5 comments about The All-American Dessert Book.

1. Now this is the good stuff. I love Italian cooking and have yet to pass up anything French but, for me, it all comes down to dessert. This is a truly excellent dessert book. As well as the stock and standard dessert items we all love there is a multitude of specialty recipes from across the nation. Included are recipes for pies, cakes, tarts, and even puddings and custards. My favorite is Maple syrup on snow.
   
   Since many of us aren't very versed with dessert cooking Baggett spends time with each recipe going over any special technique needed. I found that I learned quite a bit just trying new recipes. I also enjoyed the historical asides that highlight many of the recipes.
   
   This is really an excellent cookbook that deserves to be on every shelf.



2. Sure, the pictures are beautiful and the recipes sound delicious, but the true mark of a cookbook is how the final products taste.
   
   Having made many of these recipes- some several times- I can vouch for the quality of the food. Chocolate chip cookies, blueberry buckle, apple pie. Simply put, everything I have made has been wonderful!
   
   I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who wants to delight a crowd. But you'd better double the recipe.



3. I agree with all the other reviewers: this cookbook is thorough, comprehensive, even fascinating as it goes over and beyond a usual recipe book by providing a bit of history and cultural background, which is great.
   However, I cannot understand authors and publishers who offer cookbooks without a picture for each recipe. This is how readers know what to expect: how it should look like in the end, whether they are likely to try preparing and enjoy it. This book has one picture for every 3 to 4 recipes, which is not enough for me. This is why I knocked off one star. And if you are going to be stingy about pictures because they are expensive, may I suggest cramming two or three products in each picture?



4. Wonderful book. Have tried several recipes in this book and they have come out really well. Received many compliments on the desserts.



5. I love this book because everything I make turns out perfectly. My grandfather is very critical of recipes and declared the apple pie the best he's had. I love it!

5 comments about The Dessert Bible.

1. In a quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I followed this recipe with enthusiasm and excitement. When I served them, the expression on everybody's face was more than I needed to know, they were absolutely the most disgusting chocolate chip cookies I had ever tasted! Not only did the batches of cookies go in the garbage, so did the book.



2. Seriously, I had to write this review because of all the people who gave it such a low rating. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Ok there may be a few things wrong with the book. I wouldn't mind a few pictures here and there. However, to say that the whole book is terrible is a bit extreme. I have a bunch of cookbooks and this is the one I continually go back to to compare recipes. I sold baked good at a farmers market and his Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies got rave reviews. He also gives so many options on a way to change a recipe. Like his cheescake. He gives you a way to light it up or make a dense one. He troublshoots each recipe in case something did go wrong. Very good book.



3. Gives you all the 'why things flop, or are a success' I should have read the description more carefully. Prefer a cookbook geared toward more recipes than the how to's & what products work best to make the best desserts.



4. I love this new book. I have only one question.........is there a misprint? My book's test charts are blank in the Brownie, Cookie, Cake sections!!
   Comments? Does anyone else have this problem?



5. This is not just a recipe book, it goes in depth into detail about how things work, what has been tested and why. Worth the money just for the buttercream frosting recipe alone. (Which I found through google books and prompted me to want to own this book!)

5 comments about The Daily Bean: 175 Easy and Creative Bean Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner....and, yes, Dessert!.

1. An interesting cookbook, but left me a little disappointed in that I was looking for more ways to prepare beans in general, rather than more ways to cook beans without meat. I'd imagine this book would be more appreciated by a vegetarian than this omnivore who'd prefer a few bean recipes that make use of a ham bone, ham hocks, or even chicken stock to bean brownies.



2. I use this book regularly. Some recepies are excelent others I didn't like. The strenght of this book is that it offers cakes and "breads" which are very delicious. My favorite recepies in this book are the marokkan lentel soup, the black bean chocolate bread and the black bean borritos.
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's a vegan, vegetarian and everybody who is looking for a high fiber diet that offers a way to include protein without contaminants (which are found in meat, poultry and seafood) into there diet.
   This book offers quick and easy recepies which anyone can cook as well as more lavish ones.
   People who don't know how to handle there legumens (beans & lentels) will find detailed instructions how to... I also like that there are a lot of recepies offered that do work with canned beans, when you don't have much time to spend in the kitchen.
   If you are curious about how diverse beans and lentals can be and you are open minded - this book is for you.



3. 
   You must buy this book! Lots of great recipes using ingredients that you probably have on hand. The book is organized buy legume. There is a section for black beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, red beans, and lentils.
   I have never seen many of these recipes anywhere else. Very creative.



