The Silver Spoon

by Phaidon Press
The Silver Spoon
published
October 1st 2005 by Phaidon Press
edit

binding
Hardcover, 1264 pages

isbn
0714845310   (isbn13: 9780714845319)

description
First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy's bestselling culinary "bible," Il Cucchiaio d'argento, is now available in Engl...more





Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.







discuss this book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »



friend reviews (0)

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.



lists with this book




other reviews (showing 1-20 of 299)



Linsey
Linsey rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/19/07

bookshelves: currently-reading
recommends it for: any aspiring chef
This book is F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!! (And I'm the sort of girl who usually avoids cooking from recipes...)

The directions are just detailed enough, without being absurd; everything I've tried (Strawberry Risotto, Glazed Radishes, Brased Beef with Barolo, Carrots with Rosemary, and the Penne Rigate in Vodka) has all been wonderful. The only difficulty is that there's no "Pasta" section (rather odd, for an Italian cookbook), and most recipes make no mention of the prep/cook time (appare...more
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  add a comment

Nancy
Nancy rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/19/07

At long last, Italy's version of our "Joy of Cooking" has been translated into English. So why just a three-star rating? Primarily because I've no idea where to purchare mutton or jackrabbit- the latter being in a chapter separate from just rabbit. Given that I don't eat these guys anyway, couldn't I just ignore the meat chapters and concentrate on the "Molds and Puddings" or the fish chapters? Not quite- I haven't seen Striped Mullet for sale lately (ever). The Silver S...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Emily
Emily rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
12/02/07

bookshelves: cookbooks
Good. Italian. Food. Most recipes have only a few ingredients but produce wonderful results. Beware of funny Italian -> English translations. For example "black cabbage" is not cabbage, it's kale!

My favorite recipe involves baking eggs in custard dishes in with leeks sauteed in butter and nutmeg. The swiss chard ravioli with walnut pesto is also amazing. We consider opening our own restaurant each time we crack open this huge volume of authentic Italian dishes.
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  add a comment

Amy
Amy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/12/07

recommends it for: everyone
While this is not a "book" book, this is the best cookbook around. It has beautiful simple dishes, and is genuinely helpful in learning techniques and has all sorts of information about cuts of meat, etc. This book is translated from the original italian, and has been the best selling cookbook in italy for the past 50 years. My boyfriend was a chef and I bought this for him as a gift, it has been his go-to cookbook ever since. It is great for anyone from a novice to a chef, I assur
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

D
D rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/26/07

bookshelves: cooking, nonfiction, reference, translated
Read in December, 2005
My sister gave this to me for Christmas, and it's become a favorite. Too much of my understanding of Italian cuisine is seen through an American lens; I love having access to an authentic Italian resource. So far my favorite hint from the Silver Spoon is to cook pasta in the sauce thinned with some broth. It's a bit tricky to get the pasta-to-liquid ratio and the cooking time correct, but the result is an amazingly savory pasta, infused with the flavors of the sauce. A real winner.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Christy
Christy rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/04/08

I just don't use this book very often, and I don't know why... The large size of the book itself and the font and format of the recipes are an obstacle at times, and some of the ingredients are obscure. I also haven't found one recipe that I'm just dying to make again, so that makes me feel skeptical about trying out new ones especially since most of them require a good deal of time and patience.

Does anyone else have any recommendations from this cookbook? Any favorite recipes?

Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Tiloma
Tiloma rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/06/07

bookshelves: cookbooks
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for: foodies
this book is a TOME of italian cooking. its very basic, and its kind of like your mom explaining how to cook - not much explanations for people who don't know what "roast" means, or "baste" or are afraid of experimenting. But if you aren't afraid, and if you just want a basic recipe from which to build and add to -- then this is the recipe book for you. I made the zucchini fiori fritt - yummy.

apparently all i am reading these days are recipe books. go figure.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Nate
Nate rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/15/08

bookshelves: food
This is such a great cook book! It's like the Joy of Cooking for Italy, but translated into English.

The recipes are so simple, and there's a lifetime of different things to try. I really get turned off by fancy-schmancy froo-frau cookbooks with 50 ingredients, with half from specialty stores that end up costing you more than dinner at a 5-star restaurant!

