GRILL THIS, NOT THAT! (Rodale, 2012, 362 pages, ISBN 978-1-60961-
822-3, $19.99 US paper covers) is a cheeky book from David Zinczenko,
editor worker at Men's Health, Women's Health, and Prevention
magazines. It's a spin-off from the successful "Eat This, Not That!"
series of books (going back to 2008), concentrating this time on
grilled foods. The basic premise in these books is the creation of
home-cooked knockoffs of popular restaurant foods. For example, Red
Lobster's Cedar Plank Salmon is about $20, with 1050 calories. The
book's comparable salmon recipe costs $2.91 with 240 calories. You can
do the math. Unfortunately, the recipe is indexed under "Fish", and not
under "cedar" or "salmon". This makes it hard to find -- at least the
first time. So there are the basics here on grilling, plus coverage of
all the fast food and restaurant meals type of foods such as burgers,
sandwiches, pizza, pasta, poultry, meat, fish, seafood – and more. Each
prep has a calorie count and a cost per person. So you can save money
and calories at the same time. There are tables and guides to meats and
their cuts, veggies, and sugars. It's a colourful book. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no table of metric equivalents. Nutritional data is, of course, stated
in metric alone.
Audience and level of use: grillmasters, dieters.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: western bacon cheeseburger;
sausage and pepper pizzas; prosciutto pesto chicken; balsamic lamb
chops; steak and potato skewers; mahi-mahi with fennel-orange salsa.
The downside to this book: the index could use an expansion.
The upside to this book: lots of colour and vivid writing.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
4. GLUTEN-FREE SLOW COOKING; over 250 recipes of wheat-free wonders for
the electric slow cooker (Cider Mill Press, 2012; distr. Simon &
Schuster, 256 pages, ISBN 978-1-60433263-6, $18.5 US paper covers) is
by Ellen Brown, who has written more than 30 cookbooks (mostly on
gluten-free and slow cookers). Here, she promotes gluten-free foods,
arranged from soups through desserts. You can, of course, not use a
slow cooker; preps can be easily modified since they are for braising.
Some preps, such as Moussaka, have been modified to use gluten-free
ingredients. These re-formulations can be transferred from the book to
all of GF cooking. While wheat, barley and rye are missing from the
preps, there are plenty of ethnic meals to satiate, using rice and
other grains.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there are tables of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: gluten-free users and slow-cooker fans.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: chao; kasha; Greek fish
stew; feijoada; fontina polenta; vegetarian hoppin' john; salmon with
salsa; potage saint-germain.
The downside to this book: the index could use an expansion.
The upside to this book: a single implement cookbook.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
5. CHIA; the complete guide to the ultimate superfood (Sterling
Publishing, 2012, 192 pages, ISBN 978-1-4027-9943-3, $14.95 US paper
covers) is by Wayne Coates, an agricultural engineer who developed the
system currently used to harvest and clean chia seed. He's been
assisted by Stephanie Pedersen, a health writer and counselor who
concentrates on "wellness". It is, of course, another superfoods book,
along the lines of quinoa, amaranth, teff and various berries
(cranberries, wolfberries). About half the book is about chia; the
other half has the 75 recipes. Chia has omega-3, antioxidants, calcium,
protein, and fiber. It is also consumed for boosting endurance and
losing weight. I already eat (every morning) a small bowl of hemp
seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and ground flax seeds – so I can
easily add some chia seeds to get extra taste and endurance. There is a
FAQ section and a resources listing with websites. Preparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a
table of metric equivalents. The author is to be commended for his
enthusiastic writing.
Audience and level of use: runners, health lovers, dieters
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Chia seed is the highest
known plant source of omega-3 fatty acids – 2 tablespoons gives 5 grams
of acid.
Quality/Price Rating: 90.
6. COUNTRY COMFORT: CASSEROLE COOKING; over 100 easy and delicious one-
dish recipes (Hatherleigh Press, 2012; distr. Random House of Canada,
178 pages, ISBN 978-1-57826-404-9, $12.50 US soft covers) is by Monica
Musetti-Carlin, a food writer doing a "Country Comfort" series of
cookbooks. These are collections of recipes garnered by the author, and
sourced from friends, restaurants, farmers' markets, chefs, and more –
with a credit line for each. It's a basic book with basic preps, plus a
section on pantries and biscuits, and meal/menu planners (with page
references for the dishes). No illustrations, but good large type and
easy-to-follow instructions. Preparations have their ingredients listed
in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of metric
equivalents.
