Rating: 
Summary: A DOMESTIC GODDESS...OR SUPERWOMAN?
Review: If one does not work outside the home, then this book may be intriguing. However, for those of us who put in a full day's work at the office, come home to deal with children, household chores and the rest of the day's activities, preparing a meal is more of a pain in the "you-know-what" than an anticipated adventure. The author states that many woman who work long days outside the home often enjoy coming home and preparing a full meal. I would like to know where these "superwomen" are; they certainly do not live in my neighbourhood. As for the recipes, they are nothing extraordinary and certainly not ones the average working mother would want to prepare after the end of a long, stressful day. Many of the recipes are similar to variations found in other cookbooks. Even if I did have the fortitude to try one of these recipes at the end of the day, by the time dinner was prepared and on the table, my husband would either be cranky as a bear (or asleep) and my teen-aged daughter would be hungry enough to tunnel through a bag of potato chips and ready to charge me with failing to provide the necessities of life - food! As for the "domestic goddess", if one has the time, there may be a few of those left in the world, but as a counsellor who listens to the problems of many women, I can assure you they are a rare and diminishing breed. The author may have all day to meander aroung HER kitchen, most women today do not. Anyone I know who is willing to take on the challenge of preparing a meal after a full day in the concrete jungle and battling heavy traffic is either a saint or masochist!
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than How To Eat
Review: While the author's first book, How To Eat, gave an overview of the entire cooking process with some desserts thrown in, How to be a Domestic Goddess focuses entirely on baking. Being a domestic goddess she says, (and I paraphrase) is returning to a basic love for cooking minus the hassles of daily life. Lawson's trademarks are evident here with her conversational style and easy to follow recipes - (you must try the dense (fallen)chocolate cake: it is superb). Aside from the usual baking sections, there is a chapter devoted to recipes that children will have fun helping out with as well as a holidays section. This book is hardback and printed on beautiful glossy paper. The photos are well-lighted and look so real that they jump off the page and will make you rush to your kitchen. This is definitely a better and more focused book than How To Eat (but then again, I prefer to bake!).
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the taste? (The tasteless goddess, maybe)
Review: Although the title intrigued me, I was hesitant to buy it and decided to check it out from my neighborhood library. So glad I did! Why? The majority of the recipes that I tried have been disappointingly bland. The Madeira cake was flavorless, the almond cake was greasy, the snickerdoodles tasted like cardboard(granted, I don't indulge too often), the cheese blintz filling was dull, and the dream bars were really closer to a nightmare,if you ask me. However, since I did give it two stars, the American pancake mix was good (leaving it 30 min makes a real difference), the blueberry sauce from the blintzes was a keeper and I barely saved the babycakes by chilling them in the fridge. I'm in the middle of the Om Ali. Granted none of her recipes were outright disgusting, but I definitely won't be purchasing this one. It seems to me a lot of people are fawning over her without having made too many of these recipes.She does come across as warm and funny but that can't excuse the mediocrity of these recipes. What's the point of purchasing a cooking book if you can't trust it and have to adjust it constantly? I say, borrow it from a friend or the library and actually try some of these "comfort foods" yourself before you commit yourself to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: mmmm
Review: this book is great!! some recipes might not work out right (for example, i think the last reviewer coincidentally tried out all of the recipes that previous reviewers didn't enjoy..) but i know a lot of them are delicious!! it's sort of a shame that they happened to try the some of the only ones out of the book that happen to be bad. all books are bound to have a couple that aren't great or anything.. i've tried many recipes already and they are great. not hard recipes and the results are very delicious. for example.. the dense chocolate loaf cake is reallly good, as is the banana bread and cheese danishes that were easy to make b/c of the method she provides. and how about those schnecken, eh? just as the title states, this is comfort cooking and everything in here seems to scream out comfort. beautiful pictures, can't wait to try more. hope this helps! by the way, you really DO feel like a domestic goddess. :)
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring... but the recipes could have used more testing!
