Food Books

This book is great even if you don't love pasta. It really focuses on quick meals that are cheap and full of flavor. You may have to stock up on a few things at first, but after that this is one of the best books I've seen for those "I just got home from work, I'm starving, and I can't afford to go out" nights.

If you are a pasta lover, this book is a must! As with other Hugh Carpenter books, it is the unique and unusual combination of flavors which set it apart. Also the food photos by Teri Sandison are beautiful and give new meaning to the idea of presentation. This is one of a series of "HOT" books and they are all great.

The cookbooks from the hot books series all get the most use of any of the cookbooks in our household because the recipes are excellent. Of the hot books series (we have them all), this one gets the most use. I have given this book as a gift several times and highly recommend it. The photos are beautiful and the ingredients used (which are almost always fresh ingredients) offer wonderful and complex flavors that our family loves. Buy this book if you don't mind prepping fresh ingredients (such as using fresh tomatoes for tomato sauce and stripping fresh cilantro for pasta chinese). This book isn't for the kitchen that relies heavily on can openers!

This book, and the others by Carpenter- Fusion, Hot Wok and Hot Chicken, are the most underrated cookbooks in the field. These are creative, innovative, workable recipes, and nearly everyone is great. He is much better than some of the star chefs.

Following 1995's "Hot Chicken," the authors breathe new life into pasta with boldly flavored (not, despite the title, necessarily fiery) fusion techniques and stunning photos (by Sandison).

Each recipe is organized from advance preparation through final cooking steps and suggested accompaniments. Because of this timed approach, it's best to read carefully all the way through.

Dishes include Pasta with Olives, Tomatoes and Artichokes; Southwest Pasta With Grilled Vegetables; California Lo Mein; Thai Primavera with Coconut chiles and Lime; Panfried Pasta with Clams; Southwest Lamb Lasagna; Mediterranean Pasta with Seared Tuna.

There are chapters on vegetarian pastas, Asian dishes, cream sauces, and seafood. And tips on pasta cooking, buying, and reheating. Spaghetti night may never be the same!

Very clear,with excelent ideas which I have not found in other books sofar, for the ones that really want to get to the bottom of it

This book has been extremely helpful. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I received it as it wasn't covered in color pictures of steps along the way, as other books include. However, in browsing other books they fail to address the details and precautions based on experience that the author's instructions provide. The author does a great job of defining the steps, yet allowing the reader to develop his own designs to suit his needs. Books with pictures would tend to sway the reader to try to build what they see. Thanks again for developing this guide.

Richard Gold's book is the consummate cellar dweller's guide to designing and building a wine cellar for the home. Through detailed examinations of wall sections, insulation, cooling units, moisture and temperature control and other considerations, Gold evaluates a variety of techniques and technologies applying analysis and personal experience to highlight the most promising strategies. His generally noninterventionist approach to cellar design is a refreshing alternative to the propositions of the cooling unit manufacturers, reinforcing the importance of proper design and superinsulation strategies - which hold the promise of improved reliability as well as reduced dependence upon your local energy company. Needs some additional editing, but definitely a recommended read for anyone contemplating construction of a new home cellar.

I've used this book with great success, building two wine cellars of our own, and advising a number of other people on problems they faced in their own cellars.

It's been vetted on a number of the wine discussion groups, in particular one the WineLovers Page where 25 to 30 different people have used it, and commented on it favorably.

Folks might be interested in the sort of problems you may have building a wine cellar; from recent email correspondence:

Hi Bob: Hope this finds you well and enjoying the holidays. So, I've got my wine cellar built and seems to be well-insulated, after adding a couple coats of paint on the interior walls and some molding, I'll be ready to bring the wine in.

*****

Hi ______: Let's plan to get together soon -- I'll send you some dates after the first.

Two thoughts: go very slow with painting the interior of the wine cellar unless aesthetics are very important. In a closed space, you can get some incredible aromas from paint. I've lent out my copy of Gold, and can't remember his specific advice, but my vague memory is that he said don't paint. You might want to post on that question -- I don't remember anyone discussing it. We didn't paint either cellar but we didn't care about aesthetics. I do remember being at a tasting in Glen Rock where the paint smell -- especially with the high humidity -- persisted for years and clung to the paper in the bottles. Didn't affect the taste once I was away from the bottle, but it would have been unpleasant at the table. ...

