http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com collaborative book reviews about all things food and wine Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:32:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:32:31 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7688 Iron Chef Chen's Knockout Chinese is a charming, lightweight book from a Japanese master of Sichuan cooking, and one of the original Iron Chefs. For better or for worse, this first translated work skips the traditional, authentic fare and goes straight for the innovative and personal recipes (with a few classics thrown in). The organization is strange and some things are lost in translation, but the recipes are often simple and inviting enough for most people to pick up immediately.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7688_iron-chef-chens-knockout-chinese-chen-kenichi-2009-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:47:49 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7500 Patterned after Mario Batali's New York pizzeria Otto, Molto Gusto takes the focus away from complicated "meat-and-potatoes" Italian dishes and towards simple, easy-to-prepare everyday fare (or as limited by your budget for the deli). The recipes are all approachable and the photographs are inviting, but some readers might be turned off by some extremely simple recipes and the dependence on a specific brand of tomato product.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7500_molto-gusto-mario-batali-2010-us/feed 1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk#comments Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:00:10 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7378 For those readers old enough to remember when parental warnings were placed on certain music, you might remember how that music became the ‘must have’ CDs and records for your collection. Vineet Bhatia opens his recently released Rasoi: New Indian Kitchen with “This book is probably not for the novice cook.” Such sweet warnings are rarely uttered in culinary books. In this very attractive volume, Bhatia presents a wide range of impressive, at times labour-intensive (though rarely too complex) dishes that are a pleasure to eat. Along the way you learn about new ingredients, and realise that the common cliché of Indian dishes can easily be surpassed.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7378_rasoi-new-indian-kitchen-vineet-bhatia-2010-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:35:02 +0000 Lucy http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7415 Aimed squarely at the teenage market, The New Students’ Veggie Cookbook addresses not just what a young vegetarian should eat, but also how to keep fit and healthy while doing so. The book covers the basics of setting up a kitchen, stocking a pantry, offering helpful and very clear instructions on how best to chop an onion, boil an egg and, interestingly, how to store food. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7415_the-new-students-veggie-cook-book-carolyn-humphries-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:16:17 +0000 Alison http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7302 Nigel Slater tells the story of his vegetable patch and provides over 400 recipe ideas for using the vegetables he grows. Already well known for seven previous recipe books, his much admired autobiography Toast and his regular columns in The Observer, Slater's enthusiasm will no doubt tempt some readers to start a vegetable garden of their own, although this is predominantly a book about cooking. As in his previous books, Slater's recipes are straightforward and unfussy and his approach to using fresh produce should appeal to many home cooks. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7302_tender-volume-1-nigel-slater-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7278_new-release-the-flavour-thesaurus http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7278_new-release-the-flavour-thesaurus#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:16:37 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7278 Ever wondered why one flavour works with another? Or lacked inspiration for what to do with a bundle of beetroot? The Flavour Thesaurus is the first book to examine what goes with what, pair by pair: a reference book that will immeasurably improve your cooking.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7278_new-release-the-flavour-thesaurus/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7159_the-craft-of-baking-karen-demasco-2009-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7159_the-craft-of-baking-karen-demasco-2009-us#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 18:17:36 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7159 Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking aims to inspire the home baker to try new variations of homely desserts and sweets, and is successful at encouraging creativity to some degree. There is a wide range of recipes and some modest but interesting suggestions. However, it is lacking in helpful explanations and is too narrow in its selection of ingredients and special brands, and the use of US-centric measures and terminology may be frustrating to international readers.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7159_the-craft-of-baking-karen-demasco-2009-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 18:17:16 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7123 Full of ingenious advice on styling in any media, Food Styling reveals every trick of the trade, from making a beverage appear to sweat to producing those perfect grill marks on meat. This is an ideal resource for both experienced foods styling pros and first-timers alike.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7123_new-release-food-styling/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us#comments Sat, 15 May 2010 07:16:19 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7048 I come from the school of thought that says rock bands shouldn’t release their Greatest Hits album until their career is complete. Likewise, chefs should restrain themselves from re-releasing their favorite recipes until their career enters a culminating phase. That said, David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes will be excused since some of his previous books are no longer in print, and his greatest hits truly are classics worth reprinting.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7048_ready-for-dessert-david-lebovitz-2010-us/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6855_new-release-52-loaves http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6855_new-release-52-loaves#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 12:30:57 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=6855 William Alexander is determined to bake the perfect loaf of bread. He tasted it long ago, in a restaurant, and has been trying to reproduce it ever since. Without success. But now he’s going to try again—every week for one year—until he gets it right.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/6855_new-release-52-loaves/feed 0