Review: I've tried quite a few of recipes and have made some more than once. They are not terribly clear and if one hasn't any baking experience, disaster could ensue. The lime pound cake is simply terrible. The cranberry cake is excellent. The recipes remind me a lot of Martha Stewart recipes; they sound good but are not at all reliable.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious & Simple!!!!
Review: How to be a Domestic Goddess has to be one of the best cookbooks that I have ever used. Nigella makes cooking a fun event that doesn't have to be a chemistry class.
I just received this cookbook for a Christmas present and I love it! The pictures are beautiful and the recipes make your mouth water just reading them. My favorite section is the one for kids.
Overall, it's a great feel-good type of book. Just like my new beverage of choice called s o y f e e. It's made from soybeans that you brew just like coffee. Caffeine-free, you'll find it at www. S oycoffee.com. The recipes look tasty and funny.
This is definitely a keeper! Delicious and Simple!!
Rating:
Summary: Great jumping off point
Review: Bought this to add to my limited cook book shelf. Some of the rescipes do not work, gave up on the piecrust with cornmeal after three tries. My family wanted to know the pie crust had sand in it. Went back to my basic betty crocker pie crust that I have made for years, happy family.
I use this for inspiration, but don't even try to follow a lot of the directions, since they don't work well. Last night I had pizza dough and wanted to make calzone/something. By looking at three pages of rescipes, I knew what I could make with what I had in the fridge, potaote, spinach, cheese mushroom with pesto sauce was the happy result.
The writer likes "tall" food, so she uses her springform pan endlessly, it makes for good pictures. I do not need another pan, so I substitute pans a lot.
Will I keep this book? Yes, despite the noted flaws.The pictures often inspire me to cook.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for starting out
Review: I have made many of the recipes in this book, and all have been fantastic. This is a great starting out point for someone just getting into baking. Nigella's writing tone really is as if she is standing next to you in the kitchen; it's written as if your best friend has written down a recipe for you. If you like the recipes in this book, please try her book 'How to Eat' (the gooey chocolate puddings are a decadent and easy treat) and try the Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova recipe in her 'Forever Summer' book (by far, the most requested recipe at family gatherings!). I am looking forward to her new book, 'Feast' - it is already on my wishlist!
Rating:
Summary: A must for all cooks
Review: I was given "How To Eat" as a gift by my brother...I devoured the book from cover to cover and absolutely loved it's contents. I have collected cookery books since the age of eleven and have to say that "How To Eat" revolutionised my collection. I decided to buy "How To Be a Domestic Goddess" and was a little disappointed that it was slightly less "chatty" than the previous. However, I read it from cover to cover and enjoyed it. I rarely use cookbooks though I love to read them, I use the ideas but not the recipes. I have been told I'm a good cook...but by my own admission a lousy baker. My pastry is dry and boring, my cakes consist of a basic all-in-one recipe I learned by heart years ago and consequently all taste the same. I decided to take the plunge and follow some of Nigella's recipes...wow!! The difference is astounding and I now bake cookies, cakes and pastry using her recipes. I use this book regularly (though curiously have never cooked from her "How To Eat" book). I also purchased "Nigella Bites",I read it from cover to cover in the vain hope of finding it interesting eventually. Sadly this book is not to the same standard and I have never referred to it for any of the recipes or ideas. I would recommend "How To Be A Domestic Goddess" to anyone looking for inspiration for baking, for mothers wishing to wow their offspring with more than just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for young cooks and this book makes a perfect wedding gift.
Rating:
Summary: Great Food easy to make
Review: Indeed, this recipe book gives great recipes. They are only bad if you don't know how to cook (whoever said these recipes were tasteless). This is my favorite book by Nigella Lawson because the ingredients needed are much easier to come by than some of the ingredients in her other books. The snickerdoodles in this book are absolutely delicious and vanish long before any other recipe I make. If you loved baked foods like cakes, cookies, scones, etc. this is the book for you. I would not advise it for the Atkins diet. If you are looking for something low-carb Nigella Lawson is not for you. her recipes are old, authentic, and taste wonderful. She makes things the old-fashioned way (and that way it tastes a lot better than modern TV dinners). her other books have recipes for everything but this book is strictly baked goods. :) delicious :)
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