*****

Thanks Bob. Unfortunately you got me just after I put a coat of primer in the room, and I was surprised just how much it stunk. (No, it was not discussed in my thread!) Fortunately we have glass sliders on the cellar, not far from this wine room, and it's a nice warm day (even here) and I'm hoping the smell can clear. At least there's no wine around for the time being, but now I'll have to figure on whether to put a coat of something else on there that can hopefully cover up the odor.

*****

Note: Readers of this review can find out what Gold has to say about painting inside the wine cellar by searching in the book on this page. In summary, he suggests that if you use drywall, paint with two coats of water based primer and two coats of water based paint. In the alternative, use a material other than drywall, and don't paint at all.

*****

Practicality is very, very important in the wine cellar world, and it's very hard to think of everything. Richard Gold becomes a very good friend indeed. As my friend's experience suggests, read the book first -- and often as construction proceeds. Even experienced builders make mistakes in this specialized field.

If you are planning to build or are building a wine cellar you need this book, it is the source. Dr. Gold draws on his experiences and research in building his own cellar and offers clear explanations as to the "why's" and concise specifications for the "how's". I bought edition 3 for myself and my contractor to guide the construction of my passive cellar that has maintained a steady 54 degrees thru its first winter and 60 degrees thru the summer.
Picked up edition 4 to see what's new - updates on newest construction materials and new information on sourcing wines and wine info thru the internet.

This is an excellent book that is required reading for a Naturopathic Medicine course that would lead to the N.D. designation, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.

This easy to read book has got an amazing amount of very practical information. It's written in such a manner that you can easily find an ailment with it's corresponding therapeutic program (specific foods, supplements, herbs etc.) Dr. Airola also gives in my opinion the best lacto-vegetarian diet around. I've never been ill and feel great every single day since implementing this diet and his other health-boosting recommendations in my life. Bluntly said, this book covers everything you need to know to get healthy or get healing - the natural way.

I found many answers to what occurred in my body from this wonderful, simple yet direct book. I love the juice and soup recommendations and the formula for facial skin care. Everything I have tried from the book worked, so it's a keeper that I highly recommend to other people!

This book has the ring of truth to it, unlike many books on nutrition I've read. Dr. Airola lists most common diseases (and even includes a chapter on smoking), and gives step-by-step instructions on how to deal with those maladies, including dietary suggestions, herbal and other supplemental recommendations, as well as other techniques such as juice fasting. (I have followed Dr. Airola's protocol for fasting several times and have found it a cleansing and healing experience.) Several appendices are very helpful, including dissertations on how to fast properly and what constitutes a healthy diet. The writing style is engaging, even entertaining. I consider this book an essential part of the home library. It is a shame it doesn't have a wider readership in the United States.

In a time when one mostly sees the popular books written by armchair herbalists and sycophantic ND's, I found seeing Dr. Airola's book still in print a distinct pleasure. Dr. Airola not only writes and presents the material well, but he also transmits a charm and a positiveness that is healing in and of its own self. Dr. Airola practiced what he preached--what is in his books are the results of his clinical experience. No Bravo Sierra here.

I'll offer my testimomial here. What is in his book worked for me and worked in three weeks. The M.D.'s failed after three years. The experience moved me enough to study natural medicine in depth to the practitioner level. Dr. Airola's book were the first textbooks. Despite being layman's books, they are chocked full of knowledge.

Should you use this book, be prepared to juice. You need to either grow your own herbs or find good sources since the capsuled stuff in healthfood stores is garbage.

In this book, you will see a diet that is the progenitor of the some of the more recent popular diets, except that Airola's worked and has stood the test of time. The treatments for specific disease are complete, comprehensible, and usually on one or two pages.

One of the beauties of this book is that one who knows nothing of natural healing can take this book and get started right away to heal themselves, gain a strong backbone into natural healing, and turn their live's around.

To the negative, there is no information given on how to make herbal preparations. There is more to herbalism than eating a weed and Dr. Airola just gave the principle herbs for a specific treatment. In most cases, that would fine, however I suggest a good herbal or a practicing herbalist who makes their own brews to help in the preparation.

