Reviews (1)

I Don't Work In Meat So I Found It Pointless!!
Since I don't work in Meat this book is obviously not worth the money. While I enjoy eating meat quality control on meat is not that important to me.But I also think cows being slaughterd is funny and really tasty.To quote shakespeare, "To Be Or Not To Be..."Now don't I sound smart. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal Science (Specific Aspects)    2. Food Science    3. Meat    4. Preservation    5. Refrigeration and refrigeratin    6. Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Specific Ingredients - Meat    9. Technology    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Biology, Life Sciences    12. Technology / Food Industry & Science   

Editorial Review

The Napa Valley is justly famed for its winemaking. It's also home to the people responsible for that reputation, prominent vintners like Mondavi and Duckhorn, as well as lesser-known wine stars including Larry Turley and Tony Soter. Michael Chiarello's Read more

Reviews (5)

Excellent work Michael, as always....
Put it this way folks...if it has Michael's name anyway affiliated with it, you can do no wrong by picking it up.Be it his cookbooks, product lines, restaurant, etc.Same holds true with this, lesser known (sadly), work.It is simply a gorgeous, gorgeous treatise to Napa Valley, and as a San Francisco native now living far away from home, I treasure this book.I find that I probably cannot muster together the adequate words to do it justice, but at this price (Bargain priced now), definitely get it.You will not regret it.

The Perfect Big Coffee Table Book!
Frankly, this book cost more than I usually pay for a bottle of wine.If this book were a bottle of wine, I would buy a case of it and share it with my very best friends.After savoring this classy book the wine you experience will never be the same. Just Wonderful
This book is an absolute delight.The sheer intimacy of the stories make you feel like an insider, and it provides an insight to the pioneering spirit that has created an industry.I was completely (and very pleasantly) unprepared for how much I enjoyed this book.It is truly a treasure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. California    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Napa Valley    6. Napa Valley (Calif.)    7. Regional & Ethnic - American - California Style    8. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    9. Wine and wine making    10. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    11. Winemaking technology    12. Wines   

Editorial Review

Slack-My-Girdle. Never has a fruit been better named. It's an apple, in this case, favored in Devonshire, England, by apple cider makers. A few pints of their good cider and you may want to slack your girdle, too. Crack the cover of Ben Watson's Read more

Reviews (4)

Good information, but you'll need more for hard cider
As far as selecting apples, and actually creating cider from them, this book is abount as detailed as it gets.The tables in in that describe US and EU apple types as well as their traits is worth the price alone. Awesome book!
This is a wonderful, inspiring book like few I have read recently.It opens a huge world that I never imagined existed.Cider isn't just the jugs in the grocery store and the 6-pack in the liquor store, its an important part of human and American history. The author has put a lot of time in researching this book, and is thick with fascinating information such as cider-only apple varieties, cider tasting terms, French vs English cider, etc etc etc. Outstanding for the apple grower too
Many of the books on cider making skim over the selection of apples, including English bittersweet and bittersharp varieties that are critical for outstanding cider production. Not Watson in this excellentbook.Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Non-Alcoholic    2. Cider    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. History    6. Specific Ingredients - Fruit    7. Wines   

Reviews (2)

Different Recipes
This book is packed with a lot of very different recipes. Simple basic instructions and ingredients to work with. I would definitely recommend it.

I made wonderful sour fermented dills after I read this book
I found this book in the local library several years ago.I read it from cover to cover.I just had to buy it!The front part of the book covers theory in detail.I learned all about fermenting pickles (full sours and half sours, etc.)There is information on making your own sauerkraut.Most of the recipes are for non-fermented pickles.There are recipes covering a wide variety of vegetables.An excelent book for both recipes and basic information on both fermented and non fermented pickles.I have tried many of the recipes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canning and preserving    2. Cookery    3. Cookery (Relishes)    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Pickles    7. Specific Ingredients - Herbs, Spices, Condiments    8. Specific Ingredients - Vegetables    9. Cooking / Herbs, Spices, Condiments    10. Preserving   

Reviews (1)

