...all reflect a boom in the cookbook publishing business. A paperback
reprint will lower the cost to the purchaser, and also give a publisher
a chance to correct egregious errors or add a postscript. Some will
reissue a book in paper covers with a new layout or photos. Others will
rearrange existing material to present it as more informative text
while keeping the focus tight. Here are some recent "re-editions"...
17. EVERYONE CAN COOK EVERYTHING (Whitecap, 2012, 434 pages, ISBN 978-
1-77050-109-6, $35 CDN hard covers) is by Eric Akis, a food writer in
Victoria, BC. He's a former chef and the bestselling author of the
"Everyone Can Cook" series (covering basics, seafood, appetizers,
celebrations, slow cookers, and midweek meals). There are six in this
series, and I guess you could call him Canada's answer to Mark Bittman.
These are simple dishes, suitable to a wide range of "satisfying"
meals. But their usefulness lies in the creative planning of meals.
There are 240 recipes here in this "best of" collection.
Each recipe has detail on prep time and finishing time, as well as some
options and variations. Preparations have their ingredients listed in
both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of
equivalents. There are plenty of cook's notes and options for
variations here. The instructions are clear and useful, as well as his
details on how to plan. The quantities for each ingredient are set in
pastel colours on the page, which makes for squinty reading and poor
photocopying. I advocate photocopying recipes for actual kitchen
preparation (saves wear and tear on the book, and you can clip the
recipe to a shelf or cupboard). Quality/Price Rating: 86.
18. UNION DES GRANDS CRUS DE BORDEAUX, 2011-2012 Edition (Feret, 2011;
distr. Wine Appreciation Guild, 180 pages, ISBN 978-2-35156071-6 $29.95
US paper covers) is the group's annual directory of members. From the
book: Founded in 1973, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is a
partnership of 132 grand crus estates constituted under a shared
standard of high quality. This Guide, available publicly for the first
time since the Union's founding, is a summary of the producers from the
more important appellations of Bordeaux: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, St.
Estephe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Graves,
Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes, Barsac, St. Emilion and Pomerol. Included in
estate profiles are: property history and description, officers,
production quantities, terrain and soil makeup, grapes under harvest,
degree of barrel ageing, name of second wines, contact information,
website, and GPS locations. But of course, there are no tasting notes,
which would pit one member against another. You can get more data at
www.ugcb.net. Quality/Price rating: 85.
19. TOP 100 SOUTH AFRICAN WINES, 2012/13 (Wine Appreciation Guild,
2012, 288 pages, ISBN 978-0-620-52990-7 $24.95 US hard covers) has been
pulled together by Robin von Holdt, an expert in South African wine.
"The Top 100 South African Wine Challenge" is the premier fine-wine
competition in South Africa. As the official guide of this annual
event, Top 100 South African Wines, 2012/13 (a second edition) provides
a relatively objective, independent and professional rating of some of
South Africa's finest wines. This is a survey of the top 100 wines
entered, but not necessarily the top 100 wines in the current
marketplace. The book includes all WO wine producing areas, detailed
colour maps, special notes on new wines, wine buying tips, advice on
proper cellaring of wine, and the current South African wine industry
information. There is also material on grape cultivars, a glossary of
wine terms, bottle label images for easy recognition, and tasting notes
from the judges. The judging methodology and scoring are laid out, with
some winemaker tasting notes. And there are plenty of South African
industry statistics. With retail prices in Rand added to the directory-
listings (there's about two pages for each wine with full tech data),
this is a great shopping list. There are more details at
www.top100sawines.com.
Quality/Price rating: 87.
20. SUPERFOOD KITCHEN; cooking with nature's most amazing
foods (Sterling Epicure, 2011, 2012; distr. Canadian Manda
Group, 238 pages, ISBN 978-1-4549-0352-9, $24.95 US hard
covers) is by Julie Morris. It was originally published in
2011 as "Superfood Cuisine" (why the change?). It come
endorsed by someone called a "celebrity nutritionist".
Really? Morris worked in the natural foods industry as a
recipe developer, writer, and TV host. The emphasis here is
on dishes that are plant-based, nutrient-dense, whole-
foods, rich in antioxidants, with essential fatty acids,
minerals and vitamins. Of yes, they are also supposed to be
delicious. She's also got a lot of extras: a substitution
cheat sheet, conversion charts, making nut milks, a guide
to ingredient resources, bibliography (including websites),
and other references. The arrangement of the book is by
course: breakfasts, soups, salads, through to sweets and
drinks. She has extensive notes on the various types of
superfoods, in a pantry chapter. Try arugula and Asian pear
salad, kabocha-quinoa risotto, loaded collard wraps, garden
lasagna, and chocolate hemp & oat bars. Preparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but
there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 86.
21. BETTY CROCKER INDIAN HOME COOKING (John Wiley & Sons, 2001, 2012,
336 pages, ISBN 9788-1-118-39746-6, $19.99 US soft covers) has recipes
by Raghavan Iyer. Yes, the Betty Crocker Indian Home Cooking was
"outsourced" more than a decade ago, and has been reissued for the
modern market and adjusted for American tastes. There are 180 recipes
and more than 85 almost full page photos in colour. There are
traditional faves such as samosas, butter chicken, and almond-lamb
curry. There are also regional specialties (grilled fish with garlic,
pork in cashew-pepper curry, rice-lentil pancakes) and many vegetarian
options such as mixed vegetable stew with coconut or North Indian
chili. There's a primer on Indian cooking, huge chapters on lentils
(with beans and peas) and on condiments, plus a selection of Indian
menus. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents. Quality/price
rating: 85.
