sjj169's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable and entertaining. Ms Adler writes so that you are interested in trying her food.
Her rice pudding is divine.
Her rice pudding is divine.
indianajane's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me wish that I'd read it at the beginning of the summer, not as the garden was finished for the year and the farmer's markets are almost finished. It also made me want to go into my kitchen and play with food. There are some good basic recipes in here, advice on how to use bits, pieces, leftovers, and inexpensive ingredients. She relies more on bread and pasta than my body allows, but all in all this was a good book, with a very peaceful attitude about food.
meeji's review against another edition
5.0
Who could ever imagine that writing about parsley stalks, boiled eggs and scraps of vegetables could result in something akin to philosophy? Adler’s writing dances lyrically on the page and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t immediately inspired to rush into their kitchen and reacquaint themselves with a pot of salted water or a handful of beans while musing on life's bigger meaning.
This book strips all the fuss back, flings open a pantry of feelings and gives simple guidance for creating memorable food.
Reading this book makes me realise:
• I can cook well, by mastering simple techniques
• I don’t need fancy ingredients or appliances to nourish the soul and belly
• Invite people into your kitchen, not to your dining table
I am a massive fan of this book, not just for its writing, but its resounding message — that no one is ‘born a cook’. The act of cooking is, at first, learnt bit by bit, step by step; and then continued forth by intuition that can only come when you start from scratch and stumble forwards.
“All ingredients need salt. The noodle or tender spring pea would be narcissistic to imagine it already contained within its cell walls all the perfection it would ever need. We seem, too, to fear that we are failures at being tender and springy if we need to be seasoned. It’s not so: it doesn’t reflect badly on pea or person that either needs help to be most itself.”
This book strips all the fuss back, flings open a pantry of feelings and gives simple guidance for creating memorable food.
Reading this book makes me realise:
• I can cook well, by mastering simple techniques
• I don’t need fancy ingredients or appliances to nourish the soul and belly
• Invite people into your kitchen, not to your dining table
I am a massive fan of this book, not just for its writing, but its resounding message — that no one is ‘born a cook’. The act of cooking is, at first, learnt bit by bit, step by step; and then continued forth by intuition that can only come when you start from scratch and stumble forwards.
“All ingredients need salt. The noodle or tender spring pea would be narcissistic to imagine it already contained within its cell walls all the perfection it would ever need. We seem, too, to fear that we are failures at being tender and springy if we need to be seasoned. It’s not so: it doesn’t reflect badly on pea or person that either needs help to be most itself.”
trishacp's review against another edition
3.0
This is a five star book in terms of the concepts: using what you have on hand, especially items you would normally just throw away, cooking from simple ingredients, etc. But I found her prose long-winded and close to being insufferable. So read if you want a guide to cooking well in an economical and beautiful manner, but only if you can look past a fairly pretentious style of writing.
andeelynne's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how this book intertwined recipes with prose about how to cook simple ingredients (eggs, rice, etc.). Love love love.
vanxjs's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful! One of the best food books I've ever read, she really does make eating and cooking into a form of "grace."
elu122's review against another edition
Want to buy book for better reference for cooking
emilieonthemove's review against another edition
3.0
A bit pretentious and overly descriptive for a book that advocates simplicity and frugality. It also made me feel guilty for not wanting to make boiled meat or for throwing out parsley stems or pickle brine. On the other hand, it's a nice reminder that with a bit of creativity and motivation, you can use just about everything in your kitchen or forgotten in your fridge.