Smoke and Spice Cooking with Smoke the Real Way to Barbecue

Smoke and Spice Cooking with Smoke the Real Way to Barbecue

Barbecue is not about grilling food fast over high heat. That’s something else, delicious in its own right, but something else entirely. Barbecue is about marginal cuts of meat (for the most part), about smoke, about fires burning so low and slow you hardly ever see the flicker of a flame. Barbecue is about succulent pork ribs as dark as sin just falling off the bone and dripping with glorious sweet pork godliness. Or enjoying the effects that 12 to 18 hours of smoking has on beef brisket.

The trick is, how do you do it? How do you master a cooking technique all but ignored in favor of fast and hot? The answer lies in Smoke & Spice. Authors Jamison and Jamison provide all the information you’re ever going to need to run a real barbecue. Tips and techniques abound on every page–accompanied with countless recipes that stretch the barbecue imagination. And seeing that one cannot live on barbecue alone (though that’s a challenge well worth considering) there are just as many recipes included for all the good food that accompanies barbecue–from Scalloped Green Chile Potatoes to South-of-the-Border Garlic Soup to Buttermilk Onion Rings and even Bourbon Peaches. If smoke in your eyes makes your mouth water, this is the primer for you! –Schuyler Ingle

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great source for rubs
This book is a great source for rubs, mops, and sauces. The flavors are great. I would have given five stars, but I think one thing is missing. For a book subtitled “Cooking with Smoke…”, I was surprised by the lack of general information on cooking with smoke. There are brief discussions of types of smokers, woods you can use, etc, but I was looking for more detail about the “art” of cooking with smoke. The book is filled with great recipes, but some more general information would have been nice.

4 Stars Smoke and Spice book review
Great book, with many recipes and BBQ tips. I’ve used about 4 or 5 recipes from this book and they are very good.

Book layout is excellent and this book covers many types of food to BBQ including Pork, Fish, Fowl and many others. Some basic education on how to smoke food.

I recommend this book for the entry level smoker BBQ library, primarily for the recipes.

5 Stars I love this book
I smoke pork, chicken, and beef regularly, and this is my bible. It answers the different regional greats…everything from Texas brisket to Kansas City to N. Carolina styles are represented. Excellent BBQ sauce recipes as well. Apple sauce and BourBQue (a sauce infused with bourbon) are some of my favorite original sauces this book represents.

5 Stars GREAT!
I got this for my husband and he absolutely loved it! Great item and speed on delivery!

5 Stars Great help for new smokers
We recently purchased a Traeger Pellet Smoker and I had no idea how to cook on it, this book gave me great ideas for sauces and rubs plus there are some great recipes that gave me a good starting point to using my smoker. I would highly recommend this book.

Buy/More Info

5 Spices 50 Dishes Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices

5 Spices 50 Dishes Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices

The premise is simple: with five common spices and a few basic ingredients, home cooks can create fifty mouthwatering Indian dishes, as diverse as they are delicious. Cooking teacher Ruta Kahate has chosen easy-to-find spices coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper, and turmeric to create authentic, accessible Indian dishes everyone will love. Roasted Lamb with Burnt Onions uses just two spices and three steps resulting in a meltingly tender roast. Steamed Cauliflower with a Spicy Tomato Sauce and Curried Mushrooms and Peas share the same three spices, but each tastes completely different. Suggested menus offer inspiration for entire Indian dinners. For quick and easy Indian meals, keep it simple with 5 Spices, 50 Dishes.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Makes Indian food possible for me to cook!!!
I have always loved Indian food, but I never thought I’d be able to cook any. This book has taught me that I can cook it, my husband will eat it, and most of the ingredients are already in my kitchen! This is a great way to eat more vegetables, because they taste so much more alive using the ingredients and techniques described in this book. 5 Spices, 50 Dishes is THE cookbook that I turn to for inspiration when I’m tired of my usual cooking; I can’t recommend it enough.

