1 comments about Flying Sausages.

1. The premise of this book is to make bulk sausage from 7 or 8 "master" sausage recipes and freeze them off in 1/2 pound batches to be used in other recipes found in the book. Making your own sausage from scratch is alot of work! The recipes using the sausages themselves are very good, and sometimes I use Aidell's Sausages found at my local supermarket as a quick substitute rather than go to the trouble of grinding my own meat and making the sausage from scratch. If you have the time and love sausage, then this is the book for you.

2 comments about Wing It!: Delectable Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Bar Snack.

1. My tried and true method for making Buffalo Wings has been a sure fire hit for a number of years. My combination method of first baking then quickly frying to get a crispness before tossing in Frank's Hot Sauce along with a few added ingredients has allowed me to very nearly duplicate the taste of the Wings from the legendary Anchor bar...or so friends have told me so.
   
   Still...there are many ways of doing tasty wings, especially when entertaining guests who want a little less fire. When we entertain I usually make three types of wings: My standard, and a couple of mild to medium hot varieties that favor more spice over hear. "Wing it" has been added to my collection and provides several outstanding wing recipes that our flavorful without making your eyes water. The Sesame Wings are a particular favorite of a friend of mine who insists I make them every time he comes over.
   
   Oddly Enough I'm not crazy about Mr. O'hara's recipe for his Classic Buffalo Wings for the simple reason I don't like my buffalo wings to be battered because if they sit for two long the batter soaks up the sauce rendering the wings with a spongy texture.
   
   Solid book with the rest of the recipes though.



2. Lots of good recipes for those who like Chicken Wings. Sauces can be used to spice up other foods as well.

3 comments about Good Housekeeping 100 Best Chicken Recipes (100 Best).

1. Purchased this cookbook after a recommendation from a friend. I would pass on the recommendation! Excellent recipes that are easy and delicious.



2. I bought this cookbook at a school book fair and have never regretted it. What a fantastic and easy guide to chicken preparation and presentation.
   
   I like this particular book for a number of reasons. I love the size (9 1/2' by 7"), the glossy pictorial hard covers, and the spiral-bound pages. This last point allows the book to remain open while in use. No heavy objects on one side to keep it open while the cooks uses the other. There are glossy photographs for about every four to five recipes. I like one for every recipe, but this is second best with plenty of photos.
   
   Interspersed throughout are boxed in tidbits or instructions for specific tasks. Examples of instructions: carving a roast chicken, using garlic, storing fresh herbs, to skin or not to skin, and cutting up a raw chicken. Experienced cooks may brush this last one by, but they all had to learn somewhere.
   
   And, of course, the recipes. Zowie!! There are the standards: classic fried chicken and grilled chicken breasts. However, GH presents some new and interesting recipes and twists on old. Try this yummy dish: Grilled Chicken Breasts Saltimbocca (means "jump in your mouth") and is made by adding a slice of prosciutto and a fresh sage leaf to each breast before grilling.
   
   The book offers a number of international dishes. Try Chicken Mole, a Mexican dish with dried chilies, spices, seeds, and unsweetened chocolate, served over rice. Another great one is Moroccan-Style Tagine, a savory stew with chicken, spices, dark raisins, green olives, and served over couscous. Still another is Thai Chicken Sate, a dish found everywhere in Bangkok from vendors cooking and selling their wares on the streets. It is chicken pieces skewered and grilled and served with a dipping sauce made of coconut milk, soy sauce, peanut butter and a side dish of pickled cucumbers. Oh, heavenly!
   
   This is one of those cookbooks the busy person cannot do without. The only trick is having ingredients on-hand before beginning to cook. The rest is easy and oh, so tasty!



3. I love this book! It gives the prep time and the cooking time for each recipe. It lists the nutrition values (calories, fat, protein, etc.) and seems to consist mainly of fairly healthy choices. And the recipes are delicious and generally easy.
   
   I've made the Chicken Enchiladas and the Chicken Stuffed with Basil and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. The last was SO fast and easy I plan to put it in regular rotation (and I've made it twice this week alone). The enchiladas were delicious and a big hit, although a smidge more work.
   
   Great ease of use and great ideas in this book.

2 comments about Quick from Scratch Chicken (Quick From Scratch).

1. I found this book easy-to-read and understand. Nearly every recipe is illustrated by a clear, color photo. The ingredients are common and available in most markets, and the instructions to create a tasty, visually-appealing dish are easily explained and detailed clearly. This is a great book for the beginning or timid cook, and would make a perfect gift for a wedding-shower or for someone who is just now learning to cook.



2. I no longer want to go out to dinner! Each time I've made one of these recipes, the end result is a meal I'd find at a very good quality restaurant. Every one of the recipes I've tried has been easy to make and delicious. Most of the ingredients were already in my own pantry and freezer. This is a keeper!