Audience and level of use: beginners
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: spaghetti pie; pork loin
with raisin sauce; Penn Dutch chicken and dumplings; bread pudding and
whiskey sauce; hot fudge cake.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
7. FOOD BLOGGING FOR DUMMIES (John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 308 pages, ISBN
978-1-118-15769-5, $24.99 US paper covers) is by Kelly Senyei, a food
journalist (Columbia MA), stylist, photographer, and chef. She blogs at
www.justataste.com. This is one of the first books to explicitly guide
a writer through the food blogging process, although it is relatively
easy to pick up through reading a lot of food blogs. However, if you
are a Dummy, then this is the book for you. Most people do it because
they want to share their passion for food. Some want to preserve their
family's dishes. Others have a specialty not addressed elsewhere, such
as blogging only about teff. This basic guide is also in colour, since
design, layout and colour is included in food blogging. It more than
quadruples the weight of the book. Material covers choosing a name,
claiming a domain, getting a platform, design, food-styling tricks, and
how to market the blog. Other material includes editing guidance, ideas
and inspirations, avoiding obsessions, comments and responses, and the
ten hardest foods to photograph (meatloaf, poached or fried eggs,
oatmeal, etc.) with her ideas. Here's another winner in the Dummies
series, especially for food bloggers wishing to learn something new.
Audience and level of use: food bloggers new and old.
Some interesting or unusual facts: chocolate pudding and melted cheese
are very hard to photograph.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
8. FOOD STYLING & PHOTOGRAPHY FOR DUMMIES (John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 312
pages, ISBN 978-1-118-09719-9, $29.99 US paper covers) is by Alison
Parks-Whitfield, a technical writer and food photographer in the San
Francisco Bay Area. It's useful for books, articles, and of course
blogging (see above); it can form a subscript to the above book. It
does cost five dollars more because there is more photography in this
book. This Dummies book will appeal to both amateurs and professionals
because it concerns the passion of food photography. Basically, she
tells you how to make food look more attractive, to sell the product.
Topics include equipment, toolkits, dealing with sets and employers,
preparing the shoot, composition, tilts and angles, focus, and how to
start your own business. Along the way you'll get a good list of
indispensable items for a food photo shoot and some notes on terrific
garnishes to photograph (sesame seeds, microgreens, etc.)
Audience and level of use: photographers, food lovers
Some interesting or unusual facts: meat proteins dry out very quickly,
especially under hot lights.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
9. CHEESE FOR DUMMIES (John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 382 pages, ISBN 978-1-
118-09939-1, $19.99 US paper covers) is from culture magazine
www.culturecheesemag.com which covers everything about cheese
including travel, pairings, recipes, and DIY cheese. It was co-founded
in 2008 by Thalassa Skinner, co-author here with Laurel Miller, a
writer at culture, and owner of a food store. What's amazing to me is
why it took Dummies so long to put out a book on cheese. Other
similarly titled books have been available for years. So here are the
basics: what it is (types, regions), how to serve, how to cook with
cheese, pairing cheese with wines and other foods, 39 recipes, DIY
cheese, cheese festivals, some US artisanal cheese-makers, bizarre
cheeses (e.g., stinking bishop which is a smelly cow cheese from
England, camelbert from camel milk in Jordan), and more. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no table of metric equivalents. There are colour photos of cheeses in
the middle of the book.
Audience and level of use: cheese lovers who need a primer.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: gougeres; bistro salad with
poached egg and Parmigiano Reggiano; sopa de quinoa; pan-roasted wild
mushrooms over cheddar polenta with pumpkinseed oil.
The downside to this book: I'm curious why it took so long to be
published. Also, it needs more recipes.
The upside to this book: a good entry in the Dummies category.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
10. PURE VEGAN; 70 recipes for beautiful meals and clean living
(Chronicle Books, 2012, 224 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-7863-0, $29.95 US
paper covers) is by Joseph Shuldiner, a designer and writer. It comes
with log-rolling by Deborah Madison and the Lee Brothers. The book is
oversized, to allow for large close-ups of gastric delights, some of
which were shot by the author (who also designed the book). He's also
got a great recipe for a No Cheese Plate – with all the elements
usually found on a cheese platter minus the cheeses! (Figs, nuts, dried
pears and apricots, fig paste, quince paste). Just add bread, crackers,
fresh fruit…The book is arranged by time of day, with chapters for
morning, afternoon, evening, late night, and very late night (although
I'm not sure I'd like a lot of chocolate late at night: caffeine and
sugar? But that's just me). There is also a resources list for
obtaining upscale or hand-to-find items. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a table of
metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: vegans and others.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: potato torte; nutty mushroom
risotto; ginger pound cake; pistachio olive oil cake; garbanzo bean and
tomato soup; vegan tapas plate; savory breakfast tarts.
The downside to this book: it could use more than 70 recipes, I'd guess
100 is a good minimum.