This book is an excellent first book for the prospective student of natural medicine (or biological medicine as Dr. Airola called it). It would be my first choice if one asked me for a guide to curing themselves, and it should be found to be an indespensible addition to one's library. It is the only book I loan to people and I have been through 3 copies as it gets worn out and stained over time.

Altho this was printed in the late 50's eairly 60', it still is great advise for today. Reciepe's are good too !

I used this cookbook as a newlywed. It saved many a dinner party. I thought the author was Erma Bombeck.(obviouslt I was wrong) Before I order this book I would like to know if there are afew recipes which I remember. That way I can be sure this is indeed the book I want.

Is there a chicken recipe called Chicken George?
Also is there one called Hamburger Stroganoff?

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Pat Rahimi

I am rapidly completing my Peg Bracken library. If you're my age (I'm in my 30s) or younger, you have probably never read -- and likely have never heard of -- Peg Bracken. She's pretty much lost to our generation. I'd heard of her but never read her stuff until I inherited the "I Hate to Cook Book" and "I Hate to Housekeep" from my grandmother (who probably didn't care for either of them).

If you like humor writing and things retro, you should at least read those two. Peg harkens back to the days when you were supposed to have a martini and slippers waiting for your husband and meet him at the door in your negligee, but she was so not into it. I hear she got divorced shortly after the first book came out, and that her husband hated her writing. Loser! Peg is also a reminder of the days when girls got their MRS degree before becoming domestic engineers...her ability with a phrase is testament to a keen knowledge of things other than casseroles and dustcloths.

You can't find a lot of info on Peg online. I hear she is still kicking, though. I like the fact that, in her author photos, she's sitting at her desk with a ciggie a la Fran Leibowitz. She was the original Cynthia Heimel. She was way ahead of her time.

Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book" sure has an awful lot of good, simple recipes for a book that purports not to be about cooking. It's fun, fun, fun to read and the recipes truly are simple and good.

The best thing about the book is Bracken's inimitably breezy voice. When she tells you to stir "Company Carrots" until they're well-coated, she writes, " . . . stirring so that all the strips get well acquainted with the sauce." When introducing a recipe for "Rosy Radish Salad," she prefaces the instructions with, "This next one uses up radishes and some of your canned beans." No doubt she's always eager to get beyond dinner because she wants to get out of the kitchen and be seated with her guests, enjoying the conversation! She's a hoot to read, and the recipes work. I love the recipe names: Lamb Shanks Tra-La, Elevator Lady Spice Cookies, Sour Cream Cinch No. 1 and No. 2, Philosopher's Chowder, Breakthrough Salad, Immediate Fudge Cake, Dazzleberry Tart (which begins, "If the dazzleberries aren't ripe yet, use canned cherry pie filling"), and more. Even the chapter names are funny (No. 22 is entitled "Stealing from Knowledgeable People"). Get this book if you enjoy cooking or hate cooking--it doesn't matter--but definitely get it if you like a good laugh and good, plain, simple recipes.

My first (and favorite) mother-in-law gave this to me as a wedding present, twenty years ago. At the time I fancied myself quite the gourmet cook, and was mildly insulted. Finally, out of boredom one day, I read it cover to cover. I fell in love with it. There are several laugh-out-loud phrases in it, and Hilary Knight's illustrations are gems. Then, as I started working longer hours and no longer wanted to do something en croute for my husband for dinner, I turned to the recipes. They are simple, good and fast, and most of them can be crammed down a child's throat without too much fuss. They were written in the days before we knew about cholesterol, but hey, not everything's perfect. Are you tired of presenting Tuna Helper to your family? This will give the effect of a much more home-cooked meal. Good everyday family meals, relatively nutritious.

You should also read Peg Bracken's other books. They're terrific, too.

I purchased this cookbook almost 2 years ago and still think it's a fantastic cookbook. I gave it 4 stars because there are no pictures and the typeface is a little hard to read. It looks like somebody typed it on a typwriter so that gives the cookbook a very "dated" look. It wouldn't be good to give as a gift just because it looks like a 1940's edition of a cookbook, even the cover looks dated. The paper looks recycled so it's an off white. Which is unfortunate for the author, Renee Pottle, because her recipes are dee-lish. The recipes are written in 2 person and 6 person servings which is great for a new couple starting out or a family with kids. If the cover were changed and some updated photos of the dishes this book would be perfect to give as a wedding gift! The cover design lets the author down in this case.

