Reference Books - Page 22

What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science

Robert L. Wolke, Marlene Parrish

Amazon Price: $17.13 List Price: $25.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 78 new & used starting at $4.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Worthy Sucessor to the first book! 5 out of 5 stars.
30 of 31 people found this review helpful.

As a big fan of the first book in this series, I was glad to see another one pop up and quickly put it on my wish list. I was also glad to see that it was even longer than volume 1, with an extra 110 pages. The style is great -- well paced, well laid out, with the 'harder' science very skimmable and yet approachable to non-chemists. I particularly like the way he challenges conventionally held assumptions by, in many cases, doing simple experiments that seem to answer things conclusively. The inlined recipes (by his wife, Marlene Parrish) look delicious and provide a nice break to the flow of questions. Some of my favorite answers:
Why does iced tea turn cloudy? Will coffee stay hotter if I put the cream in right away or only when I'm ready to drink it? Why are there sulfites in wine? How can I get a red wine stain out of a tablecloth? Why do onions really make me cry? Why are "sweet" onions sweet? When an banana ripes and gets sweeter, does it contain more calories? What is a free radical? What makes mashed potatoes gluey? How can I best match a pasta shape with a sauce? Does marinating work? (suprising!) What's the difference between browning and caramelizing? Why do we cook with wine?

And so on. If you like cooking and like knowing more about what's going on inside the pan and aren't afraid of a few polysyllabic words (mmmm, alpha-galactosidase... don't worry, they are defined in context) then grab this book. I couldn't put it down!

Editorial Review:

In this sequel to the best-selling What Einstein Told His Cook, he has added a new feature for curious cooks and budding scientists, "Sidebar Science", which details the chemical processes that underlie food and cooking. In the same plain language that made the first book a hit with both techies and foodies, Wolke combines the authority, clarity and wit of a renowned research scientist, writer and teacher. Also including 35 recipes by Marlene Parrish.

Simple Food for the Good Life

Helen Nearing

List Price: $11.95 By: Stillpoint Pub Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $5.74

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fifty years before the phrase "simple living" became fashionable, Helen and Scott Nearing were living their celebrated "Good Life" on homesteads first in Vermont, then in Maine. All the way to their ninth decades, the Nearings grew their own food, built their own buildings, and fought an eloquent combat against the silliness of America's infatuation with consumer goods and refined foods. They also wrote or co-wrote more than thirty books, many of which are now being brought back into print by the Good Life Center and Chelsea Green. Simple Food for the Good Life is a jovial collection of "quips, quotes, and one-of-a-kind recipes meant to amuse and intrigue all of those who find themselves in the kitchen, willingly or otherwise." Recipes such as Horse Chow, Scott's Emulsion, Crusty Carrot Croakers, Raw Beet Borscht, Creamy Blueberry Soup, and Super Salad for a Crowd should improve the mood as well as whet the appetite of any guest. Here is an antidote for the whole foods enthusiast who is "fed up" with the anxieties and drudgeries of preparing fancy meals with stylish, expensive, hard-to-find ingredients. This celebration of salads, leftovers, raw foods, and homegrown fruits and vegetables takes the straightest imaginable route from their stem or vine to your table. "The funniest, crankiest, most ambivalent cookbook you'll ever read," said Food & Wine magazine. "This is more than a mere cookbook," said Health Science magazine: "It belongs to the category of classics, destined to be remembered through the ages." Among Helen Nearing's numerous books is Chelsea Green's Loving and Leaving the Good Life, a memoir of her fifty-year marriage to Scott Nearing and the story of Scott's deliberate death at the age of one hundred. Helen and Scott Nearing's final homestead in Harborside, Maine, has been established in perpetuity as an educational progam under the name of The Good Life Center.

Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Culinary Encyclopedia

Alain Ducasse

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A true master class in haute cuisine by a true master
Features 700 recipes with ingredients from anchovies to zucchini
An extensive appendix offers a complete description, including the choosing and buying, of the 100 basic ingredients used in the recipes

World-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse has built a reputation on meticulously selecting and preparing ingredients. Grand Livre de Cuisine: Alain Ducasse’s Culinary Encyclopedia brought his 25 years of culinary expertise to kitchens nationwide when it hit bookshelves two years ago. Now, with the release of the first paperback edition, this comprehensive culinary resource has become enticingly affordable for professional chefs and experienced home cooks alike.

