No comments about The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten From Your Grandmother.

5 comments about The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine.

1. Jeff Smith has always been an influence on my cooking from the first time I saw him on television. I was very excited to get this book many, many years ago and it has been a staple in my kitchen ever since. This is a cookbook focused on using wine in virtually every recipe. That made it dear to my heart right away.

   The book begins with an introduction where the author considers the properties of wine as food. He goes on to discuss romanticizing wine and concerns about alcohol. The introduction is, like all of Jeff Smith's writing, peppered (pun intended) with personal anecdotes that always bring a smile to the face.

   The book then moves on to a section filled with cooking hints and tips. The author discusses various pieces of kitchen equipment, cooking terms and various definitions. A brief discussion of herbs follows, although I believe he could fill an entire book with this type of wisdom about the culinary use of herbs. The section is completed with information about the TV series and a few hints on entertaining.

   The next chapter opens with another wonderful anecdote. Unlike many dry cookbooks, this one is filled with life and warm commentary. The author discusses wine and how it relates to history, theology, healing and cooking. This is no mere cookbook filled with indexed recipes and little else.

   Finally, the recipes begin. The first section includes a variety of "tapas". 15 different tapa ideas are offered, although only 3 are actual recipes. 4 more appetizer recipes follow including a recipe for zucchini fritters that are simple and are simply out of this world.

   A chapter on soups is next and opens with comments on adding wine. Simple instructions for making various stocks (without wine) are included. Mr. Smith includes a recipe for minestrone soup that, while challenging compared to many of the other recipes in the book, is beyond description. Recipes for various chowders and soups total 13 recipes in this chapter.

   The next chapter deals with fish and shellfish and I must confess that I have rarely used recipes from this section. 11 recipes include one I have made. The scallops in cheese sauce was easy to make and tasted wonderful, although I was loathe to try it the first time.

   The next chapter proves that wine and salad do 'go together'. A variety of simple dressing recipes even includes a recipe for mayonnaise. The 17 recipes include one for a tuna and potato salad in pesto that sounds odd but is delicious. A far cry from 'tuna helper'.

   The next chapter moves through pasta, rice and dumplings. 12 pasta recipes and includes the sultry 'Hooker's Pasta'. Only 5 recipes wait in the rice section and the green rice recipe is a favorite at our table. Only 5 dumpling recipes follow but it was from this book that my dumpling making began. Semolina, polenta and German dumplings are all simple to make from the pages of this book.

   Mr. Smith's well known love for poultry is well represented. Chicken is first with 10 recipes. I have used more than half of those recipes with some frequency. I think each recipe from this section has passed through my kitchen at one time. The 5 duck recipes have seen far less use. Duck is not popular in our house so it is hard to judge these recipes. Knowing Mr. Smith's talent I am certain they are perfect. Turkey rounds out the poultry with a single recipe I have yet to attempt.

   The chapter on "confits" is next. Growing up we called this "potted meat". Only 6 recipes are offered, but they are in the true spirit of the 'frugal gourmet'.

   Beef (8 recipes), pork (7 recipes), lamb (6 recipes, including 1 for curry powder) and even rabbit (5 recipes) are also covered. 4 marinades are offered. 8 recipes for sausage might not be the healthiest choice. Each recipe I have tried has been wonderful.

   A small section about veggies includes 12 recipes. The carrots in vermouth is recommended by all of my friends. A short section about the eggplant includes 8 recipes. I would have easily ignored this section were it not for the television program that accompanied it. I was convinced to try something new and was rewarded with these recipes.

   The next chapters deals with a topic near my stomach. The sauce recipes range from a basic brown sauce to a white cheese sauce that stirs my hunger even as I type. The tomato and garlic sauce is simple. It has served as the base for many other sauces I have created. 8 recipes in total offer sauces for most occasions.

   4 recipes for "molded dishes" have held little interest for me, but the ice cream bombe is simple and fun. Never one to ignore simple aspects of life, Mr. Smith even includes 10 sandwich recipes and 3 for casseroles.