22. THE GLORY OF SOUTHERN COOKING (John Wiley, 2007, 2012, 432 pages,
ISBN 978-1-118-38358-2, $22.99 US paper covers) is by Southern food
expert writer James Villas, author of about 20 cookbooks (including a
Beard Award for "Pig" in 2011). It was originally published in hardback
in 2007; this is the paperback reprint. As the subtitle says: "recipes
for the best beer-battered fried chicken, cracklin' biscuits, Carolina
pulled pork, fried okra, Kentucky cheese pudding, hummingbird cake…"
Here are 388 preps for every meal and every occasion, from the basics
of BBQ and greens to regional specialties. Throughout there is memoir
material about the South, some cooking tips, and colour photos. The
back cover has some heavy duty log rolling from Wolfert, Kafka, Mariani
and the Sterns. While "chess pie" is not indexed, there is a "lemon-
buttermilk chess pie" under the word lemon. I also looked under the
term "jes' pie", but it was not there. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table
of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 88.
23. CATERING MANAGEMENT. 4th ed. (Wiley, 2013, 262 pages, ISBN 978-1-
118-09149-4, $70 US hard covers) is by Nancy Loman Scanlon, currently a
professor at Florida International University in the hospitality
school. She's written other restaurant managing books. This one was
first published in 2000, and gets revised on a regular basis. It's a
basic guide to the business side of catering (cost control, marketing,
budgeting, day-to-day operations). The primer includes the various
styles of catering operations, business development, marketing and
digital support, the menu program, both food and beverage controls,
menu design, menu pricing, beverage management, and training. There is
a glossary, some endnotes, and an updated bibliography. It is loaded
with illustrations of menus, event skeds, purchasing requirements,
photos of event locations, and more. Of course, it is a text book, so
each chapter ends with a useful summary and some questions for
discussion. The biggest changes in the book occur in the digital
chapter, with looks at menu creation, social networking, online
promotions, proposal development, and new software. There is also some
new material on sustainable practices. Well-worth a look by existing
catering companies looking to improve their bottom line. Quality/price
rating: 88.
24. MASTERCHEF COOKBOOK. (Rodale, 2010, 260 pages, ISBN 978-1-60529-
123-9, $24.99 US paper covers) has been compiled by JoAnn Cianciulli,
supervising producer of MasterChef. She's had more than a decade's
worth of culinary TV production experience. This is the paperback
reissue of the 2010 hardcover. Here are 80 recipes created by the cast
and the judges. Basic techniques include searing, frying, baking
broiling and blanching. Some typical preps include blackened catfish
tacos, handmade pasta forms, brandied chocolate mousse, and other show
pieces. Lots of photos of people, but at the expense of fewer technique
photos. But there is good food styling in the illustrations.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 85.
25. CONCEPTS IN WINE TECHNOLOGY; small winery operations. Third ed.
(Wine Appreciation Guild, 2012, 296 pages, ISBN 978-1-935879-80-0, $40
US hard covers) is by Yair Margalit, a physical chemist who also runs a
small family vineyard and winery, and teaches winemaking. It updates
his earlier Winery Technology and Operation (1990) and the first
edition of the current title (2004). His topics cover grape ripening
(determining sugar and acid levels) and pre-harvest conditions, a sort
of basic condensed viticulture in the first 20 pages. Then come
sections on the harvest and the crush, the fermentation (including
malo-lactic but not barrel fermentation, which is in the chapter on
barrel aging). He covers the operations of the cellar: racking,
stabilization, fining, filtration, blending, and maintenance. This is
followed by barrel aging and bottling. The wine evaluation appendix is
extremely useful for its good discussion based on aromas, bouquets,
tastes, flavours, body, and astringency. In fact, Margalit could have
expanded this chapter and expounded further. There is an expanded
bibliography of books as well as bibliographic footnotes in each
chapter, and there is a concluding index. This is a good basic primer,
based on years of personal experience, easy enough to understand, and
useful for anyone who wants to get under the hood, sommeliers,
winemaking students, or even hospitality trade students.
Some interesting or unusual facts: Margalit calls for a new system of
ratings based on nose, mouthfeel, harmony, and negative attributes.
What I don't like about this book: a glossary could have been very
helpful, as well as a listing of technical websites for further
knowledge. Also, he has no discussion on icewine production.
What I do like about this book: lots of graphs, charts and
illustrations. As well, he has an excellent wine evaluation chapter.
Quality/Price Ratio: 94.
26. CONCEPTS IN WINE CHEMISTRY. Third ed. (Wine Appreciation Guild,
2012, 543 pages, ISBN 978-1-935879-81-7 $89.95 US hard covers) is by
Yair Margalit, a physical chemist who also runs a small family vineyard
and winery, and teaches winemaking. It updates his earlier Wine
Chemistry (1997) and the second edition of the current title (2004).
The last decade has seen great strides in understanding of the
biochemistry involved in vinification. Margalit gives a current
snapshot of the basic and advanced science behind the wine processes.
It is also meant for the larger winery, and has more depth than his
Wine Technology book (see above). Organized by the winemaking process,
topics cover must, fermentation, phenolics, aromas and bouquets,
oxidation, oak and corks, sulphuring, what goes on in the cellar, wine
defects, and health aspects of wine. There are also chapters detailing
the regulations and legal requirements in the production of wine, and
the history of wine chemistry and winemaking practices from the past.
Quite an impressive array of coverage, finished off by an index.
Audience and level of use: students, winemakers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: The Kaiser Permanente health
organization in California correlated mortality from heart disease to
alcohol consumption, leading to the definition of the one-drink unit
equal to 17.5 ml of absolute ethanol (about 5 ounces of wine).
What I don't like about this book: a glossary could have been very
helpful, as well as a listing of technical websites for further
knowledge. Also, he has no discussion on icewine production.
What I do like about this book: lots of graphs, charts and
illustrations.
Quality/Price Ratio: 92.
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