a great and fascinating collection of recipes
924957
I loved this book.  It gave great histories of the recipes and the recipes were great.  Cant wait to try them.  Even the pictures were delicious.
858092
I seldom buy cookbooks anymore because (a) I have about 100 of them and (b) I usually use the internet these days for new ideas. Having said that, this book is very well done, organized by region and interesting to look at. In addition, there are really some interesting recipe ideas.....spread out among lots of mainstays and favorites.
4430652
I have always had an affinity for cookbooks that are beautifully photographed with a number of easy to do recipies.  This book is simply spectacular as it has a number of great spreads and a variety of recipies.  In essence, this book provides insight into many of the cultural rituals that the Chinese have with food, such as dim sum and tea.  I would definitely recommend this book not only for its recipies, but also as a gift for anybody interested in Chinese food and culture.
1672628
This is a cool book.  Not only does it have a larger quantity of interesting recipes and ideas than I expected, but it doubles as a cultural insight book:  besides lots of food and market related pictures, it also has interspersed sections explaining a food related item and sections highlighting a condensed biography of (more or less) normal people who have created careers in the Cuban food world.

The book does highlight the fact that Cuban culture is so dispersed and by now different strains have evolved in their own way, that the book tries to capture a bit of everything.  Seeing all these recipes in one book - some known to me previously and some not - makes me realize I haven't given Cuban food enough credit in terms of variety.  A very interesting book.
1982449
After reviewing this cookbook, I find it a wonderful collection for someone trying to create a healthy diet!  I especially like the divisions of the chapters into a focus on specific food groups: for example "Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants," or, in the fruit section, "Pears, Apples and Avocados."  The contributions by chefs such as Alice Waters and Todd English add thoughtful and exciting ideas to healthful, everyday foods.  As a diabetic, I am thrilled with this collection and look forward to using it often.  [...].
854335
I rec'd a preview copy of this book, and the pictures immediately drew me to read through the recipes.  There is a good variety, and I enjoyed the author's enthusiasm.  I especially enjoyed the garlic parmesan monkey bread.  My only suggestion would be to leave out the jam recipes and include more bread recipes from this talented author.
3244759
Soul: A Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes is packed with flavor from cover to cover!  There are indeed 150 recipes in this collection, but you can get more than that if you read carefully. Many of the recipes include brines, sauces, and seasonings that easily work on other foods. This cookbook is meat-centric, so beware vegetarians, but experiences veg cooks can convert many of the recipes to delicious plant-based meals as well. I love that certain foods, such as collards, get their own category as if they were a food group.

There are several suggested menus throughout the book to make meal planning easier, especially if you are cooking for a crowd. The recipes are easy to follow and most use common ingredients, though some may be impossible for many people. I'll never find a fresh sea urchin in Tennessee. The ingredient lists are long and frequently call for multiple steps. If you are the type who loves 5 ingredient recipes that you can toss together quickly then you won't like this cookbook. But if you love complex flavors and impressive results, you'll appreciate the layers of flavors in each recipe.

I admit that I struggle to like certain greens such as collards and kale. I've made the Ginger and Collard Green Fried Rice, page 40, twice already. I was very surprised by the earthy green flavor the collards gave to what might have been an ordinary fried rice dish. I've also never added ginger to fried rice before and I loved the brightness it added to the recipe.

SOUL is a fascinating cookbook that intrigues me and makes my mouth water. This book may be for more adventurous cooks, but the recipes are truly easy enough for cooks with less experience. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I would easily recommend this cookbook to my own friends, even the ones who never touch meat.
791627
This book is a delight as you see beyond a set of recipes and ingredients and into the heart of the author. She covers both the familiar and the more unknown in the range of spices giving you a lot of room to increase your repertoire. Organized by spice with excellent commentary about each spice, the book is well laid out and includes lots of practical information in using spice in your baking. The photos are lush and well placed in the book. The range of recipes is interesting from simpler products to the more involved.

More than just s set of recipes, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
4492334
a gotgeous book, lovely photos, interesting text and good recipes
118902
The book is beautifully photographed, with easy to follow recipes that are delicious and familiar with twists that make them taste anything but familiar.  There are alternatives offered that make it comfortable for cooks of many levels. There are interesting sidenotes by the author with each recipe that should not be missed.  I read through the all the sidenotes before even trying any recipes.
151623
My mother-in-law gave me this cookbook, and it was a wonderful addition to my collection.  It has great recipes I can make with ingredients I have on hand. The bread recipes are great (try the Dutch Apple Bread on page 81).  The granola recipes are also very good.  I love that many of the recipes can be made in many sizes (for a small number of portions or a larger quantity).  My husband and I often make larger quantities and freeze portions to eat later.  This is another way to reduce costs, since I can buy in bulk.

This book supports current philosophies on simple living.  It has many good ideas on how to cut that grocery bill without cutting flavor.
4709205
After realizing that almost every recipe I was drooling over on [...] came from this cookbook, I bought it and I'm so glad I did. There is a picture of every recipe, and although they are beautiful photographs, they are not intimidating. I'm also very pleased with the wide variety of cuisines represented, as well as useful tips for menus and more.
170475
This was an amazing book of stories and recipes. It was very informative and it had easy to follow instructions. I actually don't own a dutch oven, but my sister is getting one for Christmas so this will be a wonderful gift. It contains snippets of dutch oven knowledge that will be helpful to a beginning dutch ovener. And the recipes were different and fascinating. I can't wait to try the delicious food!
1576188
This cookbook is a treasure trove of fine recipes that are unusual enough to be interesting, but which require only easily available ingredients. Cooking directions are very clear and sufficiently detailed even for a beginning cook. In addition, the super format is nice. I like the ribbons, since I'm prone to flipping through to find a salad to go with my entree and need to return to my place. Gourmet Today has a special place in my kitchen, opened on a book holder so that it's accessible for daily inspiration.
2935734
this small book has inspired me and opened up a new world of cooking.