4. There are better publications such as 'Easy Beans'. Actually, just searching the internet and getting lots of free recipes is the best of all worlds.



5. The author has developed great tasting recipes. Also, she gives directions on how to cook all the beans. I have learned a lot. I no longer buy beans by the can. I can make them at home, from dried, and for so little money.
   The recipes in this book taste terrific and most are easy to prepare. I have been telling friends of the great food. Most of them did not believe, until I brought them some things to try. I had to order 10 more books for friends and family.
   I have 2 teenage boys. We decided to make the Black Bean Torte as a special dessert. My husband said "wow this tastes so exotic, it is so good". My boys and I laughed, we knew what the "exotic" ingredients were, BEANS!
   I really feel this is a great way to incorporate protien into your daily food intake. I would highly recomend this book to all cooks. Mom's with picky eaters, diabetics, vegetarians, anyone on a diet, anyone with anemia, food allergies, or anyone who just loves food. Give this book a try, you will not be dissapointed.
   My only dissapointment is that I want more recipes! Note to the author, please develop more recipes. I would like to see refried beans, more mexican food, flourless recipes, more soups, and of course, more of those fabulous desserts! Thanks for a book full of fantastic food!

1 comments about Incredible Ice Cream: Making It Your Way With Passion!.

1. Finally, a comprehensive collection of the best ice cream recipes I have ever seen. If you are in the frozen desserts business or are planning to go into this lucrative industry, here is a road map for success! Warning! many of these formulations are highly addictive and can lead to late night snacking on your favorite homemade ice cream, sorbets and Gelato.

5 comments about The Simple Art of Perfect Baking.

1. I am getting rid of this book. I followed the recipes exactly but got very poor results. The eclair batter was too thin--the eclairs were flat and impossible to fill. The pastry cream recipe should be called "pastry sauce"--also thin, never set up. The almond paste pound cake recipe fell. The white cake recipe had a very nice texture but shrinks a great deal as it cools. Overall I was very disappointed with this book. It gave me the worst results of any cookbook I have tried in recent memory.



2. 
   what is there to say. Flo's recipes simply work. i have always lamented that cookbook authors do not recommend that first all important recipe that you attempt when first using their book. and, for that
   matter, numbers two and three, also. if the first thing i attempt is not successful i am pretty much finished with the book. but, if the first one was a 'go' then i am more lenient in rating the entire volume. one very, VERY important thing in any baking book is instruction on how the flour in the book's recipes was measured. there are several different methods but if you don't know EXACTLY how the author measured her flour the chances of success are slim. Flo, and before her, Maida Heatter, are two of the very few who give this information. YEA, FLO !



3. Flo Braker, I love you to bits. Oh, and I simply adore this book. I bought it (in the mid eighties) for my father but appropriated it for myself. I have made absolutely the most divine cakes from Flo's recipes, especially her classic devils food cake with the chocolate sabayon frosting. It's so much fun when people ask how I make the cake and their eyes glaze over as I explain each step, especially when I describe bringing the egg and sugar mixture for the frosting to 165 degrees over a double boiler. (Hey, I have to maintain my baking mystique.) Last Christmas, my darling husband bought me an electronic scale (hmmm, did he have an agenda?) and the cakes are even more fabulous.
   Flo explains cake making in easy to understand terms. There are all sorts of recipes in here and many are quite straight forward once you understand some basic principles. I will never be intimidated by baking again. oh, and do get an electronic scale. What a difference.



4. This cookbook is wonderful. I have always had cake "issues", but I would go back to baking every now and again because I was determined to get it right somehow. This book is the key! My husband thought I was studying from a textbook because I broke out my highlighter and read all of the introductory information first. Then I went out and got some kitchen scales, a triple sifter, and a few other tools. When I made my cake I weighed all of my ingredients and followed the directions EXACTLY and I got a great result. I have made 2 different cakes and 2 different frostings and they have all been good. I made the Devil's Fudge Cake and it was awesome! I am so pleased to have a book that spells out all of the details of good baking, not just the basic ingredients. A great resource for the baking disabled.



