1 comments about The Fabulous Gourmet Food Processor Cookbook.

1. I borrowed this book frm a friend years ago and shamefully never returned it. I have used it so much its pages are falling out. There are some very good recipies in this book, and am odering another one to replace the original copy which I must have had for nearly 15 years! It is used frequently!

4 comments about New York Times More 60 Minute Gourmet.

1. I obtained this book by a fortunate accident - I use it constantly as a reference and, sometimes when I just need to read an interesting anecdote written by somebody who loves not only food, but all that surrounds it.

   Pierre Franey does not talk down to his reader, but he does teach.

   One of my favorite passages from his book is: "When I have been asked over the years the most basic thing an aspiring cook could be taught, the answer is almost invariable. If you learn a few baic techniques of cookery, the rest is applied logic. If you can make a basic mayonnaise, for example, you can make a sauce remoulade or a sauce tartare with the simple additions of a few ingredients such as choped anchovy, capers, pickles and so on."

   I depend on Pierre, not only for his skill as a teacher, but just as much so for his ability to inspire.

   I highly recommend this book for the busy professional who desires to make their house a home.




2. I was surprised to see this classic cookbook so far down the popularity list. Checking our kitchen bookcase, where I keep the dozen or so cookbooks I use most often, I found that the copyright date on my hardback was 1981. Well, twenty-two years later, I no longer refer to it weekly because I have learned so much of it by heart, but I certainly use it monthly, and still find it invaluable.

   More 60-Minute Gourmet, like its companion volume 60-Minute Gourmet, is a collection of weekly "60-Minute Gourmet" columns published in the New York Times during the 1970s and early 1980s. The recipes comprise a wide variety of cuisines and are uniformly quick and uniformly light (a handful of recipes call for heavy cream, but it can almost always be dispensed with). The ingredients and techniques still work well today - perhaps not the "cutting edge" dishes and presentations one might expect from, say, a Roy Yamaguchi, but mastering the 60-Minute Gourmet recipes will make you capable of cooking almost anything. Consider these as high-quality building blocks for creating your own brand of gourmet cuisine at home.

   Keep an eye peeled for the late M. Franey's out-of-print volumes as well. They, too, remain fresh and tasty.




3. '60 Minute Gourmet' and `More 60 Minute Gourmet' are collections of New York Times columns written by the prominent French born and trained chef Pierre Franey, who attained celebrity by being the executive chef at La Pavilion, considered by Craig Claiborne at the beginning of his New York Times career as the only truly worthy `haute cuisine' venue in New York City.
   
   On the surface, it may seem that these volumes are simply precursors to Mark Bittman's `The Minimalist' columns in the same New York Times or to Rachael Ray's very successful 30 Minute Meal genre. While there are strong family resemblences between these three writers, there are also significant differences. Most of these differences arise from the fact that While Bittman and Ray are journalist / educator / writers, Franey was a classically trained chef.
   
   This distinction is crystal clear in the way Franey describes his audience and how they live their lives. With the greatest of respect, I sense that Franey sees his audience as just stepping out of a `New Yorker' cartoon of upper West side coop dwellers who shop at Zabars and who may expect the likes of R. W. Appel or Ruth Reichl to drop in for a quick bite on any given Thursday evening. One may be tempted to say `this is not me', but give yourself a chance to believe that you can put yourself into this picture. Franey is saying that you can be prepared to entertain elegantly with even a minimal amount of time.
   
   Franey is crystal clear from the introduction of the first of these two books that he is not simplifying gourmet dishes, he is picking and choosing those classic French dishes which can be made in the home within 60 minutes. His message is that contrary to expectations, a lot of French cooking, even `haute cuisine' can be made very simply. And, I have no argument with this. After browsing Escoffier's big book of recipes, I find about 50 different recipes for sautéing chicken, every one of which can easily be done in 30 minutes or less.
   
   The most valuable lessons in these books are things that a professional chef does to expedite his own work. One of the hidden tricks behind Miss Rachael's speed is that she spends no time whatsoever looking for her ingredients. Franey reveals the technique that makes this all possible. He exhorts us to always have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. The easiest way to experience the value of this lesson is to try cooking in someone else's kitchen. His second big lesson is cleanliness, as much for efficiency as for hygiene. He says clutter and debris distract from efficiency.
   
