5 comments about The 99 Cent Only Stores Cookbook: Gourmet Recipes at Discount Prices.

1. I'm a Dad on a tight budget and I love going to the 99cent store. A friend of mine got me the book as a bit of a joke and it turned out to be a real gift. I love to cook and this gives me a chance to cook with my son. The recipes are unique, pretty simple and VERY tasty. While that's great it also gives me the chance to let him take the reigns without worrying about ruining expensive ingredients. Overall Ms. Jory's recipes are bold and creative and they inspire you to take risks without fear. Every time I try to make something from Martha or Barefoot or any other cookbook, I'm worried about wasting all the money I spent on fancy ingredients. This is a great way to make your own test kitchen of sorts.
   I also love the helpful hints. It's little things like that that keep me going back to a cookbook as a resource. I'll be the first to say I never saw it coming but I LOVE THIS BOOK!



2. I don't even live near a 99 Cent Only Store, but being a big fan of dollar stores I had to buy this book. There are SO many great ideas. I have been able to find most products (or a subsititute) at local dollar sotres or Big Lots. Not only are the ideas great, but they are easy to make!



3. This is an excellent book for the current economic times. It shows all of us how we can stretch the dollar or our 99¢!



4. I gave this book for a gift to my Mother-in-law for Mother's Day. She highly recommended the book. The recipes were easy to follow, there were great tips for preparation, general tips, etc. The ingredients could be substituted for others and not ruin the recipe; and the ingredients were also easily available.



5. I read all 99 pages in 99 minutes over a period of 99 days..
   
   Fascinating research into how to make the most of a store that stocks so many odd items that you are not always sure how to prepare them. Try the dip recipes!

5 comments about The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet.

1. I've owned The 60-Minute Gourmet paperback edition since 1979.
   (the book is literally falling apart).
   
   I've used this book since I was a complete novice and didn't have a clue how to boil an egg.
   26 years later, I consider myself to be an excellent cook.... But I still reach for this cookbook. Why? because it contains excellent recipies.
   
   This book is incredibly easy for a novice to understand and it will give a "seasoned" cook instructions how to prepare any dish in a new delicious way.
   I simply can't praise this cookbook enough.
   Another excellent cookbook is The Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson & Elane Hanna.
   Actually, this book should be called the cookbook bible.
   Owning both these books will easily turn bad cook into a master chef!



2. I used to cut out these recipes from the N.Y.Times when they were published years ago. It's great having them altogether and the majority are quite excellent.



3. Quite simply, Pierre Franey taught me how to cook - that is - how to combine ingredients that together transcend the sum of the parts. I came across Pierre Franey's column in the NY Times in the early nineties, and the recipes were a revelation. The techniques I learned from the recipes in this book, his column in the NY Times, and the follow up book, I use repeatedly. Unlike many other recipes, I continued cooking Franey's recipes after my kids were born. As youngsters, they would eat many of the things I prepared from this book, including the Poulet Saute Beausejour (chicken with wine and herbs) and the basic saute of fish. Franey also raised my standards of what to expect from a cook book! Very rarely does anything from his cookbooks fail to be delicious when I cook it.



4. I bless the day when I checked this book out (over and over again) from the library where I attended college. As a newlywed attending graduate school I was too poor and too time deprived to cook and eat. This book saved my life! Not knowing a thing about cooking... I happened upon perfection as a guide! Now, almost forty years later I am an accomplished cook and avid entertainer and it's all due to the foundation this book provided! I still think Jacques Pepin is the best celebrity chef on TV today.
   
   I just ordered the newer copy so I could give it to my niece as she embarks on her own cooking start. It is what I call a foundation book. There are five or six of these that never leave my kitchen no matter what new cook book may try to abscond their place in the hierarchy of my inventory. A must have jumping-off place for any new cook and a "OMG why did it take me so long to get it" book for an established cook.