   A short section on "tabletop cooking" (with 3 recipes) introduces a section on international cooking kicked off with China. The author introduces the basic concepts of the Chinese kitchen and the use of wine. The 10 recipes in the Chinese section are merely a prelude to the Chinese cooking series that was to come later.

   A mere 6 recipes are found in the French section. That is surprising considering the wine theme. Perhaps so much had been said on the topic in other books. 10 recipes are found in the Italian section and the spareribs in gravy is recommended if you enjoy pork.

   Though I am not a fan of Japanese food, I did find the 13 recipes interesting and have made several of the sauces from the book. A mere 4 Spanish recipes finish the international section.

   10 recipes comprise the "wine specialties" sections. Such oddities as garlic wine and wine jellies are discussed. A section about coffee follows and includes 6 different recipes.

   Finally desserts are discussed. After a two page discussion of the topic in general, the author dives in with 5 wine desserts and 6 ice cream recipes.

   The conclusion of the book covers many aspects of wine selection, opening wine and other general wine tips. Although not a dedicated book about wine, some of the tips from this section were insightful.

   My copy of this book is worn and dog eared which I consider a tribute to Mr. Smith's recipes and research. If you have never read a Jeff Smith book before, this is a perfect first choice. If you do not like wine you will still find many valuable ideas in the book. Those who do enjoy wine will find a new treat with every turn of the page.




2. it sparks the imagination and use of wine for not just drinking



3. This is 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 cooking with wine. 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!



4. Hi!
   
   I am happy with my order of four of Jeff's books. Unfortunately I never received the copy of this book. I did receive the other three books I ordered but I got a duplicate of his first book the Frugal Gourmet. As it turned I can give the duplicate to a Best friend, a woman who is terrified of cooking... But I cannot rate a book I never received. unfortunately I must click at least one star to send this review but that is incorrect I can not rate it.
   
   Thank you Amazon.com I can't imagine cyberlife with out you.
   
   Jerry geller



5. I've had this book for (cough) over twenty years, and it's been pushed to the back of the cookbook shelf. I dug it out over the weekend in search of a recipe for Marsala sauce. What a delightful rediscovery! Jeff Smith's direct, folksy, accessible writing style, clear instructions and suggestions for ingredient variations are all wonderful. I found the recipe I was looking for, and in the process found several more dishes that deserve resurrection.
   
   The Frug was the first cooking show host who cooked real food for real households. I'm not dissing Saint Julia but really, how many times a year does anyone cook Homard a l'Americaine? Jeff Smith put together down to earth dishes, made you feel like you could duplicate them and most of the time you could.
   
   Cooking With Wine book has classics like Coq au Vin as well as new twists on pot roast and chicken. As far as wine as an ingredient goes, the recipes call for amounts ranging from one tablespoon to whole bottles. There truly is something for everyone.
   
   Mr. Smith made an enormous contribution to every day American home cooking and I miss him. I'm so pleased to have rediscovered this gem.

2 comments about The Frugal Gourmet's Culinary Handbook: An Updated Version of an American Classic on Food and Cooking.

1. It's easy to forget that Jeff Smith, who ended his culinary career in the midst of a sex scandal filled with more questions than answers and who ultimately died in obscurity, at one time held the same place in the pop culinary world as Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray do now. It's a simple fact: sometimes otherwise great people do stupid things that utterly obliterate an otherwise stellar legacy. But no matter what the truth of the whole matter is, I have to agree with Alton Brown's two-liner review of Smith's original volume in his stellar "I'm Just Here for the Food": "I don't care what he does or did in his personal life. Everything in here worked back then and still does."
   
   Now over a hundred years old, Charles Fellows' Culinary Handbook, written for the turn-of-the-century American hospitality trade, was an answer to such tomes as Escoffier's Guide Culinaire, whose first edition had come out two years previous and was no doubt very close at hand in Fellows' trade, even as he sought to create a purely American answer to Escoffier's masterwork. And Fellows did produce a very solid volume -- practically anything that needs to be known about upscale American cookery circa 1900 is here, and it's very instructive to flip through the book and find out about lost culinary fashions and changes in meaning and technique over the years.
   
