The Grains Cookbook [Paperback]

Bert Greene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 1988

Published posthumously, The Grains Cookbook is Bert Greene's tribute to the healthy grain with over 400 delectable recipes. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books, The Quality Paperback Book Club, and Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service. Winner of a 1988 IACP/ Seagrams Food and Beverage Book Award. 95,000 copies in print.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The late Greene's love of his subject is clear in this collection offering over 400 recipes using grains: basic barley, corn meal, millet, oats, rice and wheat; buckwheat and wild rice (not, technically, grains); various forms of cereals, including oat bran, grits and bulgur; the "new" grain, triticale, a hybrid of rye and wheat developed about 100 years ago; and amaranth and quinoa, ancient but recently rediscovered high-protein grains of South America. Not merely bearers of high fiber, low-calorie protein, vitamins and minerals, grains taste goodas Greene proves so well. From appetizers to desserts, wild-oat bran risotto to grits and spinach souffle, his recipes reflect Greene's ec lec tic, international cooking style. Also provided are a history of each grain's consumption and cultivation, nutritional information, basic cooking directions, a bibliography and a mail-order source list. Throughout, Greene's stories of his encounters with grains ("Bulgur came into my life under mildly shocking circumstances: I first sampled it at a bordello in Paris") regale readers and encourage us to cook with a free hand. BOMC Home style main selection, QPBC and Better Homes and Gardens Book Club selection.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Popular food writer Greene's final book is a celebration of grain cookery from barley to wild rice, featuring old standbys like cornmeal, new grains like amaranth and quinoa, and many others. The recipes are unpretentious but varied and unusual, and, while Greene acknowledges that "grains are good for you," his book, like Janet Fletcher's Grain Gastronomy ( LJ 8/88), puts good taste first. For most collections. BOMC, Better Homes & Gardens, Quality Paperback book club selections.-- JS
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (January 11, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894806122
• ISBN-13: 978-0894806124
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this cookbook, March 6, 2006

By 

bookloverFLA (south of Sarasota FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Grains Cookbook (Hardcover)

I must cordially disagree with the previous 2 reviewers who thought the recipes too rich. I made polenta with leeks and loved it! Good recipes for quinoa. A lot to choose from and not all of them had cream in the ingredients.

I did my usual drill of borrowing from library, trying a few recipes and then deciding whether to buy. I bought!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tasty and creative, but not very healthy., May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Grains Cookbook (Paperback)

This book has a wealth of creative recipes for grains, and the ones I tried were delicious. The "Four Seasons Olympic Bran Muffins" are so good, you could easily forget they're bran muffins, but like many recipes in the book, they have a very high sugar content. Low fat is definitely not a priority in this book either. In many of the recipes, the whole grain is a very minor ingredient. The book provides excellent general information about each grain and is useful for creative inspiration, but if you want healthy recipes, look elsewhere.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm a big fan. . . and not a big, fat fan!, November 18, 2011

By 

Twin_Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grains Cookbook (Hardcover)

Well, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in the lack of rave reviews for one of my favorite owned cook books. I bought this book about 12 years ago at a health food store in College Station, TX when I was about 22 years old and becoming interested in whole foods, including whole grains. I found Bert Greene's cookbook on grains fascinating and heart-warming. If you are new to cooking with whole grains, you will find the book very helpful and an insightful companion. It has been a go-to cookbook for most of my last cooking years (about 10). One of my favorites is the Warmed Ginger Tuna Salad using Basmati Rice. (It is also great with Brown Basmati.) I have really enjoyed the 40-carat quinoa (a winner with my 2 year old twin girls); the Chicken Deviltry using popped amaranth is amazing; and, I reiterate one of the previous reviewers comments that there are great quinoa recipes.

I also give Bert Greene credit for being the reason I constantly make and store my own chicken, beef, and fish stock. Many of the recipes in the book call for the homemade stocks (recipes for these are also included), and its made me realize how important this ingredient is to many dishes.

One thing that I have also taken from this book are some common ingredient combinations that are a superb start for any dish.

While I actually do love this cookbook, I rated it 4-star because I have not tried many of the recipes. While it is a cookbook featuring whole grains, it covers ALL grains (i.e. wheat germ, millet, bulgar, bran, couscous, triticale, and many more). While I'm sure that I would probably enjoy the recipes; I haven't felt the need to feature some of these grains, and his recipes commonly call for dedication of time and a trip to a good grocery store for ingredients that are not staples in my house (especially, not all at one time). But, that being said, many of the staples in my kitchen have become staples because of this cookbook!

The last thing that I will say is Bert does like his butter and his meat. If you are not a fan of using butter in your cooking, you may use any oil/fat that you so desire, and you don't have to use as much as he calls for. You will still enjoy the result. This goes for the ratio of grains to meat, too. I have been known to "beef up" the grains portion for the simple fact that I really like the grains.

Thank you Bert Greene for your gift.