though it was 3rd person writing, she sure can write it from a kid's perspective! This is a really good book, some people might say as good as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)(a really good book), or all the Harry Potter Books. Kids (and even grownups) of all ages will like this book. I recommend this book to everyone who reads this, because I know you'll like it!

Daniel Glenn Leonard
10 years old

"That night, as we dined outside on the porch, we could glimpse the top of Mont Blanc above the distant mountains. For a few moments during dessert, the sunset turned the peak a vibrant shade of fuchsia. It reminded Sheila and me of the view of Mount Rainier from the house where we grew up in Seattle." ~ Pg. 121

Sharon Boorstin has a way with words and her humor, love of cooking and memories of her childhood make this a fascinating read. To be honest, I connected with this book on so many levels I started to wonder why we had lived such similar lives. Page after page revealed details and similarities that I could not imagine could all be in one book.

Then, the day after James Brown died, I was reading a book and his name appeared. So I decided to listen to an album of his Ballads while reading this book and I noticed a similarity in the nostalgia of his songs and the memories in this book.

The stories and recipes in this book evolved from a notebook of collected recipes. The recipes all have a story to tell and this is as much about cooking as it is about a life that inspires adventures in the kitchen. Memories of Sharon Boorstin's mother making jam reminded me of my mother teaching me to make strawberry jam in Africa. Her memories of Seattle, Chicago, boats on Lake Washington, teaching, raising chickens, fondues, beef stroganoff, salmon, tuna fish sandwiches, angel food cake, tarte tatin, cherry-red punch and trips to Burgermaster all sounded so familiar.

Everyone has a story and Sharon Boorstin is especially good at recounting her life as it relates to recipes. This book is filled with serious life choices, spontaneous moments, warm cozy memories and the inevitable heartbreaks and challenges of existence. She tells the story of her childhood, how she met her husband and writes beautifully about trips overseas and her exotic culinary discoveries.

This woman has lived a full life with writing adventures in India, Belize, New Zealand and France. She writes beautifully about delicious French pastries! Her descriptions capture memories so vividly, when she is talking about making a salad with tarragon, the scent of tarragon seems to rise from the page. This book is the story of her friendships and as she says: "...a woman really is the sum of all the friends she has had in her life." Some of the recipes include:

Mirelle's Halibut in Champagne
Ina's Brownies
Luz and Susan's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Judy's "Moonshadow" Chicken
Mary Ann's Fresh Fruit Brûlée
Ruth's Chocolate Fudge
Robin and Maggie's Frozen Mocha Mousse
The Husband-Catcher Cake

"Above the pastures, the trails climbed through thick woods. We scavenged in the underbrush for frais du bois, intending to take the tiny wild strawberries home for dinner; instead, we ate most on the spot. Above the tree line we discovered Sound of Music territory--grassy fields polka-dotted with wildflowers and sweeping vistas of the surrounding mountains. Our favorite trail ended at an Alpine lake." ~ pg. 119

If you laugh while reading the first sentence of a book, that is usually a good sign. There are many humorous moments throughout to inspire laughing out loud. This book made me laugh and cry and it reminded me of all those long summers I spent at my grandmother's home in Seattle, learning to cook.

If you enjoy cooking and love reading about a cook's journey through the world, this presents an especially intriguing set of memories along with the delicious recipes that inspired a life of cooking. She tells the story of how she talked to Julia Child at a party and later interviewed her on the phone. Sharon Boorstin's writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bon Appetit and Food Arts. She was the restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and lives in Beverly Hills, California.

I love that Sharon Boorstin has snorkled with sharks and experienced horseback riding among a herd of elk in New Zealand. But what I love most about Sharon Boorstin's writing is her amazing ability to repaint pictures from the past with delicious details and a sense of nostalgia. Reading her books gives me hope! Her writing is a true inspiration and if you have ever thought of writing a cooking memoir, this is an excellent example of what can be achieved when you consider how every recipe has a story to tell. I can also highly recommend her novel: "Cookin' for Love." I hope she is working on another book because I love her writing style.