   In 1991, Jeff Smith and his sous-chef Craig Wollam released their updating of the book. This is important, since Fellows never made the splash he'd hoped to on the culinary scene, and much of the history behind it had been left in the past along with the Culinary Handbook. (Incidentally, despite Smith's failing health and increasing reliance on Wollam behind the scenes and on screen, this is the only one of Smith's books where Wollam recieves a coauthor credit.) Smith and Wollam give the book a much-needed dose of context, first and foremost, using the famously gluttonous railroad magnate Diamond Jim Brady and the ultrafancy New York restaurant Delmonico's (its last successor, the New Orleans location, now owned by Emeril Lagasse) as examples of what was popular on the tables of the 1900s. Much of the book recieves substantial annotation from Smith and Wollam, including a good number of recipes with modern appeal fully articulated from Fellows' concise descriptions and a section exploring the differences between 1904 and 1991 kitchen techniques.
   
   As essential as this book is for the historian of American food (and it's sad that it will probably never see print again because of Smith's fall from grace), it suffers from some grating flaws. The first is the fact that much of Smith's history must be taken with a grain of salt -- while Smith was an excellent cook and writer, he was known to play fast and loose with historical research, especially when religion was involved. While religion factors into only one or two of his books (particularly "The Frugal Gourmet Keeps the Feast" and "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine"), it does leave one with the need to do some extra fact checking when using this or any Frugal Gourmet book for historical research. The other glaring flaw is the layout -- while Smith and Wollam's commentary is clearly distinguished from Fellows' original work with different-colored text and a lighter typeface, it's unnecessarily difficult to figure out where one entry ends and another begins, as recipe descriptions really aren't meaningfully separated from the entry text at all. (If this were ever reprinted, William Morrow & Co would be well advised to redo all the typesetting in this book to remedy this fault, as it seriously impairs the readability in this book.)
   
   For whatever flaws the man had, though, Jeff Smith was an excellent writer and a culinary inspiration to millions. His work on salvaging this forgotten volume makes it a must-read for any student of antiquarian cooking, so if you or a friend is into that sort of thing, you must seek out a copy.



2. I was disappointed in this book after buying it. I really like all the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith) cookbooks and I loved his shows (which will probably never air again as he got into troubles prior to his death). I particularly liked his first cookbook, "The Frugal Goumet," which I rated five stars.
   
   However, I sensed that this book came more from Craig Wollem (Smith's assistant) more than it did from Jeff Smith. Granted, it's bulging with great technical information but it isn't really a work that one can sit down and read (without going crazy). It's just a reference book.
   
   So, if you really need to know all these cooking terms and historic commentaries, this one might work for you -- but, sadly, it didn't for me.

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 The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American.

1. The Frugal Gourmet' Jeff Smith shows us some great American standards with interesting historic information to boot with this authentic American cook book! This is an excellent cook book for everyone. Jeff Smith has another winner here! It's full of great recipes and stories by a very talented cook and writer. This one focuses on American cooking. I have used many of these recipes and found them to be very good. Being a home grown cook myself and having a mother who is a fantastic cook, 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!



2. First off, I'm a big fan of Smith, nevermind all the scandal. I watched his show religiously when I was a kid, and his were the first cookbooks I ever really read. He got me into cooking, for sure. This is one of his better books. Interesting lessons, great recipes, both unique and familiar. Some of my best versions of things, like chicken and dumplings, jambalya, barbeque, biscuits, and chili come directly from this book. Like all his recipes, they're straightforward, and always turn out well. I love his writing "voice", he always made me feel welcome in his world, and I view this book as a comfort, these days. It's like slipping into a favorite sweater. Even if you don't cook from it, it's worth reading just to read.



3. It's unfortunate that when talking about Jeff Smith, there's always the issue of what did or didn't happen in his personal life, but for those of us who were fans of the show we will always remember him for what he was, one of the top voices in food television long before anyone ever even thought of the Food Network. He had intelligence, humor, and a warmth of personality that only a handful of people could ever communicate through cathode rays, and those same traits are to be found here in these pages.
   The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American is hands down my favorite of his cookbooks, and one of my absolute favorite cookbooks ever. It's a wonderful lesson in American cuisine and full of wonderful recipes. I frequently find it sitting on my coffee table, and it gets read, even when I'm not looking to cook anything.