The recipes start with store bought ingredients and then gets jazzed up with seasonings and spices. Each recipe indicates which items you should have in your pantry and then which you need to buy at the grocery. It also gives prep times, cooking times, then adds serving suggestions and even has cook's tips which is great for the novice cook.

I was looking forward to her new book "Just a Little Bit Fancy: Saturday Night Suppers" but don't know what ever happened to it being published. I hope that Ms. Pottle didn't publish it based upon the sales of this book because she just needs a better publisher and food photographer.

This is a great cookbook! so highly recommend and just don't let the cover or the typeface distract you from the real meat and potatoes of this cookbook.

My favorite recipes are the Taco Salad, Szechwan beef and Orange Chicken.

The first 44 pages of this book are pretty much designed for the novice cook. They contain tips, information on safety issues, herbs and spices, common ingredients that may be unfamiliar to you, what a well stocked pantry should include, and similar information. The book is divided into four sections - Fast And Simple, Toss It In The Oven, One Pot Meals, and Using The Appliances. Each of the four sections concentrates on a specific preparation requirement. Fast And Simple contains meals that can be on the table in 35 minutes or less, Toss It In The Oven contains meals you can prepare if you want to put it together and toss it in the oven so you can get other things done. One Pot Meals minimizes dirty dishes. Using The Appliances contains meals prepared with the use of a slow cooker, electric grill, microwave, or rice cooker.

The book contains 85 recipes in total, all of which are designed for the busy family. At the back of the book the author has even included 16 weeks of coordinated meals. If half a can of something is used one day then the rest is used later that week. I Want My Dinner Now is highly recommended for the busy family that still wants home-cooked meals.

I'd have to say my favorite recipe is the Tamale Pie. Anyone who has ever tried to or has successfully prepared homemade tamales knows it's not only an all-day affair, but it requires lots of helpers. Now, I don't have to trot off to my favorite Mexican restaurant, I can make them with ease-at home!

I Want My Dinner Now! is a no-nonsense cookbook for harried meal planners short on time. Inexpensive meals and home-style family favorites, recommended lists to stock one's pantry, crystal clear recipe directions for two to six servings and more make I Want My Dinner Now! an ideal cookbook especially for hard-working parents. Straightforward instructions clearly illustrate meal plans classified into sections titled "Fast And Simple", "Toss It In The Oven", "One Pot Meals" (for less dishwashing afterward), and "Let's Use Those Appliances". An extensive "Cooking Basics" section will quickly familiarize even the most inexperienced cook with these nutritious, mouth-watering, and above all, easy-to-make dishes.

Renee Pottle was a regular contributor to Pillsbury Fast and Healthy Magazine from 1995-2000 and she has been developing recipes since she was ten years old.

Now she has created I Want My Dinner Now for cooks who are trying to solve the weeknight dinnertime conundrums and also want to save money. This cookbook is the result of recipes tested at home in the real world and includes many one-pot meals to reduce dirty dishes. Each recipe serves two to six and there are weekly menus and a well-stocked pantry list. Cooking tips, Cooking Basics and Cooking Terms are also included. Descriptions of ingredients used in the recipes makes this practical and interesting.

The recipes are arranged into four main sections:

Fast and Simple
Toss It In the Oven
One-Pot Meals
Let's Use Those Appliances

The first part of the book is an explanation leading to the recipes and here you can learn the basics of cooking. You can learn everything from how to husk ears of corn to making a pie crust or roasted red peppers.

Examples of the delicious recipes include:

Apple Sauced Pork Chops
Skillet Chicken Paella
Vegetable Curry
Fettuccine Alfredo
Tamale Pie
Scalloped Ham and Potatoes
Marinated Tuna Steaks

Imagine making an entire meal in your rice cooker. In thirty minutes you can make Orange Chicken and Spinach. Serve with a green salad and rolls and dinner is ready. Recipes for using your Slow Cooker, Microwave and Electric Grill are welcome additions to any repertoire. These recipes also feature restaurant favorites you can make at home and home-styled favorites with modern shortcuts.