Featuring 700 recipes culled from the best of French and Mediterranean cuisine, and more than 1,000 photographs and original drawings, Grand Livre de Cuisine is an invaluable tool for reviewing or perfecting one’s knowledge of culinary fundamentals. The recipes, organized alphabetically by main ingredient—from a thin-crusted anchovy tart to zucchini blossom fritters—are clear and concise, with a special emphasis on finish and presentation. The book also includes a glossary of 100 basic ingredients, as well as a primer on recipes such as stocks and sauces.

As proprietor of four first-rate restaurants and founder of a professional-level cooking school, Ducasse is a natural teacher who can demystify the most complex of recipes. In writing Grand Livre de Cuisine, he has created an impressive guide to appreciating and practicing the art of French cooking. It is sure to teach and inspire cooks of every level.

The Macrobiotic Community Cookbook

Andrea Bliss Lerman

List Price: $12.95 By: Avery Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $0.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Wonderful "Community" Cookbook! 5 out of 5 stars.
26 of 26 people found this review helpful.

I really love this cookbook. Andrea Bliss Lerman has compiled a nice variety of recipes, many of which are contributed from famous names in the Macrobiotic Family. I especially enjoyed the recipe for Chapati contributed by Cornellia Aihara from the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation. It is a flat bread made from finely ground whole wheat flour, water and sea salt that she discovered from India. There is also the Quick and Tasty Noodle Vegetable Delight from Meredith McCarty from the East West Center for Macrobiotics in Eureka, California.

If you are looking for variety in the macrobiotic diet like I was, I recommend The Macrobiotic Community Cookbook. It has wonderful recipes from breakfast through desert. I am sure you will find many that will wet your appetite.

Editorial Review:

A classic collection of more than 150 innovative recipes, now updated and repackaged.

Andrea Bliss-Lerman, an expert chef and macrobiotic cooking teacher, has gathered together a collection of original and tasty recipes contributed by leading macrobiotic practitioners across the country. Featuring many of her own inventive recipes, this is a unique community cookbook that will attract a whole new generation of readers in an ever-growing market looking to foster greater health and well-being through nutrition.

Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2009 (Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guides)

Oz Clarke

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Editorial Review:

Indispensable as ever, Oz Clarke’s now-classic pocket wine guide has been thoroughly and meticulously revised and updated for 2009, with much-anticipated lists of favorite wines, top values, and producers and regions to watch, as well as new vintage reports. For increased browsability, this year’s guide also includes a country-by-country index.

As user-friendly as it is complete, Oz Clarke’s Pocket Wine Guide 2009 lists each wine, grape, winery, producer, and region alphabetically for easy reference. It is a perfect pocket reference for novices—and essential for the seasoned wine lover wanting the latest information.

The Spice Bible: Essential Information and More Than 250 Recipes Using Spice, SpiceMixes, and Spice Pastes

Jane Lawson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The only book on spices that any chef or aspiring cook will ever need, The Spice Bible is a fully comprehensive guide to the fascinating history and enticing culinary uses of 45 fiery foods from around the world. Each entry—from ajowan through wolfberry—includes a description of the spice’s origin and uses, guidelines on how to integrate it into your own cooking, and a trove of other helpful information. (Which are the best spices to pair with saffron? When is the right time to throw away that leftover ginger?)

Like its companion volume, The Produce Bible, this must-have book also features more than 250 recipes—for appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes, breads, desserts, and more—that highlight each ingredient’s distinctive taste and character. Carrot soup with caraway butter, seared salmon with sesame and cucumber, and beef filet poached in Asian-spiced broth are among the delectable dishes presented here, all created with flavorful spices and easily mastered by any cook.

The book also includes tips on purchasing and storing spices, along with sections on spice mixes and pastes such as curry, zaatar, and chermoula. Filled with evocative photographs throughout, The Spice Bible is an invaluable resource for anyone looking for a pinch of personality in their cooking—or a dash of inspiration.

Food Storage 101 Where do I begin? (Cookin' With Home Storage)

Peggy Dianne Layton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This book is one in a series of books written on the subject of food storage. With the upcomming world events and the scare of food shortages many people are starting a food storage program for their families. This book has everything you need to know to begin and maintain a food storage program in your home. It is referred to as having your own home grocery store and pharmacy. You store what you eat and eat what you store, then you replace what you use. With this plan in your home you will never be caught short without enough food to feed your family in case of an emergency. This is a workbook with an inventory and planning guide, as well as a 14 day menu planner to help you calculate how much food you need to continue eating the way you do now without having to change your diet in a crises. This book will help anyone from beginners to advanced. It covers: Where to store bulk food, How to store bulk food, What kind of containers to use, and how much food to store! . This book is written in an easy to follow format with a 6 step plan of action. This plan eliminates the overwhelmed feeling you get when you think of storing at least a three month to a years supply of food. This book is a must for anyone concerned about the problems our nation faces in the near future with food shortages and Y2K proble