5. French cooking is not my real favorite and I have not really tried related recipes been to a French restaurant recently. But I have the 1979 version of this book. I had not tried this book for along time from my collection.( infact I think my wife bought it). Nevertheless while looking around for hamburger recipes, I found one in it that was quite good. 9.4/10 which included placing a fried egg and anchovies on top of the burger. Different. He also shows you how to set up his kitchen pantry. His recipes also cover Fish, soup , eggs, shellfish, beef , pasta and much more. His information about different recipes give you an insight into not only the recipes So I will have to try more. The recipes are not that difficult to make and there are quite a few to try. You might want to try some French recipes as I started to do .

5 comments about Naked Chef, The.

1. Just the kind of book you'll love to give to your wife, fun, food written



2. The book is really good. I love this so much I bought Happy Days with the Naked Chef too. The recipes I have tried out so far have worked every time and the instructions are clear. Although I loved cooking, I was not what anyone would call a professional in the kitchen. I would have balked at anything that sounded too complex. The mushroom risotto and the chickpea and leek soup are two of the recipes I make most often. I also tried the Roasted butternut squash in a risotto just as he suggests. It was brilliant and had to be one of the most economical meals I have made. Spotted Dick pudding, minestrone, Fruit crumble, marinated chickpeas, roast chicken have all turned out very well. Such an encouragement for me, the cook..



3. its very interesting and have lots of ideas.Very easy to prepare the food . no need to weight the ingredient.



4. jamie oliver is the best! he is funny, cute, and most inportantly passionate about food. i am currently in culinary school, and jamie's first book.... the naked chef, is the reason i am doing what i am doing. his book makes cooking look so fun and relaxed... exactly what it should be!!!! (i should know... i spend 7 hours in cooking class every day.) the pictures are colorful and artistically taken. give this book as a present to anyone, chef or not. i remember staying up way late at night reading his words and looking at pictures..... mmmmmmm its to bad hes married already!



5. Jamie Oliver clearly knows what he is doing as far as Italian cuisine goes, the recipes were good, not all that simple though very authentic. My major dissapointment was the text quality, I've skimmed through its pages about five times, by the third time its pages were falling out of it.

5 comments about The Hasty Gourmet Low Salt Favorites: 300 Easy-to-Make, Great-Tasting Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle.

1. Most Americans simply use to much salt in their foods. For some, excess sodium is putting their health into serious jeopardy. For anyone who must be "salt conscious" about what they eat or serve, The Hasty Gourmet Low Salt Favorites is a compendium of three hundred "kitchen cook friendly" recipes that will offer a cornucopia of quick and delicious dishes that will reduce salt intake while enhancing flavorful dining. In addition to savory dishes ranging from Curried Yam and Apple Bisque; Asparagus Turkey with Cream Sauce; and Onion Casserole; to Celery with Pimento-Walnut Cheese; Potato Crusted Breakfast Pizza; and Pecan Pie with Bourbon Creme, The Hasty Gourmet Low Salt Favorites also provides such useful advice regarding what to stock in the low-salt pantry, low-salt shopping tips (including which brands to by and which to avoid), limiting sodium without sacrificing flavor, and the fine culinary art of substituting ingredients when adapting favorite recipes.



2. I bought this book because someone close to me needed to get his sodium down immediately. I've made several recipes from the book: turkey chilli, chicken tagine, coq au vin, chicken paprika, and several appetizers and desserts. Generally, the recipes are quite good-- guests at your table will not be able to tell the difference. I haven't had as much luck with the desserts, but if you are looking for really good recipes that don't taste like wallpaper paste, this is the book. I really like the extensive appendices of information on how to locate low sodium products and adapt your own recipes. I definitely recommend this. I did have to buy quite a collection of spices and cooking wines to flavor food, but now that I have all that, most recipes are easy to put together. Warning: when she says spicy, she means it! She has a tongue of steel. I've learned to back off the cayenne and Tabasco in her recipes.



3. This a no-nonsense approach to reducing your sodium intake, even suggesting brands that offer low and no sodium products. After having a high blood pressure reading recently, I started looking for ways to reduce my sodium intake. This book was much better than others I looked at. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you make with them is very good. What more do you want?



