Customer Reviews

Mama Leah's Jewish Kitchen

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own a number of Jewish cookbooks but this one can be counted on all of the time. The instructions are easy to follow and all of the recipes are delicious. Over the years I have made close to half of them and I have not been disappointed. It reminds me of my grandmother's kitchen.

This book has all of the wonderful Jewish recipes, including Chicken Soup, Challah, Blintzes, Kugel recipes, many poultry, fish, meat, and vegetable recipes. I own several Jewish cookbooks, but this is the only one with practical recipes. Everything in the book is generally easy to prepare, and comes out wonderfully. I made the Chicken Soup last night. I would especially recommend this book to people who are just beginning to cook Jewish food, or those wishing they had their grandmother's "secret" recipes. Also, it's a small book (yet packed with good information), so it won't take up a lot of space in your kitchen like most cookbooks. Love it, love it, love it!

I have had alot of recipes from Jewish Cook Books and I have cooked alot of briskets in my life, but the Polish brisket with the brown sugar and vinegar is unbelievable. I have made it many times and have never had it turn out bad. I actually double the sauce recipe since everyone loves it so much. YUM!!
... Don't miss this great Jewish cooking. Try it and you'll see. Remember...make that great brisket...the best ever.

This is the most useful Jewish cookbook on my shelf. Better than the glitzy hardcover ones with full-color photos. Better than any of the big names in Jewish cooking (although I suppose Mama Leah is a big name of her own, having run a chain of takeout shops in NY). This book is hands-down the Ashkenazi cooking primer. The recipes are simple and no-frills. They are easy to follow and amazingly they always turn out tasting just like I remember the foods from my childhood.

I have owned and used this cookbook for several years now, and have made several recipes. Unfortunately, there are HUGE problems with the recipes. Clearly, this book was rushed to press without careful editing.

For example, the Matzo Ball recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of Matzo meal, along with 4 eggs and 4 Tbsp of oil. I made this recipes several times, and was extremely frustrated that the batter could never be rolled into a ball shape. I was left with boiled, oily mush. Well, I have since checked numerous other recipes for Matzo Balls, and they always call for ONE cup of Matzo meal, not 1/2 cup, along with the 4 eggs and 4 Tbsp. oil. Clearly, no one bothered to proofread or test the recipe as written. I'm sorry, if you are going to have a Jewish cookbook, the Matzo ball recipe can't be published with such a huge error, rendering the recipe useless.

Then, I made the Stuffed Cabbage. This recipe is listed as making "6 to 8 servings". That is completely false. It makes about triple that amount! I was astounded that I needed to use 3 big lasagna pans to hold the recipe. I didn't know where to store it all! Looking back at the recipe, it does call for TWO LARGE HEADS of cabbage, so it should be obvious that this recipe will make more than "6 to 8 servings".

Mama Leah might be a wonderful cook, but this cookbook is a mess. Don't trust the recipes. I have numerous cookbooks, and this is the first time I have run into these sorts of glaring problems with one of them.

I was so amazed that the recipes were so tasty and so easy to follow.I would love to meet Mama Leah!She's a real jewel!

This cookbook is a keeper for me. I bought it several years ago, and use it everytime I want to make a good Jewish meal like my momma use to make. (Her stories are told as if she is sitting across the table from you telling them) I have used it so much that the pages are getting loose...the recipes are comfort food for me, and all the meals I have made are GREAT. The Gedempt is just like my moms, and the matzo brei like my dads! I have 2 other Jewish cookbooks, and this is the only one I go to. Need I say more...if you are wanting to cook good 'Jewish' food this is the book for you!

I and hubby have been using this book for over a decade. It's dog-eared and stained and falls open to our favorite recipes. One of the reviewers mentioned the matzo ball recipe-that's the only error I've found, but what cook doesn't add and "improve" the recipes given? It still doesn't take away from this simple, easy to follow, and delicious recipes. My 18yr old son, going away to college, is taking ours' with him, his favorites being the kugel, the chicken soup (and matzo balls-correction will be written in), brisket, all the different kinds and many more. I have to buy this from an independent vendor now, but the extra shipping is well worth it. I have a ton of cookbooks, and this one, along with my Fannie Farmer, regularly leaves the cookbook shelves. Enjoy!

My mother, grandmother in law (95 and still cooking!!!) and I all use this cookbook regularly. My regular recipes are her chicken soup (she uses parsnips and leeks, in addition to onions and carrots) and roasted potatoes.

I am an A.K. and male , so I can't easily perform the kitchen gymnastics that most cookbooks expect. This delightful and easy to read book, with easy to follow recipes, allows me to really duplicate the flavors that came from my bubbe's kitchen over a half century ago in Brooklyn. All the traditional delights are here, from chicken SOUP to prune-NUTS squares. So far I have prepared over a dozen of the recipes and have found all of them to taste just as I remember. Thank you Mama Leah.