How to Cook Garden Vegetables [Hardcover]

Cook's Illustrated Magazine (Author), John Burgoyne (Illustrator), Christopher P. Kimball (Introduction), Jack Bishop (Author), Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cook's Illustrated How to Cook | Publication Date: 1999

An illustrated step-by-step guide to preparing asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, greens, peas, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Vegetable cooking can be tricky. To the rescue comes How to Cook Garden Vegetables, a pithy guide. In fewer than 100 pages, it presents illustrated, step-by-step instructions for preparing asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, and other garden favorites--basic recipes, tips, and information that all cooks can use.

Asserting that each vegetable has its own best-followed cooking methods--boiling or steaming for asparagus, for example--the book then presents vegetable prep basics and master recipes with interesting variations. Want to fix cauliflower? A typically succinct chapter offers a basic formula for steaming the vegetable and then includes accompanying recipes using curry-basil vinaigrette and bread crumbs, capers, and chopped egg, and suggestions for browning and braising techniques using Asian or Indian flavors. Underlying techniques are explored and illustrated throughout (cutting and otherwise preparing greens is one) and sensible tips abound (for example, to avoid burning, add aromatics to the pan after you've begun to stir-fry the vegetables).

A true primer, the book is part of the Cook's Illustrated Library, a modest yet consistently authoritative series from the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine. Like the magazine, the books are dedicated to presenting tried-and-perfected recipes and cooking techniques in a concise, approachable way. --Arthur Boehm

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Boston Common Press; 1st edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936184345
• ISBN-13: 978-0936184340
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,946,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars lame little book, July 4, 2009

By 

Biogirl (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Cook Garden Vegetables (Hardcover)

If I had realized this book was only about 5x7 inches in size, and contained mostly just basic blanching and steaming instructions, I wouldn't have bothered with it. We have other Cook's Illustrated books that tell you these kind of instructions and more, so this was totally unnecessary. I still love Cook's Illustrated products, but am disappointed with this particular book. Maybe it would be good for someone who has no other cookbooks, has never cooked veggies before, and has a garden?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A rare CI disappointment, February 11, 2008

By 

Ron (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Cook Garden Vegetables (Hardcover)

I have a lot of Cook's Illustrated books and have been happy with all of the others prior to this one. This one is small in size (5 1/4 x 7 1/4) and number of pages (96). I'm trying to increase my vegetable consumption, but the unimaginative recipes in this book didn't inspire me to do so.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't spend your money on this one, May 30, 2009

By 

Heike Childs - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Cook Garden Vegetables (Hardcover)

This booklet only partially covers very few rudimentary vegetables; they are as follows: green asparagus, green broccoli, green cabbage and it's derivative Brussels sprouts, white cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, greens, peas, red or orange peppers, red tomatoes and squash. These items are then either very basically boiled, steamed, braised, or grilled, as may be preferred by the author. Unfortunately the alternative spice variations don't take the prospective cook very far either. If you're looking to develop your range of culinary excursions, this book leaves you home - it just never takes off.

Searching for illustrations you can only find very few black and white line art drawings, which are not even that helpful. There isn't a single photo anywhere.

This mini book does not inspire, nor does it pretend to give any in depth information about any of the vegetables. The author presumes you're growing these vegetables in your own garden, thus not offering any help in what to look for when purchasing any of these veggies' or offering when they are in season. It omits all canned or frozen vegetables. Likewise it omits the uses of vegetables in forms of mixtures. There are no salads, no casseroles, no quiches, no bakes or soups.

I was very disappointed by it's lack of depth, it's lack of variety on the topic, it's lack of photos, and it's diminutive size of font. The fine print on the back of a check has a bigger type font.