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Rating: 
Summary: Single most useful book on ethnic cuisine
Review: I love Elizabeth Rozin's cookbooks -- her recipes are as close to foolproof as one can get in an uncertain world. But this book is much more than the sum of its recipes. Rozin breaks out the "flavor principals" that make French cooking taste French and Vietnamese cooking taste Vietnamese. Her insights have helped me both as a cook and as a diner to cook better, to plan menus so that the dishes complement each other, and to enjoy restaurants more, too.
Rating:
Summary: Single most useful book on ethnic cuisine
Review: I love Elizabeth Rozin's cookbooks -- her recipes are as close to foolproof as one can get in an uncertain world. But this book is much more than the sum of its recipes. Rozin breaks out the "flavor principals" that make French cooking taste French and Vietnamese cooking taste Vietnamese. Her insights have helped me both as a cook and as a diner to cook better, to plan menus so that the dishes complement each other, and to enjoy restaurants more, too.
Rating:
Summary: The best cookbook I own
Review: This is the best cookbook I own. I've had it for over 11 years, and still use it regularly.An unusual feature of this cookbook is that it explains the principles that give cuisines of different areas their distinctive flavors. The idea is that you can categorize cuisines in terms of (1) their primary ingredients, (2) the cooking techniques that are used, and (3) the types and combinations of flavorings that are added. (Somewhere along the line the author must have studied structural anthropology.) A later section of the book talks about how to combine these elements creatively. One thing about this cookbook that must be mentioned is that the recipes work. I can't recall ever making something from this book that didn't turn out. The directions are very clear. There's a lot of great stuff in here; I'll mention just a few stand-outs: - mu shu whatever
- ful gobi (cauliflower curry)
- Provencal bean and sausage soup
- vegetables Provencal au gratin
- Spanish codfish soup
- Italian meatballs
Rating:
Summary: The best cookbook I own
Review: This is the best cookbook I own. I've had it for over 11 years, and still use it regularly. An unusual feature of this cookbook is that it explains the principles that give cuisines of different areas their distinctive flavors. The idea is that you can categorize cuisines in terms of (1) their primary ingredients, (2) the cooking techniques that are used, and (3) the types and combinations of flavorings that are added. (Somewhere along the line the author must have studied structural anthropology.) A later section of the book talks about how to combine these elements creatively. One thing about this cookbook that must be mentioned is that the recipes work. I can't recall ever making something from this book that didn't turn out. The directions are very clear. There's a lot of great stuff in here; I'll mention just a few stand-outs: - mu shu whatever
- ful gobi (cauliflower curry)
- Provencal bean and sausage soup
- vegetables Provencal au gratin
- Spanish codfish soup
- Italian meatballs
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