4. This cookbook was superbly written and has been a gem in my kitchen for many, many years. I became hooked on Mr. Smith's PBS shows and enjoyed his style of cooking and his excellent repartee with the camera. His cooking skills and the history that he provided with each recipe in this book makes it a classic to have around your children. Since so many schools had taken away the home-ec class due to financial cut-backs, teach the young with this book. The recipes are simple and easy to follow, the history of our own roots is brought to amazing life, and the down home appeal of great food that is far far better than anything that can be purchased in a restaurant is outstanding.



5. I've revisited two Jeff Smith cookbooks this week, the Cooking with Wine one and this one. I'd forgotten just how informative, charming and instructive they are.
   
   Cooks American contains the best recipe for sourdough bread, starter and all, I've ever found. It was that dim memory that led me to dig the book out and dust it off. Leafing through its sauce stained pages has been like catching up with an old friend. There are many dishes in this book that deserve to be resurrected in my kitchen and so they will.
   
   For information, clear instructions and encouragement there's nobody like The Frug. No matter what his personal demons, American kitchens and contemporary TV chef/entertainers owe him a huge debt.

1 comments about The Frugal Gourmet.

1. The book was advertised as excellent condition and yet several pages were missing. I guess that is the hazard one faces in purchasing used books, but it's still pretty sad.

4 comments about The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian: Recipes from the New and Old Worlds, Simplified for the American Kitchen.

1. As an Italian tired of Olive Garden-fare Italian cuisine, I bought Smith's book with two ideas in mind: 1) I wanted to understand both the context of the dishes I hoped to prepare and the constituent ingredients (for instance, how is Parmesan-Reggiano made?) and 2) coming to the book with little previous cooking experience -- let alone Italian cooking -- I wanted to be able to prepare most of the dishes in the book. Smith's book excelled at both these. The book is well-written and easy to follow, but avoids pedantry. Some of my favorite recipes are: Italian peasant bread, Italian Rolled Chicken, Bracciole, and the Fresh Tomato Sauce Sicilian.



2. Most Americans think of Chicken Parmessan, Alfredo sauce or Italian salad dressing when they hear Italian cooking. As an American soldier stationed in Italy I've never seen either of the above. They are all American inventions.

   Italian cooking is very diversified. Venice is big on fish and seafood while the inland areas eat more meats. Jeff Smith's book is as close to authentic Italian cooking as one can get. The sheer number of recipes alone will give a person an insight of how Italian cuisine influenced modern American food.

   The amazing thing is that there is at least one recipe that I wanted to try that I couldn't find all the ingridients for. It called for a Sicilian wine and being stationed near Venice I couldn't find it in any of the local wine stores. Great book. I will continue to use it for years after I come back to the US. It will remind me of the years that I spent here.




3. The Frugal Gourmet' Jeff Smith does Italians proud with this authentic Italian cook book! My last name is Carbonara (like the famous dish) and I am a stickler for authentic Italian cuisine. I am glad I had the forethought to make sure I asked my 'Nana' for her delicious recipes before she passed away many years ago. Although I miss her dearly, I can still feel her presence when I make her wonderful dishes for my family and especially at family holiday functions! This is an excellent cook book for everyone, but especially for those who may not have been fortunate enough to have an Italian Nana to ask for those special recipes. Jeff Smith has another winner here! It's full of great recipes and stories by a very talented cook and writer. This one focuses on Italian 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!



4. I have already worn out one copy of this cookbook and have bought copies for friends and family. My daughter gave it to me about 15 years ago and I happily cooked my way through it. Some of the recipes may appear long and somewhat intimidating, but that is just because Jeff Smith gives complete details for every step. The recipe for Pollo Contadina is my number one dish for a large group, along with the asparagus parmesan. It always impresses the crowd. The filled bread, peasant bread, and focacia are also family favorites. The homemade tomato sauce and the bread soup are to die for! I have not found a single bad recipe in the book, although there are still a few I haven't tried.

5 comments about The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother.

