The New Food Lover's Companion
by Ron Herbst, Sharon Tyler Herbst
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Book Reviews of The New Food Lover's Companion
Book Review: A Fabulous Reference
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most fascinating reference books I've stumbled upon in a long time. The 6700 plus entries cover everything imaginable used in food preparation. Most are non-English in origin, but a good phonetic translation is provided. The terms are not just European; this book is loaded with Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and regional U.S. terms. The descriptions may run to several paragraphs- much more than a dictionary provides- though many of these words are too obscure to appear in any other source. Furthermore, it's compact enough to be carried in a coat pocket or handbag. If you eat in foreign restaurants even occasionally, this book will pay for itself in a month. (Your waiter will not know how most of these dishes are made.) It is not a recipe book, but it contains every culinary term that has ever seen print. If you are a novice in the kitchen, you may learn what many cookbooks assume you understand. Also, the appendix is loaded with all sorts of useful metrics and categories. The Herbsts' have compiled an indispensible source for anyone curious about what they eat.Book Review: Comprehensive food dictionary, but not as up-to-date as it could be.
Summary: 3 Stars
This reference has been lauded in many venues, and it truly is a fascinating resource. However, after spending time examining the book (4th ed., 2007), I am noticing several entries that are out-of-date. For example, the entry on brains does not mention mad cow disease. In contrast, the latest _Joy of Cooking_ (2006) not only notes this, it also warns readers to avoid eating brains for that reason. As another example, several entries in the bibliography refer to older editions of books that now have recognized newer editions. Take, for example, the listing of _La Methode_ and _La Technique_, both by Jacques Pepin. These two works have been combined and published as _Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques_. As a third example, the appendix on food label terms does not list trans fats in the listing of different fats found on food labels. All of these examples make me wonder about things I haven't caught. I hope that all of this information is updated and corrected in a fifth edition.Book Review: Love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I reference this book all the time! I'm a food blogger and love learning about new techniques, recipes, and ingredients. My brother, a Culinary Institute of America graduate chef, got me this for a present last year. I think he was sick of me bugging him for answers all of the time!
There are literally thousands of answers in this book, plus it's cool just to browse through and learn a thing or two. Also convenient are guides for certain things like types of pastas, knives, and even charts to show different cuts of meats from each animal.
If you're looking for way in-depth studies and pictures, you're better off googling, but if you want just a short snippet of concentrated information to help you understand in-the-moment, then this is great! I keep it around the kitchen and at my desk to flip to whenever I start to wonder!
Book Review: Amazingly comprehensive resource for people interested in food and cooking
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the first edition of this book almost 20 years ago and found it to be an amazing resource that I continued to use to the present day. I recently thought to myself, "I wonder if they have updated it since then?" Well, I checked Amazon, and the authors indeed have updated it (currently 4th edition). This new version is literally twice the size of the original book, which already seemed comprehensive. Of course, there have been new trends, fads, and other developments since the early 1990s and the Herbsts have addressed them.
Whenever I hear about a fruit or spice or dish that I never heard of before, the first thing I do is check the book! I have moved around to different parts of the US and as I discover regional delicacies, the book is a great resource to learn more about them. I highly recommend it.
Book Review: Love it & have all 3 editions!
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought the first one in my health food store when we lived in Houston & was quite surprised when I reviewed it beginning to end. There is SO much between these covers! Later after we moved I purchased the second edition & was so pleased, gave some copies as a little gift. Now the deluxe edition is out & it's larger, with gilt edges to the pages & contains even more data. The glossaries in the back are simply golden. There is SO much reference material in these pages, it surely makes a perfect little gift for a bride-to-be, a move to a new home gift or such. Loads of great information beginning to end...Rh