   It is important to note that these two volumes have virtually identical tables of contents, so the `More 60-Minute Meals' is literally more of the same. It's only additional topics are on appetizers and desserts. And, unlike his La Pavilion colleague, Jacques Pepin, I suspect Pierre is not as skillful with the pastry as is Jacques. Like Rachael Ray, a very large number of the recipes in these books are for grilled, sautéed, or fried chicken, with an enormous variety of sauces. In fact, Miss Rachael just did a version of chicken Veronique that was remarkably similar to the recipe on page 22 of `60-Minute Gourmet'. I honestly prefer Franey's version, as it uses white grapes while Rachael used red, and, Franey's instructions are written in plain English while Rachael uses her Rayspeak culinary dialect for a lot of basic terms. I would suspect that Miss Rachael had cribbed this recipe from Franey except that she made a major point of stating that the recipe was acquired from her future mother-in-law.
   
   What Rachael lacks in sophisticated technique, plain speech, and deep knowledge of French cuisine, she makes up by addressing the two of the three major issues I have with Franey. First, even 60 minutes may be a bit more than a tired Manhattenite may be able to manage, especially after a subway ride and a 5 block walk from the local supermarket. Second, Franey makes much of planning and prepping ahead of time. The fallacy of this and practically every other `quick cooking' advice is that the problem is not only that there is little time at the end of the day, there is little time throughout the week. A third potential objection to Franey's books is that if there is so many `haute cuisine' recipes which are really pretty easy, why not simply go to the mother lode and get a copy of Escoffier or Pellaprat for their 39 ways to poach eggs and 52 recipes for sautéed chicken. The problem with this solution is that the search for the good recipes takes more time and investment in studying the techniques needed to prepare the short recipe description in these texts.
   
   Like Wolfgang Puck in a very recent book, Franey cuts down on the time required to prepare a recipe by combining into a single narrative all the steps and techniques you need so you don't have to seek out and learn a lot of ancillary recipes. Also, the classic French texts don't have the entertaining headnotes you can recite to impress your dinner guest(s).
   
   Thus, I really think Franey's books are best used as a resource for recipes for entertaining where the plan and prep ahead time will garner big rewards with your guests. I would therefore strongly recommend Franey's books for young professional ladies or gentlemen who are out to impress a potential partner over a home-cooked dinner. I would not use these books to replace my copy of `Mastering the Art of French Cooking', as there are great realms of French cooking technique which simply lie outside Franey's 60 minutes, the most important being braising and roasting techniques.
   
   These books are excellent introductions to how French cooking can be easy. Recommended.



4. I work full-time and have two small children and a European husband who expects something more than pasta with jarred sauce. I recently rediscovered this book and its companion, 60-minute Gourmet, in my cookbook library and they've been wonderful. Straightforward recipes, which taste great, and are made in a short time are exactly what I need. It's not all fancy French stuff and includes suggestions for side dishes. My copies were injured in a counter flood and it's time to get new ones.

5 comments about The Low-Carb Gourmet: 250 Delicious and Satisfying Recipes.

1. I just got this book from a book club and even though I didn't pay $35 for it, I think it would be worth $35 just for the Donald's Deep Dish Pizza Quiche recipe! I made it today, and it's outstanding. Both my daughters were begging for slices. I was just getting so sick of scrambled eggs for breakfast, and the author suggests several alternatives on the breakfast main page, including recipes from other sections of her cookbook. There are a number of recipes I'm looking forward to trying, like Brussels sprouts with cream cheese and nutmeg (she swears it'll make a sprouts eater out of anyone) and Chicken with bacon cream and thyme.



2. I love this book! I have been low-carbing for just over a year now, with great success in the weight-loss department. But I was bored and generally disappointed with the recipes from diet books, such as The South Beach Diet (all 3 books): a few of the recipes were good, some were bad and most were boring.
   
   I was so excited when I found this book. I was already familiar with Karen Barnaby - her first book, Pacific Passions, is one of my alltime favorite cookbooks. So I was sure her recipes would be great tasting. And they were! So far, I have made about 1/2 the recipes in the book and I LOVE THEM ALL! Even my non-low-carb husband enjoys them.
   
