Friday, June 15, 2012

COOKBOOK REVIEW: TASTE OF HOME: COOKING SCHOOL COOKBOOK







Title:          Taste of Home: Cooking School Cookbook: 400 + Simple to Spectacular Recipes

Publisher: Reader's Digest

Pub Date: March 15, 2012

ISBN:         9780898219456

Author:    Catherine Cassidy and Taste of Home Editors



About Catherine Cassidy:
Catherine M. Cassidy is Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Home. She is responsible for driving editorial direction and product strategy across the brand's media platforms. They include Taste of Home, the number one food and entertaining magazine in the world; TasteofHome.com; social media; special interest publications; and cookbooks. She also is responsible for editorial direction for the magazines Simple & Delicious andHealthy Cooking and Enthusiast Brands Birds and Blooms, Country, Country Woman, Farm and Ranch Living, and Reminisce.

Cassidy has toured the country as the face of Taste of Home for national and local TV, radio, and newspaper interviews in support of the best-selling Taste of Home products, including its cookbooks.
Prior to joining Taste of Home, Cassidy served as Editor-in-Chief of Prevention magazine, at Rodale, Inc. Cassidy joined Rodale in 1986 as an associate editor in the book division, and was later named Executive Editor of Rodale's Custom Publishing division. She started her career atRunner's World and Fit magazines in Mountain View, California. Cassidy lives in Mequon, Wisconsin, with her husband and two daughters.








About Taste of Home

Taste of Home is a go-to resource for the holidays and any time of the year for information on food, cooking and entertaining. Each year, thousands of great home cooks from across the United States and Canada submit more than 40,000 recipes, of which 3,000 are published inTaste of Home magazines and online, making Taste of Home one of the largest and most successful practitioners of user generated content. Before being published, every recipe is tested in the Taste of Home Test Kitchen to ensure that it can be prepared with affordable, everyday ingredients from regular grocery stores. Taste of Home content is available in print; online at Tasteofhome.com; in books; via digital download on iPad, mobile apps and Kindle; and Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
For more information please visit http://www.tasteofhome.com, and follow on Facebook and Twitter


READER REVIEW

BOOK CONTENTS

  1.   INTRODUCTION
  2.   APPETIZERS
  3.   DRINKS
  4.   BETTER THAN TAKEOUT
  5.   SOUPS
  6.   BEEF & PORK
  7.   POULTRY
  8.   SEAFOOD
  9.   VEGETARIAN
  10.   SIDE DISHES
  11.   BREAKFAST
  12.   BAKING
  13.   DESSERTS
  14.   REFERENCES
  15.   INDEXES

In the Introduction section, measuring correctly is explained.  The difference between measuring liquids, shortening, sour cream & yogurt, dry ingredients, butter and brown sugar.  I don't know about you, but this is an important section.  No one ever taught me exactly how to measure.  I've been "eyeballing" it with a measuring spoon for years.

Next are all the items needed for a well-stocked kitchen.  From the items found in a well-stocked pantry to your basic cutlery  to your basic cookware and bakeware, everything you need to begin cooking is listed AND pictured in this chapter.

The next twelve chapters all contain recipes that are simple, easy to understand, and are comprised of basic ingredients that are usually found in your pantry, and if not, in your local supermarket.


I tried three recipes from the cookbook.  From the "Better than Takeout" chapter, I made Ramen Vegetable Beef Skillet;  


from the "Soups" chapter, I made Wild Rice Soup; and from the "Poultry" chapter, I made Key Lime Chicken Thighs.  


WILD RICE SOUP    P. 77
YIELD:  8 SERVINGS  (ABOUT 2 QUARTS)

1 LB GROUND BEEF                                 
2 C CHOPPED CELERY
2 C CHOPPED ONION
3 C WATER
1 CAN (14.5 OZ.) CHICKEN BROTH
1 CAN (10 3/4 OZ. CONDENSED CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP, UNDILUTED
1 PKG. (6.75 OZ.) QUICK-COOKING LONG GRAIN AND WILD RICE MIX
5 BACON STRIPS, COOKED AND CRUMBLED


In a large saucepan, cook the beef, celery, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain.  

Add the water, broth, soup, rice and contents of the seasoning packet.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Garnish with bacon.

Nutrition Facts:  1 cup equals 268 calories , 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 43 mg cholesterol, 909 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrates,  2 g fiber, 17 g protein.  





My husband and I both liked the three recipes that I tried, and I really liked the looks of all the recipes in the book.  All seemed to be very simple, and made up of items usually found in your pantry, or at least found in the local supermarket.  Also, they were all of the type that would appeal to families with children, and were not too exotic or different for the hard-to-please crowd in the family.  

As the main cook in the family, one of my favorite features in the cookbook was the measuring tutorial.  As stated earlier, no one ever covered that with me, so I learned something from reviewing this cookbook.  Also, the lists and pictures of everything you need for a well-stocked kitchen was enlightening.  Not only would that be great for the young adult starting out on their own for their first time, but it wouldn't hurt someone like me to go back every now and then and restock their kitchen.  

Certainly, the cookbook is worth its price.  Taste of Home has an excellent reputation and this book lives up to that reputation.  This would make an excellent addition to anyone's cookbook collection, or the perfect starter for a novice cook.  That said, allow me to make one suggestion.  I know everyone loves e-readers these days.  The digital edition was the only type made available to me, but I quickly realized that it was unreadable to me on my Nook.  The print was so small as to be unreadable.  Fortunately, I have Adobe Digital Editions on my laptop, and I used it to read the cookbook.  This didn't bother me, since I have been using my laptop as a digital cookbook for a couple of years now, anyway, but if a customer bought it expecting to use it on their Kindle or Nook, they would be sorely disappointed.  That, however, is my only complaint.  Since this is a cookbook, I give it 5 wooden spoons.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley®.com <http://www.netgalley.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

1 comments:

Unknown said...

What a fabulous idea for a cookbook. really great post. Check this for more Cook Book Reviews

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