2 comments about Chicken on the Grill: 100 Surefire Ways to Grill Perfect Chicken Every Time.

1. In considering this book, you should certainly be aware that grilling and barbecue are two different methods of cooking, at least as different as braising and roasting, even though the methods share similar equipment and are typically done outdoors. That means there is very little overlap between the recipes in this book and the Jamison's important barbecue book `Smoke & Spice'. Unlike barbecue, which requires smoke and which is almost always done outside, grilling wishes to avoid smoke, is done on high heat, and can be done fairly competently indoors on a grill pan, as it has a lot more in common with saute than it does with barbecue.

   The Jamison's first chapter is one of the best introductions to a cooking method I have seen anywhere. And, you probably need it, as the mind set surrounding grilling, especially outdoors, is not friendly to serious cooking. The lessons may be summarized in the observation that grilling IS cooking on high heat, which is done to impart a unique taste, and this activity requires your full attention.

   Chicken is a very popular subject for treatment in a dedicated book; even a book dedicated to a single cooking technique. This is because chicken is cheap, it has some challenging variety (white versus dark versus skin on versus skin off versus young bird versus old bird), it is somewhat bland so it is an excellent medium for enhancing with flavors, and it has been cooked around the world, so every one of the world's great cuisines has a wealth of chicken recipes and flavorings which can be translated to the grill. Even the homegrown American cuisine has contributed major chicken dishes such as fried chicken, barbecued chicken, and Buffalo chicken wings.

   The first chapter of recipes owes much to the worlds oldest cuisines and cooking methods. These are `Skewers, Satays, and Other Small Favors'. These are nine recipes of grilling on skewers, especially with a peanut flavoring which defines the Indonesian Satay style of dish. The chapter ends with a `deconstructed' salad of grilled and cubed chicken, needing no skewers.

   The next chapter is five recipes for wings with pineapple, mustard, harissa, Tex-Mex, and traditional sauces. The next chapter is seven recipes for grilled chicken in sandwiches, including ground chicken grilled as a hamburger, several Mexican treatments of grilled chicken, and a classic chicken club sandwich.

   The chapter on '50 Nifty Recipes for Boneless, Skinless Breasts' is really ten (10) recipes with about five variations in sauce, marinade, or garnish. The star of this chapter is probably the `barbecued chicken pizza'. In this and some other recipes, the term barbecue is used very loosely, as the word is only earned by virtue of dressing the grilled chicken with a barbecue style sauce. That aside, the results are still impressive and delicious. This is getting into the Wolfgang Puck / Bobby Flay cooking with flash territory.

   The chapter `Bone-In Breasts, Thighs, and Legs' offers nine recipes with French, Portuguese, Maryland, East Indian, Cajun, and Georgian (US) flavors. This makes me surprised there is no bickering over chicken supremacy between Maryland and Georgia the way there is between North Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas City, and Texas over barbecue.

   Just about the only thing left is to grill a whole chicken. Early in the book, the authors point out that grilling and a whole four pound chicken really do not go together very well. That is why every whole chicken method uses either some special equipment, some as humble as a beer can, special butchering, as when the bird is grilled under a brick per the classic Italian technique, or the bird is very small, as with a Poisson or a Cornish game hen. This chapter also contains the only true barbecue recipes in the book, as the barbecue technique is much friendlier to whole chicken cooking than is grilling. This chapter also introduces the rotisserie, which is available on many gas grills. Three rotisserie recipes are provided, two with chickens and one for Cornish game hens.

   The last chicken recipe chapter gives seven (7) things to do with grilled chicken in salads and pastas. All are pretty traditional. All look delicious.

   The last chapter gives fifteen (15) side dishes and desserts. Again, these are almost all variations on standards, but most of the recipes give you something to do with your grill and vegetables while those Satay skewers are grilling.

   If you are a griller, or, if you really like chicken and can swing a grill pan, this book is a great addition to your kitchen. Even if you don't have Marimoto's knife skills or Bobby Flay's flair with squeeze bottled sauces, this book will give you all you need as long as you can light charcoal and maintain a well-controlled heat level under your grill.

   Highly recommended. Easy recipes for grillers.




2. I love to grill, and I am always looking for good books and collections of recipes that will add to my knowledge. When I looked for a book that dealt specifically with chicken, this one caught my eye and I ordered a copy. It has proven to be a valuable asset.
   
   As I write this there is only one other review of this book and it's rather comprehensive. Rather than go through the book formatting, chapter breakdown and what have you (and repeating the other review), I'll hit on why this book works and what makes it worth the purchase.
   
   The book starts off with an excellent discussion of HOW to cook chicken on the grill and why so many of us fail when we try. It is not enough to simply say, "do it this way", so the authors include the "this is why you should do it this way" along with the discussion. The authors worked very hard to impart understanding instead of only straight method, and they have succeeded. The results, when following their guidance, is perfectly grilled chicken that is neither burnt nor undercooked.
   
