5 comments about The Wine Trials: 100 Everyday Wines Under $15 that Beat $50 to $150 Wines in Brown-Bag Blind Tastings.

1. For an author that is not a wine critic, nor trained in wine tasting, wine fermenting etc. it is shocking to see so many false statements, innuneono etc. tossed at the wine industy. The wine selected were not fully blind tested. They were staged for the unsuspecting public. In most instances he did not go to wine tasters for opinion, but rather folks off the street whom were not educated in wine tasting.
   
   This is the same "author" that recently pulled hoaxes on major magazines, laughed about it, just to sell this book.
   
   Book is not worth a plug nicle or a bottle of Ripple.



2. The book "The Wine Trials: 100 Everyday Wines Under $15 that Beat $50 to $150 Wines in Brown-Bag Blind Tastings" is a valuable guide for wine drinkers that ignores the mystique associated with high priced wines and offers a straight forward blind taste test. The results of the test show most people would prefer wines under $15 over $50 to $150 wines.
   
   A great book to peruse before shopping for that next dinner wine.



3. I enjoy the premise and concept of this book, and have been happy with the recommended wines that I have tried so far. Descriptions are short, tangible, and accurate. I have enjoyed the challenge to some of my opinions, and plan to host a blind tasting with friends in the near future. This book is a quick read and a handy reference, and each review includes a picture of the bottle, which is great for someone like me with a visual memory.
   
   I was disappointed that there were not complete lists and rankings of the wines tested, but I guess there needs to be some material for a sequel, which I plan to purchase. Would have been five stars with a list for each category.



4. Robin Goldstein is a gadfly. He's notorious for submitting a wine menu from a fictitious restaurant to Wine Spectator magazine and earning the magazine's "Award of Excellence." Yet the "reserve wine list" from his menu listed wines earning some of the lowest scores from the magazine over the previous 20 years.
   
   "The Wine Trials" takes on the commonly used 50- to 100-point wine rating system. Goldstein asks whether the ratings are biased by price, label, and advertising. His tests show that they are, sometimes hugely.
   
   Goldstein wanted to know how cheaper wines - below $15 - rated against more expensive ones, in the $50 to $150 range, and each other in blind, brown-bag tastings. Over several months in 2007 and 2008, he held tastings of 560 wines for everyday wine drinkers and experts. Many of the cheap wines excelled and surpassed the expensive ones.
   
   The result is a set of ranked lists of 100 wines for under $15 by general type -- heavy red, light red, heavy white, light white, etc. -- and by location -- Europe and the "New World" (the Americas, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand). Each of the ranked wines also gets its own description. I've tried several of the top-ranked wines, and they are delicious, some from small, unadvertised labels and some from big producers.
   
   As a buying guide, this is a very useful book, by far the most useful I've seen in a long time. Goldstein's jaundiced look at the wine business, especially the conventional wine rating business, is a bonus.
   
   The book doesn't pretend to be anything like Karen MacNeil's "The Wine Bible" or others in that category. You won't find here detailed descriptions of individual wine grapes, wine growing regions, famous bottlers, characteristics of the terroir, or that kind of information. "The Wine Trials" is all about the unbiased drinking experience. These two books, "The Wine Trials" and "The Wine Bible," have different aims and complement each other well. But just to find inexpensive, drinkable wines, "The Wine Trials" is more useful.



5. In a series of well done experiments on wine tasting, the author Goldstein shows that the price of a wine has little, if any, effect on its rated quality when the taster does not know the price of the wine, or other facts that would influence the ratings of the wine. This sort of double blind testing, where neither the one serving the wine, nor the one tasting it, has any knowledge of how good the wine is "supposed" to be, is the gold standard of scientific evaluation.
   Of course, if one knows that a glass of wine comes from a bottle costing $1000, it would be very difficult not to rate it more highly than a glass from a $15 bottle. By "blinding" the raters, the author gives us a much more valid idea of the quality of different wines. Wine snobs will hate this book.
   I do have one problem with the author's interpretation of his data. He argues that knowing that a wine has a very high price actually makes it taste better. That's an interesting hypothesis, but his data do not address it. The data merely show that knowing that a wine has a high price results in higher ratings. There is a fairly easy experimental technique called signal detection analysis that the author and his team of experts could have used to answer this question. Signal detection analysis, which is taught to every undergraduate psychology major, allows one to separate changes in bias from changes in the actual sensory experience when some variable like price is being studied. Goldstein is basically arguing that knowledge of the price of a wine actually changes the sensory experience of the taster, as opposed to just making the taster rate the more expensive wine higher with no sensory change. This latter effect is called a change in bias. Both results are possible, as is a combination, where there is both a change in the sensory experience and a change in the rater's bias. It's really too bad that Goldsteing didn't do a signal detection study of his wine tasters. This would have been very easy to do and would have resulted in a much fuller understanding of the effects of price on the sensory experience of wines.
   By the way, another reviewer states that the tastings in this book were not done fully blinded. This is simply wrong. The description in the book is of a well conducted double blind experiment.
   It was also fascinating to know that the major wine raters are "in bed" with the wine sellers. The major wine magazines that rate wines get huge amounts of advertising revenue from the sellers of the very wines they rate in their pages. Gee - what could be wrong with that?

