Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A Star-Trek cookbook narrated by Neelix the Chef was a nice idea, but poor editing, and not enough supervision by people who know Star Trek characters, have made this book a mess.
First, some of the recipes themselves are poorly written and edited. For example, the Peptide Cake recipe does not specify the pan size. (The recipe mentions a "sheet-cake pan," the standard size of which is too large for the recipe.) The recipe itself is a little strange, as it is a sponge cake that contains many egg yolks but *no* egg whites. Since I don't know what the writers were trying to achieve, I can't say for sure that they made a mistake, but I suspect that the egg whites were left out by accident. There are other recipes for which I suspect ingredients are missing as well. This would not surprise me, due to the number of typos that are scattered throughout the text.
Second, some of the recipes are inconsistent with the book's narration, as well as with information from the tv shows. For example, after having confirmed that "raktajino" is a beverage similar to strong coffee (and having printed a recipe for making raktajino out of coffee beans,) "Neelix" offers a recipe for raktajino cake that contains no coffee! In another example, "Neelix" says that "parthos" can be made out of brussels sprouts. Any one who has seen "The Next Generation" knows that parthos looks nothing like brussels sprouts, and everything like bright green spinach. Finally, while the book gives a reasonable recipe for "Klingon blood pie," (basically a steak and kidney pie,) there is also a version, called a "favorite" of a Klingon character, that is really a sweet cherry pie. To pass a cherry pie off as "blood pie" is to say that the publishers really don't know--and don't care-- what Star Trek is all about.
Third, there are inconsistancies in the narration. On page 115, "Neelix" says that Commander Riker's favorite Klingon dish is "bregit lung"; on page 117 he says that Riker's favorite Klingon dish is "pipius claw."
An annoying aspect of the book is padding with recipes that have nothing to do with Star Trek. These recipes are given teasers that are meant to connect them with Star Trek characters. But who needs a recipe for oatmeal on the doubtful assertion that it's Jake Sisko's favorite breakfast, or a recipe for green beans (improbably called "Klingon green beans," as if any Klingon would actually sit at the same table with them!)
The book strictly avoids beverage recipes that contain alcohol, so this book is of no use to those who want to recreate ales and spirits for taste as well as looks.
The book has its good points-- it tells you how to recreate prop food, and some of the recipes are good, even thought they have little to do with Star Trek, and some of the stars have contributed good recipes.
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Is there one food that humans, Klingons, Bajorans, and Vulcans would like? If so, what would it taste like? How would you prepare it? Could you find all the ingredients locally? This is the task that faces Neelix, chef for the U.S.S. Voyager™, every time he takes on the challenge of trying to feed its crew of 140 food critics. But over the course of their journey, Neelix's learned a few tricks of the trade. He had to, just as a matter of self-preservation. Ethan Phillips, in the persona of Neelix, and William J. Birnes, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Day After Roswell, throw wide the vaults of interstellar haute cuisine, revealing for the first time the secret preparation techniques behind all those exotic dishes and drinks. The favorite foods of characters from every Star Trek series and movie are here, all adapted for easy use in twentieth-century kitchens. The Star Trek Cookbook also features a complete guide for whipping up the all the drinks served at Quark's. Fun, and easy to use, the Star Trek Cookbook is your indispensable guide to the food of the stars!
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