   The various chapters go into different recipes for the different parts to grill; that is, there is a section on bone-in pieces, boneless chicken breasts, thighs and wings, etc. Everything is ordered logically and is easy to find without too much effort. Also, the full-color pictures add a lot to the overall presentation and make the book fun to browse through.
   
   I always appreciate it when authors write on my level. So many write as if they are addressing children or mensa members. The authors have an approachable writing style that makes their book enjoyable for the average adult.
   
   I like this book and I have gotten much better at grilling chicken as a result. The recipe collection is good, the knowledge shared is invaluable, and the book makes a good read to boot. If you are wanting a good book on grilling chicken, seriously consider this one.

1 comments about The Chinese Chicken Cookbook: 100 Easy-to-Prepare, Authentic Recipes for the American Table.

1. Many of the recipes require a dutch oven and a boning knife (for meat from the chicken leg). There are over 100 recipes including stir fry dishes with melons.
   
   I am particularly happy to find recipes for steamed chicken buns including the bun dough recipe and street dumplings that "were created by refugees from Shanghai who fled their city in the 1950s revolution and came to Hong Kong. They would set up portable charcoal or coal stoves in the streets and make these dumplings for people to lunch on. Later, many of these entrepreneurs went on to open restaurants."
   
   
   
   I am collecting all of the author's titles as much for her old fashioned style as for her recipes. She makes me want to make my own pasta.
   
   
   In my opinion, acquiring all of the author's cookbooks first before buying the other English language Chinese cookbooks makes an important foundation to understanding what you eat in America and how the food is cooked at home. Then proceed to the other cookbooks and hopefully to eating the more elaborate levels of Chinese cooking. I didn't pick up the author's cookbooks until very recently and only after learning that the author is from Sun Tak. I wish I had bought her books long ago.

No comments about Omelets & Frittatas.

5 comments about Hot Chicken (Hot Books).

1. Hot Chicken is terrific. Preparing Hugh's recipes and enjoying the mouthwatering flavors and textures is a true culinary experience! Teri's photos are beautiful and creative. His tips for advance preparation make this perfect for entertaining. Hugh never ceases to amaze...



2. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I tend to fall back on the Hot Chicken cookbook regularly. For a while, I was making my way through the book with an event I called "Friends Thursday". I'd invite different friends over and make one of the dishes from the book. If they were the kind of friends who watched "Friends" we'd set up TV tables and cozy up to the show. If not, I'd socialize over dinner and then watch "Friends" on videotape afterward. I slowly made my way through every recipe in the book.



3. A friend gave me one in the series and it is brilliant. The recipes are not the same old boring ingredients. These recipes are not hot, they are creative, exciting and a delight to serve. In all 4 books, we haven't found one we didn't like. In a kitchen with over 200 cookbooks, we use them all the time to please ourselves and dazzle our guests.



4. Hot Chicken, Hot Pasta, Hot BBQ- I own all 3 of these and have broken the bindings I use so often. If you like a little spice in your life and more in your meals- you can't go wrong. Great recipies and they tell you how to cook as well. I have about 25 cook books and these 3 are the only ones that are easy to reach.



5. A real international adventure, this book is organized by techniques - cold salads and hot soup; grilled; in woks and saute pans; crisp and golden from the oven, braises and stews.In between are cooking, storage and safety tips.

   Each recipe is presented in two sections; advance preparation and final cooking and concludes with suggested accompaniments. It's hard to turn to a page and not find something to cook. On the grill there's Cowboy Chicken with Ancho Chile Rub or Sizzling Rosemary Mustard Chicken. In the wok, Mongolian Chicken combines tangerine juice with hoisin sauce and hazelnuts and a Creole Tomato Cream Sauce accompanies a chicken saute.

   A roasted chicken combines a citrus marinade with winter vegetables and the braised Chicken with Rosemary-Merlot sauce also uses winter vegetables. Asian ingredients from curry and chile to hoisin and oyster sauce meld with more familiar European and Latin flavors - familiar herbs, fruits and wine in unusual combinations that beg to be tried.

1 comments about The New Complete Book of Chicken Wings.

1. I purchased this book in 1999 but the recipes are still great! I have tried many (more then half of the recipes and many are very good a few so so. INstructions are great and the recipes are not complicated. You can find most of the ingredients in your kitchen or local food store.And not all the recipes are spicy. You can tone things up or down many are sweet spicy or etc
   Also I am not afraid to snaz some of the recipes up. The Hawaiian recipe I rated only so so . But I had ingredients and decided to try it again while snazzing it up. It came out great even better before. So don't be afraid to modify if you want.

