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Monday, February 24, 2014

* 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. Some magazines will reissue popular or classic recipes in an "easy" format. Here are some recent "re-editions"...
 
 
14.WEEKNIGHT FRESH & FAST; simple, healthy meals for every night of the week (Weldon Owen, 2011, 2013, distr. Simon & Schuster, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-61628-686-6, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Kristine Kidd, once food editor of Bon Appetit – for over two decades. This 2013 paperback reprint is the same as the 2011 edition; it restores it to print, with added stickers. The book covers some 100 quick ideas for dinner, much like Krieger's book above. It is in the Williams-Sonoma series of cookbooks for Weldon Owen publishers. The arrangement is by season, beginning with spring. It is loaded with tips for fresh and fast meals – well worth a look. Try spice-scented roast chicken and vegetables, clams with white beans and fennel, grilled shrimp and summer squash, or Asian-styled tofu-rice-broccoli salad. Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but there is no overall table of equivalents. Nice exciting photography of the plated dish. Quality/price rating: 87.
 
 
 
15.GLUTEN-FREE 101; the essential beginner's guide to easy gluten-free cooking (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-118-53912-5, $19.99 US paper back) is by Carol Fenster, author of ten other cookbooks, including 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes. Here she has 175 preps for everyday family dishes: pancakes, muffins, pizza, fried chicken, banana bread, cookies, cupcakes. The book has been around for a decade; it was last printed up in 2008 by Savory Palate publishers. As the author notes, these preps have been reviewed, revised, rewritten and reworked over the years, with input mainly from her students. It is also 30 preps larger. There are more whole-grain recipes, more dried bean and legume preps, more time saving techniques, more small meals, and more menus. She gives a framework for gluten-free flours and starches, including a recipe for a flour blend than uses sorghum, potato starch, and tapioca flours. This book is better than many other gluten-free books since the emphasis is on wheat/barley/rye replacement in breaded products. You could try some French bread or pumpernickel bread. I also like the fact that the largest typeface in the book has been reserved for the index, so you don't have to squint. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. There are also nutrient data for each recipe. Quality/price rating: 90.
 
 
 
16.KEEP CALM AND SLOW COOK (Thunder Bay Press, 2014, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-60710-926-6, $19.95 CDN hard covers) is a strange publication: distributed in Canada by Raincoast but  published by Thunder Bay Press (Baker & Taylor imprint) and produced by Collins & Brown (Anova Books imprint of the UK), with a copyright for The National Magazine Company Ltd. The cataloguing data shows a Barbara Dixon as author, but otherwise she is nowhere to be found. The verso lists many photographers (so the pictures were leased?) and a dozen home economists and five food stylists. It is what we used to call in library land "bibliographically untidy". At least it has an index! Other than that, it is a hard bound collection of slow cook/braised recipes, ranging from tasty soups through fish, chicken, meats, veggies, and sweets. There is a chapter on slow cookers, but otherwise the book is about braises. No introduction is needed, apparently. Each prep has timings, service numbers, some minimal nutrition data, an indication of ease, and cook's tip. Try pasta and chickpea soup with pesto, or honey pork with roast potatoes and apples, or caramelized onion and goat cheese tart. The more than 100 preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents. Quality/price rating: 84.
 
 
 
17.KEEP CALM AND VEG(ETARIAN) (Thunder Bay Press, 2014, 240 pages, ISBN 978-1-60710-927-3, $19.95 CDN hard covers) is a strange publication: distributed in Canada by Raincoast but  published by Thunder Bay Press (Baker & Taylor imprint) and produced by Collins & Brown (Anova Books imprint of the UK), with a copyright for The National Magazine Company Ltd. The cataloguing data shows a Barbara Dixon as author, but otherwise she is nowhere to be found. The verso lists many photographers (so the pictures were leased?) and eleven home economists and six food stylists. It is what we used to call in library land "bibliographically untidy". At least it has an index! Other than that, it is a hard bound collection of vegetarian dishes, ranging from tasty soups through light bites, sides, mains, egg and cheese dishes, legumes, grains, pastas and pizzas, pies, pastries, breads and desserts. No introduction is needed, apparently. Each prep has timings, service numbers, some minimal nutrition data, an indication of ease, and cook's tip. Try
endive-blue cheese-walnut salad, cheese scone twists, roasted Mediterranean veggies, or artichoke and mushroom lasagna. The more than 100 preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Quality/price rating: 84.
 

Chimo! www.deantudor.com

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