The Old Farmer's Almanac Everyday Cookbook Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wish I could give 4 1/2 stars, but just couldn't work up to 5...but this will make a perfect gift for those who love old fashioned comfort food; or as a gift to yourself. Many recipes are a bit beyond diner fare, but still simple enough for beginning cooks.
There are more than 400 recipes, not the 180 stated in the write-up. The book contains hints on many pages, such as to clean a pot with marks fill with water and add cream of tarter and bring to a boil, something my grandmother taught me, but doesn't seem to be well known today. There is a reference section including `how long will it keep' and `effects of freezing'.
Chapters include breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, pasta, side dishes, poultry, meat, seafood, pasta, potatoes, breads, desserts, canning and preserving, barbecues. Comments and blue ribbon ratings are given.
If you are looking for a good solid old fashioned cookbook, something that would have your grandma's recipe for snow pudding or pioneer stew, but also contains braised lamb with gremolata or grilled salmon with maple mustard glaze, then this is the one for you. Just also be aware that the format is smaller than the normal 8X10, but believe me my eyesight isn't what it used to be and the pages are so clean and uncluttered I didn't have trouble reading the print.


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This comprehensive cookbook includes more than 400 tested and proven recipes. Each chapter offers a variety of dishes culled from the Almanac's vast collection, including recipe contest winners.

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Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today (Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 9th ed) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have always had a Betty Crocker cookbook around. It was the first cookbook I took with me when I moved away from home, and it still remains the first book I grab for if I have *any* questions about a recipe I'm making.
The book is great for cooks of all levels. It has a lot of great introductory information - how do you boil an egg? What are the different cuts of meat? It provides a lot of easy recipes that taste delicious and are nutritious as well.
In addition, the book also eases you into many advanced recipes. Looking to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for the relatives? Trying to make a birthday dinner really special? This cookbook has the recipes for you, all easy to understand and with gorgeous photos.
This version is definitely an improvement on previous versions as well. There is information on grilling and vegetarian meals, something lacking in the last versions. They've also added in a number of ethnic dishes that are quite tasty.
If this book isn't on your kitchen shelf, be sure to buy a copy!

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The best just keeps getting better -- with this completely updated 50th Anniversary Edition
For 50 years Betty Crocker has reigned supreme in America's kitchens, her trusted advice and easy-to-follow recipes helping cooks of all levels become confident in the kitchen. Now updated for the new millennium, the cookbook, nicknamed ìBig Red,î has been completely revised and updated to reflect the cooking trends and tastes of today. Stumped by chayote squash? Want to make a perfect apple pie or find new recipes for the bread machine? It's all right here in this handy book:
More than 950 recipes, from appetizers to desserts, to cover every cooking need ñ pot roast, pasta, pumpkin bread, and more
Step-by-step line art and photographs with specific ìhow-toî instructions to guide you through new techniques
Beautiful food photography that shows the finished results; i.d. photos of such foods as mushrooms and exotic fruits to help you shop with confidence
Easy meat-roasting charts, numbered recipe steps, and preparation times with each recipe that keep cooking simple and relaxing
With its fresh new design for 2000, Betty Crocker's Cookbook will be everyone's favorite kitchen companion, from new cooks to experienced home chefs looking for new ideas.
What's New in the 9th Edition:
30-Minute Recipes and Reduced-Fat/Low-Calorie Recipes tagged so they can be found in a flash
Individual chapters on grilling and vegetarian meals
Expanded information on fruits and vegetables
Crockpot recipes
Information on organic food
Learn with Betty photographs that guide you through cooking techniques
Dietary Exchanges in each recipe's nutrition analysis

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The Best 50 Smoothies Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a no-frills idea book. No pretty pictures, no gratuitous white-space, no full-page smoothie portraits--just a diverse yet basic collection of mostly common-ingredient smoothie suggestions.
If it's bang for the buck you want, this book is money well-spent--especially if you aren't afraid to creatively enhance some of these drinks with what's on hand to make them your own.
The simplicity of this spartan little book will set you and your blender free because this book is anything but intimidating; it begins with some helpful hints, several pages of possible garnishes, possible fruits, possible sweeteners, and an assortment of creamy bases.
The book itself is lackluster and uninteresting but it works for me. Actually, I like the nuts-and-bolts approach. You're buying recipies here, not a smoothie video. If it's important that the color of your smoothie match your tablecloth and napkins, better try a different book.

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Skip expensive juice bars and make your own fresh fruit concoctions. Add nutrition to fruit blends; garnish and serve smoothies with flair.

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The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings, and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker (Non) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought a rice cooker, learned the basics of preparing rice and then wanted to expand my skills. So I bought a few cookbooks but this is the ONLY one that has recipes my whole family loves, so much so that we use it at least 3-5 times a week and never feel like we're eating the same thing.
The recipes aren't just for rice but for all sorts of grains and vegetables and fruits as well. In fact, I'm ready to throw out my crockpot because the meals prepared in the rice cooker are much better, don't have that overcooked, stewed taste you can get with a crockpot and have all the convenience and ease that I need with my busy schedule. The directions are clear and the recipes range from the simple (plain cooked grains) to the more complex (rice with coconut and currants... or grits with cheese and spices )
The ultimate test of a good cookbook, of course, is getting compliments and raves about the food. Every time I've made a recipe from this book, the food has been devoured quickly. We rarely have leftovers and my son's friends even make a point of looking in the kitchen to see if the rice cooker is turned on ( yes, the recipes in this cookbook are THAT good).

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Click here for more information about The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings, and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker (Non)

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