4. Great product and shipped quickly. Just what the doctor ordered (for low sodium diet recipes).



5. When my husband was told to severely limit his salt intake, I panicked, but after using the recipes in this book for several meals, I was able to relax. He has enjoyed them and so have I.

No comments about The Amateur Gourmet.

5 comments about Gourmet Meals in Minutes.

1. 
   Wonderfully organized with just enough tips and pointers
   about food types and how to prepare. Beautifully illustrated
   (just not for every recipe) with simple and straightforward
   directions. Excellent collection of classic and innovative
   recipes that cover virtually all the bases. The only
   cook book you need to keep you very busy. Outstanding!



2. I have to weigh in with a dissenting vote on this book. I had great expectations for this beautiful book from the Culinary Institute of America. I am a personal chef who is continually seeking quick and easy recipes with the wow factor, but to date none of the recipes I've tried in this book have delivered.
   
   The Chicken with Artichokes and Mustard Sauce, Walnut Chicken,and Stir Fried Garden Vegetables with Marinated Tofu were all incredibly bland; I found myself acting as a physician of mercy, desperately trying to revive these dishes. Ditto for the Fruit Salad with Orange Blossom Syrup. The Manhattan Clam Chowder was good, but not memorable.
   
   I was expecting a lot more from the CIA, which turns out so many great chefs. If you're looking for a book that has some great quickie recipes, I would spend my money on The Gourmet Cookbook, which has over 1,000 recipes. I've yet to make a bad one out of that book, and each recipe lists how long it will take. There are a great many recipes in the book which take under 30 minutes. The CIA should take a lesson from Gourmet Magazine before they put out another mediocre cookbook.



3. I love cookbooks. I have an extensive collection. I taught myself how to cook using cookbooks so I believe a good cookbook is one that inspires and should be understandable and reasonably easy to use; with that in mind I love this cookbook.
   
   A big reason I love this book is because it does not try to trick you into believing that a great meal will just magically appear in 30 minutes. This book educates you on how to organize your kitchen so you will be able to produce gourmet meals with minimal cooking time. This includes practical suggestions on how to stock your kitchen pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Detailed time-saving techniques on how to prepare herbs, spices and other ingredients ahead of time so that their flavor is preserved and you have minimal prep-time when cooking. There is also advice on equipment and a lot of time is spent on techniques; each individual technique or set of techniques are explained step-by-step and illustrated when necessary.
   
   I find that knowing my skill level helps me to determine if a cookbook is written for me; so far my stages of development have been total disaster, occasional disaster or novice, beginner, experienced beginner, advanced beginner/almost intermediate, and now I consider myself an intermediate cook. I am not a gourmet or professional by any means. I would not recommend this cookbook for a novice or beginner but for an experienced beginner through intermediate cook who wants to expand his or her repertoire and wants suggestions on technique, food preparation and stocking up their kitchen. I imagine this would be too simple for someone who is really advanced. If you fit in the categories I described above then this is a great option.
   
   For the reviewer who described dishes she prepared as bland I have not had that experience. Although I follow the recipes from cookbooks as closely as possible I have found that it is always important to taste a dish when I am cooking and making changes if needed.



4. From a pure novice's standpoing this book is gold. Clear instructions and straightforward recipes come together in amazingly sophisticated dishes. I almost feel guilty serving them to guests - feels like cheating somehow.



5. I love any book by the CIA and this one is fantastic. If you want to create impressive meals at home, this book is for you. The book is packed with great meals and very easy to follow instructions. Make a great dinner to impress guests or your own family. I have used many of these recipes in my personal chef business.

5 comments about Backpack Gourmet: Good Hot Grub You Can Make at Home, Dehydrate, and Pack for Quick, Easy, and Healthy Eating on the Trail.

