Customer Reviews

Japanese Homestyle Cooking

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an American currently living in Japan and have grown very fond of the Japanese cuisine. I take Japanese cooking classes and have found that the techniques I have learned are included in this book both in description and in easy to follow pictures. A great reference when I can't quite remember what the next step is. I have found that I can duplicate some of my favorite meals with this book. The recipes are easy to follow. The directions are as simple as they can be. The breakdown of recipes includes seasonal recipes as well as categories such as deep-fried dishes, steamed dishes, broiled dishes, sashimi, one pot dishes, rice and noodle dishes, and soups. There are also some very useful photos of the equipment used to prepare the dishes. In this book you will find that they go beyond many cookbooks by providing information and pictures on table settings and manners for eating Japanese foods. To sum things up - simple easy to follow recipes, GREAT pictures showing techniques and step-by-step images of what the preparation should look like, pictures of required cooking equipment. If this hasn't convinced you then the last thing I have to back this up - I showed this book to some of my Japanese friends and they wanted to know where to buy it!!!

Japanese Homestyle Cooking is one of my favorite cookbooks. It has over 135 easy to follow recipes. The directions are simple and straightforward. It has pictures of tools used, like the deep-fry pan (Tempura-nabe), wooden tub (Handai), etc. Has an average of about 7 great pictures per page showing dishes at various stages of preparation. It shows oil at various temperatures, different types of knife cuts, how to tell if a clam is alive or dead, how to clean a squid, and more. The tools and ingredients are listed in both English and Japanese, in the recipe the ingredients are listed by name, if it is not that common of a name, say like mitsuba, it will have the English common name listed in parentheses (honewort); Kinugoshi-dofu (silken tofu). The book is broken down into 14 basic sections, four being seasonal menus (each recipe also has a season in the corner just to let you know the what season is recommended for that dish), and another 12 that cover things such as: Basic stocks, Unique Ingredients, Daily Menus, or How to eat Dobin-mushi. There are also tips throughout the book. One last note on the pictures, they are all in color with many wonderful dishes and bowls, very visually pleasing. This cookbook is great for everybody, beginner on up that wants to add Japanese Homestyle Cooking to his or her lives.

This book is different from other cookbook for Japanese dishes. Not only are the pictures great as illustrations for important steps, the layout is clear and organized, and the ingredients are exactly those that are used by the Japanese for the dishes, without 'compromising' say, sake with other types of wine; and yet the ingredients can be conveniently purchased at Japanese supermarkets. This is what is important for a cookbook - not merely filled with brilliant pictures but difficult for readers to 'practise'.

This book also provides general guidance on cooking methods like how to cut a fish and a glossary of the utensils used for cooking. It is a very good book - to read and to follow.

This is my favorite Japanese cookbook in English. I've owned it for about 7 years already, and my copy is bookmarked all over the place. I am a 3rd generation Japanese American, and this is the cooking my obaachan (grandmother) used to make. Everything is explained clearly. You will have to go and explore a Japanese grocery to get many of the ingredients, but that's to be expected for authentic flavors. Highly recommended.

I love the range of recipes and ease of preparation. Only problem is that lots of the ingredients are not available in the States and some improvisation is required. But with the detailed step-by-step pictures, a newbie to cooking can easily learn the ropes!

The book is full of great recipes and techniques. Ideal for the beginning cook. Wonderful for anyone who doesn't know how to cook Japanese food but wants to learn how. I haven't cooked a single meal from this book that has not been a hit. The only hard part is finding some of the ingredients. The book is incredibly authentic, yet easy to understand and approachable. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Japanese food.

What some people fail to realize, including apparently the author, is that you can substitute tools that you have for those required for preparation, even is that process is specialized like making square eggs. You only really need a small all-purpose knife, a serrated knife, a square baking tray (for the omelettes), a wok, two pots of different size for cooking soup and/or noodles, a pan, a cutting/rolling board, and a strainer. For steaming, simply put the foods into the strainer, and let the steam pass through.

Buying exotic tools doesn't work, as you can do the same with those you have once you know how to use them for this purpose, whereas odd tools you will only use once if you do not feel comfortable with them.

This is a great book for those of us who don't cook very often. The recipes are not quick but they're easy, and there are enough choices to make up for the occasional lack of utensils. This book is also available in English in Japan, which is helpful for those of us who are mada nihongo ga jouzu ni narimasen.

I like having this book in my collection. I flip through it fairly often when I am looking for ideas. The book is simple and straightforward enough to be useful to beginners, and there are plenty of decent step-by-step photographs to help out. The reference materials on ingredients and cutting techniques are very good and thought the section on the use of plates was excellent. Indeed, I am surprised this is not a feature in more books on Japanese cooking because plating and presentation is so important in this cuisine. A little more material on actually arranging food on the platters would have been nice but astute readers can probably pick up the basics from examining the beautiful pictures of the completed recipes. More advanced cooks will also enjoy this book because the range of recipes is extensive and there is lot to provide inspiration. I probably would have given 5 stars but for the following criticisms:

- The presentation of the material is a little cluttered. The pictures are excellent but the text and illustrations are haphazardly organized and this sometimes makes reading confusing and detracts from the visual appeal of the book;

- Although the supplementary technical material is very good, a more thorough textual introduction to Japanese cuisine in general would be better, as would a little more background information on the various dishes presented. Such information is readily available in a host of other Japanese cookery books, but the inclusion of it here would have rounded out this particular book nicely;

- Finally, I have to note that the title of the book is a little misleading. I suppose any of the dishes included in these pages might be found in a Japanese home but I rather suspect the majority of them would only be prepared by a very accomplished cook who entertains quite a lot. Some of the simpler or 'homier' dishes like 'Oyako donburi' and 'Tonkatsu' were rather conspicuous by their absence. I like the dishes chosen and the way they are presented, but I was rather expecting something a little different.

Very nice - I love the illustrations and photos!

I find I needed to pair it with a dictionary for shopping, though.