5 comments about Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes.

1. I bought two of these as Christmas gifts for my son-in-laws. Each of them were thrilled with the gift and after looking through the book thought it really had all they were looking for in a "great grilling cookbook" with lots of basic recipes as well as fun andexciting recipes to try too.
   A VERY "MACHO" GIFT THAT WENT OVER WELL!



2. Do NOT hesitate to purchase this gem. There are dry rubs, wet rubs, sauces, marinades. All very original and can go with so many types of meats! Great book, hands down.



3. There many recipes from all over the world not all original but many borrowed from other BBQ places. Find many good ones for brisket, pork, chicken , beef , ribs, fish , seafood , veggies and more. I like that there are frequently extra notes about each recipe concerning the author of the recipes and other stuff.While there is no rating scale (easy, difficult , medium, nany of the recipes are not difficult to make. Some have quite a few ingredients. Basic thai sate marinage is very good (9.6/10); balsamic drizzle (9.6/10) . I am still trying out more



4. I purchased this for both my father and my stepfather. Both have tried recipes from it already and were excited to be doing something new. My stepfather had been looking for the book on his own, I didn't know he was doing so, but he said that it was recommended by a friend who is an excellent griller! Lots of great recipes and techniques.



5. This book doesnt show any picture at all, and is written just like it says, like a bible.. a bit condensated and boring in my opinion, when I bought this book I also bought "How to Grill" also by Steven Raichlen, and that one is a very different story, the book contains almost the same information than "Barbecue Bible", but with full colour pictures, so if you are thinking to buy this book you should consider first "How to Grill"

5 comments about Weight Watchers Make It in Minutes: Easy Recipes in 15, 20, and 30 Minutes.

1. I can tell you from my experience in buying this particular WW book that the recipe's are fantastic and all stay true to the timing of the recipe's! Even the 10 minute meals are GREAT!! My hubby was skeptical about eating the 30 minute meals and he absolutely loves them and NOW HE is making them! He's really the better chef in this house since he retired and he absolutely loves this cook book! You WILL lose weight with this book if you follow the instructions and get the right ingredients-don't worry!! And you'll NOT BE SORRY you got this book-that's for sure. I had a hard time choosing which one to start with and I'm so happy I chose THIS ONE b/c of it having 10, 20 and 30 minute recipe's.
   
   Also don't forget to buy yourself a WW calculator-it's an tool that is very valuable for days when you're on the go and don't have time to cook anything in this book! You can get them on Ebay for $20 if you look around and not have to pay tax OR shipping. I got mine from some place called something like: Treetop Collectables or something close to that. I just know it is GREAT and a HUGE HUGE HELP as this book I got at Amazon. Also, I was shocked to buy this book from Amazon and get it TWO DAYS LATER!!! I didn't pay extra for fast shipping either-got the free shipping and presto-I had the book so fast I was shocked!! Folks, we live out in the boonies and they STILL got me this book so quickly after I ordered it-it was unreal!!
   
   You won't regret buying this book-trust me!! It is GREAT!!!!!!!!
   :)
   D Morris



2. I'm always looking for healthier options for meals and this book is great for that! I've only tried a couple so far but they've been very tasty and relatively easy to prepare, even for me, a total beginner in the kitchen! They did take a little longer than the 15, 20, or 30 minutes, but that could have been because I'm kind of new at preparing meals so I'm probably slower than the average cook. I'm very happy with my purchase and plan to use it alot!



3. I wanted to start being a bit healthier about what I was making for dinner so I bought this cookbook. It has many tastey and healthy receipes to choose from. There are breakfast, lunch, and dinner receipes included for 15, 20, 30 min. I would say this is the cookbook I use the most.



4. This is the cookbook for me. I am not only trying to watch what I eat it needs to be fast and simple. I fell in love with the chicken and ham pot pie, this was really a surprise as I am not a fan of pot pies. I am in the process of exploring different recipes so far they have all been great And the taste is marvelous.