1. If you are going to buy a book about backpack dehydrating this is the one. I have read several others and beat my brains out trying to get spagetti sauce to powder, etc. They are all wrong, and she is right. Don't try to dehydrate the ingredients separately, cook the whole meal and then dehydrate the whole thing together. It seems too good to be true, but it really works, and it works both easier and better. Make it your own way (within a few simple limits), and it really is better, cheaper, and easier than buying the commercial deydrated foods. I might have thought of it myself, if all of the other books weren't so misleading!



2. This is the book I have been waiting for. I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to backpack, and this book lets me enjoy all three. Previously, I was one of those backpackers who ate mac-n-cheese and Lipton noodles over and over and over. It was really boring, and I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet. Getting ready for our epic 4 month hike on the PCT this summer, I wanted to try food dehydrating, but I also needed a recipe book. After lots of online research I ordered this book and "Trail Food" by Alan Kesselheim. Kesselheim and Yaffe have completely different approaches, and I find Yaffe's approach far more user-friendly. You DO NOT want to mess with drying each food item separately and then trying to assemble them in the backcountry. You are tired, you are hungry. You do not want to spend lots of time messing with ten different little baggies and jars of spices and oils. Leave all of that at home. Yaffe's approach is simple and elegant, and I'm quite honestly shocked that more people don't do it this way: You make your soup, stew, pasta dish or casserole in the comfort of your home. The key is that you must keep the chunks of vegetables, etc. very small. You then spread the dish in thin layers on your dehydrator trays and let the dehydrator do all of the work. Just this weekend, we went backpacking and ran the true field test: rehydrating all of the foods that I had previously dehydrated. The results were impressive. Breakfast casseroles, delicious spaghetti for dinner, tuna and bruschetta spreads at lunch, and none of it had that preservative-laden flavor that store-bought foods are cursed with. The only two comments I would make where Yaffe didn't get it quite right are that I can't fit the whole dish into the dehydrator (if you only have four trays like I do), so we usually end up eating some of it for dinner (not a bad thing). The second thing is that her recommended drying times seem a bit too short. I've had to add an extra hour or two to many of the recipes, but again, this is not a big deal as I dry most of this stuff overnight anyway. If you are looking for a lightweight backpacking meal solution, you cannot live without this book!



3. Your hiking trips no longer have to be full of boring meals in a can. Now you can cook great meals at home ahead of time and rehydrate them on the trail.



4. Well who'd ever think I, a middled aged man married to a wonderful wife and cook,would be cooking for 4 in the third world, anything other than PB&J's.
   They all laughed at me as I stashed vac-packed meals into 4 seperate ditty bags, I would just smile and say I wanted to be prepared.
   As we went off the main road and up into the mountain villages, by the third day thier tune started to change.
   
   Wonderful quick meals Breakfasts(eggs and sausage) soups for lunch, lasanga and stews for dinner and even bisguits. breakfast squares, granola bars, and carrot soup were the big hits with the ladies but I think they just enjoyed not having to cook.
   The meals are power packed and full of protien very nutritional. easy to find or grow ingredients.The portions were plentiful, usually we would share in the villages.
   
   Now from grill master at home to the trail chef cooking lasnqna in the bush in less than 5 minutes they want me to cook these meals at home .
   
   I Highly recommend this book to all who travel and camp where there are no stores. Cooking meals 1st then dehyrating them not only saved lots of weight in the backpack, but allows you to spice them up to your liking before you dehydrate, so meals are a delight not the same old, same old, very important on 3-4 week trips.
   (A good cook always tastes the food before giving to the critics)
   These Nutritional meals keep your body healthy and full of energy to work or play the next day. yet allow you to pack away plenty in a small space. also you can prepare them and stash them in the freezer months before.
   Not a bad Idea to have on hand in a disaster kit stored in a sealed bucket with a couple of cases of water in the cool basement either.
   
   Don't forget the water filter and small pot to cook & eat out of.



5. This book will be a benefit to people enjoying long hikes deep into inconvenient territory. Beyond that, it is mostly useful only for the helpful hints and a few product reviews. I recommend finding this book at a library or paging through it at a bookstore to make sure it is really what you're looking for before buying.