Anyone can use this book, and everyone will love what you make from it.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Rebecca
Rebecca added it
12/17/07

bookshelves: foodandwine
This is the book that all Italian brides get as a wedding present - it is the best and most complete guide to authentic Italian home cooking, and now it is available in English! The recipes are easy and the food comes out perfect every time. If you have this book and Marcella's "Essentials," you have nearly everything you need to know about Italian cooking, short of a few years in Italy (and the insanely wonderful home-grown ingredients).
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Jenny
Jenny rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/26/07

recommends it for: cookies
i know i know. who actually sits down and reads cook books?
Word on the street is that this is the Italian's version of the Joy of Cooking... there are indeed ingredients you won't find at your local Safeway, and sometimes the translations are off. Still, i get lot of really good ideas from here and it is a complete immersion into another culture, beyond what we as Americans know to be Italian food. It's a nice place to dream about food.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Suzanne
Suzanne rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/06/08

bookshelves: cookbooks
Absolutely one of the best "how to cook" almost anything. A great gift for a young person moving to their own place or a shower gift for a couple. Great photos, well-written, easy to follow. Bought it for my son for his new apartment.
Like this review?   yes   (2 people liked it)
  add a comment

Angi
Angi rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/08/07

bookshelves: cookbooks
i tried the recipe for the spinach gnocchi and it failed miserably. but i'm not ready to give up yet...since there are like 50,000 more recipes in here. a great reference book for the kitchen like 'joy of cooking' except it's a lot more casual in instructions, so if you're not into 'interpretive cooking', you might not want to get this. this must be what it's like if you have an italian grandma and she gave you her recipe notes.
Like this review?   yes  
  3 comments

Bradford
Bradford rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/29/08

bookshelves: half-read-book-limbo
recommends it for: cooking types
It was called the Joy of Cooking for Italy, just got translated into English, and has a rad/disgusting description of the 30-hour process for getting snails ready to eat. Lots of real simple stuff that tastes really damn good, and measurements are few and far between, because hell you know how much stuff you want in there, right? Like a handful. Or maybe a little more.

Seriously, bigass awesome italian cookbook.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Lel
Lel rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/26/08

Please don't be put off by the size of this book. Italian cooking is easy, and you couldn't fine an easier book than this. The only downside is the odd translation error, watch out for them, but considering what a huge challenge it was to adapt this book for the English speaking market, I think they've done a fantastic job. There are some great top chef recipes and menus at the back too.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Janette
Janette rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/13/08

bookshelves: cookbooks
Ok, so i only really made 2 recipes from this book and i probably didn't make them right, but whatever. The recipes are really short, which is good, because long recipes tend to confuse me. However, the recipes tend to lack some details. A huge plus though is the range of recipes. It's really amusing to look in the index for some really strange ingredient and then read the recipe.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Sonia
Sonia rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
07/29/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Skye, thank God we're all moving in together, otherwise you might never get this one back. But anyway, I made the most delicious brown butter sage sauce for gnocci the other night...I had previously vowed to avoid French cooking in favor of it's healthier faccia, Italian, but to hell with it. My francophilia (as it pertains to cooking) is coming back with a vengeance!
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Liza
Liza rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/16/08

Read in December, 2006
I asked for this for my birthday a few years ago! This is the Bible of Authentic Italian cooking (not Italian American). It has millions of amazing authentic recipes. It is broken down into sections almost like a dictionary or encyclopedia and also contains recipes for things truly authentic to Italy like a lot of the fish dishes, etc.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Scott
Scott rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/11/07

Read in January, 2007
recommends it for: eaters. mangia!
Draws fine distinctions between canapes, crostini, tartines, and pizze (that's the plural of pizza, for youse 'mericanos.)

Mmmm, pizze. Mmmm, canapes.

You can cook anything with this, including wookcock and snipe, it really is the size and shape of a Bible, the kind on the altar in Baptist churches. Comprehensive.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Laura K
Laura K marked it as to-read
10/16/07

bookshelves: to-read
Read in January, 2007
This is an Italian cookbook that we just bought. Obviously we haven't actually "read" it all, but have used some of the recipes. They have been really inspirational to our menu. Drew's has been cooking more lately and I am reaping the benefits of this book through his cooking.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Krista
Krista rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
12/31/07

bookshelves: food-and-cooking
Supposedly Italy's culinary bible, regional organization of the recipes with a cross-referencing index of main ingredients would have made this one indispensable. Perhaps that is the fault of the publisher. I still prefer Culinaria Italia.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment


« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 14 15





book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.28 (199 ratings)
number of reviews: 68







other editions