Customer Reviews

The New Cooks' Catalogue

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

 

 

I still have my original Cook's Catalogue, bought when I was in college. I wasn't new to cooking then, but I sure hadn't seen devices like he showed in that book! I fell in love with it then, over the next 20+ years purchased some of the equipment in there, and wondered if there would ever be a followup.

Well, here it is, and it is as inclusive as the original! Unlike a prior reviewer, I enjoy reading about the arcane and unique pieces made for cooking. I don't want a book of this scope written like Consumer Reports. In the first place, even Consumer Reports' product evaluations are usually subjective. Plus, their prices aren't accurate. Yes, I rather wish Mr. Wolf had at least given some range of prices for items in the book. However, I don't consider it a real drawback, as prices do vary enormously even on the web.

I found the recipes and other inserts pleasing and practical. The color photos were also welcomed for this edition. There is literally no way to cover all kitchen products on today's market, but Mr. Wolf goes further than anyone else I've seen in trying.

I tend to be a kitchen gadget and utensil freak anyway so this book is right up my alley. Otherwise, and particularly for the novice in cooking, I have doubts about its utility.

Kudos to Burt Wolf for creating an indispensable collection of kitchen cookware, gadget, tool, electrical appliance and everything but the kitchen sink reviews for both the new and experienced cook. There are tons of books dedicated to recipes and cooking, but this book gives you wonderful information on what cooking equipment to buy. I feel so much more informed and confident in my purchases since I've used this book. It has reviews and information on kitchen essentials all the way to esoteric gadgets you never knew existed. It's a great way to inventory and stock your kitchen. I also love the fact that it includes pictures and descriptions of currently available items with reviews written from an unbiased viewpoint. Also included are insights from many well known and talented chefs.

This should have been called, "The Kitchen Equipment Bible." It's that good! Highly recommended.

The New Cooks' Catalogue Review

NICE, BUT DISAPPOINTING

I regret to say that I was disappointed by this 25th anniversary update of a venerable old classic. It seems to be chock full of information, but when you look up a specific category, remarkably few items are actually reviewed. The author states in the Introduction that many thousands of products were tested, and there was not enough room to list all of them. Granted, but there seems to have been plenty of space for tangential stories, recipes, and cartoons. I also object to the emphasis on obscure and rarely used tools; they are quite interesting, but also quite superfluous. Please note that the items are not ranked or compared in any way, nor are there specific recommendations as to what to buy (except in a couple of rare cases, and even then they do not come right out and say that you should have one of these) or what to avoid, so this book is only marginally useful as a shopping guide for kitchen tools. In this edition, they have also decided not to include prices. The stated justification for this is that the prices become out of date within weeks of publication. True, but very expensive and very inexpensive tools are listed side by side, and some indication as to their costs would be a big help, as many buying decisions will be based on price. A simple warning in the preface would have sufficed about constantly changing prices. I also find the reviews of electrical equipment to be suspect; for these, I recommend you stick to a tried and true resource, like a consumer magazine. It also lacks a beginner's list of essential kitchen tools to have. This can be a problem, as a kitchen novice might draw the conclusion, after reading this book, that many hundreds of tools are necessary kitchen basics.

Still, I greatly enjoyed going through this elegant coffee table book. I even learned a couple of things, like the $40 cooking spoon, the griddle made of green soapstone, and the vacuum pot coffee maker. I found out about the $40 price not from the book, but when I tried to buy one at a nearby kitchenware store. The most valuable part of this book is the list of recommended cookbooks at the back. At $30 or $40 a throw, there are far too many mediocre cookbooks in print today.

If you approach this book as an all-inclusive, everything-including-the-kitchen-sink encyclopedia of kitchen tools, it works. However, if you are interested in a list of basic items to equip a home kitchen or some type of buying guide, you will have to look elsewhere.

I had the original in the mid-70's. Softcover, as I recall. The prices were quickly out of date. This is hardcover. I'm sure prices listed here would similarly quickly be dated. Still, it would be nice to see some rough indication from cheap to expensive.

