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Top Cookbooks .com cook book review :
Cooking Know-How is actually a book
I've been using in my own kitchen for over a year now and have just now
getting around to reviewing. I'll be posting a review for this book
within the next couple of days, but if you're thinking of buying this book,
you should know that it is a remarkable reference book with great recipes.
Cooking Know-How is an extremely well put together go-to book for the
aspiring chef or home cook wanting to improve and expand upon his or her
usual menu.
From The Publisher:
Here's the truth: you don't need a
culinary school education to cook well at home.
Chances are you don't open a cookbook to make breakfast
because you already know what to do. The good news
is you can be that free in the kitchen the rest of the
day, too! Cooking Know-How (Wiley Hardcover;
$34.95; April 6, 2009), the new book from veteran food
writers Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, is a
step-by-step manual packed with 65 master recipes and
325 instructional photos that will guide home cooks on
the path to culinary culinary know-how. Bruce and
Mark, your own personal cooking coaches, guide you
through each new recipe, providing friendly advice and
the confidence you need to make dinner according to your
taste.Cooking Know-How
is a technique book, but one with a marked difference:
the techniques are focused on and by the recipes.
The point is to get dinner on the table, so you won't
find a dull primer on sautéing or braising.
Rather, there are sautés and braises for chicken
breasts, fish fillets and pork cutlets. In five or
so steps, you can walk into the market, find what's
fresh (or on special), bring it home, and have dinner on
the table without having to consult three different
cookbooks.
In the unique format of Cooking
Know-How, you start out with master recipes for basic
dishes like Filet Mignon, Chicken Soup, Macaroni and
Cheese, Thai Curry, Paella and more. What follows
is a full explanation of the dish: the science, the
know-how, photos, demonstrations, explanations, even the
good humor of a seasoned instructor. You'll soon
roast, steam, braise, fry, and sauté with unalloyed
success. And while most cookbooks offer one or two
variations off a single recipe at best, Weinstein and
Scarbrough provide eight suggestions for improvisation,
turning their 65 master recipes into a volume of more
than 500 delicious dishes. For instance, the
master recipe for Burgers allows you to make Pesto
Chicken Burgers, Barbecued Turkey Burgers, Bistro Salmon
Burgers, Herbed Halibut Burgers... plus four more!
Filled with authoritative
how-to instructions, lively advice and asides, over 300
illuminating photographs, and more than 500 terrific
recipes, Cooking Know-How is a one-of-a-kind cookbook-
the ideal kitchen companion for both cooking beginners
and accomplished home chefs seeking to expand their
skills and repertoire.
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How to choose and prepare mussels:
Mussels are a bivalve (that is, a
two-shelled mollusk), often found on rocks in tidal pools. There are
freshwater varieties, but they are now considered inedible- although
archeological evidence suggests early Native Americans ate them in copious
quantities.
When purchasing mussels, look-and smell- carefully. The shells should
be closed and whole with no broken chips. And the mussels should smell
like the ocean on a spring morning at high tide, never like the mud flats on
an August afternoon at low tide. Any that are open should close when
gently tapped. If your market only sells mussels in sealed bags, check
carefully to make sure the one you select is as fresh as it can be-- that
is, no desiccated mussels, few cracked shells.
Like lobsters, mussels are a live food product- that is, alive until the
moment you cook them. To keep them hale and hearty, bring them home
from the market, take them out of any carrier or bag, place them in a large
bowl, and cover with damp paper towels in the refrigerator. Only work
with mussels that are closed or will close when tapped; discard the others.
Also discard any that seem exceptionally heavy to the hand; they are
probably full of mud.
Use a plastic brush to clean the shells under running water, removing sand
and sediment. Mussels also often have a "beard"- that is, wiry
filaments that attach to rocks and other mussels.
Many farm-raised mussels lack a beard altogether- or have just one or two
wiry hairs. Grasp the beard with your fingers and pull firmly,
dragging the wiry bits along the line of the shell's opening to pull them
loose. Once debearded, the mussels should be cooked within a few
minutes.
Sample tip courtesy of :
Cooking Know-How: Be a Better Cook with Hundreds of
Easy Techniques, Step-by-Step Photos, and Ideas for Over 500 Great Meals
By: Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
ISBN: 978-0-470-180808
List Price: $34.95
Wiley Find New and Used on Amazon.com!
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