Just when you thought the last thing the world needed was another book on weeknight cooking, along comes an entirely fresh take on the subject. As they do on their weekly show, host Lynne Rossetto Kasper and producer Sally Swift approach their topic with attitude and originality, making The Splendid Tables How to Eat Supper one of the most engaging cookbooks of this or any other year.
As loyal listeners know, Lynne and Sally share an unrelenting curiosity about everything to do with food. Their show, The Splendid Table, looks at the role food plays in our lives”inspiring us, making us laugh, nourishing us, and opening us up to the world around us. Now they have compiled all the most trenchant tips, never-fail recipes, and everyday culinary know-how from the program in How to Eat Supper, a kitchen companion unlike any other.
This is no mere cookbook. Like the show, this book goes far beyond the recipe, introducing the people and stories that are shaping Americas changing sense of food. We dont eat, shop, or cook as we used to. Our relationship with food has intensified, become more controversial, richer, more pleasurable, and sometimes more puzzling. How to Eat Supper gives voice to rarely heard perspectives on food”from the quirky to the political, from the grassroots to the scholarly, from the highbrow to the humble”and shows the essential role breaking bread together plays in our world.
How to Eat Supper takes you through a plethora of inviting recipes simple enough to ensure success even if youve never cooked before. And if you are experienced in the kitchen, youll find challenging new concepts and dishes to spark your imagination.
This cookbook has everything. It's got great recipes for seasoned cooks and resources and tidbits for new cooks. It should be on every cook's bookshelf!
"teaches techniques and introduces new flavor combinations"
Written By: Jenny O'Donnell
I asked for this for Christmas after listening to the show, but also finding it listed favorably on a cookbook review website. I like the cookbook for its straighforward instructions in the not-so-basic cooking techniques, and the common sense approach to making healthy but very tasty meals. I love the quotes sprinkled throughout and the tips about other good cookbooks. I also like how they incorporated various cooking traditions into this basic primer. It's easy to be adventurous while still not too risky in making dinner! I have the sense it's not perfect -- but I don't know what's missing, and I think it's a great resource for the new or intermediate cook.
"Cookbook "
Written By: Barbara King
Great gift for the cook in your life who loves to learn new tricks and recipes. Lovely book.
"Beautiful Book"
Written By: Sharon L. Scheel
This was a gift for my daughter, she had heard it discussed on NPR's Splendid Table. I looked through it and was very impressed and now plan on buying one for myself.
"Somewhat disappointing"
Written By: K. E. Johnson
I asked for this book after hearing Lynne and Sally discuss it on NPR. It sounded very appealing in that context, but I can't heartily recommend it. Here are the specific items that trouble me:
1. It's poorly indexed (and scantily indexed). Here is an example. There is a nice tip in the book regarding how to thaw frozen shrimp properly, while keeping and enhancing the flavor. I came across it while browsing, but when I went back to look for it again, it couldn't be found. Not listed under shrimp, the obvious place. Finally located it again by searching other entries for fish. When I am looking for information or a recipe, I go to the index first.... I don't have time to browse an entire book every time I want to cook something. Someone suggested I could just make notes, but that seems like a pain.
2. Many complete pages are taken up with large quotes printed in variably sized fonts, which is not what I am looking for in a cook book. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations will do for that. To me the effect is jarring, a bit like being shouted at, and it makes me wonder if they didn't quite have enough material to fill the book otherwise.
I have not tried the recipes yet. I do own "The Splendid Table", which is a wonderful book, rich with information, great illustrations, and a terrific index, so I don't really get why this book is so inferior in that respect. If you are thinking about buying it, I'd look it over in a store before purchase.