This is not a "push button" book for the best kitchen utensil to buy. It's more of a survey of available cooking tools by categories. I'm sure all of the utensils are quite capable. I just skip by the ones that are clearly out of my budget, e.g., "all-copper made in France", "All Clad", or something similar.

It does list some less expensive tools where they do a comparable job, such as Lodge cast iron pans, George Foreman Grill, etc. But, overall, the items reviewed are pretty much top shelf cooking tools.

Still, I like it, since it gives you a background on what tools are available and why they are desirable. Knowing that, you are not left totally in the dark when shopping. On the same track, it is the ONLY book I know of in its genre (e.g., one that gives a farily broad survey of available cooking utensils).

those who loved the original will dislike this update, considering the price and size of the new edition the old version had wonderful product reviews, fascinating historical data, and pricing, while the upgrade prints recipes(entirely obsolete since the internet has tons of them), and cartoons (some funny, but mostly weak), omits any pricing, and seems very skimpy on detail. half the book is devoted to baking but baking is much more science than art, and the appliance coverage is virtually useless without comparative pricing. the two essentials, pots and knives are weakly covered, while wooden spoons ( a useful but hardly essential kitchen items) gets pages and pages. a notable omission are tips, which would seem vital, since new cooks can get ingredient lists and recipes elsewhere, and the cartoons are a waste of paper. storage and equipment care are not given sufficient coverage. if the publisher was smart they would re-issue the old paperback, since the old version had hard information on product materials, ingredients, and a greater variety and depth of coverage. the new edition is surprisingly skimpy, particularly on the two absolute essentials, that is, pots and knives.in short this is a mediocre upgrade hardly worth the price

This is the first time I have ever been motivated to write a review. I found this to be a complete waste of money. I own the wonderful original "Cook's Catalogue" with James Beard as one of the editors, and have referred to it frequently over many years. This "new version" might be helpful if you are completely inexperienced in the kitchen. Otherwise, direct your spending $$$ towards a nice saucepan.

This book was a great help in expanding some of our kitchen equipment. If you visit a bookstore or library, you may find thousands of books on cooking and not one on cooking equipment. This book fills that niche very nicely.

There were some items that we had acquired that we knew were really good -- the authors had done their research and it was encouraging that they found the same and for similar reasons. That gave me some reference as to their experience.

The book is up-to-date. They have equipment that is top-notch and widely available. The photos are excellent.

The book is also a great resource for items you may not have considered or known about. I know that we now have several more items on our list of equipment to buy. This makes it especially good as a gift to newlyweds or people starting out on their own and want to cook.

I was given The New Cooks' Catalogue last Christmas and it was one of the best gifts I ever received. Good thing I was also on vacation at the time, because I was swallowed up by the amount of information it contained. There's a lot to digest, but it's fascinating. Loved the recipes. What's interesting is that many of the leading food writers contributed to this essential reference book. Next Christmas, I know what I'll be giving all of my friends who love to cook as much as I do.

I love the New Cooks' Catalogue for several reasons. It's comprehensive, easy to use and well written. I also enjoy the historical anecdotes and recipes. The book's design is beautiful, but even more important, the contents are practical and well researched. I used it to determine which kind of food processor to invest in, and now I wouldn't make a serious purchase without first consulting this book. When in doubt, the New Cooks' Catalogue will help you figure it out! This has become an indispensable tool in my kitchen and a lovely addition to my library of reference books.

People who really love to cook and really love gadgets and cookware will enjoy this book. There is lots of interesting reading here. I had never heard of MANY of the items listed here, but then I'm not really a gourmet cook. I just like to own products that are the best quality I can get for the money I want to spend.

There are no prices in the book, which I think is a drawback. Even if they become quickly outdated, it would be good to see which products are more expensive than others. Price categories would be helpful! Even "Expensive", "Moderate" and "Inexpensive" would be a good addition to this book!

The other thing I'd like to see is a ranking of these products! They are all described and discussed, but there's no way of knowing which ones are the best. Consumers can make decisions for themselves as to which products are best for them for the money they want to spend.

This is an interesting book, but it could've been better.