~The Rebecca Review

Alton Brown's books are so easy to follow and really help your understand your foods and utensils in the kitchen.

I love these books! I am a kitchen gear fanatic and of course an AB fan, so I had to get Gear For Your Kitchen. He isn't doing shameless plugs for certain brands, he is simply telling you what gear he personally likes, and why. I got some very useful tips for buying and using gear from this book. And I'm Just Here for More Food 2.0 is a great resource for learning various cooking techniques- as you've read by now in the other reviews for this book, it isn't a recipe book (although it does have many recipes), it is more of a How-To guide, which is what anyone who watches his show no doubt wants. If you are a Good East fan, you know what AB is like and this book is just like him. 'Nuff said.

They're both great books. They're typical Alton Brown. The book on Gear for your kitchen is a great book for the cooking beginner.

One of the best combinations of cookbook and food science textbook out there. A great read with good illustrations that really explains the science of food.

Geek that he is, I thought it would be appropriate to title this review "AB roxxors." I own these books but I did not purchase them in this bundle.

...More Food is AB's baking book. If you've never baked before, this is a very important manual. It's a manual, not a cookbook. Between its covers you will find everything a beginning baker needs to know to produce great results every time. It also contains the whats and whys of baking chemistry so even advanced bakers will find use for this great tome.

AB's Gear for the Kitchen. I may have reviewed this before but I'll say it again. If you love kitchen gizmos, you need this book. Keep this reference handy and consult it often. You'll never buy a bogus/useless gadget ever again. He encourages you NOT to buy gadgets for gadgetry's sake, but if you MUST buy, he explains to look for and what works.

After reading this book I have become VERY careful about not consuming any foods or drinks that contain MSG. This book shows how the food enhancing additive MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)can cause migraines, depression, asthma, epilepsy, heart irregularities, rage reactions, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other health problems. The book explains how these foods contain Glutamate and that this amino acid can be used by the neurons in the brain to transmit signals to each other. If we increase these in our blood stream to a large enough amount they will cross the blood brain barrier in most people and burn out neurons. Long term over dose can lead to burning out sections of the brain that can cause seizures and alzheimers.It is an easy to read book that explains the foods MSG is found in and the dangers very simply. For a more advanced understanding read "Excitotoxins:The taste that kills" by Dr. Blaylock. This book however will give you all the information you need to make your diet safer.

This is such an important and easy to read book about the dangers of certain food additives that the FDA allows into food without a consumer notice or warning. The long term coverup the FDA has been involved in to favor the giant food manufacturers over vulnerable consumers children, the elderly, etc. is staggering and well detailed. And these additives are in so many prepared foods we wouldn't think to question. Dr. Schwartz's seminal book, in this case the revised edition, needs to be reprinted ASAP!

The rise in ADD, Migraines, Seizures, Neurolinguistic processing issues, Autism, Parkinson's, Alzheimers, Breast Cancer, and ALS is linked to food additives that break down into free amino acids that can pass through the blood brain barrier and in some instances promote neuron death. See also Dr. Russel Blaylock's book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, with a forward by Dr. Schwartz. Both of these physicians are of the highest caliber and their works, precise and beyond important.

For years, my husband suffered from anxiety attacks that hit without warning and were quite debilitating. He sought drug therapy, but as time passed, the attacks became more frequent and severe until one day he went into Bells palsy and anaphylactic shock and found himself in the emergency room surrounded by physicians with no answers.

When he received the older version of this book in 1990, it was a revelation. My husband had been becoming increasingly sensitive to MSG while at the same time unknowingly adding it to his diet. In clear, easy-to read language, the book helped identify sources of MSG. It became clear that it was in virtually everything he was consuming--from breakfast cereals to canned tuna to Coca Cola. We altered his diet drastically, choosing mostly unprocessed whole foods, and the results were incredible. His personality changed as he was no longer on edge. His concentration and memory improved dramatically. He no longer needed drug therapy, and stopped doubting himself as an anxiety-prone person. As an added bonus, he lost weight, increased muscle mass and became generally healthier.

As his allergy continued to be quite severe, we turned to the book frequently to avoid more ER visits, and have been largely successful for the past twelve years. It is hard to imagine how life would have been had we not had this book at our disposal. My husband would have continued to suffer his 'mysterious ailment' until, quite possibly, it took his life.