5 Stars absolutely DELICIOUS and easy!
I just used this book for the first time and I made 2 different dishes from it (Sweet Potatoes with Lemon and Ginger; and Chicken with Cashew Sauce). Although I’ve only had a chance to make 2 dishes from it, it has won my 5 star vote! The dishes were absolutely savory and delicious. My boyfriend and I couldn’t stop talking about it all night and all the next morning!

What’s great about this book is that all the ingredients are very recognizable and accessible, although I did have trouble finding mustard seeds (1 of the 5 spices). I’m a terrible beginner cook but I was still able to recognize all the ingredients and able to produce a fantastic dinner. The directions were easy to follow and everything was explained thoroughly. I think it makes a great intro to Indian cooking.

3 Stars Great recipes, poor quality binding
I’ve really enjoyed exploring some of the recipes in this book and getting a feel for the simple spice combinations. It’s been a great addition to our broad ambitions for cooking styles to have learned, from this book, how to use these spices effectively. The shrimp and fish marinades alone are worth the price of the book.

The only problem is the binding. The pages totally fell out of the cover after about a dozen uses. Quite poorly made. 5 stars for content, 1 star for printing = 3 stars.

5 Stars A great cookbook to introduce Indian cuisine
I first picked up this cookbook at my local library because I wanted to try a few recipes and see how they turn out. What attracted me to it was the fact that it required only 5 spices and the recipes looked so tasty. I tried a couple of recipes, loved them and immediately ordered the book from Amazon. This cookbook has changed the way I cook. The recipes are delicious, and yet very simple to make. My favorites so far (although everything I tried I will be making again and again) are Chicken in Cashew Sauce and Black Eye Peas in Spicy Goan Curry. I have never thought to use plain yogurt in such creative ways. My family loves when I cook Indian so much that my picky toddler eats all of it. So long mashed potatoes!

5 Stars Great Intro to Indian Food
I bought this book because:

1. I like Indian Food

2. I don’t know many recipes

3. I already had those 5 spices in my spice cabinet

4. The cover recipe looked really yummy

5. There were lots of pictures

I really liked this book! I haven’t tried everything yet, but I everything I tried as been yummy. And easy to make.

I usually don’t follow recipes, and use cookbooks to get ideas for new combos of ingredients. Here I followed the recipes, and thought everything worked well as presented.

I have added the cabbage stirfry to my 2X monthly repertoire since it is an awesome way to have more cabbage, really fast and really tasty. I also love there are so many good vegetarian recipes! (I am a meat eater, but trying to be more green by going veggie more often!)

Highly recommended book to add easy to prepare Indian dishes to your menus!

Buy/More Info

Fantastic Food with Splenda 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar Carbohydrates Fat and Calories

Fantastic Food with Splenda 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar Carbohydrates Fat and Calories

In her second book of recipes, culinary expert Koch (Unbelievable Desserts with Splenda) expands the possibilities of cooking with the sugar-derived sweetener to include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Along with new desserts like the Margarita Cheesecake, Sour Cream Apple Pie and Cafe Au Lait Ice Cream, Koch offers a slew of low-calorie recipes for dishes such as Sweet Cinnamon French Toast, Barbecued Pork Sandwiches and Spicy Orange Beef. There are also tips for buying the right ingredients and directions for preparing a variety of condiments, accompaniments and beverages. Nutritional information and Weight Watchers Points are provided with each recipe. This is a very useful book for diabetics, dieters and anyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing his or her sweet tooth.
Copyright

Cooking with Cannabis The Most Effective Methods of Preparing Food and Drink with Marijuana Hashish and Hash Oil Third Edition

Cooking with Cannabis The Most Effective Methods of Preparing Food and Drink with Marijuana Hashish and Hash Oil Third Edition

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Cook Bok
This book has great recipe’s along with how to create cannabis cooking derivatives to use for cooking including making cannabis butter and cannabis tinctures. Verl McCown, GG

4 Stars Good source for medical marijuana patients
I bought this for a friend who uses pot for her medical problems. We all know that smoking is bad for us. These recipes enable her to create foods that taste good (no grass taste) and deliver the THC that gives her relief.