5 comments about Michael Mina: The Cookbook.

1. I had gone to Michael Mina in SF with some friends, who are also chefs, and they tried to get a recipe but couldn't. I found the cookbook while trying to search the internet for the recipe and thought "what a perfect Christmas gift". They LOVED it! The photography is beautiful and it shows exactly how he plates the food. Unless you are a true chef, I'm not sure most could handle the recipes but if you love great food and the challenge of cooking. This is a book for you.



2. This book is a very good book, but not for someone who wants to just throw something together quickly. It's got some very sophisticated recipes and some quite complicated. All-in-all, it's a very good book, but if you're a cook and not a chef; I would look for something a bit simpler to cook from. On the other hand, if you love to cook and impress, this is the book for you.



3. If you know Michael "Haj" Mina and where his real influences come from you will know that this book does not contain his work, but rather the work of Chef George Morrone whom Mina trained under and worked for, for over a decade.
   
   For example the Mussel Soufflé with the Saffron Sauce originally came from a seafood Soufflé pioneered at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles back in 1988 - believe it or not.
   
   At the time Morrone was talking about opening his dream restaurant "Aqua." He eventually did and it became the hottest seafood restaurant in San Francisco. Mina went along as Morrone's right hand man. After Morrone left Aqua, Mina stayed on as chef. He parlayed this through hard work and a little luck and Andre Agassi into the Mina Group.
   
   He may be a good business man but the creator and the genius behind his food is not him. Though Mina does give Morrone credit in the book Morrone deserves more - he deserves his name on the cover.
   
   Still it's an awesome book and written more for a professional than the average home cook.



4. This is a fantastic book. Michael shares his most famous recipes - the recipes are pictured and the instructions are written in an easy to follow manner. This book is not for a beginning cook but rather, for someone who enjoys a culinary challenge.



5. If you've ever had the opportunity (or pocketbook) to dine in one of Michael Mina's restaurants, this book dissects some of their best dishes. I was eager to try some of them, but was a bit dismayed by the level of difficulty. I know, what was I thinking, right?
   
   Most of the recipes require a lot of prep time as well as ingredients and techniques not familiar with the home cook ( I have yet to find a grocery store that carries truffles). If you are looking for something elegant that you can whip up in a flash you may want to look into a different book.
   
   I did however, enjoy the book much more after dining in one of his restaurants. I actually received a signed copy of his book for free when I ordered the Chef's Tasting menu. Pretty cool, except that I paid over $400 for dinner for two!!!
   
   My favorite is the lobster pot pie - to die for. I guess you could substitute some of the steps such as the handmade crust, or even rolling it over the pot, but then it would not be an authentic "Mina" experience. if you have the skills to master any of the dishes, you will definitely wow your guests.
   
   As long as this book is not approached like a practical cookbook, you won't be disappointed.

5 comments about Vegetable Love.

1. Barbara Kafka's _Vegetable Love_ is one of the best cookbooks that I have ever purchased. I have made some twenty recipes (of the 700+), and every single one has turned out delicious.
   
   As many other reviewers have covered the book in detail, I'll stick to some key features that I love:
   
   1. The organization
   
   Kafka has organized her book first by regions of the world from which each of the vegetables that she covers is from, and then by vegetable. This is perfect for those of us who prefer to buy fresh produce daily. With this cookbook, i can go tot the grocery store, see what looks good, and then go home and cook it, easily - and there are plenty of options.
   
   2. The quantity of recipes
   
   I cook for myself only most nights, and so when I buy veggies, I'm often left with some left over that aren't cooked. I bought a head of cabbage the other night for one of her recipes and ended up with nearly a whole head of cabbage left over. It didn't mattter though, I had a ton of other cabbage recipes to try - and it didn't require searching through the book for them (see item 1). By the way - the Curried Cabbage (microwave version), Hot Cabbage and Shrimp Slaw, and Cabbage Risotto were all excellent. [The risotto, in particular, was amazing.]
   