5. I have owned this book for about a year, and everything I have made has come out just as it should. I've made several of the cakes, including the one on the cover, and they were all wonderful. That cake on the cover is the most heavenly chocolate cake ever. Very light, very moist, dark and luscious, not too sweet. I actually made it as a birthday cake during Hurricane Gustav, and the power went off while it was in the oven. You never saw two men move so fast to finish getting the generator hooked up! I had about a pound of imported Belgian chocolate that I used for the frosting, and garnished with a few sliced almonds and a cherry, it was beautiful. I've also modified the recipe, taking out the baking soda and using baking powder and cream of tartar to accommodate some Pernigotti dutch processed cocoa and it was almost black, with a well-rounded rich chocolate flavor.
   The basic butter cake is very light and tender, with a nice crumb. I also made the butter almond cake in a rose-shaped bundt pan with the glaze, which was a HUGE hit. I've used that recipe for two-bite cakes and it's worked just as well.
   The decorator sliced almonds are unbelievably simple and so delicious and pretty!
   I give it just under five stars because I wish it had more photos of all the recipes. Some of them sound so heavenly that you just want a photo to compare to. I will say that if you follow the directions and don't deviate, everything you make will come out great. The only time I don't follow her mixing times are when I'm using my hand mixer. It's a Lectrix, nine speeds, and number nine sounds like a jet engine, so number one is not as slow as slow normally is, medium is a little closer to high, and I have to go by the look of the project and not the timer on the mixer (everyone needs a timer on their mixer!!). If your equipment is not quite what's considered 'normal' kitchen equipment, you might have to adjust a bit.
   It also doesn't give other methods that may be available like some other baking books that I would consider 'pro' books, it just tells you how to do the recipe as is, and that's it. I guess that's not really a bad thing when everything turns out right in the end, though.

1 comments about Ice Cream.

1. Its a really nice book which says about al the things an ice cream firm needs....It shows the different types and is amazing.

5 comments about Pie Pie Pie: Easy Homemade Favorites.

1. easy recipes, clear instructions and tips, beautiful pictures and layouts. these are the tastiest pies you will ever eat. simplest and best crust recipes that will earn you friends. fillings to earn you more friends.



2. I found this cookbook full of delicious recipes as well as excellent basic tips for young cooks. Unfortunately, there were few pictures and no step by step pictures of how to roll out a piecrust, etc.



3. I received this book as a gift a year and a half ago. My goal was to make every pie in the book which I am about to complete, and what a great journey it is. All of the pies are straightforward in their execution but sophisticated in taste. I've been making notes on each page about how the pies have turned out. I'll be sad when they're done but the book will stay with me forever because I get requests for the pies again and again and again.
   
   Oh, and the Orange Chiffon alone is worth the cover price.



4. I am a sucker for Chronicle Books cookbooks. They are beautiful. This one is no different.
   
   Checked it out from the library and the kids and I tried five recipes, all delicious! The Coconut-Macadamia Cream Pie was unbelievable. One complaint: not a picture with every recipe. While I would prefer to see every pie, (not only to see what I'll be making, but to check if my final product came out right) I'm willing to overlook this one fault.
   
   I have never been successful with my own pie crust, but following his directions, I actually succeeded in a producing a light, flaky, delicious crust. Needless to say, this one is becoming part of my permanent library.



5. If there is one thing that I would have with me, besides water, on a deserted island... It would be pie. The warm, flaky crusts; the cooling, aromatic fruits; the flavors of the crust and the flowing juices... I carry this book with me everywhere. That is how much I LOVE pie.
   
   In this book you will find great instruction. Mr. Carrol walks you step by step into creating the perfect crust, to suit you, the perfect filling, again to suit you and lastly the perfect topping, all for you. You will not be dissapointed. It is a book composed of Love.
   
   Enjoy.

5 comments about Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids.

1. This seems to be a fun book where you can cook with your kids but these recipes require alot of ingrediants and alot of time, which as we all know children are not patient..the recipes are cute and seem yummy, but kids want instant gratification not 2 hour cook time.



2. I know this is the kind of book to have fun with and keep the little ones entertained and if we just focus on that it is great! My nephew loved it! It can get a little dirty and there is definitely some extra clean up to do afterwards but it's fun.
   My only issue as that is focused on fairly sweet stuff and it's not very healthy. Healthier desserts can be fun too!
   It's a good cookbook for the occasional messy, entertaining Saturday morning or Birthday party but not on a daily basis.



3. "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids" is a delightful book. Literally, you will salivate at the pictures. The book itself is spiral-bound and squishy, making it user-friendly for the tiny chef. My six-year-old was excited to get this book (as he loves to cook and eat).
   
   The chapters include such foods as: Breakfast sweets, treats, and desserts. There is the usual equipment, ingredients, and helpful hints pages. This book is beautifully laid out and has fun titles like Pratically-Perfect-in-Every-Way Cream Scones and Hunka Chunka Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (which, incidentally, look like the best CC cookies on the planet).
   