Buy/More Info

The Herbal Kitchen Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

The Herbal Kitchen Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

There are herb gardens, and then there’s the Herbfarm, both an award-winning restaurant with an award winning chef, Jerry Traunfeld, and an herb farm–literally. Over the past 14-years Traunfeld has had a farm’s worth of herbs to work with in his commercial kitchen and at home. He opened the doors to his commercial kitchen with The Herbfarm Cookbook. And now he takes us home with The Herbal Kitchen. Here’s a hint: It’s all about heightened flavor through the creative use of herbs.

There’s the humble roasted oyster, for example. Traunfeld makes a sauce of fresh sorrel, butter, shallots, cream, and lemon juice. Each oyster sits in its half shell atop a dollop of the sauce and bakes until plump. They are served topped with fine strips of fresh sorrel. Briny oyster meets tart sorrel gentled with cream and butter. Does it get any better? You bet it does. Roasted Oysters with Sorrel Sauce is but an appetizer, along with Minted Lentil and Goat Cheese Strudel, and Spicy Verbena Meatballs.

After a brief introduction to herb basics, Traunfeld moves on to appetizers and drinks (the Rosemary Gin and Tonic sounds intriguing). Chapters that follow cover soups, salads, fast suppers, meals for a crowd, intimate feasts, vegetable dishes, breads, and desserts. Consider the Shiso Crab Cocktail, or Black Olive Roast Chicken, Sides of Salmon Slow-Roasted in Dill, or Lavender-Rubbed Duck Breasts with Apricots and Sweet Onions.

These are precise, carefully thought-out and executed recipes, and they are all built around the masterful use of fresh herbs. You will want to attend to your gardening as much as your cooking with this book as inspiration. Work through The Herbal Kitchen from front to back and you will transform your relationship with herbs. The food you cook and eat will never be the same. And that’s a delicious gift from one of the mighty. –Schuyler Ingle

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Beautiful and useful
Absolutely beautiful cookbook with lots of photos and extra info on herbs and other ingredients. I have already made 2 recipes and they were both simple and delicious!

5 Stars Easy and Delicious Recipes, Even for the Non-Cook
I hardly cook - the local takeout places know me all too well. But, occasionally, I’ll bust something out for my book club or a potluck. I’ve been using the recipes in this book almost exclusively and they always turn out amazing, even the first time. They don’t have a ton of ingredients and Jerry Traunfeld explains the steps remarkably well, so I’m not likely to get myself into a mess of trouble trying to cook. The Herbed Skillet Souffle was my first pass at folding egg whites and the results were delicious. I love the Cherry Tomato, Melon and Mint Salad - an unusual combination that makes me look like I know what I’m doing, but easy enough for a child to prepare. And, the Frothy Tarragon Sauce atop asparagus was incredible.

There is something about the way it’s written, with careful descriptions of each dish and obvious love for food, that is truly inspiring.

5 Stars Simple and Fresh never tasted so good!
My wife and I have been fortunate enough to eat at The Herb Garden (located in the Pacific NW), but for those who can’t make it up here, or can’t afford the rather expensive experience of it, here is the answer! Head Chef Jerry Traunfeld’s recipes are surprisingly easy, and every single one we’ve tried (we’re working our way through the book) has been a hit. Not just okay. AWESOME. So go to your local market, or out into your garden, get the freshest produce and herbs available, and hit the kitchen. You’ll be glad you did!

5 Stars This is my best cookbook.
I’ve never seen anything like this. This book makes me smarter. The recipes are much simpler than some other books I own, but the food comes out tasting — amazing. And the recipe I just cooked (cinnamon chicken) ended up *looking* like it did in the book’s photograph. Think about that for a while.

That’s another great thing about this book — it has a lot of photographs, and that helps me (a novice cook) a lot.