I cannot recommend this book heartily enough. It should be *required* reading for anyone who even suspects they have "Chinese restaurant syndrome" and recommended reading for just about everyone else. It is incredible that such a small book can make such a big difference.

George Schwartz, M.D. wrote the first edition of In Bad Taste more than ten years ago. Since then "the use of MSG and MSG-containing substances has more than doubled." While some people can use MSG with no adverse effects, many others have severe reactions to it, some of them life-threatening.

Kombu, a seaweed, was first used in Japan as a flavor enhancer. A Japanese doctor isolated the main ingredient--MSG, or monosodium glutamate--and started what has become a million-dollar industry. "MSG is used in processed food, in fast-foods and in Chinese food." It's also found in nearly all canned and frozen foods. It's the "most widely used flavor enhancer in the world."

MSG has been linked to asthma, headaches, and heart irregularities. "Behavioral and physical problems of children, such as incontinence and seizures, as well as attention deficit disorder (ADD), have been diagnosed and successfully treated as MSG disorders."

Those wishing to eliminate MSG from their diets are faced with an almost impossible task. Food preparers are often unaware that they're even using MSG. Labels can be misleading. A label that says "No MSG added" doesn't mean that the food is free of MSG, it simply means that the manufacturer didn't put in additional MSG. MSG goes under many aliases, one of the most common being "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," an additive used to increase the protein content of a wide variety of foods.

Manufacturers also hide MSG as part of "natural flavorings," because it is a natural product. As Dr. Schwartz points out, arsenic is also a natural product--being natural is not the same as being harmless.

Dr. Schwartz describes how MSG works in the body, and lists the symptoms it causes.

He provides several other lists, including the names used to hide MSG, general food sources of MSG, and specific brand names of items known to contain MSG. He also includes a selection of basic recipes to help people reduce their MSG consumption.

Dr. Schwartz says his book will help people learn to identify MSG reactions, and then how to avoid eating it. He adds, "knowing how to avoid this flavor enhancer can dramatically change lives." Readers wishing to understand MSG reactions and avoid using it will find In Bad Taste an invaluable resource.

Sandra I. Smith Reviewer

We bought this book to do our research since our family suffers from headachs, stomch proplems and what desicovered was the MSG that is embedded in our foods is what is making us sick. Once we eliminated it our proplems have gone. MSG IS A TOXIN!! There thousand of out here who have suffered for no reason. The food giants and the MSG distributors are together on this hidden poison. They PAY for reaserch to say its safe and give grants to those who follow in thier quest to scam the consumer. We have bought other books on MSG ( from those who actually suffer from MSG POISONING) and they all the same thing. It's killing us and we don't know it. [...] and REALLY find out what they are up too. It's really scarey. The FDA, research doctors and others are paid informest by the food industry
I hope Hernandaz got and F for her paper, or hope she did alot more research other than on so called medical pages. This book is not propaganda, it's what really happening, from someone who has the guts to stand up and say something!

I cooked some of the recipes at my friends home and they were all very delicious!!! I hope to find another book, which is that good!

I know this woman personally, and she defines excellence in all aspects. I personally do not cook, but I'm sure it was a great book. All I know is that Roshi Razzaq is an extra-ordinary woman, and I am very lucky to know such a great person. I hope this review motivates her to write another cook book.

This cookbook is perfect for people who either don't have a lot of time to cook or are amateur cooks. The recipes are simple to follow and most take under an hour. These dishes are consistently delicious with every preparation and are guaranteed crowd pleasers.

Once you start cooking from this book, you will begin eating Indian regularly and you won't miss the fat.

It is pretty rare that a cookbook inspires me like this one did. Vibrant photographs of every dish, as well as author notes on the region and history of the dish, inspired me to try a number of recipes. I can honestly say that every recipe I have tried has turned out perfectly. I have many cookbooks, most of which I have not cooked from; this one stands alone, in that I have tried almost half the recipes. If only I could find more copies for all the friends I've gotten hooked on Roshi's recipes

We love Indian food but I had never cooked it before. We needed to change our way of eating after some family health scares. Low fat is no fun if it's also low flavor. Roshi Razzaq's beautiful book and clear recipes introduced me to a whole new way of cooking and eating - low fat but incredibly delicious. She has even given me the confidence to try my own combinations. Indian food has gone from a special treat to the mainstay of our diet. Thank you, Roshi!