   There are quotes from kids who tried the recipes and little science tid-bits here and there. Very fun book and a great memory maker with your kids!



4. Like Jill O'Connor's first cookbook, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth, this book provides a small number of butter-and-sugar rich sweets. This one provides some fun sweets for a younger audience.
   
   However, the author opens the book with a story about how she found it difficult to have her kids in the kitchen due to her own desire for perfection, and I don't think she has ever completely overcome this. Her recipes are generally complex, making them not especially suitable for children to even assist in making. This is a shortcoming.
   
   The binding is excellent and makes the book easy to open. However, the font was rather small and hard to read.



5. I ordered this cookbook after baking out of the original Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth to rave reviews. Oh, the Double-Crumble Apple Pie (special requested by my sis), and the Churros! In that volume, Jill Connors took some well known sweet treats and stepped them up a notch. A little more work in some cases, but oh! so worth it! This volume looks like it succeed in the same way.
   
   As noted by other reviewers, these are not recipes to be made by, or probably even with, young bakers. For that I would suggest Baking Kids Love or Williams Sonoma Kids Baking, two kid friendly titles for budding bakers. The recipes in Sticky, Chewy are a little more complex, which might appeal to a teen baker but definitely demands a more experienced hand. But ther are scrumptious recipes and she focuses on kid-friendly flavors and treats, all paired with cutsey names (like Holy Moly! Strawberry Jam Roly-Poly and Banana Montana After School Cake).
   
   I never like to review a cookbook without giving it a spin, and for my sample recipes I choose Practically-Perfect-in-Every-Way Cream Scones. And they were! Each recipe has a little intro at the top of the page, and I completely agree with Jill's assessment that these scones are the "tastiest..[she's] ever eaten." They are light and rich simultaneously, and I was introduced to a new technique (grating frozen butter to incorporate into the dry ingredients). Based on the clear instructions and the delicious outcome, I'm game to try anything else in this book.

5 comments about Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

1. I have been an amateur cook for several decades, with a particular weakness for patisserie. It is without doubt the hardest of the culinary specialties to master.
   I am perhaps a little too long in the tooth to be wowed by anything in the baking department, but here is a book worthy of any good cook's attention. It has been lovingly assembled with beautiful photographs of the many coffee houses mentioned, and you would have to have a heart of stone not to be seduced by at least some of them. More to the point are the recipes themselves. Having tried a number of them, I can attest to their authenticity and exquisite quality.
   I suppose that this is not intended as a book for beginners, and certainly would not recommend it as such. If, however, you have passed the point of having to throw away that sticky mass of dough that somehow went wrong, you may well be a candidate for this extremely accomplished book. If, in addition, Austro-Hungarian patisserie is your bag (and whose isn't?) then go ahead. Buy it and enjoy!



2. The book itself is elegant enough to display on your coffee table. The pages are shiny and the recipes are detailed. There is a background story to each pastry, though the pictures would be more meaningful with captions. The shipping was fast and wonderful. I am very happy with the overall purchase!



3. This is not a set or recipes from the coffee houses of Vienna, Prague or Budapest. These have been altered to fit American tastes in quite a number of instances. There are descriptions in the recipes where the author states this plainly, but he usually DOES NOT give the original recipe or any other indication of what the changes are.
   
   Some of the changes may be trivial, or they may be large changes. Who knows without the original recipe ? However, the use of high fructose corn syrup in some of the basic preparations is an indication of the problem.
   
   Having tried some of the recipes (I've only had the book for a couple of week so far), the results are quite OK, but I was trying recipes where I knew that they sounded like recipes from some of my other European cookbooks, and not the obviously altered recipes.
   
   The lack of the original recipes makes this merely a nice introduction to these great desserts, but not a book to give you a 'true' taste. If you are in the US and an introduction is all you want, then this would be an excellent book, no question of it. Otherwise, there are better books out there.
   
   (And on a purely personal note, a 'stick of butter' is meaningless outside of the US. Why can't the author use standard measurements ? That's what standard measurements are for. Yes, I can use a certain famous search engine to find out how much a stick of butter is in grams and write that alongside the recipes, but I shouldn't have to do so...)



4. If you can find this book, for a reasonable price that is, get it. This book was done with great love. Reading through the list of ingredients and instructions, I came to realize that these recipes are no easy feat. I fell in love with this book, because it has put to use Farmers cheese which I have come to absolutely love. When your family or friends taste these recipes, they will praise you highly. All your love and labor would have been worth it.
   