   3. Cooking times
   
   None of the recipes that I made from this cookbook took more than thirty minutes. Excellent for weeknight meals. Most 'quick' cookbooks require pre-prepared ingredients, or seem sloppy and thrown together. Not here.
   
   4. The Cook's Guide
   
   Essential. No other word for it. Want to know how to buy, store, cook any vegetable you could possibly find at the grocery store? Want to know how many of them you'll need to feed your family/friends? It's right there, in plain, easy to understand text.
   
   The only downside to this cookbook is that the servings per recipe is slightly off on some of them. A gazpacho recipe that I made that said that it fed four people was probably enough to feed 12. But still, it was delicious. I simply ended up eating it for a week straight instead of two days like planned.
   
   This cookbook is essential for any home cook. The recipes are easy to make, take no time at all, and are delicious. Highly recommended.



2. Kafka is opinionated and I don't always agree with her. (For instance, she hates dilly beans, thinks lambs quarters are far inferior to spinach, and loves ramps). But, I don't mind that - the world would be boring if we all agreed all the time. This is a fun cookbook with imaginative, good, and easy to prepare recipes, and I use it regularly.



3. This book is called "Vegetable Love" and it is a great encyclopedia for cooking vegetables. It is well written, fiesty, and fun. It is NOT a vegetarian cookbook, and I am not sure why anyone would even think that it was. Vegetables are a side dish for most people in the western world and Kafka does a very good treatment of the subject. I have purchased several copies as gifts in addition to the copy I purchased for myself.



4. One of the best cooking books in my library. A must when you are short of ideas and hungry. Bravo !



5. I am always looking for this book! Although I cannot fault the recipes, and there are truly some grand offers, the best part is the blue section in the back that explains what, when and how to best prepare this particular vegetable. When in a hurry, wondering if the microwave will destroy flavor, etc., this section gets opened on the table. It is already dog-eared and I have had it less than a year. Besides that - it is a pretty book! Great Gift for gardeners and a wonderful reference.

2 comments about The Best of Gourmet: Sixty-five Years, Sixty-five Favorite Recipes (Best of Gourmet).

1. `The Best of Gourmet 2007' is a 65th Anniversary edition of recipes collected from `Gourmet' of both the last year and from the previous 65 (up to 2005) years. In most ways, it is very similar to `The Best of Gourmet 2006', which means it's an excellent source of menus for entertaining 6 to 8 people at dinner on a regular basis, when you have an aversion to repeating yourself too often.
   
   The book begins with the collection of 65 `favorite' recipes. This collection is not uniformly easy, difficult, or popular. Some, like their versions of cabbage and noodles and Caesar salad, are simple and common while the chocolate souffle cake and the Vietnamese Pho Bo (Hanoi Beef Noodle soup) are complex and exotic. This makes the section good foodie reading, to see what it is which tickles the fancy of the `Gourmet' editors.
   
   As with all `Gourmet' recipes, at least all I've seen over the past four years that I've been reading the magazine, the instructions are detailed and quite precise; however, being true to the magazine's name, they have something about them which makes them more interesting than the average `Joy of Cooking' or even `Good Housekeeping' recipe. The very best thing about the selection of `Gourmet' recipes for me is that they carry lots of recipes for classic types of dishes which are simply a bit beyond the pale of the '30 Minute Meal' crowd. This includes recipes for gratins, tarts, breads, crackers(!), souffles, braises, cakes, pies, and assembled desserts such as a charlotte. The excellent index does, however, provide nifty little clock icons by each recipe that can be done in that famous '30 minutes' or less. This being `Gourmet', I may take this with a grain of salt, and stick with Rachael Ray if you are seriously interested in FAST dishes.
   
