Customer Reviews

The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving: Elegant Garnishes for All Occasions

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You can tell by the decorative food carving at kaiseki restaurants that the Japanese eat with their eyes. No other book has captured this dying art in such detail.

The Decorative Art of Japanese Food Carving is filled with instructions and photos that give you the skills to recreate these wonders at home, as well as simple recipes and a guide to carving tools. Most impressive is the delicate and thin slices that chef Hiroshi Nagashima, of Hongan-ji temple restaurant Shisui in Tsukiji, uses to transform fruit and vegetables into edible art.

We tested a few of these techniques at home and were tickled by the successful results. Complicated as some of the shapes look, it is actually easy to make the curls and knots. The chapter on cucumber carvings in particular was a snap to recreate at home, and satisfying to the palate.

This book has beautiful photography and intricately detailed step-by-step directions for even the most green chef out there. With a good, sharp, and thin paring knife, one can easily achieve most of the carvings presented.

I like this book and I am glad to have it in my library. I would have given a fourth, and possibly a fifth star except for two main criticisms:

a) the book, at only 112 pages, really doesn't feature a lot of different techniques. There is a pretty good little selection but I would have preferred a much more comprehensive overview;

b) Although the illustrations are all very beautiful and artistically executed, they often aren't taken from the best point of view so as to clearly illustrate the techniques involved.

Nice little book otherwise, though.

This book has a good combination of explanatory text and photos to help the budding cook. There is a useful mixture of fairly simple carving and more exotic things to do. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to up their food presentation .

I love this book. Fully illustrated, with most of the space used for multiple color inserts on every page. Each step is artfully detailed. This book is basic. Each suggestion is practical. Garnishes made from cucumbers, daikon, red radish, lemon, grapefruit, papaya and more. From simple thin tied carrot knots, to a melon carved bird basket. From elaborate eggplant traps to apple cages.

i rarely become so excited with a new book. It doesn't take long to read because it's barely a hundred pages of mostly pictures. Published less then a year ago, and being only 8" x 10", it will still make a great coffee table book. I can't wait to try the zucchini net: a great alternative to nori rolls or wrapping in lettuce.

Easily adaptable to an all raw food menu, I will certainly use some of these in my food presentations. I heartily recommend this book. And at this price, it's a worthwhile indulgence.

This book is filled with instructions on how to make mostly little garnishes that are intricate and simple all at once. Think elegant sushi adornment and desert jewelry and this book will make you happy showing you how to make that happen with clear instructions and lots of step by step photos.

Mostly the book tackles precise but easy enough to accomplish looking dikon redish and carrot designs along with smaller zucchini/eggplant(aubergine)creations. It doesn't show any of the garnishing techniques to make say a large watermelon into a flowery center piece utalizing the green and pink of the fruit like the Thailand books...but does have a few basic melon/fruit as bowl designs. It does show one blooming chrysanthemum in the medium of carrot via repeated v cuts that echoes the idea of melon carving but it's somehow a different style in the end.

Essentially all any of any of this is simply repeated, precise, v, u, or circular cuts and thin slices and clever arrangement that somehow makes everything seem special, elegant, or breathtaking...and I think this book is a great book for copying directly or using as inspiration as how to think about making the food on the plate a little higher.

I especially liked that most of the cuts are shown done using a pretty big sharp flat kitchen knife and basic step one or two kitchen tools like a melon baler, peeler, and corer nothing so fancy or expensive...the most unusual tool is a v cutter which may be accomplished with a pointed knife... unless one invests in a really nice blade and sharpener or really high grade equipment, one can get started trying most of these garnishes with the tools you already have in your kitchen.

The back explains a few more tools and tools for saving time but most of the instruction is done using a pretty standard knife.

You will be amazed on how the food decorative is made. This book teaches you how to food carving for presentation of all occasion. Its easy to look but very difficult to follow. Will need lots of patient and practices. Its a fun book and must have for those who looking for food presentation reference.

5 star book on how to create very interesting garnish's... Great Photography and instructions... with practice anyone can create these garnish's...

Yes I like the designs but there was only enough to get your taste buds whetted. Too bad it wasn't a bigger book with more things to try. (I am not an artsy person so I need help coming up with cute and fun ideas). It is a good book to start off with and it is a keeper. Thanks for the speedy delivery.

Easy and amazing designs that can be recreated without very specialized tools. Very colorful pictures, loved the book!! Could make an excellent gift for food art lovers.