Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
by Lorna Sass
|
List Price: Our Price: $16.34 You Save: $16.16 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $12.48 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way
Book Review: Missing Information Everyone Needs to Know...
Summary: 4 Stars
I just received my book "Whole Grains Every Day Every Way" and was excited as I began reading it. I became very disappointed though right at page 9, the first paragraph of the section on "The Effects of Soaking and Salt."
I was very surprised at the author's views on soaking the grains- as if this issue was simply a matter of time-to-cook. It's not. There was no mention at all about the necessity of soaking most grains to remove the Phytic acid and the enzyme inhibitors inherant in all grains, nuts and beans. Readers should know about this vital step and the real reason behind it so that they actually prepare the most health-promoting foods possible.
Please read what Dr. Weston Price says about this topic- "Grains require careful preparation because they contain a number of antinutrients that can cause serious health problems. Phytic acid, for example, is an organic acid in which phosphorus is bound. It is mostly found in the bran or outer hull of seeds. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in improperly prepared whole grains may lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit time at first but may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and, in the long term, many other adverse effects.
Other antinutrients in whole grains include enzyme inhibitors which can inhibit digestion and put stress on the pancreas; irritating tannins; complex sugars which the body cannot break down; and gluten and related hard-to-digest proteins which may cause allergies, digestive disorders and even mental illness.
Most of these antinutrients are part of the seed's system of preservation--they prevent sprouting until the conditions are right. Plants need moisture, warmth, time and slight acidity in order to sprout. Proper preparation of grains is a kind and gentle process that imitates the process that occurs in nature. It involves soaking for a period in warm, acidulated water in the preparation of porridge, or long, slow sour dough fermentation in the making of bread. Such processes neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Vitamin content increases, particularly B vitamins. Tannins, complex sugars, gluten and other difficult-to-digest substances are partially broken down into simpler components that are more readily available for absorption." [...] so beware. If you are taking the time to add this very nutitious food group to your diet, you might as well go all the way and prepare them so that you CAN absorb all the available nutrients.
Since it seems the author doesn't understand this simple and fundamental requirement to preparing whole grains, her cookbook is really not a help for us who want to know which grains should definietly be soaked and which actually don't need it (like Millet I think). So I will keep searching for those answers elsewhere.
I would also like more pictures of the final outcome of her receipies.
Book Review: taste and texture
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, a whole-grain cookbook written by a real foodie! The jacket photo illustrates "Brown Rice Salad and Flank Steak With Asian Flavors," so right away you know your're going to get recipes an omnivore can love. Sure, Sass tells you all you need to know about the nutritional aspects of each grain (although "according to Mike Orlando, president of Sunnyland Mills ... the boiling process [of bulgur wheat] allows the nutrients from the outer layers of the wheat kernels to migrate to the inner core" (98) kinda sidesteps the loss from heat and oxidation--Sass's degree is in medieval lit, not chemistry), but her focus is on taste and especially texture. She emphasizes the textural contrast in "Any-Grain Scrambled Eggs With Salami" (172) and many other recipes. Sure, she has some minor procedural lapses--the grains should be added to the aforementioned recipe only after the eggs have set, but this cookbook is the best and maybe the only comprehensive whole grain guide out there.
Sass offers the basic preparation method for all grains, demystifying categories like "kamut" and "farro," and over a hundred specific recipes from soup/salad through main courses through dessert. Not one that I've tried is a dud and she offers alternate grains for just about every recipe. She even offers intelligent wine choices--again, referring the aforementioned recipe,"try a medium bodied, fruity chardonnay without oak" was a good starting point.
There are typos (for example, in "Anise pignoli cookies" (278) the text reads "form balls 1/2 inch in diameter." That's a mighty tiny cookie, so I tried 1 1/2 inches and it worked great. But such lapses are few. And these cookies taste great (though I live in the Great Basin and prefer the pine nuts from the local hillsides--much fresher and thus tastier than the Italian and Chinese varieties Sass considers). I also tried a friend's batch of "Whole-wheat almond biscotti"(288) and they were superb. Bakery biscotti look good but seldom have more than a faint anise/mothball flavor. Sass's version is the most almond-y cookie yet, and cutting Sass's sugar measure by 1/3--this was the only change my friend said she made--yielded biscotti that went very well with Moscato d'Asti (yeah, Sass eschews wine recommendations for dessert items though she lives in NYC and probably knows people who enjoy this combo at brunch).
I revised my earlier review to include some criticism because I didn't want it to come across as the ranting of a gushmeister. But I'm not damning with faint praise, either--Sass's cookbook is engaging. There's none of the greener-than-thou smugness that informs so many other whole-grain cookbooks. She includes a list of suppliers for some of the harder-to-find varieties (like hull-less "NuBarley"), but she isn't an organic purist and tells you out front if your local super is likely to have the grain in question. Content, format, layout--this is a model of what a cookbook should be.
