THE REISSUES, THE REPRINTS, AND THE NEWER EDITIONS...

 

...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"...

 

 

 

19. PRESERVING MADE EASY; small batches & simple techniques (Firefly,
2012, 286 pages, ISBN 978-1-77085-094-1, $9.99 CA paperback is by Ellie
Topp and Margaret Howard. It's based on THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SMALL-
BATCH PRESERVING; over 300 delicious recipes to use year-round. 2d
edition,
The authors are professional home economists and food consultants. Both
have authored and co-authored cookbooks before. Lots
of simple techniques are carefully explained here, so that food should
not spoil. Variations are suggested. The shtick is to do your own
processing and save over supermarket prices; hence, there are fairly
decent store knockoffs here. Covered are jams, jellies, pickles,
chutneys, sauces, salsas, conserves, low-sugar spreads, flavoured oils
and vinegars. This paperback has 200 of the larger book's 300 preps,
some reworked for simplicity. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
separate table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 89.

 

20. EASY CAKES & COOKIES; cupcakes, brownies, muffins, loaves a& more
(Ryland, Peters & Small, 2012, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-212-1,
$19.95 US hard covers) and

 

21. EASY 30-MINUTE MEALS; quick and easy recipes for busy people
(Ryland, Peters & Small, 2012, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-210-7,
$19.95 US hard covers) are the latest books in this publisher's "Easy"
series (over half-a-million books sold), bringing the total up to 18
thus far. The premise is a selection of easy preps from the stable of
writers at Ryland. All recipes are credited to such as Louise Pickford,
Maxine Clark, Ross Dobson, Sarah Rendell, Tonia George, and many
others. There are about 100 preps in each of the "Easy" books; all have
been previously published by Ryland. Try sweet potato and coconut soup,
porcini frittata, Thai chicken curry, mocha swirl loaf, lime drizzle
cake, or toffee pear muffins.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and
avoirdupois measurements, but there is a separate table of metric
equivalents. Quality/price rating: 84.

 

 

 

22. FISH & SHELLFISH; grilled & smoked (Harvard Common Press, 2002,
2012, 408 pages, ISBN 978-1-55832-181-6, $18.95 US soft covers) is by
Karen Adler, author of a dozen cookbooks, and Judith Fertig, also
author of a dozen cookbooks. Here they combine to give us 300 preps
plus sauces, marinades, rubs, and sides for seafood. The book was
originally published in 2002, and this is a paperback reissue. There's
a primer on grilling and smoking, with fish substitution guidelines.
Then the recipes are divided on fish or shellfish, smoked or grilled in
four chapters. There's fresh herbed-crusted mullet, grilled ocean
perch, grilled squid, smoked catfish salad, stir-grilled scallops, oak-
planked salmon, and more. Preparations have their ingredients listed in
avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 85.

 

 

 

23. SUMMER DAYS & BALMY NIGHTS (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2012, 276
pages, ISBN 978-1-84975-207-7, $27.95 US hard covers) has more than 160
recipes and ideas for summer entertaining Mediterranean-style. It's a
book package pulled together from the stable of food writers at Ryland,
There was an earlier book entitled "Lazy Days and Beach Blankets", and
this current effort extends that one. Major recipe contributions came
from Louise Pickford, Fiona Beckett, Maxine Clark, Ross Dobson, and
Clair Ferguson. Preps include lemon drop, peaches and sauternes ice
cream, chicken avgolemono, soupe verdon, watermelon and ricotta salata
salad, and spiced muscat figs. Arrangement is by course, with grazing
apps, salads, soups, grill work, alfresco desserts and drinks.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and
avoirdupois measurements, but there is no separate table of metric
equivalents. Excellent photography. Quality/price rating: 84.

 

24. ARTISANAL GLUTEN-FREE COOKING; 275 great-tasting, from-scratch
recipes from around the world, perfect for every meal and for anyone on
a gluten-free diet, and even those who aren't. 2d ed. Rev. (The
Experiment, 2009, 2012; distr. T. Allen, 336 pages, ISBN 978-1-61519-
050-8, $18.95 US paper covers) is by the husband-and-wife team of Kelli
Bronski, Cornell hotel school graduate, and writer Peter Bronski (who
has celiac disease since before 2007). Everything, of course, is
gluten-free in this book. There are 70 GF flour preps for breads,
pastas, and pizzas, as well as 20 for GF flour desserts. They have
developed their own mix ratios for gluten-free flours (as has almost
every other gluten-free writer): if you need it, you'll have to
experiment to see what works best. This one is principally brown rice,
sorghum, and corn starch. But it is their default GF flour mix. There's
a primer plus a range of recipes without gluten. Many preps never had
gluten to begin with, such as bacon-wrapped shrimp. To my mind, a
better book would have been based solely on replacing gluten in
recipes. Only about 100 of the 275 preps do that. The new edition has
50 more colour photos, 25 more recipes, and some appeal to vegetarians
and vegans. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 85.

 

25. TEN-MINUTE BENTO (Vertical Inc., 2007, 2012; dist. Random House of
Canada, 80 pages, ISBN 978-1-935654-41-4, $14.95 US soft covers) is by
Megumi Fuji. It was published by Kodansha in Japan in 2007, and this is
the North American reissue. And it is a terrific idea. Tired of all
those 30-minute or less easy meals? Try the ten-minute bento. These are
easy, creative bento box meals, classic preps and some with modern
ideas. "Just cook up some rice and add a topping" – or two. Here are
sliced beef bento, omelet and wakame rice bento, sesame chicken and
veggie with salsify rice bento, or ramen salad bento. There are 27
bento boxes, plus some sides and desserts. Of course, it helps to have
a good pantry. Excellent photos. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no
separate table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 90.

 

26. THE PERFECT START TO YOUR DAY; delicious recipes for breakfast and
brunch (Ryland, Peters & Small, 2009, 2012; distr. T. Allen, 144 pages,
ISBN 978-1-84975-219-0, $19.95 U hard covers) is by food writer-stylist
Tonia George who has written for Ryland before. This is a revised
edition of "Breakfast & Brunch" published in 2009. There are abut 100
preps here that cover the usual terrain of drinks, fruit, grains, eggs,
pastries, pancakes, waffles, mains, sandwiches, salads, sides and
preserves. But it is all well-framed, with convincing arguments that
this style of food is appropriate all day long. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but
there is no table of metric equivalents. Try lemon and sage tisane,
smoked haddock and avocado omelette wraps, potato and rosemary pancakes
with bacon and honey, or English breakfast quiche. Quality/price
rating: 85,

 

27. MAKE IT TONIGHT; delicious no-fuss dinner solutions for every cook.
Updated edition (Transcontinental Books, 2007, 2012; distr. Random
House of Canada, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-9813938-6-5, $27.95 CAN paper
covers) is from the test kitchens at Canadian Living. It was first
published in 2007 under the guidance of Elizabeth Baird and her team.
This time it has been redesigned and redone by the Test Kitchen, with
55 new recipes and photos. The meals remain fast (15 to 30 minutes),
convenient (pantry or specialized equipment such as slow cooker), and
with few ingredients (usually 5 or fewer). Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but
there is no separate table of equivalents. Nutritional information is
provided, and usually there is a sidebar with each prep indicating some
technique or tip or advice. It is basic stuff, but it is organized well
and there is a large typeface and plenty of white space. Quality/price
rating: 85.

 

Chimo!  www.deantudor.com