I think Mr. Traunfeld understands food in a way that other people don’t. In simple things, like how to brown chicken pieces in olive oil, he’s just practical and — more correct than other books I have. Put it skin-side down in the oil and *leave it alone* for at least six minutes, then flip it over for two, then take it out. Yikes. It looked great.

But in his use of herbs and spices, he’s some kind of saint. I think the Japanese have a phrase for it: “Living National Treasure.” Who else would ever tell you to cook what amounts to Chicken Cacciatore with cinnamon sticks and star anise?

It scared me, but I did it, and oh my. It was one of the best three meals I’ve cooked in my life. (And it Looked Like The Picture.)

How about mushroom and nutmeg bread pudding for Thanksgiving? He said something like “It’s like stuffing from Heaven.” So I tried it, and I guess I’ll be making it forever now. My wife was hiding packages of it in the refrigerator so she could eat it later. I’m not making this up. That recipe was simple, too.

What if all the most miraculous things are simple, after someone shows them to you?

I decided that a guy like that deserves more than the buck or two he got paid because I bought his book.

———————————————

Eight Months Later

———————————————

It’s August, 2008 now, and I have just finished my first attempt at Basil Lime Fizz from this book. I decided I would write this before I finished my first glass of it.

This is crazy. I want to give this guy another star, even if it breaks the Amazon Ranking Algorithm.

Since I wrote the first review, above, I have made this drink (He has several recipes for drinks, ice cream, and appetizers.) as well as the appetizers called Saltimbocca. Everything I have made from this book has turned out perfectly! I am cook of average ability — an occasionally enthusiastic amateur who only knows how to do one meal by heart. I have never had *every* recipe from a book work out well before.

Not only work out well, but these things have each become instant-classic, top-ten-favorite things in my modest repertoire. And I have never looked at one of Mr. Traunfeld’s recipes and thought “what the heck does *this* mean?” I think his are the only books where that doesn’t happen.

Here’s another detail about how practical he is. In another recipe, he said to carmelize onions in a sauce pan rather than a frying pan, because that will keep the juices from evaporating longer and help the process — and you can stir the onions quickly without having them fly out of the pan. He has details like that all through his books. These are pointers to becoming a good craftsman with food, even while he’s showing you how to do genius-level things with herbs.

I feel like a baseball talent scout who just watched a new kid hit five consecutive pitches out of the park. We — really — need to hire this guy.

…

Now I will finish my fizz.

5 Stars Wonderful Info on Herbs-Recipes, Cultivation, and Deliscious Photos!
This books has wonderful herb cultivation tips, as well as recipes using those freshly grown herbs! The photos are a bonus! The book, “Flavoring with Culinary Herbs: Tips, Recipes, and Cultivation” by Mary El-Baz would be a great companion to this book!

Buy/More Info

The Backyard Beekeepers Honey Handbook A Guide to Creating Harvesting and Cooking with Natural Honeys

The Backyard Beekeepers Honey Handbook A Guide to Creating Harvesting and Cooking with Natural Honeys

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Sweet Book on Honey
This book gives a comprehensive review of honey which should be of interest to both beekeepers and lovers of honey. It compares honey to wine and I know I have never considered this comparison before. It is surprisingly complete, innovative and out-of-the-box in it’s approach. I highly recommend this informative and complete book. Excellent! I also recommend the authors other book called Backyard Beekeeper.

3 Stars For the Beginner Only
I have the utmost respect for Kim Flottum’s work. However, this book does not meet its stated goals. Flottum describes the book as “not for the beginner.” Why, then, does he spend so much time and space covering basic material? For his stated audience, there is no reason to spend pages explaining how honey is made, or how to extract honey, or what flowers make good honey. All of this information, and much more, can be found in any introductory beekeeping text.

For the beginner, this might make a useful addition to a starter beekeeping library, after you have picked up a copy of “The Hive and the Honey Bee.” For the seasoned beek, this book is completely unnecessary.