   Some of the best of the best are:
   * Mom's Cauliflower Salad - I made this for a party and everyone raved about it, several people asked for the recipe.
   * Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup - quick, easy & great on a hot day
   * Scalloped Savoy Cabbage - my husband does not usually like cooked cabbage, but he loved this.
   * Twice-Baked Cauliflower - so good I could eat it every single day.
   * Oven-Fried chicken - nearly as good as the "real thing".
   * Turkey Snackin' Cake - all the traditional Thanksgiving flavors in one easy dish.
   * Shepherd's Pie with Smoked Cheddar - one of the best recipes in the book. My husband said it was the best shepherd's pie I'd ever made, much better than the potato-topped kind. And he is a HUGE potato lover!
   * Keema - I made this with ground lamb! I noted in the book to always make a full batch or there aren't enough leftovers.
   * Donald's Deep Dish Pizza Quiche - I was a bit skeptical, but this was quite fabulous. Really cures pizza cravings, and it's quite quick to make.
   
   The list goes on and on, but these are some of the best recipes I tried, low-carb or otherwise. Some of the recipes are very "gourmet" (KB is a restaurant chef, after all), but most are fairly easy to make and don't require a lot of hard to find ingredients. If you're bored with other low-carb cookbooks, give this one a try!
   
   Also, check out Karen's website. She herself is a low-carb success story.



3. As stated previously by other reviewers, the recipes in this book are awesome. I have purchased many low-carb cookbooks over the years (at least 15), but this is by far the most used cookbook I own. The instructions are clear, the ingredients are easy to find and the flavors are great! I have found that many of the low-carb cookbooks that I own focus on getting the carb counts within a certain range without really paying attention to the ingredients being used. Fortunately, this is not the case with this book. Every recipe that I have tried has turned out wonderfully. I still have plenty of recipes that I need to try out! The dessert recipes are a standout for me because most of the ingredients used are those you can find in a well stocked supermarket (you can find almond meal at any Trader Joe's or from an online source). I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for new ideas and really tasty food. This is definitely worth every penny; it is the most expensive low-carb cookbook I own, but also the most used!
   Just an aside: the recipes really do work. There were times when I was skeptical about some of the ingredients or the amounts used, but every time I have made a recipe, it has turned out wonderfully. Give this book a try!



4. Good but when you want fast recies not this book. But nice stuff.
   Just not fast.



5. This book is the one on my bookshelf (and there are many) that I continually pull off just for entertainment purposes alone. Everything I have cooked is delicious and I am on Atkins. Granted some are not for induction but her style is wonderful and the food is so good you can serve it to guests. The twice baked cauliflower recipe is very close to twice baked potatoes and out of this world. I highly recommend this book. My only complaint is that there isn't a volume II yet.

No comments about Cooking With Paula Deen, July/August 2008 Issue.

3 comments about The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast: Past Present and Future.

1. Jeff Smith gives some incredible instruction on food history and what feasting means to humanity before he ever gets to the recipes in this book. I love how he moves from past to present. Food is so very social and this man communicates well how important a sense of community and dining are linked. Makes me yearn for more extended family meals that have significance. The way I think about entertaining is altered after reading this book. Give yourself some time, sit down with a cup of tea, and give this book a good read. It is much more than a collection of recipes.



2. ...is how this so-much-more-than a cookbook cookbook reads. Beyond tasty recipes, I found Smith's reintroduction of the concept of meals a true inspiration. His lively Biblical interpretations, witty lines, and tender family annecdotes are truly enjoyable but not cloying. All readers, cooks or not, can benefit from and enjoy Smith's insight into the historical and metaphysical elements of sustenance.



3. My title blurb say it all. This book is filled with great recipes, history and tradition! Jeff Smith spoke about interesting traditions and origins on his entertaining PBS show. Before 'The Food Network' we had the witty and talented 'Frugal Gourmet'. This book deals with some simplistic, yet very good classic family dishes. Nothing fancy, just great traditional family food! Something the world seems to be missing these days is time spent in the kitchen with the family preparing meals for "get together". Make time for this book, your family and friends! Even if your not a "religious" person these are words to live by.
   
   This is yet another excellent cook book by Jeff Smith! It's full of great recipes and stories by a very talented cook and writer. This one focuses on old world cooking. I have used many of these recipes and found them to be very good. Being a home grown cook myself and having had many of my grandmother's classic recipes handed down to me, I found this book to be very helpful in expanding my culinary taste buds.
   
