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/7005_new-release-hestons-fantastical-feasts http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7005_new-release-hestons-fantastical-feasts#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 10:40:28 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=7005 This book is the tie-in to Heston Blumenthal's highly acclaimed TV programme, where he creates six Fantastical Feasts based on history, fairytales and legends. Inside are tales of extravagant ingredients, of revolutionary techniques, of familiar kitchen appliances put to unfamiliar uses.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/7005_new-release-hestons-fantastical-feasts/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5405_new-release-mums-know-best http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5405_new-release-mums-know-best#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:58:00 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=5405 The Bikers send out a call-to-arms for mums, daughters and their grandmothers to unlock their private recipe archives and share with, and learn from, other mums of all races and backgrounds.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/5405_new-release-mums-know-best/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4721_from-pasta-to-pancakes-tiffany-goodall-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4721_from-pasta-to-pancakes-tiffany-goodall-2009-uk#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:04:38 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=4721 Students seem to have been a new target for publishers in 2009, with at least four student-oriented cookbooks appearing. I guess publishers anticipated that students wouldn’t be able to afford the stereotypical diet of burgers, chips, pizzas, noodles and beer. An entertaining and attractive book, From Pasta to Pancakes, the Ultimate Student Cookbook is the work of young British food personality Tiffany Goodall. Unfortunately, despite the innovative presentation and the worthy intention of teaching food-illiterate students how to cook, the book is disappointing.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4721_from-pasta-to-pancakes-tiffany-goodall-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4609_year-end-countdown-food-writing-food-guides-and-famous-names http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4609_year-end-countdown-food-writing-food-guides-and-famous-names#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:47:23 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=4609 In the last installment of our feature on year-end releases, we're taking a look at cookbooks from famous chefs and restaurants, as well as the un-cookbooks: books with essays on food, food issues, and guidebooks on specific subjects. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4609_year-end-countdown-food-writing-food-guides-and-famous-names/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4031_in-search-of-total-perfection-heston-blumenthal-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4031_in-search-of-total-perfection-heston-blumenthal-2009-uk#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:30:05 +0000 Gfron1 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=4031 Heston Blumenthal is known as a gastro-wizard. Not only does he helm the Fat Duck, once considered the top restaurant in the world, but he also has popular notoriety through his In Search of Perfection television series on the BBC. In Search of Total Perfection is the culmination of the TV series put in print (combining his two previous books from the series into one volume), and offers not only the recipes and exploratory work leading to the recipes, but also the behind-the-scenes tales from the studio. And whereas a movie can drop a book’s plot, story lines and even characters to help the story fit into a two-hour reel, this book flips a page and gathers all of the information presented in the series and expands on the shows with useful and fun details. The reader is left as plump and saturated as Blumenthal’s roast chicken. And that’s where we’ll peck away at this book – roast chicken.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/4031_in-search-of-total-perfection-heston-blumenthal-2009-uk/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3562_new-release-jamies-america http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3562_new-release-jamies-america#comments Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:40:46 +0000 admin http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=3562 Jamie's America sees Jamie on a personal journey throughout the United States as he digs beneath the surface and discovers what real American food is all about. He has looked beyond the American stereotypes to discover the real food, the classics that make this country tick.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/3562_new-release-jamies-america/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/1568_vefas-kitchen-vefa-alexiadou-2009-uk http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/1568_vefas-kitchen-vefa-alexiadou-2009-uk#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:15:25 +0000 Peter Minaki http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=1568 This comprehensive book of Greek food offers an assortment of delicious dishes, from salads and soups to mezedes (appetizers) for the summer to slow-cooked Greek dishes we grew up with as Greeks. Vefa's Kitchen also showcases a huge array of regional desserts and pastries, breads and other baked delights. At more than 650 recipes, the scope of this book is nearly unparalleled.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/1568_vefas-kitchen-vefa-alexiadou-2009-uk/feed 5 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/645_anjums-new-indian-anjum-anand-2008-uk-brief http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/645_anjums-new-indian-anjum-anand-2008-uk-brief#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:19:14 +0000 Duncan Markham http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=645 Anjum's New Indian offers inviting recipes, useful background information and a warm but not over-the-top enthusiasm for food. The book features recipes from a BBC television series, Indian Food Made Easy, focusing on regional dishes of India. The book could easily have been yet another one of those "inspired by the flavours of ..." titles, leaving the user none the wiser about what really makes a cuisine, but thankfully the author not only tells the reader how many dishes are traditionally prepared, but is also open about what changes she has made and why. It makes this book doubly valuable: helping you understand traditional methods and flavours while giving you at times lighter, simpler or just personally preferred alternatives. The results are delicious and attractive for omnivores and vegetarians alike. ]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/645_anjums-new-indian-anjum-anand-2008-uk-brief/feed 0 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/310_10-01-0993542 http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/310_10-01-0993542#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:41:59 +0000 Mark Manguerra http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/?p=310 The Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook retains the same qualities of reliability, versatility, and simplicity consistent throughout the Barefoot Contessa series, but it has enough flaws (expense, a few obviously throwaway recipes and sections, over-the-top richness) and references earlier books in the series too much to be truly friendly to new readers of Ina Garten.]]> http://www.thegastronomersbookshelf.com/310_10-01-0993542/feed 9