Buy/More Info

The Passionate Olive 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil

The Passionate Olive 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil

“Food’s cheaper than medicine,” claims Firenze in this charming book about the practical uses of olive oil. Firenze shares her passion for the staple ingredient by recounting warm memories from her Italian-American childhood, divulging tasty family recipes and detailing olive oil’s fascinating history as a common Mediterranean health aid and an ingredient in food preparation. For those new to olive oil, Firenze explains the different classifications, the best ways to cook with it (marinating, frying, baking, etc.) and how to throw a great Olive Oil tasting party. The book covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from olive oil’s historic role in religious rituals to its more sensual role as a rubbing oil for massages. Firenzi also details the practical uses of olive oil: it can be employed as a Diaper Rash Remedy to sooth babies’ bottoms; an added ingredient to dog or cat food to give one’s pet a healthy, shiny coat; and a homemade Shoe Polish. Most importantly, the book is filled with delicious recipes such as Gigi’s Eggplant Parmesan and Massimo’s Tomato and Potato Side Dish. This delightful book will not only make readers’ mouths water, but will provide them with a greater understanding of an under-appreciated domestic and culinary ingredient.
Copyright

Sweet From Agave to Turbinado Home Baking with Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener

Sweet From Agave to Turbinado Home Baking with Every Kind of Natural Sugar and Sweetener

Niall (Sweet & Natural Baking), expands the world of sweet to home bakers with his extensive knowledge of natural sweeteners and over 100 recipes. Raw sugar such as turbinado, moist brown sugars like demerara and muscovado, and nonsugarcane options like agave syrup and fruit juice concentrates are incorporated in an enticing selection of recipes for cakes, pies, cookies, entr

The Herb Society of Americas Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking With Herbs

The Herb Society of Americas Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking With Herbs

Fresh herbs offer a healthy and delicious way to spice up any meal, but growing and cooking with these delectable plants are endeavors fraught with uncertainty. What herbs will grow year-round on my kitchen windowsill? What foods complement rosemary? Which part of a lemongrass plant has the best flavor? Can I really eat the geraniums growing in my flower bed? This indispensable guide from The Herb Society of America takes the guesswork out of using herbs in the garden and in the kitchen by providing detailed information for cultivating a wide variety of herbs, along with easy-to-follow recipes that will surely impress even the most discerning palate.

Ranging from Alliums (onions, chives, and garlic) to Zingiber (ginger), the volume’s first section provides horticultural information for each of the sixty-three herbs found in the National Herb Garden’s Culinary Garden, including common and botanical names, family, place of origin, hardiness, and general light and soil requirements. Botanical sketches accompany many of the entries. Each entry also includes a short history of the herb, gardening basics, and suggestions for using the herb in your kitchen. Culinary herbs without Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Status are included in a separate section, with an explanation of their history and ornamental value. An informative introduction to this section compares several different definitions of the word herb, explains the advantages of fresh over dried herbs, describes the proper storage and use of spices, and suggests the best timing and methods for harvesting herbs.

In the second part of the book, HSA members offer classic and creative recipes for more than two hundred dishes incorporating a variety of herbs. Learn how to use the aromatic and flavorful herbs in your garden to enhance stews and casseroles, create dips and pestos, and add a new dimension to your favorite liqueurs. Among the mouth-watering recipes featured are Lemon Basil Tea Bread, Chicken Linguine with Fennel and Tarragon, Five-Herb Pasta Salad, and Rosemary Fizz.

The concluding section of the book contains a fascinating personal tour of the two-and-one-half-acre National Herb Garden, which lies in the heart of Washington, D.C., at the center of the United States National Arboretum, and of its various themed areas, including the Knot Garden, the Antique and Heritage Rose Garden, the Dye Garden, the Colonial Garden, the Native American Garden, the Beverage Garden, the Medicinal Garden, and many others. Complete plant lists accompany the description of each garden.