The upside to this book: superb photography and boldface for listing
the ingredients.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
11. UNCORKED; my journey through the crazy world of wine (Clarkson
Potter, 2012, 214 pages, ISBN 978-0-307-71984-3, $28) is by Marco
Pasanella, who has owned a wine shop in Manhattan since 2005. Before
that he was a designer, a teacher of design, and a columnist. The book
comes with log rolling by Martha Stewart (who employed his wife) and
Steven Dublanica (Waiter Rant). He wanted a career change – and he got
it. So just about all of the book is based on the past half-decade of
his life. According to the Library of Congress, it's a collection of
anecdotes; it's not even a memoir. He's divided his stories up into
eight regions: plow, prune, harvest, crush, ferment, bottle, age, and
drink. The appendix lists material that could form a sort-of primer to
the world of tasting wine, including a list of 27 toasts in 27
languages, such as salut, prost, but no chimo (Inuit). It's a hodge-
podge of material about wine, eclectic enough that an indexer would
have trouble. So there is no index. There are a couple of recipes for
such as roasted parsnips, fish linguini, and fried sage leaves.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there is no table of metric equivalents. This sort of thing works
well is you are a wine writer, as in Natalie MacLean's two books, but
there is no coherence here. It's like a series of short newspaper
stories, about 800 words apiece. Given that, then it is a good book for
light and enjoyable reading. You'll learn a bit about renovating a five
story house at the Manhattan waterfront, traveling in Italy, and the
uniqueness of the New York wine industry. But in summary, it is mainly
about the struggles of a small business. Given the price, you might
want to wait for the paperback or borrow it from the library.
Currently, it is $16 at Amazon.
Audience and level of use: the compleat wine reader
Some interesting or unusual facts: He "unloaded 660 cases by hand(no
forklift) of his house red, Pasanella & Figlio Rosso.
Quality/Price Rating: 82.
12. MOROCCO; a culinary journey with recipes (Chronicle Books, 2012,
223 pages, ISBN 978-0-8118-7738-1, $29.95 US hard covers) is by Jeff
Koehler, a writer-photographer specializing in food. He's written for
many papers and magazines, and has authored several Mediterranean food
books from the same publisher. He has just about the highest degree of
log rolling I have even seen, with accolades from Naomi Duguid, Colman
Andrews and Clifford Wright – other well-known and good Mediterranean
food writers. The subtitle says he goes from the spice-scented markets
of Marrakech to the date-filled oasis of Zagora, photographing along
the way. There are 70 recipes here, complemented by a brief culinary
history, a cook's tour of the land, and a discussion on the Moroccan
pantry (all in the first 50 pages). Arrangement is by course, with
digressions for street food, savoury pastries, tagines, couscous, and
drinks (authentically non-alcoholic, featuring mint tea, almond milk,
spiced coffee). There's a useful bibliography, and a ton of people are
cited in the acknowledgments, forming a useful source list (if you can
read the small typeface used).
Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and
avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: international food lovers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: cucumbers in sweet marinade
with oregano; berber omelet tagine; calamari with tomato dipping sauce;
fish brochettes; kefta lamb brochettes; seafood pastille; lamb tagine
with oranges, saffron, and candied orange peel.
The downside to this book: I would have liked more than 70 recipes.
The upside to this book: dishes are indexed under both indigenous name
and English.
Quality/Price Rating: 90.
13. SMOKING MEAT; the essential guide to real barbecue (Whitecap, 2012,
222 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-038-9, $29.95 CAN paper covers) is by Jeff
Phillips, creator
www.smoking-meat.com which has 34,000 forum members
and 140,000 subscribers to his monthly e-newsletter. Currently, he
lives in Oklahoma. The publisher claims that this book is "the ultimate
how-to guide for smoking all kinds of meat and fish". Certainly, it is
an authentic book with Phillips' takes on smokers (charcoal, gas,
electric), woods, tools, and pantry-stocking. His main "secret" is "low
and slow". It is a good, basic book, arranged by the major elements of
poultry, pork, beef, fish, and seafood, along with sides and desserts
plus cheese for smoking. There's good detail here, such as the bacon-
wrapped stuffed sausage patty with its interlacing bacon and 16 photos
to show the techniques. There is also a source list on where to
purchase smoking equipment and supplies. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of
metric equivalents. Nothing beats smoked BBQ. Nothing.
Audience and level of use: BBQers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: smoked duck with wine butter
sauce; smoked hot wings; smoked pork spare ribs; pulled pork burritos;
Cajun smoked frog legs.
The downside to this book: it would not open flat; I had to prop it
open.
