Hi friends! I was sitting in our living room trying to decide what to share with y'all this week, looking around the room thinking things like "they don't care how cute I think our cats are" and "only a few people will appreciate Dan and I getting each other Ron Swanson-themed gifts this past holiday". But then my gaze settled on our bookshelf. Our books are our friends: I kid you not, I just scolded Dan for turning the pages too harshly in one of his foraging books. We must be kind to books, because they are so kind to us.
I'm kinda liking having a couple of regular features - Sully Asks A Scientist and Sci Comm Spotlight - in my Sci Comm blog section, and I'd like to start one over here in Life. It was recently pointed out to me [thanks Dan] that I have some pretty strong opinions on cookbooks, so I figured I might as well write down those thoughts in Cookbook Reviews!
Here's how we'll do this: I'll list the cookbook and author(s) with any available links to purchase said book, along with a few of our favorite/go-to recipes. I'll then assign a rank to the book for the following categories:
- Usage - how often Dan/I reach for the book; 1 = once every few months, 5 = at least once a week.
- Accuracy - how often the recipes work out as they are written, i.e. without any adjustments; 1 = I don't think they actually tested the recipes, 3 = some things (ex: oven temp, amount of an ingredient) seem a bit off, 5 = all recipes we've tried have turned out as described.
- Information - how much you can learn from the book; 1 = literally just recipes, 3 = a couple helpful tips here and there, 5 = a total newbie could learn how to be a great cook.
After finishing up my review with an Overall Impression, I'm also going to list the recipes included in the book. One of my biggest pet peeves when browsing online for cookbooks is that they don't bother listing a table of contents, so I'll be doing that here. ✪ symbols will indicate which recipes we've tried so far. If you'd like to try a recipe out before buying the book, I'm happy to scan and send it to you! Now, let's begin :)
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
Foreword by Martha Stewart; Secrets from the East Hampton specialty food store for simple food and party platters you can make at home
Foreword by Martha Stewart; Secrets from the East Hampton specialty food store for simple food and party platters you can make at home
Favorites/Go-tos Perfect roast chicken, roasted vegetables, "linzer" cookies, raspberry corn muffins, hot chocolate Usage - 4 We use a few of the basic recipes all year round, and I'm not honestly sure if I'd be welcome to family events in NJ without bringing some "linzer" cookies with me. Accuracy - 5 |
Information - 3
Tiny hints featured in green text on some of the recipes, photos of nearly all the final products, a couple of helpful sections, including:
- Fresh ingredients for simple food
- Glossary of kitchen terms (julienne, mince, etc.)
- Pantry items for simple courses
- Sources for serving platters, tableware, and kitchen equipment; mail-order specialty foods
Overall Impression
I used to love watching Food Network when I lived in my parents' houses, and one could almost always hear the Barefoot Contessa theme song when they walked in. It makes sense that this was one of the first cookbooks I was ever gifted, and honestly that's probably it's best role as a cookbook - the intro book to other books and cooking in general. Out of the Ina Garten books I own, this one is still my favorite. Some things about Ina and her books are a little bit bourgeois, but overall The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook is clean, simple, and has easy-to-follow recipes. I also appreciate her philosophy of using the best ingredients you can for making the best food, but sometimes the cheap stuff can't be beat (all hail Lipton onion soup mix).
Contents
Appetizers
| Soups
|
Salads
| Dinner
|
Vegetables
| Desserts
|