Sur La Table

In a nutshell, this is a primer on how to use/care for knives. The portions on selection, are decent, but not great. I suspect any book is going to suffer from that, one needs to handle a knife to know if it's right. This will give somebody a good idea of what the options are.

The chapters on usage, are clear, well illustrated, and can be followed. Sharpening gets covered, as well as more routine maintenance. More information on carbon steel knives would be nice.

The recipes, well a book on just knives probably has a lesser appeal than a cookbook with techniques. They aren't bad recipes, but it's not really a cookbook.… (more)

I’ve had dessert-type cookbooks before, but never one like this one. Wow! This is 454 pages of valuable information; Cindy Mushat definitely didn’t scrimp or take shortcuts when writing this book. After reading the first two chapters, I had already learned many things about baking that I did not know before, from simple things like which flour is best to use to more specific things like what a popover pan is and why I might use one. Each chapter begins with very informative pages on the emphasis of that chapter (breads, pastries, quick breads, pies, tarts, fruit desserts, cookies and bars, cakes, custards, and soufflés). There are plenty of photographs throughout the book that are helpful also. One other feature I particularly like is the abundance of professional tips, “What the pros know.” They are scattered throughout the book, right where you need them the most. I received this book right before the holidays started, so I’ve had the opportunity to try some recipes too. Each recipe has a page to itself with excellent step-by-step directions that are easy to follow. Plus, this book is simply beautiful and classic in its design. It’s so attractive, it could be a coffee table book! This cookbook will benefit anyone, from the beginner to someone who has baked for years – a must-have resource for any baker.… (more)