Rating  - Great for the Adventurous Cook!
This book was recommended by Epicurious before it was published, so I was excited to see it when it came out. I popped on amazon to buy it, read some reviews (negative) and decided to pass. Several people complained that the recipes were complicated and required lots of specialty ingredients. When I saw the book at my local warehouse club I gave it a look. I was very impressed and snapped it right up!
I'm the type who reads cookbooks like novels, and I am an experienced cook who likes to dabble in every sort of cuisine imaginable. I'm also a condiment/seasonings/spices nut, so I have an extremely well-stocked pantry. That said, in reading through the book, I didn't come across any recipes for which I didn't have the ingredients. I realize, however, that the average person does not have tamarind paste or sambal olek in their fridge, nor galangal or scores of middle eastern seasonings in the pantry. But, if I can find that stuff at my local markets (the Super Target, for goodness sake!), surely these ingredients are easily obtained. And there are plenty of recipes in this book that do not require "exotic" ingredients, if your tastes or budget doesn't run to that.
The book is very broad in its scope - cocktails, salads, meats, veggies, sides, even desserts - so it is far more useful than simply a book on grilling meats. I also appreciated the explanations of techniques, histories of cuisines, definitions of terms, etc. This type of information not only equips one to execute the recipes in the book well, but experiment and develop dishes on one's own. There is also an extensive section on rubs, marinades and sauces for just such experimenting.
I think this book would be enjoyed by the following types of cooks:
-those enjoy trying new cuisines, new flavors and new techniques
-those who want to expand their bbq/grilling repertoire
-those who are adventurous cooks (and diners!) who either have a well-stocked pantry or would find other uses for some of the more unique ingredients (lots of Thai, Asian and middle-eastern ingredients)
-those who appreciate a cookbook that provides an entire meal's recipes, not just the entree.
If you like your food pretty plain or you're cooking for picky eaters who won't try anything they haven't heard of, this book is soooo not for you. Bob appetit!
Rating  - where are all the pictures?
The Barbecue Bible website promotes this as the illustrated version of the original. I really liked the original; I think the author is great and have many of his books. I had purchased the original many years ago, and was willing to pay for it again upon the premise of seeing a picture of the recipes prepared.
While there is new text with interesting information, there aren't that many recipes that are illustrated. This was a huge letdown; I was very interested in seeing pictures of completed recipes I had tried.
If you haven't purchased this, I don't think you will be disappointed, as it really is an amazing cookbook; it really teaches you a lot about the world's flavors. If you have already purchased it, and are like me, anticipating pictures of prepared dishes, you will be disappointed. How to Grill is lavishly illustrated and will probably be a better investment if you are visually oriented. To summarize, Stephen is a very impressive author and very interesting to read for the first time; I wish it was illustrated more extensively.
Rating  - I don't think so
Great if you want recipes from around the world with ingredients that can't be found. It seems to me that the author was trying to make a statement more of his travels than of his culinary acummen. I'll relagate this one to the bookcase.
Rating - My favorite cookbook
If you are like me you own a bunch of cookbooks that you never use -and you have one or two "go to" books for just about everything. I've owned this cookbook since 2000 and it is covered in goop and just about falling off the binding because I use it so often and love it. It is for adventurous grillers who enjoy ethnic adventures. We often open up the book and say "where would you like to eat tonight" and we choose a region or country. Other BBQ Bible "deciples" and I email our favorites back and forth. I've never even made anything mediocre out of this book - everything has been great to fabulous! Even side dishes and drinks are great too... Absolute faves: sweet and garlicky pork chops, grilled pizza, star anise chicken wings, grilled caponata, grilled scalloped calabaza, grilled conch, thai beef salad, oh the list goes on and on...
Rating - The Only 'Other' book that warrants the title of BIBLE
As the neighborhood grill-meister and head of the welcome committee of all who come bearing gifts that require a twist-off or church-key, I'm always asked "Where did you learn how to cook like this? When I make ribs/chicken/pork/beef/etc it never tasted this good???" My response, BBQ/Grill-ing is an art form you never master, you just work at it. Then I tell them the secret's in the Rub/Wood/Smoke/Heat/Sauce and the recipe to that secret is found in 'THE BIBLE'. Those who dont know the story generally expect me to quote chapter & verse, but then are enlightened when they see 'THE BOOK'. My 'BBQ Bible' is about 8 years old and looks more like 80, with Dog ears, Notes, Bookmarks and a few sauce-toos. I have purchased more than a dozen as gifts for others, but I have not upgraded mine. Which I plan to with the 10th anniversary and reccomend my apprentices do the same. Someday I'll meet Steve to hand-sign my original for prosperity. But all kidding aside folks, whether you want to learn from the ground up or just learn a few new tricks/techniques and try to perfect a few new recipes, this is the book to have. Everyone I have ever given a copy to has thanked me repeatedly. Even My Butcher.
P.S. Tennessee Pork Loin (as long as your arm - from shoulder to finger tip) - that's all I have to say about that...
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Customer Reviews for Workman Publishing Company,1563058669,019628038661,9781563058660,1563058669,641.5784 |