Showcasing the versatility and diversity of mustards
Collaboratively written by mustard experts Helen Sawyer and Cheryl Long, Gourmet Mustards: The How-Tos Of Making & Cooking With Mustards features more than 125 recipes showcasing the versatility and diversity of mustards. Whether making a mustard or utilizing it in one of the delicious, health-friendly recipes, the preparatory instructions are clear, concise, and "kitchen friendly". From classic standards like Honey-Lemon Glazed Chicken; Curry Mustard Fish Fillets; and Champagne Mustard; to newer culinary creations like Creole Remoulade Sauce; Herbed Mustard Butter; and Dill Mustard Seafood Sauce; Gourmet Mustards truly lives up to its name and is an enthusiastically recommended addition to speciality and gourmet cookbook collections. Also very strongly recommended is a companion cookbook from Sibyl Productions, Marsha Peters Johnson's newly revised and expanded Gourmet Vinegars: The How-Tos Of Making & Cooking With Vinegars (1889531057, ...). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Methods - Gourmet    4. Specific Ingredients - Herbs, Spices, Condiments   

Reviews (6)

Not worth the time or money
I am a food professional and consulting chef with many years experience curing and smoking. I found much of the information to be incorrect and some of it unsafe from a food handling, curing, and smoking perspective. There are much better sources of information available, both in books and on the Internet.

Cold-Smoking & Salt-Curing Meat, Fish,& Game
I bought this book for our son inlaw, He seems happy with it after having a good look but has not tried anything out of it at present

Not what I had hoped for . . .
This slim volume, while interesting, did not provide the depth I had been hoping for.However, what really ticked me off is that the index is horrible. I was particularly interested in a recipe for cold-smoked salmon.There is one in the text, but it doesn't show up in the index.Of course the author also suggests cooking the smoked salmon before eating -- yeah, that would be great on a bagel! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery (Smoked foods)    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Smoked fish    5. Smoked meat    6. Specific Ingredients - Meat    7. Cooking / Culinary Arts & Techniques    8. Preserving   

Editorial Review

Charlie Trotter's in Chicago is rated as one of the finest restaurants in the world. Eating there is a leisurely and memorable experience because Chef Trotter is endlessly creative and meticulously precise in his cooking. He uses the best ingredients and says one should do as little as possible to embellish them. Does he practice what he preaches? In your dreams!Read more

Reviews (7)

Use this for ideas ... only!
I can say that I am a reasonably competent home chef with an above-average knowledge of technique and most necessary equipment to get the job done. Having said that, I was impressed with the photos of nearly every featured recipe in this book and find the recipes to be admirably aggressive in their taste and texture contrasts. The recipes, however, are nearly all flawed in some significant manner in that following them verbatim will result in poor results. Even when this is not the case, I find these recipes to be "out of whack" from a taste perspective by any gastronome's standards and in need of serious tweaking. If you have good kitchen skills and seek to be inspired by the ideas in this book, then I would suggest it (USED!!) ... otherwise, there are much better cookbooks that will yield far superior results. I purchased the Charlie Trotter's Seafood and Dessert cookbooks and came to the same conclusion.

Don't try this at home!
Have you ever traveled cross-country to Chicago just to dine at Charlie Trotter's? I have, and it was one of the best meals of my life. This book and the others in the series are great at giving you a feel of what the real thing is like. The pictures are outstanding and the combinations just wow you. But if you think for a moment that any cookbook would allow you to duplicate what Charlie does, you are mistaken. Some cookbooks are for those who want to follow a recipe and duplicate it. This is not one of those. This is for people who want to understand the Chef's unique cuisine and appreciate it for the art that it is.

Good picture and idea book
This is a beautiful book. The pictures are stunning and the dishes are inspiring. That said, most of the recipes are terribly complicated for the home cook. Many of the fish are hard to get and regional; most of the preparations often require things that only a restaurant kitchen can feasibly do (i.e. tomato water).Read more

Subjects:  1. Charlie Trotter's (Restaurant)    2. Cookery (Seafood)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    6. Cookery by ingredient   

Editorial Review

Alice Waters's Chez Panisse is one of America's great restaurants. Dedicated to serving French country food made from the finest American ingredients (and furthering the cause of local, conscientiously produced foods of all kinds), the restaurant is also responsible for a remarkable series of cookbooks, including Read more

Reviews (7)

A Touchstone Recipe Book
This gorgeous book looks like an art piece, reads like an authority, and has wonderful recipes for the chef. I love this book! Fruits is a book that I pull out to just read about apple varieties with no intention of cooking them! The recipes are divine. I also love the dessert recipes. If you can't get to the restaurant, get the book!

