Field Guide to Candy [Paperback]

Anita Chu (Author), Tucker + Hosler (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Field Guide | Publication Date: August 1, 2009

At last, a field guide to making and identifying virtually every candy imaginable, from peanut-butter cups to mint meltaways!
 
Field Guide to Candy is the definitive guide to candies from around the world, with more than 100 recipes and variations on such tried-and-true classics as caramel apples, rocky road, and lollipops as well as traditional international favorites like Turkish delight, truffles, and French pralines. 
 
This delectable guide introduces readers to the best techniques for creating chocolates; sugary sweets; creamy, sticky, chewy candies; nutty treats; and fun and simple classics. Every candy is photographed in glorious full color, with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, make, and store your creations. Entries include fascinating historical background, helpful baking notes, and serving suggestions for each delicious variety.
 
Whether you’re a candy-making novice or veteran pastry chef, mouth-watering homemade confections are minutes away with Field Guide to Candy!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anita Chu is a graduate of Tante Marie’s Professional Pastry program, a former baker for Bittersweet Chocolate Café, and the author of Field Guide to Cookies. She channels her love of sweets, writing, and photography into her award-winning Web site, Dessert First. She lives in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159474419X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594744198
• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Maybe if you want something pretty to look at.., October 29, 2009

By 

Shiyuan Deng (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Field Guide to Candy (Paperback)

If you want something cute to put in your kitchen, get it.

If you actually want to make candy, forget about it. Her recipes are way too short to explain the steps that goes into candy making. Candy making is incredibly precise - her book does not do it justice. This book doesn't give enough specificity in the directions for a person who does not have ESP to figure it out. I've tried several recipes from this book and they have all failed spectacularly.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of shelf/ counter space, December 6, 2009

By 

K. Cottrell "kaye" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Field Guide to Candy (Paperback)

i was fooled by the great name and lovely cover of this book. sadly, it could be ok as a novelty gift, but it's not much use as a cookbook.

first, the recipes aren't very good. i'm a hobbyist candy maker- not a pro, but i know caramel from brittle. the recipes in this book are poorly explained, and either overly complicated, or completely improbable, or both.

second, most of the book is filler (for example, the recipe for gummie bears is EXACTLY the same as the recipe for gummie worms, except the portions are double- why write out the entire recipe again?!). it is full of random thoughts and ideas that any decent editor should have cut out. how many times does a candy cookbook need to suggest that candy makes a nice gift? (certainly not every other recipe!)

lastly, the size, layout and formatting of the book make it impossible to use as an actual cookbook. it is certainly not a book you can have open on the counter while you cook. the inside pictures are small, not very appealing, and several of them seem unlikely to be homemade candy, plus they are all together in the photo section, not adjacent to the recipes.

the tidbits of history were interesting for several of the candies, but forced for others (why are you taking up space in my cookbook to speculate about where or when something MIGHT have been created?!), and certainly not worth the price of admission.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy it..., October 24, 2009

By 

Cooking Fan (Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Field Guide to Candy (Paperback)

I do a lot of cooking and baking for my family and friends so I tried a few of the recipes in this book and they really didn't work. Don't waste your time.