5 comments about Marinades: Dry Rubs, Pastes and Marinades for Poultry, Meat, Seafood, Cheese and Vegetables.

1. I was given this book as a companion to a new gas grill. The recipes are not overly complex to make, but complex in flavor. Most ingredients are readily available, and the book does not really lock itself into a "genre" --there are flavors from France, Vietnam, the SW-- everywhere. It's wonderful.



2. I use this book a lot. I've never been disappointed with any of the marinade recipes. Every one I've tried works great. There's also a handy table in the back to help you locate marinades for pork, beef, chicken, or fish/shellfish. I've also enjoyed the pineapple salsa and corn salsa recipes with seafood.



3. Of the fifty or so cookbooks on my shelf, this is the one I use the most and has the highest percentage of recipes you are likly to actually use. The best of these recipes are are truly incredible, but while some are better than others I've yet to try a recipe I thought was a dud. I won't bother to list my favorites here- you should buy this book and start experimenting yourself. (Well, okay, you HAVE to try the "Shashlik" recipe with lamb kebabs!) The only complaint I have about this book is that its index isn't very good, but after you use it for a while you will know where to find things without it.

   In addition to the wonderful recipes, there are other features that make this a very useful cookbook. First, it has text about techniques regarding marinating and dry-rubbing that has a lot of good information for cooks, including a great table comparing the relative properties of various oils. Tarantino provides recommended uses for the marinades and dry rubs, and instead of saying "Try on fish, or beef or pork" and leaving it at that, his recommendations are far more precise: beef brisket, pork tenderloin, swordfish steaks, scallops, shrimp, rabbit, venison, and other delicacies make their way into the suggestions for use. While it's fun to flip through the pages looking at the various recipes, there is a handy table in the back which can help you to quickly match up what you plan to cook with an appropriate recipe.

   A final word- most of the dishes I've cooked that my dinner guests raved about and requested the recipe came from this book. I'm tempted to try to keep it a secret, but it's too good not to share.




4. We should have loved this cookbook. There's little we love better than a flavorful cut of beef, a succulent tenderized chicken, a sweetened steak of salmon, or a tingly mouthful of marinated mushrooms. With those kinds of preferences, this cookbook should have been a shoo-in for Most Popular Cookbook. Instead we almost never open it any more.
   
   There's a short chapter about marinades - some science, tips, tricks, equipment. This is followed by a chapter on stocking your pantry: types of acid to have around (citrus juices, vinegars...), wines, oils, aromatics, condiments, sweeteners. Then there's a chapter on making your own flavored vinegars and oils, spice & herb mixtures.
   
   This is followed by the good stuff: marinades, dry rubs, vegetables, fish & shellfish, poultry & rabbit, beef (etc.), and dipping sauces.
   
   I will never get used to the organization. If you want to make beef, do you look in the "Beef, Lamb, Pork, and Venison" chapter... OR the Marinades chapter... OR the "Dry Marinades, Rubs, and Pastes" chapter?
   
   So you're probably saying to yourself, what's the problem? Those are small quibbles. The recipe layout is clear. Recipes are nicely contained on their own pages. Okay, so some of them call for tough-to-find ingredients (fresh lime leaves, anyone? Not where I live!), and you'll definitely want access to Indian and Oriental grocers (online or in your town), but those aren't deal-breakers. There are no food photos, but it isn't like there's lots to see when it comes to marinaded cuts of meat. So what's with the three stars?
   
   It's the recipes. You see, we've made lots of them - after all, they sound so wonderful: Indonesian Honey Chili Marinade, Spicy Garlic Oriental Marinade, Honey Ancho Marinade... my mouth is watering even now! And out of all of the ones we've made, only one was "wow" and one was "very good." Everything else ranged from "awful" to "good, but we wouldn't make it again."
   
   There are so many absolutely fantastic cookbooks in the world. With that many great recipes to choose from, why would anyone make a so-so recipe twice?



5. Run and buy this book as soon as you can as you are really missing out. I bought it in the 1990's and always still making fanatastic recipes from this book.. There are all kinds of US and worldy marinades, rubs and more. The contents divide the book into 10 categories including about marinades , rubs and pastes, stocking the pantry, vinegars, all tyes of marindes, even for shellfish, vegetables, lamb, and even rabbit, game birds, venison. Several marinades and rubs can be used for different meat etc. Also has section on salsas, chutneys, The directions are clear and easy to read. The index is well done. The chart "Marinades at a glance, is another way to find what you are looking for. There is short set of pages where to find and purchase Indian spices, Asian staples and more (but you really should be able to find most of the ingredients locally).
   I have tried so many all excellent. These included spicy tomato marinade for fish (9.8/10); Thai marinade (9.8/10); Thai cocont (9.8/10); pineapple jalapeno salsa (9.8/10). Many more I have tried are a great just a tad less in my rating but fantastic none the less.