Even though its just a very simple collection of recipes without any additional explanation, the collection is diverse and ranges from the exotic to the supremely accessible.

The color photographs are great, and realistic. The large pages have plenty of white space for notes. (and conversions, some of the recipes will have metric an english units, so do if you will be put off by this type amateurish-publication quality, save your money)

However flawed the implementation may be, its easy for me to say that its been worth 100% of the money, I hope it benefits the author though. This happened to be just what i was looking for.
thanks
4854603
This remarkable book includes a surprising number of recipes that make interesting reading even though I'm not brave enough to try them.  The author is an outright vegan and begins with numerous recipes for tofu, which many of us find dull.  I rate cookbooks on the number of interesting new recipes I find in them.  This book is a champion, if used with care.

I nearly pitched the book as a matter of common sense before I discovered it is a WONDERFUL collection of recipes for varietal mushrooms, uncommon native nuts and fruits, and some wild vegetables noted as worthy of attention by more famous cooks.  The collection of recipes for chicken mushrooms used as substitutes for chicken will impress anyone with a sense of adventure.

There are fourteen recipes in here for Japanese Knotweed.  As a former conservation commissioner I'm cheered by the idea that alien invasive species are now listed as dinner.  I hoped to find recipes for water chestnuts, too, but apparently they're too banal for notice by a true Wildman.  On the bright side, Brill includes a decent selection of recipes for lawn weeds like chickweed, dandelion, lamb's quarters and purslane to challenge your creativity.

Many native plants worthy of attention get good coverage.  He's got recipes for wild cherries, mulberries, nettles, amaranth, chicory, and burdock that might push you farther into Deborah Madison's edgiest vegetarian suggestions.  Many kinds of wild berry recipes grace these pages, including elderberries for you Monty Python fans.  While his ingredient lists often include uncommon native spices, experienced cooks will recognize opportunities to substitute things like cinnamon, nutmeg, and other common store-bought herbs.

Wild foods you may read about from other sources get decent coverage here.  Cattails and sumac make good eating for the truly hungry outdoorsman, and acorns are known to be edible for the desperate.  If you can follow directions carefully, Brill explains how to cook with black locust flowers and how to make coffee from the Kentucky Coffee Tree without poisoning yourself.

Other recipes in this book just scare me.  "A grain of salt" is not enough to make some of these ideas safe.  If you're not VERY sure of what you're doing, I would NEVER tangle with pokeweed, wild carrots, or cow parsnips.  Numerous other suggestions in here make me wonder, like the recipes for milkweed and pennyroyal.  Sassafras is a widely known ingredient in colonial teas, old-time root beer, and Cajun cooking, but the FDA still lists it as a carcinogen.  Brill's comments on stropharia mushrooms make classic, startling reading.

I've read my share of toxicology books, but it's never safe to speculate on what a person DIDN'T read.  Before you get too adventurous with this cookbook, you ought to confirm for yourself that the ingredients in your chosen recipe are safe to eat.  A reasonable county prosecutor might challenge your motives if you gave this book as a gift to your rich, childless uncle.
4238396
I'm so happy this book has been re-issued! I have my mother's copy of the original 1955 edition and it was her Bible in the Fall when the garden started yielding more produce than we could consume (and there were 10 of us!) What makes this cookbook particularly enjoyable is the variety of strange and fascinating recipes. Some are quick and easy to be made in small batches. A few are labeled "Career Girl" recipes and are made from frozen fruits and vegetables so busy "career girls" (a popular term in the 50s) could hurry home from their "girl Friday" jobs and whip up a batch of salad pickles that tasted like she had slaved in the kitchen for hours.

I love some of the very old-fashioned sounding chapters. Crystallized Fruits & Flowers has detailed instructions for crystallizing everything from strawberries to violets and tons of recipes including Honey & Rose-Petal Preserves and Glacd Wine Figs. There is a chapter on Conserves, which I happen to be partial to, including Rhubarb (Pie Plant) Conserve and Red Beet Conserve. The rather lengthy Meats and Sea Food chapter includes all Venison Mincemeat, Pickled Oysters, instructions for brining, corning, and pickling meat, a variety of meat pastes, sausages and scrapples and "Easy Brined Shrimp".

Marion Brown's section on Preserves is testimony to the fact that early cooks could figure out a way to preserve darn near anything and includes quaint recipes like Sun-Cooked Strawberry Preserves, Pumpkin Chips, and Cantalope Preserves.

Perhaps the most unique recipe in the book is one she copied from a fifteenth century cookbook for "Peris in Syrippe and Wyne", She adds 2 interpretations of that, her own and a variation by a friend which adds orange slices. I love the idea of adding saffron.

I recently published a cookbook of my own (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Fry-Bacon-Add-Onions-The-Valentine-Family-Friends-Cookbook/dp/0978594045/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Fry Bacon. Add Onions: The Valentine Family & Friends Cookbook</a>&nbsp;nd glancing through the section on Preserves I'm sure many of those recipes evolved from Marion Brown's cookbook. This is a highly readable treasure!