   Jeff Smith entertained us for years on his PBS program 'The Frugal Gourmet'. Not only did he teach us many savory dishes, he also educated us. Not satisfied with just cooking delicious meals for his viewers, he would give detailed history lessons about the origins of the dish and made it all a lot of fun!
   
   This may be Mr. Smiths best cook book and it is a worthy edition to everyone's cook book library. I own and have read many, if not all of his cook books, not only for the man's knowledge of cooking, but his incredible wit! This guy was funny and I would have loved to have hung out and throw a few beers down with him.
   
   Unfortunately, this man had some very seriously bad press released about his personal life and well..... I am not one to spread rumors.....he seemed like a great guy and sadly he died before he was able to clear his name.
   
   R.I.P. Frugs!

5 comments about Art and Cook: Love Food, Live Design, Dream Art.

1. Aside from the fact that the book was plagiarized by Allan Ben from unknowing photographers & designers who were swindled out of their ideas, designs, compensation, and credit - the book has no soul. There is no "running thread" or theme. Not one original thought. Not even worthy as a coffee table book. Don't embarrass yourself - you deserve better.



2. I was very impressed with this book. Art and Cook is a very original concept and a great conversation piece for your coffee table or as a gift. There are fun recipes and VERY fun design to compliment them. This was a great purchase. The package alone is worth the cost of the book!!
   
   Very Recommended.



3. If you want a cookbook that is so poorly edited that you will have multiple extra ingredients from the ingredient list that are not used in the recipe, then this is the book for you.
   
   Entire paragraphs seem to have been cut out of the recipes for the sake of page layout.
   
   What a piece of garbage. I have never been one to burn books, but this is a good candidate for the incinerator.



4. I bought this book because of a rave review in the LA Times. It was intended as a gift but I would be too embarrassed to give it to anyone. Rarely have I seen a worse designed book. It looks like first generation web design blown up and printed between hard covers. The recipes themselves look interesting and the photos are cute but the prentious verbiage and overblown graphics gave me indigestion before I set foot in the kitchen.



5. This is a book to be devoured by the intellect while visually stimulating your hunger pallatte. After reading some of the negative reviews, I realize these authors are cooks not artists. To try to collide two disparate disciplines with such style and artistic whimsy is indeed a daunting task, but mastered deliciously by the graphic artists and chefs. Amazing collusion of effort. The only problem is, that the graphics and food combinations are so alluring, the book will never make it past the coffee table to the kitchen.
   
   C. Ratfield

5 comments about Frugal Gourmet.

1. I've been cooking since I was a kid. This was one of the first cookbooks I got for myself as a young adult away from home. Some of the information is outdated, but it remains a good primer for entry level cooks. It's also an interesting timepiece from the time of transition in the U.S. (late 70s early 80s), which, as I like to think of it, was from garlic salt to fresh garlic, if you know what I mean. Took what Julia Child and Alice Waters were contributing and gave us a frugal, direct everyday version of it.
   
   A side note: Jeff Smith passed away last year. Despite the truth or not of the allegations from the men regarding incidents 20 yrs prior as teenagers, Jeff Smith did help contribute a great deal to the overall appreciation of food and its preparation in everyday life.



2. Why do I say this is a must-have classic? because this cookbook represents a landmark in the world of home cooking... that is, it brings so much passion and doable recipes of stuff that your basic home cook wouldn't have attempted, that it deserves a share of cookbook history. Any reviewer who says it's mediocre hasn't explored it. This book is the bridge between the Julia Child era... which brought average cooks into the kitchen to do dishes like Chicken Cordon Bleu for the first time... to the Emeril Lagasse/Bobby Flay/Paula Deen era where average home cooks now are unafraid to tackle ANY dish, ANY cuisine. Not only that, but there are dozens of keeper recipes in here, ones that you'll make time and time again. Among my friends, the pasta dishes are all favorites, especially Pasta Carbonara... if you like chicken livers the Chicken Liver Pasta is to die for... the Linguine with Clam Sauce is every bit as wonderful in 2007 as it was in 1977. I could go on and on, but this cookbook has something for everyone, explores countless techniques from Asian to Early American, does lowfat/lowcal 20 years before they were stylish, offers eclectic to comfort food. And unlike a lot of cookbooks, including ones from Rachel Ray or Emeril or Sara Moulton, this one has spot-on recipes from cover to cover... no dogs. This book should be on your cookbook shelf for life.



