Rating: 
Summary: Great Book for People Somewhat Familiar With Korean Cooking
Review: The first word that comes to mind is FINALLY! Finally, there is a Korean cookbook that contains almost every Korean recipe you could ever want. Finally, there is a Korean cookbook that keeps recipes authentic. Finally, there is a a Korean cookbook that I can turn to when my finicky in laws come for dinner! Growing up Korean-American it was hard to get recipes from my mother since as any other Korean-American knows Koreans never measure ingredients! I own at least 5 Korean cookbooks written in English and not one of them can compare to this one in it's comprehensive addition of recipes. There are 164 recipes in this book! In the author's attempt to remain authentic the gamut of recipes runs from the well known to the more obscure for those unfamiliar to Korean cooking. The recipes are fantastic. This is a book for those who are both serious about Korean cooking and somewhat familiar with the techniqes involved. It is also a great book for those who are looking to fine tune their Korean cooking skills or add onto their repertoire of Korean dishes since after almost every recipe there are suggestions for ways to modify the dish. Just as every individual has a way of personalizing a recipe, the author does the same however, the author's personalization does not detract from the flavor that the dish should have. I would think that this is not a book for those who are just looking to begin because the book lacks specific technical description of preparation and presentation. It would be difficult for someone who is unfamiliar with Korean food to know what the outcome should look like since pictures of the final product are rare. If you are just starting out or if you prefer detailed step by step pictures and instructions "Practical Korean Cooking" by Noh Chin Hwa is a great book, although not quite as thorough as this one but still authentic.
Rating:
Summary: More than just a 'cook'book.
Review: This collection of history, family, spirituality and food honors the Korean tradition of food and meal times far more than typical western collections of ingredients and instructions. Many Korean friends and my grandmother who grew up in Korea as a missionary sparked my love of Korean food but I didn't know much about how to prepare it. Hepinstall delivers a delightful exploration of both the food and the culture of Koreans. The section on BBQ and sauces is a favorite. Thorough, complete, easy to follow instructions...the only lacking element would be color pictures of the food and places explored in the book which would add a lot. For someone who is very selective about purchasing cookbooks...this one is well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: It's a great cookbook.
Review: This is one of the best Korean Cookbooks in english. Recipes are regional, but down right authentic. It is true that it may not taste like some other regional Korean cooking, but the techniques described in this book are very very traditional. I don't think this is most user friedly cookbook that has many pictures, but any avid cooks should figure out these recipes without much sweating. It does however reveal a truth about Korean cooking. It's extremely labor intensive, if you want the original recipe. I have "Dok Suni" cookbook also. 'Dok Suni' and this book maybe the two best Korean cookbook in English with different regional influence.
Rating:
Summary: How to learn traditional Korean cooking (ie- like Mom made)
Review: This isn't just a cookbook, it's a good book in general. The recipes become much more meaningful thanks to the author's explanation of how traditional Korean cooking methods are entwined with Korean culture. I've looked through many 'Korean' cookbooks and never bothered with them because they really covered modern Korean-western fusion dishes, or referred to dishes by their traditional Korean name but gave instructions for very non-traditional preparation and presentation. If you're like me, you want a book that tells you how to make Korean food like Oma and Omanee made. This book fulfills that need 100%. It even goes so far as to tell you the tradional method for making your own soy saunce :) I'm a complete novice cook (single guy) and, thanks to this book, I was able to make Ox Tail Soup correctly on my first try. The ONLY negative comment I have is that the pictures are not in color, and none of the recipies show step-by-step pictures or illustrations. Still, the instructions are very clear so it generally is not a problem. But if you really want pictures for reinforcement, I'd recommend buying this book and another one with lots of pictures as a companion.
Rating: 
Summary: Stylish, but not practical
Review: While this was a beautifully written book, it is not practical instruction on how to cook Korean food. While the recipes may be authentic, they are stylized to the point that I can safely say that none of the dozens of Korean women I know actually cook this way. Often the instructions are hard to follow or incomplete, as in the description of how to make "kal-bi," the most popular Korean meat dish. Neither I nor any of my friends and family could understand how the cuts of meat were supposed to look (according to the recipe) even though we had eaten Kal-bi our entire lives, and there were no illustrations to make it clear. I have not read other Korean cookbooks, but I know that a common complaint among people who have is that the books are often too simplified or americanized. The recipes in this book are neither simple nor americanized, but probably went too far the other way to be very useful. A nice book to decorate your shelf or to use as a reference, but not a very good book on cooking.
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