Customer Reviews

The Little Black Book Of Burgers

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I have been buying books on burgers for the last year and I thought that I would give this one a try. Overall, I like it but I have some reservations. First the positives:

There's quite a bit of hamburger related topics for such a small book. The contents include:

* The history of the hamburger (no one really knows for sure who "invented" it but the book lists the 4 most likely suspects)
* The Big Chains: here you will find a short history of the biggest hamburger chains including the first, White Castle
* Regional Chains: I like this section as it talks about geographically limited hamburger chains that are many people's favorites, such as Whataburger, Fat Burger and the ever popular, In-N-Out.
* Mom and Pop Joints: I like small, one of a kind burger joints and go out of my way to visit as many as I can. However, only 17 are listed and almost all of them can be found in other books, such as Hamburger America (which list 100 places). As a matter of fact, out of the eight restaurants featured in the documentary version of Hambuger America seven of them are listed in The Little Black Book of Burgers.

The recipes featured here are good, some VERY good, such as The Classic Burger, Beer-Basted Bar Burger and Eggs Burgerdict. Also, several non-beef burger recipes are listed. Although I tried several of the recipes and liked them, only a few were really unique. There are also recipes for sides, drinks and deserts.

Although I am glad that I bought this book I am not sure why it was published in "The Little Black Book" format. I can understand it for travel guidebooks and bartender guides but why for burger recipes? Most of the preparation for burgers would usually done in the kitchen so it's small size and spiral spine is really not necessary. Although other books (such as Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries and Shakes) cover the subject more completely, this can be a good "first" book for burger beginners.

Hamburger America: One Man's Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation [DVD]

Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes

I never actually received this book. The stock listing was incorrect so I received something else instead. They were, however, very cooperative in sending me a label to return the incorrect item at no charge to me and my account was quickly reimbursed for the book I did not receive.