CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
by Shirley O. Corriher
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Book Reviews of CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
Book Review: Best Cooking Book I Own
Summary: 5 Stars
The answers are all in here. It's one thing if you have a mentor in the kitchen with you but most of us don't. The author is not ashamed to tell you how she's messed up in the past and how to avoid it. The science and the chemistry, of custards for example, and her detailed, down to earth instructions are not what you want to read when guests a walking up the driveway but they are so well written that they'll stick with you and make you a better cook for having devoted the time at your leisure. And you'll make fabulous cheesecake, yum-yum. I'd love to go to cooking school some day when I don't have little kids running in and out of the kitchen but in the mean time cooking is a creative outlet and I feel that this book has given me confidence to try new things because I understand "why". This book is not cover to cover recipes but it doesn't need to be. The knowledge imparted has helped me fill in the gaps in the instructions in recipes from top cooking magazines and cook books. The roast pork tenderloin recipe in Cookwise is fabulous, delectable. But the technique is the key and it applies to most meats for roasting. That's what this book is about. My husband and I used to eat out every night in Manhattan. Now we eat at home 350 days a year and we entertain. And it's been great for impressing people with anectdotal cooking conversation if that's your thing... the ability to talk about the different amounts of gluten in flour and what it will do for your patsries....! Buy it, read it. You'll open it over and over. It's the best money you'll spend.Book Review: Scientific knowledge - yes. Recipes - no.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me say at the start that I highly respect Ms. Corriher. If you care about quality cooking and buy cookbooks by authors who truly know their stuff (and these are in the minority), you have seen her quoted and referred to many times. She DOES know what she's talking about. However, I simply don't care for any of her recipes that I have tried. For example, her cakes are overly sweet (which she admits to up front) for my taste and there's not much variety. In giving tips about chocolate chip cookies, she tells you how to make thin and crispy versions or thicker, chewy ones--but to get her cookies thick and chewy, she replaces butter with Crisco. Her science is flawless, but the cookies are quite dull since Crisco does not impart the wonderful flavor that butter does. Turn to Cooks Illustrated (Ms. Corriher also advises their staff) to learn how get thick, chewy cookies using all butter. I found similar examples throughout the book. Her science is sound, and this book is definitely valuable for it, but sometimes flavor and texture are compromised to achieve it. I guess it's just a matter of individual taste.Also, this book is very cluttered and ill-organized. Recipes are interrupted by charts and information pertaining to other subjects or recipes, and it's hard to just turn to a page and quickly find what you are looking for since there's so much stuff crammed onto each page. It's hard to believe that an editor even looked at this thing, with the result that it is one of the ugliest and hard-to-use cookbooks I have ever seen.
Book Review: The serious home-cook's bible
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a precious fountain of knowledge and experience. The author who is clearly an able cook and teacher offers information that is vital for anyone who wishes to understand the processes that occur while we cook. The language of this book is very friendly and reading it, one gets the impression that the author is right there explaining and supporting. What can this book contribute to your cooking abilities? It allows the serious home-cook to improve existing recipes or create new ones according to his/her taste. It empowers us to correct mistakes (who hasn't blundered a recipe and wished for the ability to fix it?), adjust recipes to local materials and fine tune all those nagging little techniques we never quite got to mastering (the elusive meringue, getting consistently perfect pie-crust etc').
This isn't a recipe book and shouldn't be treated as one. The recipes are examples of subjects explained and are not the real value of this book. The more useful recipes are the ones that provide basic examples (and there are enough of those). If you want to prepare something "Now" (as one of the reviewers of this book pointed out) and have no desire to pursue excellence in your kitchen, then this book isn't for you. As a serious amateur cook and baker, I feel this book has promoted me to a higher level of cooking abilities. I have learned more from this book than any other cookbook I have and I do have quite a few. My cooking library consists of about 60 cookbooks and this one gets into my top 5 list of favorites hands down.
Book Review: Liscense for Cooking Freedom!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the one book that gave me the understanding to be able to cook what I want with the items I have, and have them turn out great every time! From how each ingredient affects bread, to delectable sauces, to tender meat from tough cuts, Shirley explains the how and why of the way foods work together. This is the best cookbook I have. Whenever I want to try something new, I review her explanations, and have great success. She has given me the knowledge to be free to create, conjur, and even "make do" with food and cooking. I saw Shirley on a PBS cooking show, immediately went to the bookstore to get her book, and also bought one for a friend who was moving out on her own. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to look past the "do this" phase of cooking and into the "why" phase.
It is now 9 and a half years later (October 2008), and I have bought a replacement book for myself and another for a good friend who owned a restaurant for over twenty years. The book stands the test of time. It is still my favorite, and has allowed me to create dishes that I would not have even considered before. Even though the time I spend cooking has declined, I still treasure this book as the best I have read when it comes to cooking.
Book Review: Great Cake ever best
Summary: 4 Stars
This book can't be beat! If you're wondering why your cake is lopsided, you're cookies are too crumbly, or you just don't know what to do with chocolate, this is the book for you! Easy to understand, includes recipies to show you how the ingredients effect each other, and trouble shoots recipies you've found and my want to try. I feel like a better, more prepared, cook now that I've gone through this book. I can guestimate how a recipie will turn out before I even start, and I know what's going on during the preparation and cooking time. I recomend this to anyone who feels cooking is a hobby for them!
Even though I have baked hundreds of cakes, I made a loaf of rye bread that was light and delicious, and pie crust that was very tender, even after freezing and thawing. Understanding the role of ingredients and necessity of cooking techniques changes how you cook, and the improvement is instantaneous and gratifying. I highly recommend this book and I never knew why I had to cream the butter and sugar before I added the eggs and why it is important to add the dry ingredients after the wet ones are combined,This book is truly a gift to share with others. [...]