I bought this book for the instructions for making cold porcelain flowers. It has some great instructions, BUT I have never done this before and it will take a lot of practice. SO if I do not learn it
will not be this books fault.

More great pictures and easily understood instructions.

This book has a lot of information that is great. It goes to the next step of cake decorating.

Start with Book 1: Beginners, to get the foundation of sugarcraft skills then move onto this one, the advanced version with many more expanded techniques. As in Book 1, Book 2 lays out each technique step-by-step, with gorgeous photographs and easy to understand text. These are progressive lessons in sugarcraft, each building on the skills learned in the previous one.
The text is written for an international audience with metric measurements and imperial in parenthesis. There are occasional bumps in the translation for American readers(the reference to a "cake board" is actually a "cake drum" found in British import or specialty baking shops),however, 99% of the math is done for you and I had no trouble doing the little bit of calculating needed. It is good practice for other books on sugarcraft you will no doubt want to buy later that only use metric measurements and international terms.

The designs are unique and very do-able, although patience is a requirement. Practice, practice, practice.I strongly recommend purchasing Book 1:Beginners, as this book is a continuation to advance your skills and not a starting point. Recipes are included with an array of patterns and a glossary of terms. My only complaint with these books is that they aren't spiral-bound to lay flat.

Pratice, easy and completly. One of the best buys. The autor its incridble and extremaly professional.

I have used this cookbook for years. It's recipes never get old. They are healthful but always tasty. The most used cookbook on my shelf. Don't miss her "Guacamole Grande", homemade stock and then Turkey soup, and Quick Eggplant casserole.

I have used this cookbook for years. I also use her original cookbook,Jane Brody's Good Food Book. The recipes in both are easy and delicious. Many of us have forgotten how good all those healthy carbs can be. Brody reminds us. Whenever I don't know what to prepare for dinner, I pick up one of these two books. I always find something tasty and healthy. Morrison's Minestrone and Jane's Everyday Vinaigrette are two of my favorite recipes.

This book taught me to cook! I was bored with my other cookbooks, always looking for recipes but too timid to try ones with "scary" ingredients like eggplant, tofu, canned salmon, dried beans, etc. Then I discovered this book, and became inspired by Jane Brody's encouraging descriptions of various dishes ("Lovely to look at and lovely to savor!"), along with comforting recommendations from her tasters ("Every taster begged for the recipe..."). I decided to go for it!

Before long, I was turning out some of the most delicious, interesting, healthful meals I've ever enjoyed! Without even trying, my husband and I both lost weight, eating more veggies & less meat-- with no loss of taste! It seems whenever I make a Jane Brody dish for someone, they always ask for the recipe...and they NEVER suspect they've eaten "health food."

Best of all, I've learned so much about cooking! Jane's recipes showed me how to put together a healthy, exquisite meal using beans, rice or pasta as a base that's then fleshed out with veggies and flavored with former no-no's like red meat, sour cream, cheese, etc. If you're a creative cook who loves to explore new tastes & techniques, you'll love Jane Brody. Alternately, if you're a new cook who'd like to branch out to gourmet fare, Jane Brody's a great place to start.

However, if you're looking for an easy cookbook to feed a family of finicky eaters simple American meals like meatloaf & mac 'n cheese, "The Good Food Gourmet" is probably a bit too intense for you. Come back when the kids get older!

This is an excellent cookbook! Out of the 25 or so cookbooks on my shelf I can honestly say that Jane Brody's book has been used the most. The recipes are low in fat and very tasty. Many may be prepared in advance. The only negative is that Brody does not provide the reader with number of calories or nutritional information for the recipes.

I am a tremendous fan of all Jane's cookbooks and this one is my all-time favorite. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious, they also really do make enough to entertain friends and family. I have made many of the recipes in this cookbook and many have become family standards. Friends always ask me for the recipe when I cook from Jane's book, and many of these recipes are now standards for their families too! Last, I will add that its easy to be a good cook with Jane Brody!