The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook
by Gloria Bley Miller
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gloria Bley MillerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1984-11-01
ISBN: 0671509934
Number of pages: 927
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook
Book Review: A Superior Encyclopedia of Chinese Cooking Lore
Summary: 5 Stars
`The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook' by Gloria Bley Miller is the kind of book which I am inclined to overlook, in spite of the glowingly complementary blurbs on the cover from Craig Claiborne and Ann Willan. I always expect that such books trade off quality for quantity and that with all the effort expended to make the magic number in the title, I am inclined to believe there is little energy left for quality material. This prejudice is odd, because I often refer to this book for Chinese recipes over highly celebrated and more recent volumes by Barbara Tropp (`The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking'), Virginia Lee and Craig Claiborne (`The Chinese Cookbook') and Eileen Yin-Fei Lo (`The Chinese Kitchen'). Two things lead to my overcoming my prejudice and doing a full review of the book. The first was my positive take on Michelle Scicolone's `1000 Italian Recipes' (even though I think Mario Batali's new `Molto Italiano' is somewhat better) and a warmly positive reference to Ms. Miller's tome in Sylvia Lovegren's "Fashionable Food'.
As I already said, one of the most distinctive things about Ms. Miller's book is the fact that her recipes tend to be simpler than other leading cookbooks. This is probably a good thing if you are already an experienced cook; however, I think the other authors do amateurs a great service by going into much greater detail on important architypical recipes, very similar to the model set by Julia Child in `Mastering the Art of French Cooking'. So, while the other books may have one or two detailed recipes for Lo Mein, Ms. Miller will give us twelve (12) recipes for the same dish. And, she doesn't stop there. Each recipe of the thousand are given with one, or, more likely, several variations. Thus, this legion of recipes becomes multiplied to form a great web of interlocking recipes, techniques, and menus.
Aside from the recipes, one of the most distinctive aspects of the book is the emphasis it places on the Chinese style of eating. Unlike French and Italian traditions, the Chinese meal has no `main course'. Like Korean and Japanese dining, it is based on a lot of little dishes, with relatively little meat, and certainly very little beef, if any.
For as large as the selection of recipes is, the author still takes a lot of space to discuss important Chinese techniques, ingredients, and basic preparations. I was especially interested in the section on stocks. The basic technique was indistinguishable from a common French method. In fact, it even seems to improve on some French inspired techniques. Best of all, the cooking time is reasonable, the meat is not overcooked, the vegetables are not cooked too long, and the result should be clear enough to satisfy even a moderately fussy French chef.
One of the big lessons of the book is the fact that while cooking time for a Chinese meal may be shorter than for a French meal, the prep time may be a lot longer, so, the total time comes out to be the same.
The strongest general impression I take away from this book is a confirmation of my notion that the thing which makes both Italian and Chinese cuisines so popular and so diverse is the great many ways in which a relatively simple collection of super pantry items are mixed and matched to form an immense variety of different dishes.
The only thing which turned me off about the book is the praise given to the Chinese cuisine for things which are true of every great cuisine. After reading hundreds of different cookbooks on food from around the world, rapsodies over using fresh, seasonal ingredients can leave me pretty cold.
If you want to make some Chinese dishes now and then to mix things up a bit, and you really know your way around the kitchen, this may be the best book for the job. On the other hand, if you are really interested in MASTERING Chinese cooking techniques, the newer books, especially Ms. Tropp's volume, may be better. If that is your interest, owning at least two of these four books will be a good thing.
Summary of The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook
An essential resource in the American kitchen and a classic for nearly four decades, this is the definitive Chinese cookbook, perfect for cooks at every levelHere is the largest, most comprehensive Chinese cookbook ever published for the Western world. A Tastemaker Award winner, Gloria Bley Miller distills centuries of Chinese recipes and techniques into concise and easy-to-follow directions that will enable any cook to produce dishes that please the eye, delight the palate, and suit the budget.
With verve and wit, Miller tells you how to prepare everything from egg drop soup and drunken pork to sizzling rice and delicate wontons. There are 150 recipes for chicken alone, plus dozens of variations on pork dishes, vegetables, and noodles, as well as other Chinese favorites. Using Miller's recipes, ordinary meat and seafood become delicacies, while vegetables retain their color and texture. And Miller's delicious recipes are splendidly high in nutrients and low in calories.
The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook contains everything the cook needs to know about Chinese cooking, including how to:
- Use special Chinese cooking techniques such as steaming and stir-frying
- Create unique seasonings and sauces
- Substitute hard-to-find ingredients with those available in any supermarket
- Plan menus suited to every time constraint, budget, and occasion
The classic Chinese cookbook, this is the only book you'll ever need to master one of the world's greatest and most versatile cuisines.
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