Book Review: Great guide to whole grains for the whole grain novice...
Summary: 4 Stars
I really don't like writing book reviews...because books really depend on personal preference. (Unlike an appliance that craps out...which is rather universally NOT preferred.)
I needed to get more whole grains into my diet. After finding WAY too many 1970's style grain cookbooks at my library...I took the plunge and ordered this book.
I'm happy I did. Here's why...
For one...you get a basic background of each of the readily available whole grains...and how to cook them...PLAIN. And for a lot of uses as a side dish...that's the way you're going to want them. Quinoa is a great stand in for rice...with more protein...and can also be used in place of couscous.
And the back is filled with tasty multi-ethnic recipes that allow you to learn a "common" cooking technique for each grain. (The teff polenta used for the Ethiopian chicken recipe can be used with anything you'd normally serve polenta with...etc.) And she notes where you could use either barley or buckwheat for a dish...etc.
The color photo section (there is one) was also helpful in identifying grains I bought at my local ethnic grocery store.
My only real issue was that the recipe section had too many "nod to whole grains" sort of recipes. I have...a zillion recipies for "healthy" whole grain pancakes/waffles. DID NOT NEED ANOTHER ONE. What I do need are more recipes for some of the more unusual grains...grain salads...pilafs...etc. I know grain makes an excellent side-dish to meat. I realize some of those recipes are a draw for some...but they were a waste for me. Maybe now that I know how to cook the grains...I'll revisit my library for those 1970's books!
But I was pleasantly surprised to find a few pressure cooker recipes! A pressure cooker is the key to having barley as a weeknight side-dish...or weekday morning breakfast cereal. (Takes the 75 minute cooking time down to 20 minutes.) And the teff polenta recipe was worth the price of the book...it's become a weeknight dinner staple.
Book Review: Variety and more
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is great. It covers countless grains, most of which I have handy, and those that I don't are shown at end of recipe as perhaps a substitute for that particular recipe. It helps one think out of the box which I appreciate. I can find no major fault with this book. Perhaps some would want a pic with every recipe along w/nutritional breakdowns; there are some pics and common sense says that using whole grains is going to be nutritionally more sound and less caloric b/c of the fiber that lesser grains don't have. The book is broken down by category--dinner, breakfast/brunch, side dishes, desserts, soups and salads--salads being especially good now, at this very hot time of the year. These are dishes that are easily served and eaten at room temp and good for bringing to a friend's house without it suffering in transit in taste or appearance. Many dishes need to be served directly from oven to table, not these. I made a farro salad tonight and changed up the herbs/veggies by adding what was in my garden. It had an Italian flare so I added some cut-up sun-dried tomatoes from the fridge too. I bought some hulled barley online, more fiber than pearled, and used that in one of the stir fry recipes. I swapped out chicken for shrimp. The flavor base in the 'sauce' was tasty w/just the right kick, and the addition of barley into the stir fry, rather than using a bed of rice, allowed the sauce to thicken w/o need of a cornstarch slurry. I appreciated that timesaver too. The author is also an expert on pressure cooking, so there is a section in here on how long to cook what grains...I find it a helpful reference for cooking raw, packaged beans and other grains in my digital pressure cooker. All in all, I have tagged many pages and look forward to trying more recipes. What's more--because these recipes are so simple and uncomplicated, they are pleasureable to make.Book Review: Looking for flavor? Looking for information? Looking for recipes that WORK?
Summary: 5 Stars
Lorna Sass's latest book, "Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way" is a real winner! I was privileged to test a few of Ms. Sass's recipes and was impressed with their robust flavors, aromas, and textures. Some folks are turned off by the idea that a recipe is "healthy," thinking that it means bland flavors and straw-like textures (haven't we all encountered *those* recipes?). Not so here! These recipes will find a home in any good cook's recipe collection.
As in all of her previous books, Ms. Sass has a unique, almost minimalist approach to seasoning. She pares down the lengthy ingredient lists of many ethnic recipes and uses just a few of a cuisine's defining herbs and spices to create deep, complex, and extremely satisfying flavors. Her taste buds are right on target. Some examples of her on-the-mark flavoring techniques are found in Thai Curried Chicken Soup with Brown Jasmine Rice, which has become a staple at our house, as have her Oat and Turkey Soup with Tex-Mex Flavors and her Ethiopian Chicken Stew with Teff Polenta.
Her Roasted Brown Rice Pilaf with Leeks incorporates an interesting method for making a very flavorful and versatile pilaf -- using only 4 ingredients. That's hard to beat!
Ms. Sass's delicious desserts are too numerous to mention. One our favorites is Brown Basmati Rice Pudding Custard. It is so fragrant and delicious that it satisfies diners who love custards and flans, and also those who love rice pudding at the same time. Her Biscotti were lighter than many I've had and beautifully crunchy without being teeth-shattering.
This is a book that will rise to the top of my "Favorites" in my cookbook list.