5. Great recipes...vegetable chili, turkey bacon cheeseburger, banana chocolate chip pancakes, and lots more "real" foods to eat and stay on the plan.

5 comments about Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet.

1. I am very impressed with this book. I became interested in veganism after quite a bit of research into the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, egg farms, etc. As a professed animal lover, I just could not bring myself to support that industry anymore. The Becoming Vegan book explained so much more to further solidify my conviction. I especially appreciate the section on how to "fit in" at gatherings with friends and family.



2. This is not a book of emotional testimonials of how people's lives dramatically improved with their change in diet. It is about the facts, the statistics, the things I can tell the people in my personal life about when they ask me 'why go vegan?'
   It's also shown me what foods I can intake and what supplements I should look into to complete a balanced diet.
   I highly recommend this book to those wondering why so many people are going vegan and to those who are already vegan and want to get more facts on their side and are concerned about getting all the appropriate nutrients.



3. I borrowed this book from the library and renewed it twice. I finally decided it was essential to have in my own library. It covers nutritional needs and opinions. Full of useful info for people becoming vegan the answers to many of your friends questions. Worth the money hands down.



4. Outstanding You: Discover, Design and Achieve Ultimate Fitness
   
   I wish I'd had a chance to get a hold of this book earlier in my vegan lifestyle. It's been 12 years since I started down this vegetarian path - and I can assure you, it was tough at times. Reading this book years into my new lifestyle, I was thrilled to have the kind of support and reassurance this book provides. I recommend it for anyone starting or new to a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. I'm the author of Outstanding You - and this book is a must-read.



5. Exhaustive but not exhausting! Davis and Melina fill in other vegan authors' blanks. Panoramic in scope, crystal clear in presentation. Responsible, politically-neutral analysis of the vegan paradigm - and as such, a tactful and diplomatic introduction of vegan eating for a general reader. Chapters that struck me as being particularly well executed and/or having a relatively unique focus: "Prospecting for Minerals," "Building Vegan Dynamos" (pregnancy), "Growing Vegans" (for the little ones), "The Vegan Athlete" (performance).
   
   While an easy-to-use "reference" for the "converted," the book also manages to meet the mandate of its title, "Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a healthy plant-based diet" by providing an uninterrupted thematic emphasis on of the "adopting," adapting and becoming. Chapters offer a meaningful "character arc" of change and in their structure serve as a generic template for gradual, responsible change. The book bristles with unambiguous, no-nonsense practical tips, and, most importantly, highlights the points of vegan life-style vulnerability (e.g. vitamin/mineral supplementation, etc.) with adequate caution, yet managing to offer the reassurance of practical problem-solving advice and guidelines.
   
   A Vegan "PDR" - no less!
   
   Pavel Somov, Ph.D.
   Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, Nov. 2008)

5 comments about Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow.

1. Good book. Has sensible, usable recipes and canning/preserving information pertaining to a variety of produce. Well written and easily understandable.



2. This book is wonderful in that it has all the information you could possibly want and it is sectioned very well. The only thing that I would prefer is a wider range of recipes for the salsas and things, but then again it is not a cookbook so I can't fault it for that.



3. This is a good book if you're learning how to can, and it has some good tips and recipes in it, but its not my favorite. I bought this book, along with the Ball 400 Recipes book, and I prefer the Ball book over this one.



4. I am a newbie when it comes to preserving foods. I have read this book cover to cover and have learned so much about canning, freezing, dehydrating, and preserving all types of fruits, veggies and herbs. The step-by-step instructions for all of the methods is truly a valuable asset for this book. Now I can't wait for my garden to start producing so I can get working on the preserving process. I highly recommend this book to beginners, like me. This book also has some pretty interesting recipes that I can't wait to try.



5. It was the first canning book I looked at and plus a friend recomended it. It has everything thing on canning even open canning and the receipes are great and it is also very to read and understand. I would recomended to anyone who is first time canner like me. Great book!!!!!!!!!!!

3 comments about The Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & the Comforts of Home.

1. This is written in a journal-like fashion. It has 1-2 page sections on different topics, with corresponding pictures, recipes and/or patterns.
   It appealed to me because I am interested in most of the topics )knitting, crocheting, baking, decorating...)
   It is a very soothing and homey read. I got lost in this book!
   Love the author's point of view.



2. I was so excited when this book was released in the US, however I find myself disappointed.
   
   The photos are fantastic and the few (maybe five or so?) recipes that are in this book interest me. Other than that this book falls flat. I find the book MUCH too wordy (and yes, I know books usually do contain many words). She just talked about herself way too much, almost to the point of annoyance. It seems like a collection of favorite stories, quilts (no patterns, just pictures), knitting (once again, just photos), and favorite movies and books. The reader is also constantly reminded of her education throughout the book (MA, MW, shelved PhD).
   