   As for some of the comments on this book.... There are no pictures in this book, but who cares. You can not eat the picture. You can eat the final product of the mixed and baked ingredients. I don't care for pictures anyhow, as it gives a view from one persons eyes as how it SHOULD come out. As long as you follow the wonderful directions, you will achieve succes in the preperation and the visualization aspect of the dessert. Have patience. Have fun. Experiment.
   
   As for the comment of blandness... everyone is different. Add more sugar the next time, or more chocolate or fruit or whatever it is you like. There is no cookbook that exists that meets the needs or wants of every individuals palate. Even in Vienna. While assembling a dessert I sneak a taste here and there and usually I am able to tell what it needs more, or what it needed less of. Once it's baked, I can not do anything about it... Take notes and try again.
   
   Also, one should always read a cookbook, especially, before attempting. I never take a book into the kitchen whils cooking, I always write the recipe down on a piece of paper for preservation of the books sake. Since this is becoming a hard book to find, I really want to preserve it. (This is for those who comment on the editing - For which I found no fault).
   
   Anyhow, a GREAT book on desserts from exotic lands, to me at least, that I am sure will wow my guests or yours, at the range of our tastes/inspirations.
   Thanks Rick Rodgers. Lovely book.
   
   Enjoy.



5. I bought this cook book before it escalated to the present $90 + dollar price, and I must say, to those of you contemplating buying it now - that it is probably still worth it. I have no culinary background, just a fondness for cooking, and I was able to reproduce the Esterhazyschniten that is featured on the cover of this cookbook, and mine turned out looking almost identical. The history, photos and recipes in the book are fantastic - I have made several now and all yield excellent results, including the Poppy seed cake and the Schniten above and a delightful triple layered cake with walnut, apples and poppy seeds. I gave that one to some other "gastronomes" who were delighted with it. The only thing I am lacking for creating more of these authentic desserts is time; the instructions are thorough, the recipes precise, and the history captivating. Buy the best coffee your grocer provides and create one of these almost heavenly delights. Its almost as good as renewing your passport and going there!
   
   I bought one of these for a dear friend in addition to my own copy. I highly recommend this book! I would not hesitate to buy anything from this author, as he is logical and easy to follow. He manages to convey some of the fun that he had in experiencing the coffee hauses for himself. That makes this cookbook diverting.

5 comments about Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!: 130 Delicious Cookie and Dessert Recipes from the Kitchen of Mrs. Fields.

1. I like the fact that there's a variety of different cookies.
   I've also made quiet a number of them.All taste pretty good.
   Flavor combinations of the cookies surprised me at first but
   proven good aroma and pleasing on the palet.My favorite is
   the Banana chocolate chip cookies.Except I replace the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips it brings out the flavor of the bananas.The only thing I don't like about this book is that
   I wish it had more recipes.



2. I have just received my sixth copy of Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever. My daugher found it at the library-very old, yellow, torn. She and her daughters were writing recipes and trying recipes from it and they are delicious. Maybe this is an old cookbook but it keeps up with modern times. Now all my daughters and two granddaughters have it. What a rare find! Most were brand new and bought used and were in perfect condition. Most not even out of wrappers.



3. Do you really think these are her EXACT recipes....??? I perused this book in the store and wasn't that impressed. I'm sure the recipes are good just like everyone says they are, but there simply are not enough recipes for me. I also prefer a separate cookie and dessert cookbook. Only half of the recipes in this book are cookie recipes.



4. This was one of my first cookbooks. My cookies always turn out picture perfect and taste awesome! My Dad loves the Apple Penny cookies and I have just purchased a second copy of this book as I have misplaced the recipe. Not only are the cookies wonderful, but the pies and other desserts are delightful. I highly reccomend this cookbook because not only do the results come out perfectly, but through the pictures you have a great step by step visual on how to proceed through the recipe. You will not regret this purchase and you will be singing Mrs. Field's praises!



5. Having made many batches of cookies in my day, I had a feeling that the recipes I read in this book had weird proportions and baking times. But I gave it a shot; I figured cookie mogul Mrs. Fields knew what she was talking about more than I did.
   
   Wrong. My cookies were burned and nasty after the first batch and, after altering the dough myself, came out only to the point of being passably edible. I should have followed my instincts.
   
   Stick with a recipe site where you can read comments and reviews from others, don't buy this book. Wasted my time and money.