The New Food Lover's Tiptionary: More Than 6,000 Food and Drink Tips, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Other Things Cookbooks Never Tell You [Paperback]

Sharon Tyler Herbst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2002

Both experienced and novice cooks will love this A-to-Z guide packed with more than 6,000 tips, shortcuts and other culinary wisdom cookbooks never tell you. Find all the answers you'll ever need to a universe of cooking quandaries and questions on hundreds of subjects, including foods, beverages, kitchen equipment, cooking techniques, entertaining ideas and smart ways to use leftovers. Plus, there are loads of quick and easy reference charts, a handy system of cross-referencing and well over a hundred shorthand-style recipes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, award-winning food authors and consultants, are among the world's foremost authorities on wine, food, and cheese.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks; Rev Exp edition (August 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060935707
• ISBN-13: 978-0060935702
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon Tyler Herbst is the award-winning author of twelve books on food and wine, and the foremost writer of culinary reference books, including the bestselling Food Lover's Companion and Food Lover's Tiptionary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tips and Techniques to Boost Basic Cooking Skills., November 5, 2004

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The New Food Lover's Tiptionary: More Than 6,000 Food and Drink Tips, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Other Things Cookbooks Never Tell You (Paperback)

"The Food Lover's Tiptionary" is a collection of tips and techniques on basic culinary subjects, organized alphabetically. I believe there are about 500 separate entries, but the book doesn't say. The 6,000 tips referred to on the book's cover fall under the entries. The book covers specific foods, general food categories, kitchen utensils, and culinary techniques. Food entries are presented in the following format: Tidbit (either a definition or food trivia), Purchasing, Equivalents, Storing, Preparing, Cooking, and/or Using. Some of the food entries are accompanied by short recipes. The formats of other types of entries vary, and may be best described by example: The entry for "Cookies" provides extensive instructions on making dough, preparing pans, baking, finishing, and storing. "Ice" gives general information and instructions for various ice cubes for different occasions. "Baked Goods" includes general baking tips. "Pasta Shapes" describes 65 shapes. Food quotes by recognizable names are scattered throughout the book, wherever the subject of the quote is found. There are several charts in the book, such as metric conversion, oven temperature equivalents, and pan sizes. And there is a Recipe Index in the back, for the over 100 short recipes found throughout the book.

Every cook could learn something from the "Tiptionary", but I think beginning or moderately experienced cooks will find it most useful. The subjects, themselves, are pretty basic. "Gourmet" subjects are few, and ethnic foods not at all. The entries are thorough, though, and would be helpful to an experienced chef if he/she doesn't happen to have experience with a particular food that is included. The emphasis is on instruction in "The Food Lover's Tiptionary", whereas the author's popular "Food Lover's Companion" emphasizes definitions. The "Food Lover's Companion" describes nearly 6,000 culinary terms -ethnic, gourmet, and obscure included.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best one yet, December 3, 2002

By 

Stacy (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Food Lover's Tiptionary: More Than 6,000 Food and Drink Tips, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Other Things Cookbooks Never Tell You (Paperback)

I got this book because I love one of this author's other indispensable books, the New Food Lover's Companion. Whereas I use the latter for everything from good conversation fodder to look up menu terms, the Tiptionary, for me, a "cook's" book, tailor-made for those who love to cook. On the other hand, I think it would be great for people who don't love to cook, as it shows you how to navigate through almost any problem effortlessly. This Tiptionary has so many solutions for cooking questions big and small. For example, I finally learned how to prepare artichokes correctly (the book even has the technique for eating them, although I knew that). Oh, and so much, much more. I highly recommend this book and wouldn't give it up for anything.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT'S LIKE HAVING "MOM" IN YOUR KITCHEN, November 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Food Lover's Tiptionary: More Than 6,000 Food and Drink Tips, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Other Things Cookbooks Never Tell You (Paperback)

Well, I've always been a pretty good cook (or so I'm told) but I have to say I keep finding answers in this book to questions I didn't even know I had! Someone gave me a bunch of pomegranates recently--too messy to bother with, I thought. Then I checked the Tiptionary and found out not only how to open and seed them (without getting stains all over the place!) but what to do with them. Huzzah! Since the pomegranate "incident" I find myself reaching for this book often--it contains so many solutions to so many dilemmas. It's like having a pro (or a Mom who's a good cook) there with advice. I love this book and plan to give loads of copies as gifts during the holidays. Thank you, Sharon Tyler Herbst!