Customer Reviews

Mexican Cooking Essentials for Dummies

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

 

 

I guess I'm a dummy...I assumed that a Mexican ESSENTIALS cookbook would include salsa, guacamole, and mole recipes. The recipes they DO have sound wonderful, but frequent references are made to "Red Roasted Tomato Salsa" and "Fresh Salsa" and the flyleaf even promises I will learn how to make green tomatillo salsa and guacamole "in simple steps"; the back cover mentions Smoky Chicken Quesadillas and Mexican Bread Pudding. My dumb brain can't find those recipes anywhere in the book...and my mouth is ready to eat. Check your book before you buy.

This book is gorgeous. But I was disappointed that the recipes weren't complete. Many of them tell you to use a certain type of salsa, but there are no salsa recipes in the book. I can think of at least three salsas, offhand, that are used in the recipes. Because I don't know salsas very well, I don't know what to use for what they call for in the recipe. I was hoping to learn how to make fresh and cooked salsas; because of this, I wouldn't recommend this book to my friends.

With respect to the other reviewer of this book, I've made both the bread pudding and the quesadillas - maybe there's a new edition of the book and these recipes were omitted? I've had my copy for a few years. Every recipe I've made from this book has been wonderful and has gotten rave reviews. My only complaint is that sometimes it's hard to find the ingredients. I live in a fairly small town in Indiana, and I have to make special trips whenever I make something from this book. It's worth it, though - everything's been fantastic! Fresh Mexican food is sooo good!

not enough real mexican recipes. BUT, i learned how to create a good rice, good basic frijoles, and a soup or two. tooooo simplistic however. it will offer a suggestion as to a side dish or a garnish but no mention of how to prep same. *shrug* ok but surely not great. i came into it with some mex food know-how also so perhaps that flavors my review. pun thoroughly intended!!

I just recieved this book this morning and what a waste of money. At first it started real good expaining the different mexican ingredients then I started looking at the recipes and couldn't believe it. This beginer book doesn't even have a recipe for SALSA!! I kept looking and there are many of my favorite mexican recipes missing. No salsa verde, no red salsa, no guacamoli, no ceviche, no mole sauces, or any stews. I go to a latin market in my town all the time and I love so much of the food and drinks. No recipe for any of the drinks like horchata, jicama?, and this fresca stawberry drink I had the other day. sooo good! None of the bakery recipes from the panderia. Heck, there wasn't even a basic burrito recipe. no discussion of the different type of mexican meat and their terminology for the cuts. The other reviewers mentioned that some recipes were missing but then still gave the book 4/5 stars. no way. zero stars if that was an option. Maybe the other recipes are good as I just got the book today, but a dummy book missing the basics- big problem. Also the back of the book mentions smoky chicken quesadillas and mex bread pudding. RECIPES NOT IN THE BOOK!!!!. I noticed amazon shows you other books that customers bought. The book "mexico one plate at a time" has excellent reviews. I'm considering buying that on instead. I suggest checking out. Also don't confuse mexican cooking essentials for dummies with mexican cooking for dummies. The later appears much better even though it's the same author. go figure