3. The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith. This is one of my favorite cookbooks because Jeff Smith cooks much like I do, and seems to have the same tastes in food. I'm on my second copy of this book, I gave my first copy to my mother. This cookbook has great tasting recipes, often with interesting stories about where the recipes were obtained, or the history of the dish. The copy I have now is the 1984 edition, and was autographed by Jeff Smith in 1989. I use this book so much that it's paper cover is quite worn and torn on the edges and the binding is starting to go. Alas, this book is out of print.



4. This is the very best cookbook that The Frug (Jeff Smith) ever published. I've used it for years and the recipes are as solid today as they were when this fine work was published. I place it in the Top 20 of ALL cookbooks that I know of, (and I've owned hundreds -- I recently gave away about 70 because the top of my fridge could no longer bear the load!)
   
   I cook every day, usually from scratch, but prospective buyers should know that ANYONE can make the many fine recipes found in here. Oh, yes, I know that The Frug got into a little trouble late on in his life, and with his career on PBS, but that never affected the quality of his culinary brilliance.
   
   Here's an idea. Just about every library around has this cookbook. Check it out, try a few recipes, and then decide if you want it. I'll bet you end up buying it!



5. Jeff Smith entertained us for years on his PBS program 'The Frugal Gourmet'. Not only did he teach us many savory dishes, he also educated us. Not satisfied with just cooking delicious meals for his viewers, he would give detailed history lessons about the origins of the dish and made it all a lot of fun!
   
   This may not be Mr. Smiths best cook book, but it is a worthy edition to everyone's cook book library. I own and have read many, if not all of his cook books, not only for the man's knowledge of cooking, but his incredible wit! This guy was funny and I would have loved to have hung out and throw a few beers down with him.
   
   Unfortunately, this man had some very seriously bad press released about his personal life and well..... I am not one to spread rumors.....he seemed like a great guy and sadly he died before he was able to clear his name.
   
   R.I.P. Frugs!

5 comments about Slow Cooker Cooking.

1. I have never written a review before but just saw that this book (which I am buying for my mum and friends for Christmas) was only rated 3 stars and I couldn't understand why. As far as I am concerned this is the best crock pot cook book out there - the recipes are simple to follow, always turn out exactly as shown and are delicious. The sole recipe I have served at several dinner parties to much acclaim as with the 'lamb you can eat with a spoon'. I cannot recommend this book more highly and I looked at several crock pot cookbooks that were really boring.



2. This is a cookbook for people that REALLY know how to cook -- I can handle pretty much anything in the kitchen and get dinner on the table on time but these are challenging recipes for me, and many of them are just too fancy to attempt. I've got two little kids to feed, not a few gourmet food type friends I'm making dinner for.
   
   On the positive side, the book is very well-written. I may try some of the easier recipes, but not when I'm on a deadline. More than a couple of the ingredients are not exactly things I ordinarily stock in the kitchen. I do admire Lora Brody's approach to cooking and I will keep and reread this cookbook, though it's not the everyday Joe Lunchbucket type of book I really needed -- try "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook," which so far is the best of the four slow cooker cook books I've ordered through amazon.com



3. I really like my slow cooker after trying recipes from Lora Brody (and also the Better Homes & Gardens slow cooker book). I used to have a Fix-It and Forget-It but I always got lost in all the different variations. I have tried several recipes in this book, mostly soups and entrees. I have not tried any of the desserts, bread or dips.
   
   Brody's recipes are unique and very tasty - I get lots of compliments on them. My husband and 3 year old ate every one that I have made so far. One bit of critisim - there are several recipes for uncommon meat such as rabbit or pheasant - but I have easily substituted for chicken or beef of about the same thickness and cut. I have wondered why she just does not come out and say that in the recipe introductions so that it is not so intimidating.
   
   Additionally, I find the recipes fairly simple and economical. They contain ingredients and spices that I usually have on hand. Most of the meal/entree type recipes do not call for a lot of ingredents to be prepared outside of the slow cooker. Highly recommended.



4. This slow cooker cookbook is like none other I had found. Unique and delicious recipes that I prepare not only for the family but to entertain guests. I haven't tried any of the desert or bread recipes yet. The entrees have been the most useful to me for entertaining. Using the slow cooker allows me to get much of the meal ready early and spend more time visiting when guests arrive :).
   Every recipe I have tried has turned out great and I look forward to trying more selections from this book.