Excellent Reference for Highly Seasonable Subject. Buy It.
`Chez Panisse Fruit' by Alice Waters and her staff is the companion volume to a similarly formatted and illustrated `Chez Panisse Vegetables'. While I gave the latter volume only four stars, I can give this very similar volume five stars simply because, to my knowledge, there are not many good cookbooks around for fruits alone. And, this is a very valuable type of book to have on hand.
A Big Morsel for Repertoire and Soul
Alice Waters and the staff at Chez Panisse forged the standard for fresh cuisine. Instead of an overwhelming emphasis on abstract-innovations and culinary interpretations, Panisse offered diners a glorious showcase of products at their best, in the most bare and most essential. Read more

Subjects:  1. Chez Panisse    2. Cookery (Fruit)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Specific Ingredients - Fruit    6. Cookery by ingredient    7. Cooking / Fruit   

Reviews (1)

A Tale of Fish, Religion, the Sea, and History
"Fish On Friday: Feasting, Fasting and the Discovery of the New World" by Brian Fagan is a complex journey through cultural, political, and even culinary history, examining the role of fish in Western European diet through Medieval times to the seventeenth century, exploring how that fish was supplied to European tables, and investigating how North Atlantic fishing fostered European "discovery" of North America.
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Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Discovery And Exploration (General)    3. Expeditions & Discoveries    4. Fish as food    5. Fisheries    6. General    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. North America    11. Renaissance    12. Renaissance - History    13. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    14. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    15. The Americas    16. c 1500 to c 1600   

Editorial Review

With such past triumphs as Read more

Reviews (2)

Required for a cook's library
Bruce Aidell is one of my favorite cookbook writers.Every book he has written has been solid gold in its use and depth of knowledge.For people who are fans of his _complete meat cookbook_ this is the volume to have.the first book is a masterwork for those who need to not only cook meat but to understand its background and want to have substantive knowledge on every aspect of it.
Covers the oink to the tail. Very Highly recommended.
The author's name is not only above the title, but part of the title of `Bruce Aidells's Complete Book of Pork'. And, the book fully lives up to its title and subtitle, `A Guide to Buying, Storing, and Cooking the World's Favorite Meat'. The book includes absolutely every subject on pork I can think of, including several I did not even expect because I thought they may be too obscure for even a 320 page book on this single subject. Not only do the authors cover their territory; they do it very, very well.
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Subjects:  1. Cookery (Pork)    2. Cookery, International    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. International cooking    6. Pork    7. Specific Ingredients - General    8. Specific Ingredients - Meat    9. Cooking / Meat   

Editorial Review

Twin sisters Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford have whipped up yet another yummy title with Read more

Reviews (21)

Great Ideas
Very good smoothie ideas. I especially like the one for PMS, very tasty and works good on cramps. I make smoothies all the time and this book had some interesting tips and healthy ideas.

fun - but Healthy??for EVERY lifestyle?
Sixteen of the recipes require sorbet, sherbet, or frozen yogurt.Two more call for Gatorade, and three more after that are cocktails.These smoothies may be healthy TREATS, but they are not healthy enough to replace meals.
Not Such A Smooth Move
Since I had been so happy with the Corpening sisters' first smoothie book, I was eager to give this second one a try, too.Unfortunately, I find these *specialty* smoothies quite off-putting. *All* of the smoothies are made with healthful ingredients, and to imply that some are particularly beneficial for your immune system, heart, energy level, decreasing stress, etc., is just plain misleading!Then there are separate smoothies for men, women, and children, including one calling for breast milk or formula!As a single mom, I want to make just one smoothie that is suitable for both myself and my son!This is just plain silly!I'm sure that the majority of these recipes could be altered so that you could/would serve them to everybody in your family at the same time, (my son does not want to share a smoothie called "pms potion" with me!) but why bother when the recipes in the first book are already completely drinker friendly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Non-Alcoholic    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Fruit drinks    5. Smoothies (Beverages)    6. Specific Ingredients - Fruit    7. Cooking / Beverages (non-alcoholic)    8. General cookery    9. Non-alcoholic beverages   

Reviews (5)

LOOK AT ME! I'M A CHEF!

delicious!!!!
Gorgeus nudes, elegant like beluga, a smooth collection rounded in a book with delicious recipes. Belongs to every good houshold.Enjoy!

