Editorial Review

In Italy there are no mothers who are bad cooks. Can this be possible? In the case of Giuliano Hazan, whose mother is Marcella Hazan, yes. Marcella is the doyenne of Italian cookbook authors published in the United States. And Giuliano is no slouch, either. Though his first cookbook, Read more

Reviews (21)

What!!! No GARLIC????
I was hoping to buy an Italian food cookbook.What I got was a cookbook about Italian "inspired"creations that he, the author, himself created. Mostly this book seems like a pat on his back for he mentions how everyone loves this or that dish every few pages....and he is proud because he made all the recipes himself!! Not authentic to me.Hardly any recipe contains garlic and I feel forced to doctor the recipes in order to get any flavor.My only hope for this book is that the deserts (I haven't tried one yet) makes up for the rest.
I found a new favorite!
I"m so glad I ordered this cookbook. The recipes are easy and the ingredients (except for a couple of things) are available in the local supermarket. Being of Italian descent myself, I was looking for something different than the usual that was simple & quick to prepare. I found it in this cookbook and every one of recipes that Itried was delicious. The Meat Pie "Pizza Style" is a huge hit in my house. Bravo!

Lack of Pictures
I think this book is not meant for me. There was too little pictures. Dishes that have vegetable that i didnt like. Lack of recipe for pasta. i guess i dont know much of about italian food, but most of the food doesnt sound good because of whats in it. Personally i do not recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cookery, Italian    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Italian cooking    6. Methods - Quick & Easy    7. Quick and easy cookery    8. Regional & Ethnic - Italian    9. Cooking / General    10. Italy    11. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (2)

Every person, bar and country should own one.
This book surpasses any other book on drinks.It runs the gamut of drinks from alcohol to non-alcoholic.There's a section in the back for punches, and to boot, a section for hangover remedies.I'm sixty years old and this is the best bar book I've every ecountered.

Written especially for beginners and teaches the basics and techniques of the mixed drink, assuming no prior knowledge
If it's only one big book you want covering all the cocktail recipes, leaving the glitz of color photos for the depth of practical coverage, make it ULTIMATE BAR BOOK: THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO OVER 1,000 COCKTAILS. Here are all the classics plus new cocktails such as Bali Highball. Here also are recommendations for home bars, coverage of utensils and mixers, sections on non-alcoholic drinks, and tips for entertaining with cocktails. Novices shouldn't be put off by the volume, either: it's written especially for beginners and teaches the basics and techniques of the mixed drink, assuming no prior knowledge.
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Subjects:  1. Bartending    2. Beverages - Bartending    3. Cocktails    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. General    7. Cooking / Bartending   

Reviews (32)

Great "How To" book
This book has it all.I love the suggestions and recipes that accompany the wine selections.It is very simply written and easy to follow.

Bookstore Success!
Whoever picks up this book will love it! I work in a bookstore and many people come in looking for great books on wine for themselves or for gifts. There are many wine books out there, but none like the "Wine Club". This book is fun, informative, and a purchase you won't regret making!

Must have book from awesome wine educator!
The wine club is such a great concept -- there couldn't be a more rewarding way to learn about wine than to share it with friends and be guided by a CIA grad and certified sommelier.Petrosky certainly has the notches on her belt to be a true wine snob, but she so smartly chooses not too.Her friendly voice and candor indicate that at some point in her life she too walked the first steps of learning about wine -- and therefore knows just the way to teach it to the rest of us!This book should be handed to everyone on the occasion of the purchase of their first bottle of wine.It is a great guide book to the rite of passage that is wine drinking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Reference    5. Wine tasting    6. Cooking / Wine & Spirits   

Reviews (2)

Very Fun
This kit is perfect for beginners.I didn't have a clue of how to get started in planning a party and this kit took the guess work out of EVERYTHING. However, it is very interactive and I reccomend keeping your guest list small (4-5 people/4-5 bottles).

