Not my favorite vegetarian cookbook.
Written: Jan 28 '02 (Updated Jun 08 '08)
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Pros: Carefully written recipes, easy to understand
Cons: Too many extremely simple recipes, not very helpful for experienced cooks
The Bottom Line: Very good for vegetarians, those on low-fat diets and beginner cooks. Less useful for omnivores, and intermediate to experienced cooks.
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| lyagushka's Full Review: Deborah Madison - Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone ... |
I received Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cookbook for Everyone as a gift. It's the only cookbook by Ms. Madison that I own so I can't compare it to her other popular cookbooks. Overall I have found this cookbook to be only moderately useful to me. However, since my background includes professional training as a chef, others may find this book to be of much greater value.
Though not a vegetarian, more than half the dishes I prepare at home are vegetarian. So I was encouraged to read the full title of the book:
"The 1,400 recipes in this book are those that I like to cook. If you're a committed vegetarian, you can prepare every recipe in this book. If you are a vegan, you can cook most of them. If you don't attach a title to your eating style you can cook everything in this book and serve it with meat, fish, or fowl. This is....
VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE"
Rather a long title, yes, but very encouraging. For the most part, this collection of recipes lives up to its claim to be 'for everyone'. That is, there are hundreds upon hundreds of recipes that would not be considered 'stand alone' meals unto themselves, but rather vegetable side dishes or appetizers. So anyone whose diet does not consist entirely of meat will find something useful here. By far the majority of the recipes found in this book are rooted in the European tradition. There are also some dishes from Asia and other parts of the world.
In each chapter, Madison is careful to start with the most basic information the home cook will need to successfully prepare the recipes. Usually this means that she discusses the primary ingredients dealt with in each chapter in some detail. At the beginning of the salads chapter, for example, she describes the different qualities of various lettuces and their uses. She then tells the reader what to look for when buying lettuce and how best to store it. Nutritional information is sometimes also included.
The layout of each page is also helpful to the cook. Whenever possible Madison advises vegans how to alter the recipe so that they may use it while meeting their own dietary preferences. Most recipes are accompanied by little notes in the outer margin of the page. These notes may provide recommendations for substitutions of ingredients, extra information about any unusual ingredients, variations on the basic recipe or suggestions on what to serve with the recipe at hand. Also included in the margins are the number of servings each recipe produces. Sometimes however, the notes are mere commentary or praise of the recipe which contributes very little. Occasionally some of Madison's commentary comes off as showy or conceited. I am very sensitive to the author's tone when I read cookbooks, and although I enjoy it when it conveys a passion for food, I become annoyed when it feels condescending. I think most cooks prefer to be inspired rather than lectured.
The recipes themselves are laid out quite clearly, with ingredients printed in red and procedures printed in black. The instructions are very clear and thorough and almost always easy enough for a beginner cook to prepare successfully. Even her more complex recipes, found mostly in the breads, desserts and pasta chapters, should be well within the grasp of an advanced-beginner home cook.
The drawbacks of this book as I see them center upon the relative simplicity of many of the recipes. This means that most of the recipes could not usually be considered a main dish, so that in order to serve a 'square meal' two or three recipes would have to be prepared. I realize that some people do this on a daily basis, but these days few people have the time or desire to prepare three separate dishes for dinner. Also, as a highly experienced cook I found the recipes relatively uninspiring. As someone with the training to quickly prepare three separate dishes, I would much rather prepare three more interesting, less basic dishes. So it's difficult to say whom this book would really please.
A good example of what I consider an uninspiring recipe would be Roasted Potatoes - potatoes baked in a shallow pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. Many of the recipes in the book are slight variations on basic recipes such as this one. The two recipes which follow the one above are Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs, and Fingerling Potatoes with Slivered Garlic. It seems to me that a moderately experienced home cook probably wouldn't need a written recipe to prepare these dishes.
In the book's defense I should say that the many recipes I have tried turned out very well. But I almost always added more seasonings or main ingredients to make the dishes more flavorful. Her desserts section is very well done and almost all of these recipes are for more 'healthy' desserts based on fruits. Madison also provides simple recipes for traditional but less popular vegetables such as celeriac, salsify, kale and parsnips. So this book might be useful to new vegetarians or vegans looking to expand their repertoire of vegetable dishes.
The book is organized into 19 chapters, plus an introduction, a section devoted to resources and an index. The chapter headings are as follows: Becoming a Cook, Foundations of Flavor; Sauces and Condiments; Appetizers and First Courses; Salads for all Season; Soups from Scratch; Vegetable Stews and Stir-Fries; Gratins and Casseroles; Beans Plain and Fancy; Vegetables; Pasta, Noodles and Dumplings; Savory Tarts, Pies, Turnovers and Pizzas; Grains; Eggs and Cheese; The Soy Pantry; Breakfast Anytime; Breads by Hand and finally, Desserts.
The book is 742 pages long and contains 24 pages of color photographs. There are also many black and white pencil drawings which illustrate certain techniques or simply embellish the pages.
In closing I could recommend this book for committed vegetarians or vegans, for beginner to advanced beginner home cooks, or for those who are looking for recipes suitable to a 'healthier lifestyle.' Intermediate and advanced level cooks will find less of use. In either case, for the $40(US) cover price, I would recommend Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian over Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
I can also recommend these cookbooks:
• Cooking with Pomiane - a deliciously nostalgic review of culinary history, narrated by a great wit
• Indian Cooking - an excellent cookbook by Jaffrey for beginner cooks, includes many meat dishes
• The Boulevard Cookbook - sumptuous recipes from San Francisco's favorite restaurant
• America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - trustworthy guide to all the fundamentals of home cooking
• Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America - accessible and delicious recipes for nibbles or a hearty meal
• The New Best Recipe - 1000 canonical recipes, perfected
• The Bread Baker's Apprentice - superlative, expert instruction for mastering yeasted breads
• Baking With Julia - Julia Child's award-winning "bakebook", covers all type of baked goods
• Dim Sum - a thorough introduction to these tasty Chinese morsels
• The Good Egg - fresh & tasty recipes based on the incredible, edible egg
• The Wellness Encyclopedia - an excellent reference guide to the nutritional facts on most anything you could put in your mouth
Recommended:
No
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