Customer Reviews

Cookin' with Home Storage

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I thought this book would be a good basic cookbook, but I am disappointed in the poor quality of the recipes. For example, I started reading in the Bread section, and in 25 recipes, I found 24 typographical errors or omissions (like a recipe for whole wheat bread that doesn't tell you how much whole wheat flour to use, and a refrigerator roll recipe where you are never told to put the dough into the frig). If you are an experienced cook, you will probably do OK with this book using trial and error, but if you are inexperienced, it is frustrating beyond words.

I was really curious to see this book after seeing the disparity in the online reviews. This is an excellent source of information-- packed with interesting recipes, some of which purport to be (and sound as if they might be) from the pioneers. It certainly provides a wide selection of dishes and goodies to make using long-term storage foods such as whole grains, dried milk, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, etc. There are, however, enough recipes that don't use these foods to justify purchasing the book to add to your cookbook collection, even if you don't store dried foods. Okay, so it's poorly edited. There are asterisks that don't seem to refer to anything, numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and apparent omissions. But these don't render the book unusable. The reader will need to work around them. The author appears to assume that the reader can already cook. It certainly isn't a book for the novice in the kitchen! I'd recommend that the reader carefully read any recipe before trying it, considering whether it makes sense or whether there might be some omissions. In addition to the very interesting recipes, the book has useful information on emergency substitutions, reconstituting dried foods, quantities to store, and survival foods (what's out there in the wild that you can eat in a pinch). All in all, I'd say it's a great addition to your cookbook library, very reasonably priced, an interesting read, and a must-have if you're into long-term food storage--definitely worth the investment!

I was very disappointed with this book because many of the recipes are inaccurate and incomplete. I have even called the author for clarification of a recipe but she would not respond. It seems like she had a lot of her friends submitt recipes for the book but did not really try the recipes herself, to see if they were complete and easy to follow.

This book appears to have been thrown together without anyone trying the recipes to see if the results are actually edible, or if all the ingredients we were asked to gather were used. It is frustrating to be told to mix "all ingredients," then two sentences later be told to put in another of the ingredients. This is one example of many. The directions are sketchy or downright inaccurate. There are so many obvious typos, that I wonder how many of the ingredients and amounts are accurate or are also typos. I dislike this book so much that I will not even give it away. What a waste of money. This book may be good on the "lore" side, but it is not a cookbook. I am still looking for a good cookbook tailored to home storage. This isn't it.

A helpful book in that it includes information on rehydrating freeze dried and dehydrated foods, how to cook and combine them, how to substitute stored foods in place of fresh ingredients and includes many recipes that a normal person would eat on a normal basis - soups, casseroles etc. But there are so many typographical and grammatical errors it is hard to believe this book made it through any proofreader at all. Although that aspect is very annoying, it is still the best reference cookbook available in this category and the most helpful.

Being new to breakmaking, I was excited to purchase this book so that I could begin making bread from my food storage. It doesn't appear that any of the recipes were tested because if you try and make the 100% Honey Wheat Bread - trust me, it doesn't work. I even enlisted an expert baker and she said there is no way this recipe would work as written. She even tried to rework this recipe with disappointing results. Makes me wonder if any of the recipes are worth even trying. Nothing worse than hoping for a wonderful outcome only to throw it in the trash. Which by the way is where this book is going to go. My advise is to ask a friend what cookbook they use and then buy that book. NOT this one. My guess is the author just wanted another cookbook under her belt and didn't care if any of the recipes worked.

Some of the neccessary ingredients are not listed in many of the recipes, which makes me wonder if the authors ever tried out the recipes themselves. Many of the recipes are old family heirlooms, that may have been written down, without trying to re-create the final dish from the written directions.

I love that it includes everything from making ketchup, from powdered tomato or tomato paste, to sloppy joe mix. I can see how this alone would save a lot from purchasing more expensive and less healthy store brands.

I wouldn't call much of it "health food" though and it's pretty basic, not exotic. I like exotic bean dishes that use all kinds of spice and flavors. This is very simple and basic.

Cooking with Home Storage is a book that many, many survival / dry food storage companies sell and /or send out with their products. It is a basic cookbook, meaning it uses BASIC ingredients such as granny had in her pantry and garden, such as flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, eggs, milk, beans and garden veggies and fruits. Over 700 recipes, 300 pages plus index. This is the book for you to have if you are the typical American woman of today who knows NOTHING about baking and from scratch. No shame, it is a sign of our times that many women unfortunately were not taught how to bake and cook. Drive-thru window is so much easier. Get this book and learn how to do it from a few simple ingredients in the pantry. Get this book and keep practicing. These ingredients are not expensive and you can afford to make a few mistakes in the learning process. Typically this book sells for $14.95 plus shipping and handling.
Here's the Table of Contents:

Historical Overview

Thirst Quenchers - Drinks
Varieties of Breads and Cereals:
..Pioneer Breads
..Breads
..Cornmeal
..Toppings
..Quick Mixes
..Muffins
..Hot Cakes
..Syrups
..Tortillas
..Specialty Breads

..Crackers and Chips

..Breakfast Cereals

..Sourdough

Soups and Sauces:

..Soups

..Bean and Pea Soups

..Chowders

..Stews

..Chili

..Sauces

Pot Luck Main Dishes:

..Pioneer Dinners

..Dried Beans

..One-Pot Meals

..Pizza

..Mexican

..Rice

..Meat Substitutes

..Meat Dishes and Fish

..Pasta

..Dutch Oven

..Manti Pageant Bar-B-Q Turkey

Dairy Products and Eggs:

..Milk Products

..Cheese

..Eggs

Fruit, Vegetables, Salads and Sprouts:

..Fruit

..Vegetables

..Salads

..Sprouts

Dessert and Confections:

..Puddings

..Pies

..Cakes

..Cookies

..Confections

Grandma's Home Remedies:

..Remedies

..Natural Beauty and Personal Care

..Emergency Baby Care

..Household Cleaners

Survival:

..Includes wild game recipes

Preparedness Tips, Hints and Suggestions:

..Reconstituting Dried Foods

..Substitutions

..Preparedness Tips

..What To Store

..Where To Go for Preparedness Products

Yes- I agree- the recipes are, well, yuck! I saw the "cheese" recipe posted in several NG's-so I bought the book, and tried out this fantastic recipe. The cat wouldn't even eat it.