~The Rebecca Review

I loved the way Boorstin weaves stories of her life and her friends with food memories and really good recipes. It's all about friendship. Will make you want to find a lost friend.

Food lovers will find this a page turner, as I did. Boorstin writes charmingly about her family and friends and how they bond over food. The heart of the book is not just the food memories, but the memories of female friendships. Will make you want to contact that dear friend you had when you were young, but haven't seen in ages.

This book is delish! I am a 26 year old woman who loved reading this book about Sharon's life; and how food, entertaining and friendships were for women when she grew up and until present date. I think Sharon Boorstin kept it all very real and by the end of the book, you felt like you were on a first name basis with her and many of the important people in her life. The recipes were such an added treat as well. I would be very excited if there ended up being another volume of this book as I am eager to see what is next in her interesting life. A very good book to read and to also give to friends and family, whom enjoy food and friendship!

I am a very discerning reader, and this book is a masterpiece.
If any woman reads this review who has no idea what the book is about, it doesn't matter. This book will speak to all women.
I guarantee whomever is reading this that they will love this book!
If you enjoy cooking and reading very entertaining stories about food related experiences, you simply must read this book. Boorsting is a fabulous writer, and everyone will feel like she is writing directly for them. I felt like I was reading a book written by one of my best friends! Give this book 5 pages, and you will fall in love with it.

This book is, like Wilson Sanger's other books, a lot of fun. The rhymes are a pleasure to read aloud, and the pictures are clever. We love to introduce the kids to a variety of foods/cultures, and this book is a great way to do just that. Because we're not Jewish, we can't vouch for the authenticity of the depictions. She does include a pronunciation guide for us Gentiles in the back - much appreciated. Both of my kids (now 5 and 2) love these books. It's fun to start out the last rhyme by saying, "Today my tummy says: let's nosh," and hearing them finish "on lots and lots of matzoh!"

All of of these little board books by Amy singer are great. Perfect for the toddler who loves to turn the pages and learn about something a little different than, ball, duck, and dog!

My one year old son loves this board book! We actually have the entire series. It's fun and creative, and I don't have to worry about him ripping the pages. We are hooked!

We received this book as a gift after our daughter was born. At first, only we understood the cute rhymes. Now our daughter is old enough to recognize many of the foods and understand the book. It's so nice to see our family's traditional foods reflected in a children's book.

I like this series for kids. It's a nice way to get kids curious about foods from different cultures, different ethnicities.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as some of the others, but that may just reflect the fact that Jewish cooking isn't as good as other cultural foods. We may be the only ethnic group that doesn't find comfort in our own comfort foods, at least that's my take on it, for numerous reasons, some of which I will respectfully not go into, as they are not flattering to my family.

But still, a nice book, a nice series. If you are fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood with a good variety of ethnic restaurants, and fortunate enough to have children with temperaments conducive to public dining, these books are a nice supplement to the feast.

I went directly to Amazon and purchased this cookbook after borrowing it from a co-worker. It's a terrific find using modern-day, healthy products, such as egg substitutes and yogurt. All the recipes I've tried are especially yummy, and even better, provide guilt free eating! Pork Chops and Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections

This is the best cook book that I have ever used. I am just amazed; I can cook healthy with food that I actually use on a daily basis. Usually when I try and cook a healthy meal for my family, I have to go to a health food store, like Trader Joes, just to find the ingredients.

Bought our copy years ago, and now buying one for our daughter who also loves the recipes. It uses actual brand name ingredients, so it's easier to follow the recipe. One of my favorites is the BAKED cordon bleu, which has also become a favorite of my younger daughter. We've got it tabbed,since we use it so much. At this cost, certainly worth it, and its gold/silver edged pages and hardcover make it an excellent gift for many occasions.

I borrowed a copy of this from my secretary and then had to get my own copy. The food is so good, you don't realize that you're eating healthy! I have yet to find a recipe that hasn't turned out to be very delicious in the book. I highly recommend it.

This is a great cook book. There are so many wonderful dishes to choose from. It is a must have.