Lives up to title
The Wine Tasting Party Kit was a real hit and included six reusable cloth bags to hide the wine bottles, rating sheets, and wine glass stem labels.The enclosed book is very basic but can provide a jumping off point to select a theme for your party.A good investment if you want to have a series of parties with your friends. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Non-Classifiable    5. Nonfiction    6. Wine And Wine-Making    7. Wines   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    3. Cooking    4. Photoessays & Documentaries    5. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (1)

Shaw Cooking School Guide
Wonderful reference guide to all cooking schools.Great for professional and just-for-fun classes! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Counseling - Vocational Guidance    3. Education    4. Methods - General    5. Reference    6. Reference - Guides (General)    7. Yearbooks & Annuals   

Reviews (1)

Ralph, wine & pen
Ralph Steadman is a wonderful artistic talent.In this book he combines his love of wine, humor, and his comedic illustrations.If you are a true wine lover (i.e. someone who just doesn't take the whole wine tasting thing too seriously, but knows what she or he likes) you will thoroughly enjoy this book.It is also a wonderful gift for wine-lovin' friends.Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Wine And Wine-Making    5. Wine and wine making    6. Contributions in wine and wine making    7. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    8. Steadman, Ralph   

Reviews (2)

4 Ingredient Cookbook
I love it ! Now that there are just the two of us at home, this makes meals so much easier. I always seem to have the right ingredients on hand when I go to do these recipes. Makes me wonder what took me so long to buy this book.

Wanna be a quickie gourmet cook?!
I've had this cookbook for four years, and it's amazing.I've learned to make so many quick and yet delicious things with this cookbook, it's a staple in my house!I recently let a family member borrow it and she didn't want to give it back, so now I'm buying one for her!The dessert section is especially great for quickie desserts...this family member used it to make a lot of little desserts for a baby shower!If you could just have one cookbook, this should definitely be it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Beer    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Methods - Quick & Easy    5. Sale Books   

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. General    5. Rugs    6. Spain    7. Wines   

Reviews (9)

Great recipes and great design
We've purchased a number of martini and other drink recipe books before coming across this one.One of the best things about this book is its spiral design.It lays flat, which means you don't have to try to hold it open or prop it up while mixing up a drink.Can't tell you how frustrating it is trying to whip up a martini or other stylish drink while trying to hold a book open!This book has great recipes, both old and new, is organized by type of liquor and even gives you ideas for the best glass to serve your masterpieces in.I just purchased another copy to give as a wedding/shower gift for a young couple.

They even got the Singapore Sling right!
This bartender guide is both colorful and full of photos.It's not also reasonable organized but has color codes for the different types of drinks (Gin, Vodka, etc.) to make it easy to navigate the cocktails.Also, I was happy to see a bartender guide that has the CORRECT Singapore Sling ingredients listed.So many others don't even have the real one used by the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.One thing that makes sense about this book, is that its spiral bound a real plus!

Thoroughly informative guide for the first-timer or the enthusiast
I found a used copy of this book at a local bookstore, and bought it out of sheer curiosity. I knew nothing prior to mixing drinks or even how to use a shaker, and was thoroughly amused at how drinking enthusiasts around the world could come up with 780 unique -- and sometimes downright perverse and ridiculous -- names for the world's finest cocktails.
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Subjects:  1. Bartending    2. Beverages - Bartending    3. Cocktails    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Cooking / Bartending    7. JUVY-HOLIDAY - JUVY-HALLOWEEN    8. Reference works    9. Spirits & cocktails   

Reviews (12)

excellent but obsolete
this was written before the internet, the majority of information in this book is available online or in basic brewing books, the gadgets described are mostly widely manufactured and / or easily available.

Simple Clear - but info is avaible in other places ?
This book does a great job describing the mechanical part of homebrewing. It's well written and well illustrated, but is it useful?Most of this information is avaible somewhere online - in home brew forums - drawings and all - For Free. It's a good book - but it was origninally written in 1961 !! My reprint is from 1996 - `96 is the begining of the internet - when you still had to buy books to get most info.? Simple research on the internet will save you some money.

