Customer Reviews

Quick & Easy Japanese Cookbook

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

 

 

Being cable deprived, I've seen the Iron Chef only once. Each episode's backbitingly brutal commentary on the competing chefs' techniques, choice of ingredients and finished product positively enthralls! Naturally, I was enticed by the caption of the author's photograph. It says, "Katsuyo Kobayashi can make anybody into an IRON CHEF." Well, I doubt that, since she'd have to give me culinary creativity and an ironclad ego, while teaching me to prepare her Iron Chef-winning Japanese delicacies. The book, however, had enough simple, creative recipes, beautiful full-color glossy photographs and some of the best food preparation advice I've experienced.

Simply arranged into ingredient-themed sections, the book also has a section on the basic techniques of Japanese cooking (rice and stock making) and a glossary that you will want to take to the Asian market. Many of the ingredients will only be found there, but Kobayashi does give some Western equivalents, as well as the calories per serving. Time to prepare and cook helps, too, since most people have the impression that Asian cuisine is time intensive with all that chopping and dicing. Now I'm ready to tackle Clams steamed in sake, assorted tempura and steamed shumai dumplings with the best of them.

After having lived in Japan for 3 years I was very interested in preparing home-cooked Japanese meals and received this book as a gift. The recipes are easy to measure out and prepare, but I have not been satisfied with the outcome of any of the dishes. They do not taste the way I have had the pleasure of eating them at homes or restaurants in Japan. If you would like to prepare authentic Japanese meals I would not recommend this book.

I was excited to buy this book after seeing the author beat an Iron Chef on FoodTV. I love to cook Japanese dishes, and her recipes cut my prep time in half, and they still taste as good as the fancier version. However, I wish the book offered more recipes, and more variety. I feel it barely scratched the surface of Japanese cuisine. Still, the recipes offered here are delicious. It's just a matter of whether you feel it is worth spending the money on so few recipes.

I bought this book because I am an Iron Chef fan and enjoyed watching the battle with Katsuyo Kobayashi so much. Don't laugh, it turned out to be an excellent cookbook. The recipes are fresh, delicious, and easy to follow. My 5 year old that hates nearly any food he sees has yet to turn down a meal cooked from this book. I have several good Japanese cookbooks but this one just may turn out to be the one I use the most often.

This cookbook expertly delivers on what it promises -- quick and easy Japanese cooking. It's not haute cuisine, but everything I have made out of it comes out great. This is home-style cooking for Japan, something I know from living in Japan for years. The pictures are lovely too. Very accessible, very delicious.

My husband bought this book for himself to make Japanese meals for me (I am a Japanese and he is not). The auther is famous in Japan and the selection of dishes is okay. The book contains some dishese that I like and the procedures are very simple and easy, BUT she skipped some very important procedures and ingredients to make the recipes more simple and easy!! (One of the examples is that a fish dish recipe skips an important step to get rid of fishy smell.) I am sure that your dishes would not be tasty if you just follow the recipes.