Wine

Andre Domine

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Wine

Product Description

This abundantly illustrated book is an atlas, reference work and buying guide to the world of wine. Following a classic organization, readers are introduced to the history of wine, wine production, wine cellars and the enjoyment of wine. The reader is then invited on a journey through all the wine growing countries and regions of the world and will savor browsing through this gorgeous volume while discovering new wines and regions. Expert authors introduce each area, illustrated with detailed maps, including Canada, Japan and China.

Features:

* More than 1,200 full-color illustrations and photographs

* 150 detailed maps of the world s wine growing countries and regions.

* Numerous producer tips that convey highly useful recommendations.

* Updated select producers, tables, maps and photographs.

* New and extensive information on southern and eastern Europe and the new European countries.

* Information on new wine growing countries and areas around the world.

Gifts in a Jar: Holiday Fun

G & R Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Not the Greatest 2 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I love to bake, so I thought cookie and bake mixes in a jar would be fun holiday gifts this year. When I got this book I was disappointed just looking through the recipes - most of the cookie mixes called for store bought biscuit mix. I think this is because biscuit mix contains flour, leavening and often powdered shortening, thus saving the recipient of the gift jar from having to add their own shortening. But have you ever had cookies made with biscuit mix? Sub-par at best, and why would I give that to my friends? So I wrote down the 2 recipes in the whole book that I considered usable and returned the book. I found plenty of gift jar recipes online for free, it just took a little google searching. The m&m site has a very good one. This book just isn't worth the money.

Editorial Review:

This book is filled with recipes to make your own gifts. Each mix fits into a quart jar. The book even includes tags complete with recipient directions with each recipe. Just cut it out, personalize and attach to the jar. Fun to make and affordable, gifts in a jar make great gifts for neighbors, teachers and friends!

Cooking School Secrets For Real-World Cooks

Linda Carucci

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great resource for cooks wanting to take their "game" to the next level 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Permit me a brief digression that will later bear on the review. I once attended a massage therapy school in a city with three competing schools, and I was continually amazed at how limited the competing graduates from the other schools were in basic anatomy, assessment, and palpation skills compared to what I learned. On the other hand, those graduates were way ahead in actual "salon/day spa" cosmetic techniques, so they tended to land positions more easily. They couldn't find a trigger point, balance a meridian flow, or treat a muscle tear, but they could select the best aromatherapy oils for various emotional stresses. Which set of skills were more valid, or "better"? It all depends on what you think is important in massage therapy.

Any course of education and training from a particular institution will have its prejudices, limitations, and standards. Other, competing training schools (and schools of thought) may well differ from the curriculum taught here and may well criticize and castigate these shortcomings. The important thing, you need to understand the rules and conventions of a craft or an art before you can successfully experiment with them or break them for effect (something that people like Alton Brown, Mark Bittman, and Mario Batali do all the time). And Carucci's book does an amazingly thorough and accessible job setting forth those conventions, heuristics and "secrets" in one place, in an easily absorbed format. And she offers them AS conventions and secrets, which implies that other, alternate techniques may well exists. (I didn't even know that the ratios of the ingredients in "mire poix" were an issue, for instance). So to me, this book really is a cooking school between two covers, with all the advantages and limitations that would imply. Mastering the contents of this book will give the aspiring cook/chef a useful set of tools and protocols for "serious" cooking...but other cooks and chefs, trained in other ways of thought may well disagree with many of the "secrets" presented here. The important thing is to understand that the issues exists and that no "secret" is any better than the understanding and perception of the person trying to use it.

So to me, the most important (and useful) part of Carucci's book are the parts were she emphasizes the actual use of the senses and intuition as part of the cooking process. That takes this book to the next level as far as I am concerned and makes it a valuable resource in the education of would be cooks. I've learned a ton of stuff in the three short weeks that I've had it, and more important, I understand the extent and depth of my ignorance, in ways I never did before from working with these pages.

This is a great book to have. The only cookbooks in my collection that I like better are Alton Brown's (and I know that many people consider his recipes hit-or-miss See how personal perceptions enter into it, no matter what you do in subjects like cooking?) I'm delighted that I found this on the stands and decided to give it a chance.