Brew Ware
Easy to read and understand.Nice ideas and designs with good enough detail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Beer    3. Beverage Technology    4. Beverages - Beer    5. Brewing    6. Cooking    7. Cooking / Wine    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Beers    10. Cooking / Beer   

Reviews (6)

A Great Read with a Cup of Tea
This is a pleasantly readable book about tea.Even the serious tea lover can discover new aspects of the beverage, and casual drinkers are sure to learn to appreciate tea more.Even if you're not willing to take as serious an approach to tea as Helen does, this book can teach you some great tips for making and appreciating tea.
A sweet book for friends
I was afraid this was going to be another restaurant-puffery book, but I was so pleasantly surprised! The engaging stories and accompanying recipes were charming. In fact, I borrowed this book from the library and then ran out and bought three copies to give away as gifts and one copy for myself!

Wonderful book to read slowly
This morning I finished reading a lovely book, _The Agony of the Leaves_ by Helen Gustafson, who is the tea buyer for Chez Panisse in Berkeley.The title refers to a description of what happens to tea leaves when boilingwater is poured over them; they contort and twist, releasing theirflavor.Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Coffee & Tea    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Cookery    5. General    6. Tea    7. Anecdotes    8. Gustafson, Helen   

Reviews (3)

Very approachbale, very balanced account
This is a fine book, an excellent introduction to contemporary French wine. Jefford's initial discussions of "appelation" and "terroir" are profound while at the same time approachable for beginners. His use of commentary by experienced vintners helps round out the presentation. And the inclusion of "flak" sections for the major appelations gives a balance to the book's account. These sections deal with some of the various misgivings and criticisms that vintners, growers and consumers have with the regulations and the general wine-making practice. So despite the privilege Jefford accords "terroir," he presents (and sometimes even supports) arguments against its hegemony.

Exceptional book
You may consider this a sad admission but I have read many books on wine. This one is truly exceptional. A practical guide produced with passion, knowledge and insight. A defense of both culture, quality and pleasure. Everything in its Place
What's the best way to read a book about wines, producers, regions, styles, etc? Cover-to-cover? Episodically? Grab it when you want to do some research on a specific topic? In my own case, it's typically when I crawl into bed because that's about the only time I have to read about my favorite subject. Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Reference    5. Regional & Ethnic - French    6. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    7. France    8. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes    9. Wines   

Reviews (4)

Yummy
This is great. Easy, great tasting recipes that won't wreck a diet. I love it!!!

Great Recipes, But Misleading Nutritional Info
The recipes are great!Simple ingredients, easy instructions.However, don't let it fool you..on several of the mango recipe smoothies the protein values are stated over 90grams!Sorry, there aren't any steaks in these smoothies...
Awesome Smoothie recipes
Awesome smoothie recipes that are very healthy and low-calorie.The ingredients are easy to find, the smoothies are easy to prepare, and the results taste amazing! I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Non-Alcoholic    2. Blenders (Cookery)    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. General    6. Low-calorie diet    7. Recipes    8. Smoothies (Beverages)    9. Specific Ingredients - Fruit    10. Cooking / General    11. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (7)

New Review
Bought this as a gift for a friend who is a fine wine lover.She says it is a great gift and she is able to refer to it frequently with surprising answers to her questions and items of interest that she had not heard about.Very nice and received in a timely manner.

My favorite reference
I'm a budding neophyte, and refer to this book constantly. Whether I'm reading The World Atlas of Wine, the Complete Wine Course, Sotheby's Encyclopedia, Cote d'Or - whatever - I always turn to this book for help. It almost always provides me with the extra information I need to understand what I'm reading in the other books - and it comes with pronunciations!! While the information isn't as in-depth as The Oxford Companion to Wine, it is certainly easier to carry around. And again, there's that bit about the pronunciations...you have to have that...how else are you going to know, unless you're French or speak French, that Echezeaux, an important Grand Cru vineyard in Burgundy, is pronounced ay-shuh-ZOH.