Review on Beluga
This fresh and inspiring book is bringing a new dimension to cooking in general, by using a very untraditional background and astonishing models combined with extraordinary recipies this is the perfect fusion of new cuisine.This book is highly recommendable for people who like something really new ! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Methods - Gourmet    3. Photo Techniques    4. Photography    5. Reference    6. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    7. Erotic art    8. Photographs: portraits   

Reviews (11)

A great find
If you like homemade salsa, this book may be just what you're looking for. THE GREAT SALSA BOOK by Mark Miller is all about salsa. The book includes over one hundred pages of salsa recipes. Everything from tomato salsas to chile salsas to tropical mango salsa and other fruit salsas is coverd. Corn and bean salsas, nut, seed and herb salsas, and plenty of other salsas are covered too. Miller includes color photos of all his prepared dishes as well, making this is truly a great salsa book.

Worth a Try
I have only tried 3-4 recipes to date, as I wait for my pepper crop to come in.Each recipe so far was very good, particularly the avacadoe and serrano pepper dip.I will be tweaking to my own taste, but this is a great headstart.

Good Stuff
I bought this book as a gift and they love it.It has lots of fruit, veg, and smoked salsas.They use it a lot. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Condiments    2. Cookery, Mexican    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Methods - Hot & Spicy    6. Reference    7. Salsas (Cookery)    8. Specific Ingredients - Herbs, Spices, Condiments    9. National & regional cuisine   

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery (Cereals)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Grain    6. Specific Ingredients - Rice & Grains    7. Cooking / Rice & Grains   

Reviews (8)

Working hard, or hardly working?
I, too own the Betty Crocker Cookbook, and I, too, am capable of a simple search & replace string for phrases. It seems to me that the author simply took recipies from established cookbooks, and replaced every instance of the word "butter" with "milk-free margerine", the word "milk" with "milk-free milk substitute", and "cream" with the words "non-dairy richwhip".With a remarkable lack of knowledge about the difference between lactose intolerance and actual non-dairy living, she approaches the reader with what were probably good intentions, but merely comes off as misinformed. This book is fine if you are lactose intolerant. However, if you are truly trying to live diary-free, give it a miss. Also, if you're frugal, just take a pencil to your battered copy of Betty Crocker, and sub out the ingredients yourself. Maybe a publisher will buy your work, too.

BEST COOKBOOK
This is the best cookbook for milk allergies I have ever run across.
Too much margarine!!

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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Diet therapy    4. Diets - Special Conditions    5. Health & Healing - General    6. Health & Healing - Weight Control    7. Lactose intolerance    8. Milk-free diet    9. Recipes    10. Specific Ingredients - Dairy    11. Vegetarian cookery    12. Cooking / Health   

Reviews (4)

The School of Crab Cooking
This book takes all of the fear out of cooking with crab.Fred explains step by step everything I needed to know to select crab, cook it, and use it in recipes.
Leaves no crab uncooked
Fred Thompson's Crazy For Crab deserves ongoing recommendation as a lovely survey of different types of crab and how they can be easily prepared at home. From Soft Shell Crabs with Warm Tomato/Bacon Vinaigrette to Pumpkin Crab Soup, Thompson's Crazy For Crab leaves no crab uncooked.