1. I have always been pleased with Amazon.com and their efficiency.
   Despite all the public shunning of the author, Jeff Smith, I have always admired his experience and knowledge in cooking and in culture. This book has been criticized by many "gourmets" for being too vague and not being precise with the recipies. I say "hog wash" those "gourmets" have to be told how much and when and they can't feel the recipe. Smith has combined his knowledge with cooking as an artist does paint for a canvas. Sharing the knowledge was a gift, for sure. Enjoy.



2. Pleased with the book but was disapointed with the fact that I thought that I was buying a Hard Cover not the soft cover that arrived.



3. I saw this book at my sister-in-laws and starting looking at the recipes. There were so many that I wanted to try that I ordered a copy for myself. We've made several already and love them.



4. I am the proud owner of every cookbook written by Jeff Smith. Frugal was what drew my attention and the Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors is worthy of every penny spent. The appeal of this book is the enticing photos and the wonderful history lesson that Mr. Smith provided for each recipe, granting the reader and the aspiring cook (that wants to provide something new and unique experience on the dinner table) a tale of the creation of the meal. He has insightful little chapters that explain Mexican, Korean, Welsh, Persian etc. food. Never is it just one recipe and your left looking for sides, Mr. Smith has always provided the entire menu for a great sit down dinner, and succeeds in keeping the meal as close to the original recipe of the country.



5. Any book by the Frugal Gourmet is good but this one kind of stands out over the rest for me. The recipes are exactly like the ones that come over with your grandparents. Wonderful book.

5 comments about The Frugal Gourmet.

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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!



4. 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. If I could only use one cookbook for the rest of my life, this would be the one I would choose.
   Not only are the recipes amazing, they are all recipes that almost anyone can throw together.
   
   Few things are as frustrating as wanting to make an amazing dish, but then realizing you would need years of formal culinary training to make it. This cookbook eliminates that.
   
   Buy it.

5 comments about The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, and Rome.

1. This book by Jeff Smith has to be my favorite one that he has written. This book focuses on recipes from China, Greece, and Rome. The recies in this book are flavorful, and very enjoyable. My favorite recipe in here is strangely enough Garlic, Eggs, and Pasta. There is a wide range in recipes, both in flavors and ingredients. Jeff Smith does an excellent job of paring history as well as anecdotes with all of his recipes. This should be a must add for anyone who enjoys historical cooking.



2. Taking Chineese, Greek and Roman cooking influences, Smith ofTV fame brings forth an offering which resembles the James Beard books which provide not only great recipes but a running commentary on the culture which produces the food and some experience remembrances by the author.

   This is fun cooking and well done. Well representative of the cuisines and done with helpful hints on each.

   A workhorse for the cook willing to use it to branch out and experiement in these formative areas of food history. For openers, try Spareribs with Black Beans and Pepper Sauce, Halvah Cake or the Seafood Risotto.

   My humble opinion is that Roman cooking is slighted out of the three. See Malto Mario for some great Rome recipes.




3. I never though I'd read a cookbook, but Jeff Smith is such an engaging personality that I was almost left wanting more prose and less recipes! If you like cooking and you like history, this book will deliver on both counts.



4. With his very thorough research, Jeff Smith shared his studies and his knowledge very generously to readers.
   This is a very fascinating book.It is not a recipe book, not a history book, not a travel book and not a book on his thoughts about cooking, it is all four elements presented in a well illustrated and well organized book.
   His writing and quips brought me many smiles and giggles, so it is also entertaining as well as being a study into the cooking histories of China, Rome and Greece.
   I read many books and usually donate most to second hand stores.I don't have lots of space for keeping things.Some of my books,I had to pay for in installments because they were rare and expensive.
   This one will stay with me.It costed me only fifty cents and bought me a wealth of information.
   I'll share a bit of information, to the Chinese cooking "is not a part of living,it is living".Greeks were instrumental in developing the frying pan.The very early Romans lived primarily on grains.
   If you like cooking, history, and memoirs, you'll adore this wonderful book by Jeff Smith and I recommend it highly.



5. This is an excellent cook book! It's full of great recipes and stories by a very talented cook and writer. This one focuses on 3 major influences in the culinary world. 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!