Customer Reviews

Cooking with Chimineas: 150 Delicious Recipes for Barbecuing, Grilling, Roasting and Smoking

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Cooking with Chimineas: 150 Delicious Recipes for Barbecuing, Grilling, Roasting and Smoking

CONS:

I. THIS BOOK IS DANGEROUS

The author tells readers to cook with charcoal. Most terracotta chiminea manufacturers tell users NOT to cook with charcoal. It can cause the chiminea to crack and break and cause a fire outside the chiminea.

The author herself uses an uncommon NON-terracotta chiminea that LOOKS LIKE TERRACOTTA, and she features it on the cover, giving terracotta chiminea owners a misleading impression. (And, get this, she encourages the readers to buy her model, providing the UK mailing and UK web address of the company).

II. THE TITLE IS MISLEADING

The title includes "smoking" but I was unable to find any recipes that involved cooking with wood smoke! It's all charcoal cooking.

III. THIS BOOK ADAPTS ORDINARY RECIPES TO COOKING ON A CHIMINEA; IT DOES NOT PROPOSE MANY RECIPES THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A CHIMINEA'S UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS

I think some things are better cooked on a chiminea than a stove or gas grill, but the author seems to miss this point. She tells you how to use your chiminea to cook many things that would be better/more easily cooked on the stove or in the oven.

I have a stove. I have an oven. I have an electric grill. I bought this book thinking I would learn some recipes for things better cooked on a chiminea, perhaps things with a wood smoke flavor, etc.

I did not buy this book for stove-top recipes simply transferred to cooking on a chiminea. For example, the author tells you how to cook stir-fry vegetables with a wok--by placing it on the very top of the chiminea. (By the way, she assumes you have a chiminea with a wide mouth (like the special one she uses and markets to you) and has a special "trivet," also made for her special non-terracotta chiminea.

CONCLUSION/SUMMARY:
This book tells you to cook with charcoal, when that may destroy your chiminea and be dangerous. It pitches a product sold in the UK. It doesn't contain any wood smoke recipes. And it doesn't present many recipes that you won't find in ordinary cookbooks.