janepriceestrada's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
19 books reviewed. Showing 1 to 19Sort by: Rating | Title 
101 Things to Do with a Tortilla
By Stephanie Ashcraft, Donna Kelly
Gibbs Smith, Publisher - 2005
It contains great simple recipes which are fast and varied enough to get a lot of mileage out of this little book. There is nothing particularly exciting but it is a good general Mexican cookbook and very small so it doesn’t take up much space.
Abita Beer: Cooking Louisiana True
By Abita Beer, Marcelle Bienvenu, Susan Spicer, Barbara Gibbs Ostman
Abita Beer - 2008
A local Louisiana brew put out this cookbook which describes their brewing process, beer tasting techniques, and recipes all involving beer. Most surprising – pizza and deserts.
Anthony Bourdain's "Les Halles" Cookbook: Classic Bistro Cooking
By Anthony Bourdain
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC - 2006
I barely made it past the introduction. Bourdain is an insufferably arrogant human being and tragically it comes across in his cookbook. Some of the recipes are interjected with annoying little phrases like “Now we are ready to begin the actual cooking. Right? You’ve got everything? Assemble your prepped ingredients in an organized fashion.” For someone who refers back to recipes constantly while cooking, I don’t need self-righteous little asides when I’m trying to figure out what to do next. The recipes are classic French bistro fare which can be found in any number of other cookbooks – find one of those.
Anyone Can Cook (Better Homes & Gardens)
By Better Homes and Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens - 2007
This is a great beginner’s cookbook with recipes which span nationality and complexity. There are simple ideas in here which can add variety to your meals. However, there is nothing particularly wonderful to it.
Arthur Schwartz's New York City Food: An Opinionated History and More Than 100 Legendary Recipes
By Arthur Schwartz, Chris Callis
Stewart, Tabori & Chang - 2008
The beauty of this book lies in the history aspects rather than the recipes. It covers New York food by ethnic group, time period, and some specific restaurants. It had the unfortunate effect of making me want to go to many more restaurants than I can afford.
The Best of Gourmet: Featuring the Flavors of Rome
By Gourmet Magazine Editors
Random House - 2004
This is really not a great book. It has general Italian recipes but nothing special. They are crammed on the page so as to make it hard to use.
Burgers
By Louise Pickford, Martin Brigdale
Ryland Peters & Small - 2006
This is a simple collection of variations on the hamburger. It is fun if you are a big fan of burgers but does not offer anything extraordinary.
Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook
By Daniel Boulud, Dorie Greenspan
Scribner - 1999
This cookbook has some wonderful recipes. Many are quite complex or require a lot of ingredients so it is not for everyday cooking. However, the instructions are extremely detailed and make for great special occasion meals.
The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine
By John D. Folse
Chef John Folse & Company Publishing - 2004
Excellent! It is the definitive cookbook for Cajun and Creole cuisine from basics to culinary treats. The history of the food culture and glossary of Louisiana products are wonderful to read and reference. The recipes have perfect harmony of all ingredients and it does not fall into the trap of over-spicing commonly found in Louisiana cookbooks. John Folse is a genius in the kitchen and it comes through beautifully on the page.
Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
By Giada De Laurentiis
Clarkson Potter - 2005
There are some good simple recipes which are easy to make and contain basic ingredients. It is excellent for basic home-style dishes, but nothing fancy or unique.
The French Laundry Cookbook
By Thomas Keller, Deborah Jones
Artisan - 1999
There is some gorgeous photography; however, I do not think it will help with cooking. The recipes seem very complicated (not for beginners I imagine). I will be saving this one for special occasions, although I do want to go through a few recipes to learn some techniques.
From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients
By Diana Kennedy
Clarkson Potter - 2003
There is a lot of great information in here as to basic preparation and foods. It covers everything from tortillas to cheeses to peppers. It covers the basics of setting up foods used in Mexican cuisine. There are not a lot of recipes for entire dishes but the ones it covers are excellent.
How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food
By Mark Bittman, Alan Witschonke
Wiley - 2006
This is a great reference in the vein of The Joy of Cooking. It covers each food item one at a time followed by some recipes which include it. There is great information for beginners such as how long to bake a potato as well as simple recipes which always work. It is a must have for anyone who loves to cook.
Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four-Star Simplicity
By Maguy Le Coze, Eric Ripert
Broadway - 1998
This is a quite lovely collection of seafood recipes which is accompanied by extremely helpful information on techniques, basics, and fish types. However, more photographs would be nice as their food is an artwork.
Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Knopf - 2001
This book has some very good home-style Italian recipes. It is large and so somewhat overwhelming for basic dishes but if you are looking to cook something special you can find it here.
Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home
By Mario Batali
Ecco - 2005
There are some excellent recipes in here which are classic Batali – few ingredients which mesh to form surprising flavors. There is a level of difficulty to these which may not be for everyone but anyone who is a fan of his restaurants will want this book.
New York Times Cookbook
By Craig Claiborne
William Morrow Cookbooks - 1990
An extremely comprehensive cookbook – nothing special, but there are hundreds of recipes. Most of these are quite easy to make – very clear explanations, some good basics.
River Road Recipes II
By Junior League of Baton Rouge
Junior League of Baton Rouge - 1976
A companion to the original they somehow found recipes for things which were not in the first book. This one is just as good although some things are covered again with minor variation. These are still great authentic Louisiana recipes.
River Road Recipes: The Textbook of Louisiana Cuisine
By Junior League of Baton Rouge
The Cookbook Marketplace - 1959
This is a must have for anyone from Louisiana who loves home cooking. The recipes are excellent and authentic. This is a staple in my and my mother’s house.