   Long story short- this seems like a personal journal full of fantastic photos. I don't know the author, so I couldn't really care less about her personal prefrences. I feel like this will be a nice book for her children/grandchilren one day. Way too personal. I really don't feel that this should be called a "craft book". This book is more inspirational if anything.
   
   I will keep the book though, only for the photos.



3. I truly enjoyed the multifacetedness of this book. The photos are just so lovely and her thoughts so interesting and the recipes look yummy. There is knitting, quilting crafting and baking. There is every area of domesticity one could want. Jane Brocket is very creative.
   
   I discovered this book by reading the author's blog Yarnstorm. The book is beautiful in every way. My daughter and son-in-law were visiting and kept picking it up and looking through it. I sent them home with it as I could see they appreciated it.
   
   Now I need another one!

5 comments about Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food.

1. One does not need all the time in the world to eat a healthy, delicious, and nutritious meal. Gordon Ramsey, celebrated TV cook, brings readers "Fast Food", a cookbook featuring recipes that can be prepared start to finish in about fifteen minutes (none take longer than half an hour apiece), and offering advice to make cooking these dishes even quicker. Readers who want a cookbook that doesn't take hours to use need look no further than Gordon Ramsey's "Fast Food". Recommended for community library cookbook collections.



2. The food looks great, but most things call for some fancy ingredients. I don't have enough room in my kitchen for all the ingredients he wants you to have always on hand. I would certainly buy things to use in a recipe occcasionally, but a lot of things I don't think I would use again. The "well-stocked kitchen" things are mostly conventional, but I can't keep on hand several kinds of potatoes, several kinds of oils, several kinds of vinegar, and so on. He also wants you to grow your own herbs. I will probably make up a few of these, but the concept of "fast food" is destroyed by having to go out and buy the ingredients first.



3. I really did not like this book! I live in a small city so a lot of the ingredients in the recipes were not available to me. I mailed the book back the very next day of receiving it. If you like simple food or simple recipes this book would not be for you.



4. I am amazed by how simple and fast of all the recipes within the book!
   I was skeptical about the quality of a fast meal but after having a few tryouts with some of the recipes I was blown away!
   Even my friends can't believe how easy and delicious it could be!
   
   Highly recommended for 20s-30s who stays alone and away from home :P



5. I love this book adn everything in it. Great for an adventurous home cook. Real quality food fast and simple.

5 comments about The 5 Factor Diet.

1. the main reason diets dont work for people is because they see them as a temporary solution to the problem. this book focuses on the opposite. it is based off of making healthy lifestyle choices and changes to help you live and feel better. it is a sustainable diet because it allows you to lose weight by enjoying 5 meals (small) a day with five core ingredients all which are supposed to take 5 minutes or less to prepare (eh...not really) but the best part is that it allows you one "cheat" day per week to enjoy a not so healthy indulgence or two.



2. The diet REALLY works and that's why I gave it a few stars. In the first 4 days my hubby and I both lost 5 pounds. The thing I didn't like was over half the book is telling you why you should do the diet, you don't have to convience me I already bought the book! And there are only a handfull of recipies in the last chapter. The recipies weren't awful, but hard to eat every day, much less 5 times a day. It mainly is baked white meat from poultry, fresh veggies and fruit, and grains. Period. Cut out ALL sugar and refined foods and BAM you've got the "5-facor diet"! I coulda done this own my own! But I only paid a few dallors for the book, but a long time reading it.



3. The book is awesome and so are the recipes. Very easy to read and follow.
   Recipes are simple and quick and easy, which is good for my busy lifestyle.



4. I've tried the south beach diet last year and lost weight. i went off of that diet and gained it all back. i started to get dizzy and sick, because i wasn't getting the nutrients i need. so i decided to get this book and give it a try! if i can eat carbs and then have a cheat day. i think it's more than worth a try. so i've been on it for 5 days and lost 5 lbs. I'm never hungry and i love all the recipes!!! there's so much to choose from!!! i think this is really a life style change. i mean i eat carbs the whole day and i'm losing weight!! i'm soooo happy with this diet!! thank you harley!



5. The author recommends that we reduce the volume of
   complex carbs in the diet. Eating 5 smaller meals
   per day will assist in reducing insulin resistance.
   The result will be a significantly increased
   metabolism, fewer mood swings and more energy.
   