It's a wine dictionary
I wasn't aware that this was a dictionary of wine terms when I ordered it, so I wanted other prospective buyers to be aware that that's what this is.It is not written like a regular book.
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Subjects:  1. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Dictionaries    5. Wine and wine making    6. Cooking / Wine & Spirits    7. Main courses    8. Wines   

Editorial Review

Offered up as a lively and comprehensive alphabetical discussion of some 350 types of wine grapes, Read more

Reviews (4)

great grapes!!
I am in the wine business, and find this book to be a wonderful tool for times when I need further explanation or more detailed descriptions. I would recommend it highly for both pros and amateurs.

If you like wine, you need this book!
One of the most comprehensive books on wine grapes around. It gets to the heart of the subject: what a wine made from a specific grape should smell and taste like. My copy has been "borrowed" several times from my bookcase....

Fun, informative and open-minded
This is an excellent book, and I'd have to say it's generally better than Jancis Robinson's Vines, Grapes and Wines.Ideally, one would have both; if not, one would have Clarke's Encyclopedia.As another reviewer has noted, Robinson gives more attention to hybrids; this is surely forward-looking, especially given that the material is generally dated.Though most hybrids are indeed horribly yield-obsessed, there are some promising hybrids and crosses out there (not all of the American hybrids are foxy); many get no mention in this book.Yet there aren't many wineries using newer hybrids in the first place, which makes their inclusion (or exclusion) almost a moot point.Nevertheless, Robinson can come across as relatively rigid and conservative in other ways, at least in this superannuated book.Where Clarke, for instance, rightly notes Garnacha's potential, Robinson focuses on its ignoble role in the "wine lake,"-- in Garnacha's case, a particularly alcoholic and highly flammable one.Yet, to be fair, Clarke has time on his side: this is a wonderfully up-to-date book and he's had a lot more time to analyze the frequently obscure potential of what were once relatively obscure grapes.Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Reference    6. Cooking / Wine & Spirits   

Editorial Review

Since its discovery in an Ethiopian rainforest centuries ago, coffee has brewed up a rich and troubled history, according to Read more

Reviews (36)

"Let's have another cup of coffee . . . "
Resting next to your mouse or keyboard - at a safe distance! - your cuppa steams aromatically.The morning coffee, whether at home or work, is the "kick-starter" of many a person's day.For some, it must be a special flavour, brewed to taste, yet often mixed with sweeteners or cow juice, real or otherwise.For the rest, anything hot and caffeine-laced is sufficient.Yet almost none of us ask where that beverage came from, why we drink it and why North Americans stick with coffee and others with tea.Mark Pendergrast asked, and asked some more and in many places.The result is this captivating book relating the history of our favourite beverage.It must be important if we write songs about it.
Great read for history and coffee junkies
I am an admitted Starbucks addict and History Channel junkie. Both of those traits made this book a total blast to read.Sure, it is a little slow at the beginning, but if you stick with it you learn how Coffee has influenced world economics, the marketing industry, and even our language.
now it is 3 degrees of separation not 6
Everything we do, everything we buy has an impact far around the world.This is an excellent study of these links through an in depth review of the coffee industry.Pendergrast has researched the significant political, business, and economic history of the industry and its role in the US relationship with Latin American, African and Asian coffee producing countries.The information is academic quality but throughoughly readible.
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Subjects:  1. Beverages - Coffee & Tea    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Coffee    4. Coffee industry    5. Commerce    6. Commodities    7. History    8. Sociology    9. World - General   

Editorial Review

That a nation should construct one of its most resonant national ceremonies round a cup of tea will surely strike a chord of sympathy with at least some readers of this review. To many foreigners, nothing is so quintessentially Japanese as the tea ceremony--more properly, "the way of tea"--with its austerity, its extravagantly minimalist stylization, and its concentration of extreme subtleties of meaning into the simplest of actions. Read more