5. I found this cookbook while house sitting and I had to order a copy for myself. I've made four of the soups so far and they were all fabulous! Also the carmelized garlic and the garlic oil were a real treat. My friends are asking me for these recipes. Everything I have tried so far has been wonderful and easy.

5 comments about Creepy Crawly Cuisine: The Gourmet Guide to Edible Insects.

1. One of the most enjoyable additions to our culinary bookshelf! This book is filled with great pictures and even better recipes. Even though we haven't been able to try them all, we've loved the ones we've tried. Do yourself a favor and try this one out!



2. The author of this book is probably the world's foremost authority on entomophagy. I consider this book the best entomophagy book in print. The book is thorough in its coverage of the value of insects as human food. The author is a superb cook and the recipes are delicious and very artfully prepared and photographed.



3. This book contains some great recipes with a south-of-theborder-flavour, but all the same, you may find some of these bugs a tad bit exotic . . . where in the world can you get a half-pound of tree-hoppers anyway? So this might be a bit much for the novice without special resources, but on the whole is well worth the money.



4. This is the best book i have read about edible insects, i find it rare but exciting, after you read this book you will go to your garden and gather some insects.



5. okay so i've never eaten a bug- but i love reading about the subject! My best friend gave me this book for my sucky birthday! lol- and it totally rocks...

   Julieta gives great nutritional advice on different bugs and descries each bugs particular flavor in reference to things common that we know of.... it is well written and very informative from calories to essential amino acids to proteins and vitamins... the book covers different countries in it's concise and informative beginning. I also liked the fact that the author gives you the actual family and genus name of the species.

   the photos however are why i gave the book 4 stars.... most of the photos i feel as if i had already seen in "man eating bugs" because the same photographer helped publish both books... i never really tried the recipes of course.. but julieta does give helpful resources and advice on breeding your own bugs for food!

   Loved it read it several times.... get it for your collection!

2 comments about The New Now and Zen Epicure: Gourmet Vegan Recipes for the Enlightened Palate.

1. This is one of the very best vegan/vegetarian cookbooks I own, and I have well over 20. I've made a number of recipes from it, and all have come out superbly. The dishes are imaginative, and some, like the tofu bourguignon, are good enough facsimiles of the traditional version to satisfy carnivores. I'm especially fond of the roasted red pepper soup and alwys try to keep some of the cashew-tofu-based sour "cream" on hand. Best of all, most of the recipes aren't fussy, requiring hours of preparation. If you're an established vegan, just starting out or simply want to incorporate more vegan dishes into your diet, I can't think of a better book to begin with.



2. I had never heard of this cookbook until I stumbled across it at my local library. Having read it, I'm surprised that isn't more widely known and used. Every recipe I tried worked as promised (that doesn't happen too often) and was delicious (that's even rarer). Even better, she doesn't focus on one course- soups, dinner, desserts- or even just the food you're going to eat. She offers recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner, desserts to vegan kitchen staples.
   
   Because of this book, I was inspired to make soy yogurt- no problem. And once you have soy yogurt, you have the making for soy sour cream- strain the yogurt as you would dairy yogurt. Save the whey, and then use it for your breads. Because of this book, I have also been using agar to make custards I've missed since giving uo dairy and eggs, and they are so delicious. This book inspired me to make tofu cheese (tofu fermented in miso), and while it doesn't work as a cheese replacement for everything, the flavor has been a welcome addition to my table. Finally, and most importantly, this book inspired me to make my own soy milk and okara, the left overs from the soymilk process. Okara is amazing in your baked goods- they add so much fiber, but they also give a delicious nutty taste. You could buy soy flour, but okara is so much cheaper. It can also be used in vegan patties or vittles- so delicious and moist.
   
   Here's the thing- I've seen recipes for all of these ingredients in other cookbooks. However, other cookbooks make it sound like there is a deep dark mystery surrounding their preparation and that you have to observe the utmost care- blah blah blah. The author seems to be aware of that attitude, but she's also shaking her head while she tells you how easy it is to do. And if you follow her instructions, it is.
   
   If you're a vegan, this can expand your capabilities in the kitchen.