Thaiyoshi's review
How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food
by Mark Bittman
Thaiyoshi's review
How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
Thaiyoshi's review
rating:
bookshelves:
cookbooks
This book is a great reference, but for some reason, I really can't cook from it. Maybe it's the paradox of choice at work. The book just doesn't jive with how I think about food.
It's set up like an encyclopedia or a taxonomic guide (like you would find for identifying birds or plants). It is impressive in that it's such a broad sweep of food, but it's hard to find entry points. For me it's usually a specific take on a dish or a picture that inspires me to try making something. This book is so structured that I can't just open it to a page and find inspiration.
I also wished that the book focused a little more on how you can perfect dishes-what to look for in ingredients and what qualities you should look for in the final product. This book does some of this and it's all really subjective, but I feel that the emphasis is more on classification and defining dishes. If I want to know what Pasta Arrabiata is, I'll consult this book, but if I want to know what to make for dinner, I...more
It's set up like an encyclopedia or a taxonomic guide (like you would find for identifying birds or plants). It is impressive in that it's such a broad sweep of food, but it's hard to find entry points. For me it's usually a specific take on a dish or a picture that inspires me to try making something. This book is so structured that I can't just open it to a page and find inspiration.
I also wished that the book focused a little more on how you can perfect dishes-what to look for in ingredients and what qualities you should look for in the final product. This book does some of this and it's all really subjective, but I feel that the emphasis is more on classification and defining dishes. If I want to know what Pasta Arrabiata is, I'll consult this book, but if I want to know what to make for dinner, I...more