   The book recommends that we eat more fiber to
   aid in digestion and elimination. In addition,
   8-12 glasses of water should be consumed daily
   along with good fats. i.e. Omega 3,6 fish oils
   
   The author recommends having a low fat protein at
   each meal. Samples of good carbs are lentils,
   beans, veggies and quinoa. The objective is to
   reduce LDL and increase HDL.
   
   Examples of model foods are broccoli, butternut
   squash, cauliflower, spinach and sweet potato.
   Frozen veggies are another good source of
   nutrition. Stevia is a natural dietary supplement
   for sugar.
   
   Frequent exercise is another hallmark of the diet
   program. The author depicts sample exercises
   with dumbells, bell squats, light weights and
   step-ups.
   
   Overall, the acquisition would be an excellent
   addition to your personal health library.

5 comments about Crazy About Cupcakes.

1. As a collector of baking cookbooks, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the recipes in this book are. The illustrations are many and somewhat correspond with the pages of the actual recipe which I found refreshing after many books that have the recipe on page 4 and the picture of the recipe on page 72. Highly recommended for the aspiring baker and the beginner.



2. This book is the best book I have ever owned I tried the Tres leches cupcake a week ago and it was delicious.....My co-worker said it was the best cupcake she had ever had.



3. I have ordered several cupcake related books and this is second to the best. Great layout, good information, products used in recipes are readily available and easy to use while cooking. The pictures are great and opened my "idea box in my head" to even further inventive ways to decorate. Really good choice if you are into cupcaking.....



4. The ideas in this book are really cute and seem easy enough for the average baker to achieve. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but there are tons of them, unique and they sound so tasty!



5. I've seen better looking cupcakes, but this book as some new, interesting recipes that are worth trying.

5 comments about My Life in France.

1. A delightful book for foodies and Francophiles. At last a story of a happy marriage of two successful people.



2. Loved the book. I've read it twice now and liked it even better the second time. This give a great insight to how and why she started cooking. It paints a great picture of Paris during the late 40's. Her relationship with her husband was interesting and sweet which presented a different side to her. It shows a vulnerability that I wasn't aware of. Great pictures add a lot to the book. It made me want to know more about her life and buy a couple of her cookbooks Highly recommend it. My Life in France



3. I LOVED this book. With my continuing growth and love of cooking, Julia Child has become positively one of my favorite people on Earth. I had no idea what I was getting into with this book when I picked it up. I knew I wanted to read this specifically because it was really coming straight from her and not some researcher. These pages brought to me the real Julia. I never knew all the details of her French living life with her husband Paul. I now know that she and Paul clearly had such an amazing friendship and special bond with each other. One thing I hoped to see in this book was a lot of food talk. I was thrilled that so much of it revolved around meals she prepared, down to the exact ingredients each time. Hearing about her friends, her parties, her writing, her political views, I feel like she is someone I would love to have known and been friends with. If you like Julia Child and appreciate all her quirks, this book will make you love her. Read it.



4. I bought this book sometime ago meaning to read it. But as I am in the 1st year of starting my new business (a pastry shop) I have not had time. But then I remembered Audio Books so I downloaded it and I am now in the process of listening to it. Julia's love of food is contagious if I was not already a lover I would be signing up for the next Cordon Bleu Class booking a plane ticket and flying to France. Her story makes me envious that I was born at the very end of 1969 and not much earlier and to experience Paris right after the war.
   
   Her description of sole meuniere made me crave it that I began planning my next restaurant outing as a way to un-wind. Her determination to make a perfect mayonaise made me smile and relief to know that I am not alone in becoming obsessed in creating the perfect recipe.
   
   If you love a good read (or listen) love food and you are a big fan of Julia Child this is the perfect book for you. It gives you insight into the woman who single handly changed how America's eat.
   
   Bon Appetite!



5. Gee-- I can't believe I'm one of only a handful of reviewers that didn't love this book! I was just a kid during the 1970's, and I have such fond memories of watching Julia "The Cook Lady" Child with my mom and sister. I wanted to learn what she was really like as a person and BOY was I disappointed. What I learned about Julia: she was a priviliged, elitist food snob who held such disdain for who and where she came from that she became "French-i-fried" almost overnight! I enjoyed the descriptions of French life and food, but I didn't appreciate the condescension. I still respect her for popularizing French cuisine in America, but after reading this book I feel like she was aspiring to be something she was not. My imagined Julia was down-to-Earth and grandmotherly. Needless to say, I didn't get that. If you are interested in vividly detailed descriptions of French food and wine, then you will probably enjoy this book. If you are looking for personal insight, maybe not as much...