We should have loved this cookbook. There's little we enjoy more than a flavorful cut of beef, a succulent tenderized chicken, a sweetened steak of salmon, or a tingly mouthful of marinated mushrooms. With those kinds of preferences, this cookbook should have been a shoo-in for Most Popular Cookbook. Instead we almost never open it any more.

There's a short chapter about marinades - some science, tips, tricks, equipment. This is followed by a chapter on stocking your pantry: types of acid to have around (citrus juices, vinegars...), wines, oils, aromatics, condiments, sweeteners. Then there's a chapter on making your own flavored vinegars and oils, spice & herb mixtures.

This is followed by the good stuff: marinades, dry rubs, vegetables, fish & shellfish, poultry & rabbit, beef (etc.), and dipping sauces. I will never get used to the organization. If you want to make beef, do you look in the "Beef, Lamb, Pork, and Venison" chapter... OR the Marinades chapter... OR the "Dry Marinades, Rubs, and Pastes" chapter?

So you're probably saying to yourself, what's the problem? The recipe layout is clear. Recipes are nicely contained on their own pages. Okay, so some of them call for tough-to-find ingredients (fresh lime leaves, anyone? Not where I live!), and you'll definitely want access to Indian and Oriental grocers (online or in your town), but those aren't deal-breakers. There are no food photos, but it isn't like there's lots to see when it comes to marinaded cuts of meat. So what's with the three stars?

It's the recipes. You see, we've made lots of them - after all, they sound so wonderful: Indonesian Honey Chili Marinade, Spicy Garlic Oriental Marinade, Honey Ancho Marinade... my mouth is watering even now! And out of all of the ones we've made, only one was "wow" and one was "very good." Everything else ranged from "awful" to "okay, but we wouldn't make it again."

There are so many absolutely fantastic cookbooks in the world. With that many great recipes to choose from, why would anyone make a so-so recipe twice?

Full review at ErrantDreams ( )