Customer Reviews

James McNair's Favorites

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

 

 

I received this as a gift and have really enjoyed it. I've tried a dozen or so recipes and they all been delicious. It's true that it does not have the number of photos McNair devotees are used to, but I would say that every recipe is a winner- perhaps not true of some of McNair's single subject books. The directions are very clearly written and easy to follow. Many easy enough for weekday, after work dinners; others require more prep either in cooking or shopping (although good guidance is provided on more hard-to-find ingredients). The best part is the a great range of recipes- a one-stop source for inspiration.

This cook book is in my top 50 books (of over 1000 cook books) for it's no nonsense approach to having uncomplicated recipes that taste very good.

I've never read Mr. McNair's 30 some brief previous single subject books that he distilled to get this 600 page book of favorites. I'm glad he did the work for you and me. He truly offers a world of recipes, from Asian to Middle Eastern, and Italian to Swedish and American with Thanksgiving.

His instructions are clear in each recipe. What I like most is that he gives his favorite recipe, and then gives 15 variations to try. For cornbread, for example, he gives a Northern style, with optional sugar and 50:50 cornmeal:flour, and then lists variations that include Bacon/crackling cornbread, buttermilk, cheese, chile, custard, double corn, herbed, nutty, seeded, and Tex-Mex variations.

Similarly, for creme brulee, he cautions not to get air bubbles mixed in, tells clearly how to cook each step and what to avoid ("bake until set, but still wobbles like gelatin when the containers are shaken very gently"). He then takes the custards from their waterbath to the refrigerator till chilled, cautions to rermove all moisture from the tops before sprinkling with sugar and torching or broiling, then letting the melted sugar set firm before serving.

If one had never made a creme brulee before, you'd have yours like a pro with his simple precise instructions. Again, the part I like best is the variations, and for this he has: banana custard, Cajeta (caramelized goat milk) custard, caramel, carrot, chocolate, citrus variants, coconut, coffee, fruited, ginger, lavender, maple, mint, pumpkin/winter squash and various spirited custards...Wow!

Want to bake a pie? He has 5 pages on just how to bake a basic pie crust, and has crust variations such as almond crust, brown sugar, cheddar, chocolate, cornmeal, cream cheese, spice, sweet and whole wheat.

These are not trendy stacks of food, or food foams made with expensive paco jet commercial devices; these are very tasty comfort foods, simply, properly and lovingly cooked.

Other items include South African Bobotie, and beef and wild mushroom stroganoff and smoked chicken salad.

I am minimally disappointed in that while he says he has been a judge for Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger competition, his "better burgers" page has only one burger recipe, and that uses worcestershire sauce, optional crumbled cheese, and a loaf of French bread. John, where's the beef?

His photography is good, not great, with the color photos having the flat, slightly underexposed lighting of the 90's-when this was published...not a negative to me.

As this is currently out of print, get this used on Amazon or at a garage sale, it's well worth reading. For cookbook writers, it's equally well worth emulating.

This cookbook contains a wonderful variety of recipes from around the world, from "Chili and Chorizo Quiche" to "Thai Curry" to "Barbecued Chicken, Louisiana Style". My two favorites are "South American Spicy Beef Stew (Picadillo)" and "Sun-dried Tomato and Garlic Spread". The garlic spread uses goat cheese and comes out so elegant, it's hard to believe you can just whip it up in a food processor in a few minutes time. The other recipes I've tried have been impressive and delicious yet not too difficult to prepare.

This book contains almost 600 pages of recipes, so you're bound to find some gems. Most of the pages are simply text since there are just too many recipes to have a photo of each. However, there are several sections of photos so you can get an idea of the presentation and be tempted by some delicious-looking food. The book covers the same sections as any basic cookbook: Appetizers, Soups, Entrees, Desserts, etc so it covers all the bases. And I didn't notice any exotic, hard-to-find ingredients in the recipes.

Overall, this is a terrific cookbook and one that I actually use and enjoy paging through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes to cook gourmet!

This book is huge and has many different recipes especially for those who have many cookbooks looking for something new to try. There are a lot of Asian recipes which is exciting. I am very pleased. I am still going thru it before I actually make anything. But being a seasoned cook I can tell you it is a good one.

This cookbook is awesome. There is such a variety of recipes to try. The instructions are detailed and clear. The recipes that I have made from it so far are delicious.

Jame's McNair's Favorites is a fantastic book full of winning recipes. Only not 5 stars because of a lack of good organization in recipes - it can be difficult to find a recipe without knowing the exact name of it.