Customer Reviews

Field Guide to Candy

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

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I bought this book before Christmas and made several recipes as gifts. I found mistakes in at least two of the recipes. One is on page 254. It should say in #2 "combine the butter,,,". On page 216, it tells us to add vanilla in #2 and #4. What about editors? Did anyone check these things? Mistakes in half the recipes I try?????

I enjoyed this book because of its compact size and coverage of candy. It does have quiet a few things and the recipes work. All the images are in the center of the book and it makes it easy to associate each candy with its instructions as they are labeled.
I would like to mention that the one thing that bothered me was with the Carmel. It said add two different kinds of sugar, but it only called for one, so I feel like something is missing from it. I did look at the other Carmel recipes in the book and sort of even out what it was asking for.
All in all this is a good book and the candy tastes great!

Excellent resource. Answers questions I didn't know I had. Great how-to book. Very organized.

Seller's description and service were excellent.

Field Guide to Candy is a great little book. It's colorful and cute, and the recipes are short and concise. While the recipes aren't necessarily for people who aren't experienced at making candy (after all, the author is a classically trained pastry chef, I believe), it's a great gift for sweets lovers and those who know their way around a candy thermometer.

I love the Field Guide series because they're both cute and informative, and this book is no exception.

This book is AMAZING!!! There are recipes for candy (like licorice, gummy bears, and marshmallow chicks) that I didn't know could be made at home. The variety of chocolate candies is fantastic. It includes photos, techniques, tips, and clear instructions (with extra notes on working with chocolate and sugar.) It even talks about the tools and equipment you'll need. There's fascinating information on the history of each candy plus serving suggestions. Nothing is missing from this book but samples to taste while you're reading it!

I enjoy reading cookbooks just for the recipes, but Field Guide to Candy, has really interesting facts about each type of candy, in addition to the recipes, which makes it particularly enjoyable to browse. Like the Field Guide to Cookies, every candy recipe also includes the general description, history, serving suggestions and helpful cooking notes. Field Guide to Candy covers all the bases with Chocolates, Fruits and Jellies, Sugary Sweet, Creamy, Sticky, Chewy and Nutty, plus Fun and Simple Classics.

Field Guide to Candy is filled with enticing delights, from the common -- like Candy Apples and Chocolate Bark -- to the extraordinary -- like Meringue Mushrooms and Turkish Delight. Old fashioned candies to current trends are included, with American favorites along with treats from all over the world!

Some fun recipes Field Guide to Candy includes are: gummy bears and worms, candy corn, gumdrops, chocolate dipped potato chips, rock candy and lollipops. There's a recipe for Simple Truffles, which don't require chocolate tempering. And it even has a recipe for my family's favorite candy, a honey sesame confection called Pasteli that originated in Greece. Field Guide to Candy gives you the know-how to make all of these confections and more by yourself!