Green thumbs and gourmets alike will find inspiration in these pages to look at herbs in new ways–perhaps to see beyond their cupboards and into their own yards for ways to liven up their meals–and will gain the knowledge and confidence to grow and use herbs effectively. More than a gardening book, more than a cookbook, The Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs will prove to be an indispensable companion for all herb lovers.

376 pages, 7 Halftones, 32 Line Drawings, 6.25 x 9.25

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars HSA member review
Although happy with the information on individual herbs and wonderful recipes, this is not a book I could recommend to a beginning herb gardener because NO color drawings or photographs of any of the herbs described.

4 Stars Herb society book
This is a very good book for people who are looking for a practical guide on the use and growing of herbs. It is not a flashy book but has information that I have not found elsewhere such as lists of herbs grown in the National Herb gardens. Although the recipes are not extensive, the ones included are interesting and unusual.

This is a wonderful book to add to a collection of herb books but could easily be the only book a person would need to get started with herbs.

5 Stars Creative Ideas
The book is a great source of information about incorporating fresh herbs into your every day cooking. After looking for some time, I finally found a comprehensive cookbook for cooking with herbs.

1 Star Church-Group Cookbook
I expectated plenty of good evidence-based information on growing herbs from the Herb Society of America. What I got was 100 pages of general info on every herb out there and then 150 pages of unproven recipes. I have better herb information from most other sources. I would never have bought this book off the shelf. I felt like I was reading a church fundraising cookbook What a disappointment. I expected better from the Herb Society of America.

5 Stars Learn to Enjoy Herbs
Outstanding and delightful! This book offers readers tried and true recipes with herbs but also provides informative herb gardening information. A wonderful gift and must-have for anyone interested in learning more about the cultivation and culinary uses of herbs!

Buy/More Info

Low Carb Cooking With Stevia The Naturally Sweet and Calorie Free Herb

Low Carb Cooking With Stevia The Naturally Sweet and Calorie Free Herb

Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia is the perfect companion for people on a low-carbohydrate diet. This hot new book contains revolutionary, delicious recipes like pastas, breads, even cakes and cookies all low in carbohydrates. Filled with practical advice, Mr. Kirkland is inspirational as he explains how he lost his extra weight and regained his life - All while enjoying a variety of favorite foods. Kirkland, an expert on stevia, includes in-depth information about stevia, the natural alternative to questionable artificial sweeteners. With over 175 delightful low-carb recipes and more than 60 pages of important information, Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia is the essential companion for a successful low-carbohydrate lifestyle.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star measurements in metrics
NOT user friendly. The measurements are in metrics. I would not buy this book again.

1 Star In reponse to the review…
I would like to respond to the person suggesting the key to success for these recipes is to substitute Splenda for Stevia. Hello??!!! The whole point of Stevia is that it is a natural sweetener, not a chemical who’s long-term effects ARE untested and will likely end up the way of toxic aspartame. This review did not help me decide at all whether this book is worth purchasing.

1 Star So Disappointing
I was so excited to find this cookbook as I am trying to eliminate harmful chemicals from my diet. I tried more than half of these recipes, each of them a total disaster. I thought it was the quality of stevia, so I bought several different kinds. Still, each concoction had a san turn out.

5 Stars Flavor Enhancer Bible
I keep this cookbook in the drawer next to the stove. It has been a god send. I love the last chapter on flavor enhancers. The Sweet and Spicy Texas Rub goes in all the grill meats, and the traditional barbecue sauce makes killer barbecue wings, I would put these in competition with any sugar loaded barbecue wings. My key secret is that I replace the stevia with splenda and follow the packet requirements in the recipes. The only recipe I didn’t like was a recipe for Peanut Butter balls. No-Bake Cheesecake recipe I have memorized (not intentionally). I have several Lo-Carb cookbooks this is my favorite.

1 Star Disappointing
Lots of recipes that only require a little sweetening, with stevia substituted for sugar. I could do that on my own. Too many of the “tough” recipes, like desserts, flopped and had to be thrown out when I tried them, and I am not usually too stupid to follow a recipe.

Buy/More Info

Next Page »