Gorgeous and Drool Inducing!
In what can only be considered a "love note" to all things crab, Fred Thompson has created an absolutely definitive guide for crab lovers everywhere.Beginning with what he calls "The Crab Basics", a discussion of the types of crab available as well as the various methods for selecting and storing crab products, and ending with a list of crab festivals around the country, "Crazy for Crab" offers something for even the most casual of crab fans.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery (Crabs)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    6. Cookery by ingredient    7. Cooking / Seafood   

Reviews (4)

Roasted Garlic Soup
The reviewer who threw the book out made an error by saying that there was only 1 1/2 cups of liquid:the recipes calls for 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk AND 1/2 cup of cream.Also, it says to add some more buttermilk IF the soup is too thick.Given that this is a very rich soup, it would indeed be appropriate to serve 4 with a half cup for each person. The ultimate garlic cookbook from the ultimate garlic fest
Every summer, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, in Gilroy, California, draws more than 150,000 visitors who watch chefs do their cooking magic over outdoor firepits. Clubs and civic groups cook an immense array of garlic dishes from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, China, Japan, Korea, India, Greece and the Philippine Islands. Recipes are not well thought out and are hard to follow
I have been a decent cook for a family of five for 40 years and have used many cookbooks.The first recipe I tried in this cookbook (roasted garlic soup)failed completely.The recipe was to make enough to feed four peoplebut only called for one and a half cups of liquid. I then realized thatabout 4 cups of liquid was not included in the recipe. I have to guess theyforgot the most crucial ingredient, chicken broth. I threw the book out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery (Garlic)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Garlic    6. Specific Ingredients - Herbs, Spices, Condiments    7. Specific Ingredients - Vegetables    8. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (7)

The Best Game Cookbook Available
As an avid hunter and fisherman, I am always looking for great game recipes. This book delivers. I have owned it for many years and have prepared virtually all of the many venison recipes, as well as many others. I have never been disappointed. Some favorites include Buck with Bourbon, Venison steak with Porcini mushrooms, Devil River Venison (a spicycasserole from Texas of venison with pinto beans), and the Scottish classic Steak and a Dram (venison steak in a sauce made with Stilton Cheese and just a dash of Scotch Whisky). Another favorite is Heart of Venison Braised with Root Vegetables. Even if you don't like heart this dish will make you a believer. There are also many great ground venison recipes. For anyone who hunts or fishes and loves to eat what they catch, this book would be an outstanding choice.

This Cookbook Looks Great On My Shelf
This darn cookbook.I hate to admit it, but I have not used it to cook, but just to read.Its so much fun.And it looks great on my shelf.
Great Reference Book
I have used this book for years, and have found it to be one of the most comprehensive wild game cookbooks around.If you eat alot of wild meat (as we do) this book is a must have! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cookery (Fish)    3. Cookery (Game)    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Fish    7. Game and game birds    8. Specific Ingredients - Game    9. Cookery by ingredient    10. Cooking / General   

Editorial Review

Fish, often bottom-billed in many barbecue and grilling cookbooks with a few token recipes, succeeds spectacularly as the star of the show in Read more

Reviews (5)

Just What I Needed
I had many questions about smoking, shellfish in particular, and this book answered those questions.It is an easy to read book, that I would recommend for anyone interested in grilling and smoking fish!

Excellent book!
Many grilling and smoking books give seafood only passing attention; not this book. Recipes are excellent, and while they are much more adventurous than what is typically found in grilling and smoking books, they are still user friendly in both taste and ingredients. This is one book I'll keep on my "most used" shelf for some time to come.

Enhanced with a wealth of cooking tips
The collaborative effort of Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked is a superbly organized and presented compendium of three hundred fish and shellfish recipes that are nothing short of mouth-watering and appetite satisfying! From Stir-Grilled Fish Tacos; Swordfish Steaks with Pineapple Salsa; Grilled Caribbean Prawns on Tropical Fruit Planks; and Pecan-Planked Catfish; to Smoked Scallops with Citrus Vinaigrette; Amaretto-Basted Walleye; Vietnamese-Style Grilled Tilapia; and Grilled Haddock Hoagies with Cob-Smoked Cheddar and Fresh Tomatoes, Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked recipes span the simply to the exotic. Enhanced with a wealth of cooking tips and an impressive section of dips and sauces, Fish & Shellfish Grilled & Smoked is a perfect and welcome addition to any seafood lover's personal cookbook collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Barbecue cookery    2. Cookery (Seafood)    3. Cookery (Smoked foods)    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Courses & Dishes - General    7. Methods - Barbecue & Grilling    8. Specific Ingredients - Seafood    9. Cookery by ingredient    10. Cooking / Barbecue