Customer Reviews

The Key to Chinese Cooking

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The eleven other reviews of this remarkable book (as of early June, 2004) all give this book 5 stars, an equally remarkable achievement. As one of those eleven people said, this is truly the Julia Child of Chinese cookbooks. I've been using it now since 1978 and there are still hundreds of recipes I haven't tried because the ones that I *have* cooked are so wonderful that I go back to them time after time. Most of the recipes are reasonably simple, with ingredients that can be found in even the most modest Asian market, or even in a Safeway these days, but some of them are a lot easier to make if you live in San Francisco (as I did for a number of years) and can find *everything* she calls for without undue trouble.

If I were marooned for life on a well-stocked desert island, this would be one of my two cookbooks, Julia being the other one. As wonderful as Italian food is, and as great as Marcella Hazen's Italian cookbook is, Chinese cuisine (with its many regional diversities) is far richer and with far more subtleties -- only French cuisine is its equal. Haunt the used book stores, or on-line sources, and try to get this unparalleled book.

My husband is from China, he tells me I cook like his mother now. The copy I have is old and broken I've used it so much. I was hoping to get another copy. It's a great cookbook. Cooking techniques and recipes are explained in depth. There is also a glossary of ingredients so you can figure out what something is and where to buy it.

... I was thrilled to find a used copy. I have been making the food from my Chinese childhood, and yes, the recipes make dishes that taste exactly how I remembered everything. Her instructions are clearly-written and concise.

I bought this book 20 years ago, the year I moved out on my own. I'm disappointed that I can't buy a new copy, plus a copy for each of my daughters (both born in China); it's hard to believe such a fantastic cookbook is out of print. Ms. Kuo not only offers many unusual and authentic recipes I've never seen elsewhere (e.g., Winter Melon Soup cooked and served in the carved Melon, and the best Steamed Pork Buns I've ever had), her directions are exceptionally clear, and she explains each technique and how each dish is traditionally served. And don't miss the explanation of how to cook Peking duck (including using a bike pump to make the skin crispy!)

In the mid-eighties I had a job that allowed me to get home at 5pm. I used Irene Kuo's book to learn to cook Chinese. Not only are the recipes great, but the book is highly educational. I found it particularly useful to shop for the right ingredients.
Oneof my favorites is crab and corn soup. Overall, it's one of my "top 10 all time" cookbooks.

I've had The Key to Chinese Cooking for 27 years; it was one of the first 5 cookbooks in my collection. I now own somewhere around 300 cookbooks, but this is still among the best.

Kuo got everything right. In an era when no one had heard of dim sum or regional Chinese cuisine, she included long sections about ingredients, techniques (including improvisations when you lack authentic equipment), and cooking styles. Every technique introduced includes introductory recipes, such as steamed lemon chicken in the steaming section. There are also lots and LOTS of recipes for every conceivable category, and it probably goes without saying that they're uniformly excellent. The book falls open to spicy pork with peanuts; hot and sour soup; tangerine peel chicken; shrimp fried rice.

But what sets this apart is the writing and instructional style. Kuo has become my touchstone for friendly, technical writing. She knows the reader hasn't deep-fried a duck before, so she gives careful detailed steps that somehow manage to both reassure you and keep you moving. It's never too much information, making you feel as though a task is daunting. I was lucky to find this book when I still a cooking beginner, because I credit the author with making me unafraid to try new recipes and techniques.

My only criticism is that her estimates of serving portions are unreliable. Sometimes she'll say that a recipe serves 4, when served with rice, and we get just a meal for two. That's the case for one of our favorites, chicken in black bean sauce. (I must have a dozen such recipes. This is the one I use.)

Overall though - this is one of my favorite cookbooks. Highly recommended.

Irene Kuo's recipes not only tell you what to do very clearly, but also the "why" of each direction. This is the only book of Chinese Cooking that gives me reliably excellent results. I have the 1977 edition. It is worn and dirty. I hope I can get a new copy of this book soon.

This comprehensive work has been considered a classic ever since it was first published nearly three decades ago. Mrs. Kuo, a master chef and veteran restaurateur, clearly explains the basic techniques of Chinese cuisine, enabling her readers to understand how and why they are utilized. The more than 300 recipes, which range from simple everyday dishes to banquet creations, are imbued with the "teaching presence" of the author. Although many volumes on the subject have appeared over the years, "The Key to Chinese Cooking" still remains an essential resource.

Also recommended: "The Complete Asian Cookbook," by Charmaine Solomon.

My book is from 1977, and I have photocopied recipes to give to others, as it's still out of print.

I like it's treatment of each recipe..A recipes may start with background history, the ingredients are next, and the directions are very clear, telling you how to cook by knowing when a "cooking stage" is met, that is, when something is browned, another is blackened..it isn't just a "2 minutes" and on to the next stage.
Substitutions are listed, and the recipes do not have an excessive number of ingredients, so a trip to a regular grocery store, and an infrequent visit to an Asian store are all that's needed.

Ms Kuo gives many cooking "pearls" among the many recipes...these are helpful in French, or Argentinian cooking for example, not just limited to Chinese/Asian cooking. Even hints on how to reheat leftovers the next day is given...nice!

Get this for a great introduction to ways to cut and prepare foods, and learn in the opening chapters much about cooking in oil, cooking in liquids, and cooking with dry or wet heat.

It has recipes with Szechuan peppercorns...which were "outlawed" until just 2005, so Chinese afficionados will be delighted to have one more "real" ingredient to cook with. Get the "seeded" rather than the "whole" ones, as she points out "the flavor and the aroma come only from the petal-like husks". (The seeds are gritty and undesireable.)

When mincing or chopping, she recommends wetting the cleaver's blade to keep food from sticking...she has a chapter just on the different ways to cut, tenderize, chop...just about any food! Makes one realize why many chefs prefer just a medium weight cleaver for 95% of their work, over an array of varied specialized shaped knives.

This book had over 500 pages of great recipes and wonderful instruction...buy this...this is a keeper!

I wanted to title my review "Best cookbook ever," but that seemed too strong. I mean, it's not like there are pictures of George Clooney in it, so why all the passion?
Because, like the other reviewers, this is how I learned to cook Chinese, my favorite cuisine (if I had to pick just one). This book has flawless instruction, illustrations, and recipes. Recipes you haven't seen before--try the chilled lima beans.
I'm sorry to say I had this book on my shelves for several years before I got around to using it. Now, the spine is broken from heavy use, and I see it is, absurdly, out of print.