   After the '65 Favorite Recipes' comes 18 menus, with each recipe within a menu calibrated to produce the same number of servings, something not everyone with the same objective can seem to pull off. There is no obvious pattern to the choice or arrangement of menus. The overriding criterion was, I'm sure, did it appear in `Gourmet' in the previous 12 months (in 2006, actually). Some are oriented to a location (New Mexico, Naples, Greek Seaside, Provence), some are keyed to a season (summer, winter, fall harvest), some are for a specific meal (breakfast, lunch, supper), and some are for a particular holiday (Lunar New Year, Thanksgiving (2), Christmas cocktail party, Christmas feast). The shotgun selection is less random if you happen to own several of the previous yearly `Gourmet' collections. Put them all together and you have a really fine collection of hundreds of different menus, all with the `Gourmet' imprimatur. This is by far the best auxiliary I know of to a copy of Martha Stewart's classic `Entertaining'. It's even better than anything I've seen from Martha and company. Each menu, even those for breakfast, include one or more wine selections for the menu, and they are very specific, down to the chateau and vintage year! About half of these recipes are showcased in quarter, half, or full-page pics. Unfortunately, the good editors are often not able to put the recipe and pic on the same or facing pages. Pity.
   
   Following the 18 menus, with approximately 100 recipes, is `The Recipe Compendium', with a dozen or more recipes in each of the following categories:
   
   Appetizers
   Breads
   Soups
   Fish and Shellfish
   Meats
   Poultry
   Breakfast, Brunch, and Sandwiches
   Pasta and Grains
   Vegetables
   Salads
   Condiments and sauces
   Desserts
   
   These recipes are not accompanied by photographs. Unlike the menu recipes, they are almost uniformly calibrated to `Serve 4'. This is nice, as it makes it a lot easier to match up recipes to create a menu of your own. All recipes also contain two timings, one is `active' time and the other is `start to finish'.
   
   Where appropriate, each recipe also cites special equipment and references to a `Sources' glossary where the ingredient or equipment is not available at the typical supermarket. I found two quirks in these features. One was the fact that sometimes there were references to `Sources', but the item was nowhere to be found in this glossary. The other was the reference to an `adjustable-blade slicer'. Now in a moment of cognitive befuddlement, I could not for the life of me imagine what that was, until I realized they were talking about a mandoline! This is a case like those in cookbooks translated from the French where `Herbes de Provence' is translated to `French herb collection'. The fact is that anyone who owns three cookbooks and watches the Food Network at least 2 hours a week will know what `mandoline' and `herbes de Provence' mean, and will be befuddled by a `translation'. But so much for that little linguistic rant.
   
   At a list price of $40, these books are just a bit pricy, but there is a great synergy to be had in owning several in the series. If you are really interesting in cooking and have little interest in travel or expensive restaurants, the cost of these books is a far better investment than the cost of 12 issues of `Gourmet'. One can hope that Conde Nast will come out with an index to all these volumes (It may exist, I haven't looked for it yet).
   
   Great resource for entertaining.



2. The Best of Gourmet 2007 is a collection of popular recipes featured in Gourmet Magazine. It is also a must-have for anyone who wishes to produce a meal or dessert that is out of the ordinary. If you want to dazzle your guests or surprise the green-bean casserole lot at the next potluck, use one of the recipes in this book.
   
   I was recently asked to prepare some desserts for a Christmas-themed cocktail party. Besides a fruit tarte, cheesecake, and small assortment of pastries, the hostess asked if I would make a red velvet cake. I wanted to do something different, something unexpected, because a red velvet cake is really just a chocolate cake with a lot of food coloring.
   
   Anyway, I used a white chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorated the cake with a recipe I found in The Best of Gourmet. The recipe calls for rice noodles, soaked in water, dried, deep fried, and sprinkled with sugar. In the book, these resemble great white coral leaves and are placed on top of a mound of mango sorbet. I did a little twist. I shaped the noodles to resemble snowflakes, then sprinkled them with sparkling/silver sugar. I had these sticking out of the top and sides of the cake and it looked amazing. It was easy, spectacular, and completely unexpected.
   
   The recipes can be complicated but are well worth the effort.
   
   The unique recipes, fabulous layout, and clever "menu" concept make this a book that is easy for me to recommend.