Customer Reviews

Talk About Good Cookbook

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I LOVE this cookbook. Out of all the cookbooks I have collected, many of them claiming to be cajun cookbooks- this is the one I turn to when I want to cook something uniquely Louisiana.

The recipes are easy to follow and the results are wonderful. I have not had one recipe I have tried fail.

I only wish I lived in Louisiana where I would be able to get fresh shrimp and crab and tasso and andouille and on and on.

However, barring that, these are wonderful recipes. I particularly like the recipe for benets. Yum.

This is the first cookbook that I remember my Mom cooking from. It is what I first learned to cook from. While our cookbook collection now spans to well over 100 cookbooks, some for cooking, some for reading for ideas, both my husband and I reach for this book frequently.

WOuld not recommend Talk About Good II, however.

Anyone, Cajun or not who attempts to cook Cajun food should own this book. Forget Emeril, Paul Prudhomme and Justin Wilson. This is a cookbook for Cajuns by real cajuns which has been a standard in the kitchens of Acadiana for decades.

Talk About Good is the backbone of creative cooking. I have a collection of over 600 cookbooks, collected over the past 20 years, and this continues to be my favorite. I am ordering a new copy for myself because my old, beat up copy, was loaned to a friend who doesn't want to give it back. Easy to follow format and realistic cuisine. Do yourself a favor and buy this.

The Sinatra's Greatest Hits of Cajun Home Cooking.

Anyone that grew up in the heart of cajun Louisiana remembers seeing this cookbook on the counter next to the huge jar of red beans and larger jar of Community coffee. "River Road Recipes" is its equivalent among the Eastern Cajuns and Baton Rougeans.

If you want to learn to cook cajun food the way they do it in Lafayette this and the succeding versions are for you. All you'll need is a cast iron skillet, heavy dutch oven and you're on you're way.

Of course, some of the new cookbooks (Paul Prudhomme and later) are full of interesting new ideas that you might like even more. Our cuisine keeps getting better but it won't hurt you to learn the standards. Versions two and three are a little more up-to-date.

You should also check out "River Road Recipes" which shows more influences of New Orleans and rivals Talk About Good as the most popular book among real Louisiana home, social club and fish camp cooks.

There are a lot of misconceptions about how we talk. If you want to imitate us after eating something delicious, skip anything that Justin Wilson ever said and exclaim "Talk about good!"

"Talk about good, yeah!," "Kyaw, talk about good good!" and "Pooo, talk about good!" also work.

I have been making the recipes from this book for almost 35 years. (I'm on my 2nd or 3rd copy, but keep the beat-up, stained original for old times sake.) The recipes are truly good, simple and authentic old-fashioned Cajun. With this book I have come to cook like my mother and grandmother, fine Cajun cooks, and I like to think I'm beginning to get as good as they were. This book has played a great part in me getting to that point because the recipes are from great old Cajun cooks like my folks. Nothing pretentious here, just the real deal. C'est bon, ca.

i purchased a copy of this book while on a family trip to new orleans in the early 1990's...maybe it was 1989 on my belated
honeymoon with my then husband. the recipes are compiled from
mostly native louisiana women...i am thinking that this book was
first printed in the 1960's. this a very homemade kind of recipe
book. straight out of some housewife that has been cooking for
a while kitchen. it is nice to know that everyone has their own version on food. i tried the cheese puffs stuffed with olives
recipe...yummmmm...very simple...it was made with food that most
of us keep as staples in the fridge or pantry at all times...no
gourmet stuff here...just good louisiana cooking secrets from the
source...though my beignets bombed...the puffs were a hit. you
will find out things on how to make cakes from scratch and frosting from the start. it is like a cooking bible...just a
new orleans version of 'the joy of cooking' classic...

During my childhood, this was my mother's favorite cookbook - long before it was feasible to access such a wide range of recipes from the internet. She lost the cookbook (and everything else) in Hurricane Katrina, and it has been difficult to replace it. We were so happy to be able to find it on Amazon.com and give it to her for Christmas. Although she has relocated from New Orleans, the cookbook and the recipes that she used from it over the holidays, made us feel at home. The cookbook itself demonstrates authentic home cooking. Each recipe reflects the contributors' individual tastes and family traditions, and the types of cooking and ingredients provide a glimpse into a distinct culture. I find it as much fun to read the recipes and their variations as to cook them.

I'm trying to buy this book to replace my worn out copy that I inherited from my mom. This is a fantastic cookbook full of everything from simple stuff to fancy company stuff. It is a true compilation of recipes from Lafayette's Junior Leaguers (my mom has a recipe in there too!) and it's a much truer depiction of Louisiana cooking than what most people thing. I collect cookbooks as a hobby and have over 100 of them, but actually USE this one. And when I taste the results I can almost hear my mom saying "Oooooh sha, you talk about GOOD!"

I received this cookbook in 1980 as a Christmas present from my oldest sister, who lived in Lafayette. At the time, I was not even out of high school yet, so I'm pretty sure I hadn't asked for a cookbook or was thrilled to get one that year. However, after 20 plus years of cooking and owning numerous cookbooks, it reins as my favorite. Several of the pages have stains from all the years of use. My sisters and I have made several recipes from this book and have loved them all. It's not just jambalaya and red beans and rice--it's full of dishes that would please a variety of tastes. I use it throughout the year and always at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Do yourself a favor and buy one for your sister (and you).