I love my cookbooks -- they are like friends in my kitchen -- I read them looking for great recipes, new flavor combos, and useful techniques. The best ones also give me an introduction into the mind of a really creative cook, someone who -- in the pages of the book -- manages to become both teacher and inspiration. For me, anything by Paul Bertolli or Julia, the Zuni Cafe cookbook and Sunday Suppers at Lucques -- these are books and cooks who make me want to go into my kitchen every day of the week.
I also love the kind of cookbook that allows me to get dinner on the table in a hurry if I need to, but without dumbing-down my cooking or overly relying on processed or pre-packaged foods. Joy and the big yellow Gourmet cookbook are ideal in this regard.
This cookbook does not meet either criteria for me. I used it only a few times before removing it from my shelves -- the recipes I tried (this was in the early years of my cooking life) simply didn't work. Looking back from the vanta...
I love my cookbooks -- they are like friends in my kitchen -- I read them looking for great recipes, new flavor combos, and useful techniques. The best ones also give me an introduction into the mind of a really creative cook, someone who -- in the pages of the book -- manages to become both teacher and inspiration. For me, anything by Paul Bertolli or Julia, the Zuni Cafe cookbook and Sunday Suppers at Lucques -- these are books and cooks who make me want to go into my kitchen every day of the week.
I also love the kind of cookbook that allows me to get dinner on the table in a hurry if I need to, but without dumbing-down my cooking or overly relying on processed or pre-packaged foods. Joy and the big yellow Gourmet cookbook are ideal in this regard.
This cookbook does not meet either criteria for me. I used it only a few times before removing it from my shelves -- the recipes I tried (this was in the early years of my cooking life) simply didn't work. Looking back from the vantage point of 15+ years of cooking I realize that there were mistakes in those recipes as written on the page. A more experienced cook than I was would have recognized this and inserted the missing step.
If memory serves, I threw this book away rather than pass it on to a friend or used book sale as I didn't want others to have the same disappointing experience. I probably missed a few really great recipes as a result, but in addition to wanting education and inspiration from a cookbook, I need it to be well-tested and reliable.
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