The upside to this book: larger than normal type, which is a boon.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
14. SLOW FIRE; the beginner's guide to barbecue (Chronicle Books, 2012,
176 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-0303-7, $22.95 US hard covers) is by Ray
Lampe, a multiple cook-off champion and BBQ food writer with other meat
books. Look at
www.drbbq.com. It is another basic BBQ book, pitched at
the entry level. There's a primer on tools and equipment, charcoals,
spices and rubs, and then individual chapters on types of meat: ribs
(back, spare, tips and short), pork, beef, poultry, and a catch-all
chapter for lamb, kielbasa, bologna, salmon, and tilapia. Plus side
dishes. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: BB lovers, novices
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Memphis-style wet or dry
ribs; Memphis-style pulled pork; bacon-wrapped pig wings; homemade
pastrami; Texas-style beef brisket; planked salmon.
The downside to this book: only two wine preps (chicken and turkey)
The upside to this book: easy to use and convenient to store. Large
typeface.
Quality/Price Rating: 84.
15. THE FIRE ISLAND COOKBOOK (Atria, 2012; distr. Simon & Schuster, 180
pages, ISBN978-1-4516-3293-4, $30 US hard covers) is by Mike Desimone
and Jeff Jenssen, both lifestyle writers (Wine Enthusiast, Wine
Spectator, Saveur). They're at
www.worldwineguys.com. There's some log
rolling, but Daisy Marinez cookbook author) says it best: "Easy,
effortless entertaining with delicious, user-friendly recipes". This is
seasonal produce to create a meal for each weekend from US Memorial Day
through Labour Day. Ach of the 14 menus is global in scope, with food
and wine pairings. So there is Spain, France, a Pool Party, Greece,
Mexico, Mediterranean, Tuscany, the Caribbean and others. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no table of metric equivalents. An interesting collection of recipes,
with wines being named by label – no alternatives proposed.
Audience and level of use: beginners.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Tuscan dinner – penne with
prosciutto and peas; bistecca alla fiorentina; shaved fennel salad;
cinnamon caramelized gnocchi.
The downside to this book: no generic wines expressed.
The upside to this book: it is hard to believe but the index is in a
larger typeface than the recipes.
Quality/Price Rating: 83.
16. THE GLUTEN-FREE COOKBOOK (DK, 2012, 352 pages, ISBN 978-0-7566-
8216-3, $25 US hard covers) is by Fiona Hunter, Heather Whinny, and
Jane Lawrie, all experienced food writers and stylists. But only Fiona
Hunter (also a nutritionist) gets a credit on the front cover. It's
another book in the gluten-free sweepstakes, part of the vegan-
vegetarian category of books now being published throughout North
America. Here are 230 "easy" preps, step-by-step illustrations, plus
advice for the gluten-free diet. Hunter provides a nutritional analysis
of every recipe and special "nutrient boost" features for menu
planning. Essentially, gluten-free means no wheat, barley or rye. But
there are plenty of choices for other kinds of flours, which work
rather well. Only breads suffer, and if you are as picky as I am, then
you might avoid gluten-free breads and move on to other foods. The
taste is different and there is no chew factor. There's about 40 pages
on flours and making pastry, cakes, pastas and breads. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois
measurements for weight (not for volume), but there is no table of
metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: those needing a gluten-free diet.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: lavosh with eggplant dip;
tuna and vegetable pasta salad; fattoush with corn tortillas; crispy
fish; beef burgers; smoked salmon and cream cheese picnic pies.
The downside to this book: the typeface is a shade of gray, lighter
than the usual darker black,
The upside to this book: good indexing plus highlighted heads.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
17. THE FRESH & GREEN TABLE; delicious ideas for bringing vegetables
into every meal (Chronicle Books, 2012, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-4521-
0265-8, $24.95 US paper covers) is by Susie Middleton, who also wrote
"Fast, Fresh & Green". She's a former editor of Fine Cooking magazine,
now writing about vegetables for that magazine. She concentrates here
on quick methods, such as pre- or quick-braising, short sautéing, stir-
frying, and quick roasting. Some preps have meat in them such as
pancetta. She encourages substitution of vegetables, as she did in her
first book. But here her preps are more substantial, being a good
collection of mains. The book's arranged by nine cooking techniques,
such as main-dish salads, hearty soups, veggie pasta sauces, and
including gratins and tarts and pizza. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in both metric and avoirdupois measurements, but
there are no tables of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: home cooks
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: roasted eggplant galette
with mint and honey; spicy garlicky corkscrew pasta with broccoli;
bread stuffing with asparagus and peas; pasta frittata with leeks, goat
cheese and arugula; brussels sprouts and carrot ragout with peas,
cipollini onions and citrus butter.
The downside to this book: these are not all veggie preps, which could
be confusing to some readers.
The upside to this book: yummy looking photos.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