Reviews (25)

The Tao of Tea
Kakuzo Okakura (1862-1919) was born in a Japan that had seen Commodore Perry but had not yet renounced the Shogunate. By the end of his life he had seen the Great War and Japan's first imperialistic military adventures in Korea and Manchuria that would culminate in the tragedy of the Second World War.
History, Philosophy, Poetry, and Religion - All In A Cup Of Tea
This book was written around 1900, it seems, for those upper class ladies and gentlemen who delight in tea yet are ignorant of its artistic quality to life past and present.
The Philosophy Of Tea
Japanese green tea has recently been touted as health drinks having lots of nutrious ingredients including catechin and Teanin.
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Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Asia - Japan    3. Cooking    4. Customs & Traditions    5. Sociology    6. Non-alcoholic beverages    7. Philosophy / Eastern   

Reviews (3)

Indispensable for brewing abbey-style ales
As other reviewers have pointed out, it's a good idea for the reader to have several years of all-grain brewing experience. That, and an existing appreciation of abbey-style beers; words alone cannot adequately portray the unique flavors of Belgian fermentations.
Technically valuable and a good read!
The author presumes you are a proficient brewer and concentrates on the philosophy of belgium abbey brewing rather than the mechanics of brewing.It is a good read and provides the home brewer with useful data to incorporate into their brewing.Excellent section of the use of sugars for increased attentuation and reduced cloying qualities associated with malt only brewing.Overall I would recommend this book without reservation to any home brewer seeking to gain more professional results in their brewing and greater complexity.

Want to know everything about brewing Abbey ales?
So if you've just done your first batch of beer this is not the book for you. As a matter of fact, if you have just done your first all grain batch this might not be the book for you. However, if you are a seasoned veteran of the mash tun and want to really delve head first into some of the most beautiful beers on earth this could be your ticket. I know Stan and can affirm that he knows as much about Belgian brewing as anyone in the US. Interviews with Belgian beer masters as well as those stateside gives the advanced homebrewer or professional a great idea of what it will take to brew great belgian inspired beers. Clearly the most important parts of this book to the brewer are the sections on ingredients and fermentation. If you are a diehard English inspired brewer this book willbe an eye opener as to what exactly is so different about brewing belgian ales.
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Subjects:  1. Beer    2. Belgium    3. Beverages - Beer    4. Brewers    5. Cooking    6. Food Science    7. History    8. International And Ethnic Cookery    9. Methods - General    10. Regional & Ethnic - European    11. Religious life    12. Technology & Industrial Arts    13. United States    14. Beers    15. Europe   

Reviews (6)

Great source for coffee amateurs
I recommend this book for any person who wants to explore and expand his knowledge about the coffee. Its history, procedures, types of coffee, regions, recipes, etc. Good book with much information.

Great coffee book
This book gives a good basic understanding of what coffee is all about.I especially like the specificity of information about coffees from different areas in the Regional Character chapter.For example, discussing Costa Rica's two best growing areas and how the coffees differ.I also found the opinions of which coffees are worthy of their price helpful.I read the Perfect Cup first and am glad I did because it was a good coffee overview for me.Coffee Basics was a great second book for me because I was looking for more specific information about coffees of each area.If I hadn't read Perfect Cup first I think the break down of info. on each type of coffee/regional character would have been information overload for me.If you are new or relatively new to the coffee world and are excited about learning more and more about the subtlties and nuiances present in that cup, I highly recommend you read this book.

Covers a lot in very few words...
This is not exactly a great book, but then again, not exactly a bad book.It covers much about the industry of coffee and goes over the different regions that produce coffee.It describes what is and how to brew a perfect cup of coffee.Read more

Subjects:  1. Beverages - Coffee & Tea    2. Coffee    3. Cooking    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Cooking / Coffee & Tea    6. Non-alcoholic beverages