Customer Reviews

Recipes from Home

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Page and Barbara Shinn's book Recipes from Home is a wonderful culinary journey that takes the reader from the author's childhood memories in the Midwest through their time spent in California and now New York's Long Island. They share family recipes as well as many innovative translations of American Classics. I tried their Skillet Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, and Chocolate Pudding and wowed my family and guests. While eating this fabulous meal we all perused the beautiful family photograghs scattered throughout the book. We love this book! Having myself grown up in Indiana, lived in California, and now on the East Coast, it is a pleasure to find a book that not only is an ode to the Midwest, California and New England, three of our most cherished culinary regions, but also provides a personnel glimpse into the author's lives.

This is quite possibly the best cookbook I have ever used. While cooking some of the recipes I felt like I was alongside the authors in my own kitchen. The humble simplicity of the recipes has made for hours of enjoyment in both reading the text and trying the recipes. I won't be eating out for a while!!

This book is a great compilation of recipes, pictures, and many many memories. Not only did this couple bring together both of their families, but they bring the readers into their family as well. This cookbook is not a traditional cookbook, this book is filled with recipes that have been in the family and recipes made up by the couple. In addition, their own family photos serve as enterainment. This book is great. There is nothing like good ol' home cookin'. It makes me feel right at home!

My wife and I both enjoy cooking a lot and we use a wide range of recipe sources, including cook books. The reason we so enjoyed this one is that it is more than a cook book, it's a good read too. Apart from the fact that the recipes do work - we've tried many of them and they're delicious. On a minor scale, Jane particularly likes it because it's a perfect size for our perspex cook book holder, unlike many others which are too big and make it difficult to read the recipes.

First, to address the size issue: Yes, it's awkward, just a bit, but I have had no problems actually using the book. If you are too precious about your cookbooks to demur from breaking the spine, then you probably don't bring them into the kitchen much anyway. Mine opens flat since I made it open flat, and stays that way, better than some of my wider paberbacks. The bigger flaw is that the binding is poor--maybe this is a consequence of the design--the glue holding all the pages does not hold them to the spine (but the pages are all sewed together, so it still works).

I have cooked 6 or so menus from this book, and a few sides and sauces here and there. Like many restaurant cookbooks, main dishes are often (not always) presented with an accompaniment, plus recommended sides from other areas of the book. And I have enjoyed everything but the pulled pork recipe, which may be more an issue of my taste.

However, I have noticed that recipes are consistently underseasoned. I'm not a huge salter, but I had to add a lot more seasonings to just about everything here.

Generally, this book is quite like described: comforting, thoroughly American food. The dishes are thoughtfully put together, and I would not call this an easy book by any means. These are sophisticated interpretations of classic dishes and classic themes (ie., a southern shrimp stew, but with some extra Cuban touches), but they are by no means needlessly rococo or inaccessible. I would contrast this with, say, Patrick O'Connell's books, which are beautiful, elegant interpretations of American cooking, but at a much more intimidating "restaurant" level. You can cook these recipes in your own home, but you might want to save them for the weekend. And, like another reviewer mentioned, this is not a diet book. The authors like bacon fat, which is perfectly in tune with their general approach here, and also delicious.

I'd say this book is best suited for someone who has a pretty good mastery of the American classics (pot roast, meatloaf, casseroles) and is ready for something more interesting (like making your own ketchup). I bought it when I was still learning to cook, and I didn't use it much at the time. A couple of years later, I find myself going to it much more frequently, and with good results. It's for experienced cooks because not all the recipes are perfect: I have had to add more liquid to pancake batters, for example, and there is the previously-mentioned underseasoning that plagues most of the dishes. But these are manageable quirks, and navigating them is worth it.

Overall, I'd enthusiastically recommend this to anyone who is comfortable in the kitchen and keen on American cooking. However, I would not recommend this to more novice cooks, nor to cooks who prefer the quick and simple or minimalist approach.

* Also, this book devotes a lot of attention to canning, condiments, and the like. I have not tried these recipes, but they feature prominently and probably should be a factor for anyone interested in pickles, preserves, etc.

Home was my favorite restaurant when I lived in Manhattan--I was one of their earliest customers. I recently stumbled across this book, and was so pleasantly surprised to find recipes for some of the greatest dishes I have ever had: excellent simple roasted chicken, cumin crusted pork chops, lemony blueberry muffins--so many good things to eat!. I have made at least 10 things from this book--each better than the last, and none of them too difficult.

And the desserts! The chocolate pudding is TO DIE FOR!!! It alone is worth the price of admission if you ask me (or my newly addicted friend, Harry). And I think my whole family agreed that the apple pie from Home was the hit of our Thanksgiving this year, with the honey pumpkin coming in a close second. These recipes are just fabulous.

Further, this book is also a plain old good read. Brings back childhood memories of learning the ropes from my mother and grandmother and makes me want to get in the kitchen and start cooking! This book would be a great gift for anyone who loves to cook and who has love and respect for doing things right in the kitchen.

While the text of this book and the pictures are somewhat interesting, especially if you are into stories about people's lives as they grew up, this book is definitely not designed to be used as a practical cookbook. It's size and shape are much better suited to a storybook for casual reading, not a cookbook for working in the kitchen.

The format and design of this book make it impratical to read the recipes and virtually impossible to use in the kitchen. Whoever designed the size of this book did not take the reader into mind and definitely did not make it user-friendly for cooks. The book is so thick that you have to exert a bit of force to get to the text and ingredient lists in the inner part of the pages. And it definitely will not stay open on the kitchen counter.

If you are buying the book for the story of the authors, you will probably enjoy it. If you buying it as a recipe book, be forewarned that it is a bear to use and not worth the trouble.

On the topic of home canning: The recipes in this book are very limited and seem to be almost an afterthought. If you are interested in home canning, look for a better cookbook on the subject.

My wife loved the Mac & Cheese at their West Village Restaurant so much that she bought me the cookbook just so I could make it for her at home.
This book quickly turned into my go to resource for most of my cooking. The idea of taking the kitchen back to what it was like for our grandparents generation works so conveniently with our philosophy of fresh and local ingredients, and all of these recipes are relatively easy to prepare and taste like grandma's kitchen.
It'll take me years to make it through all of them, but I can't wait!
Buy this Book!!!

I bought this cookbook as a Christmas gift for my sister after I made the Chicken in a Pot receipe that was featured on NPR. She was thrilled with everything that she made. Our extended family looked forward to the times that we would get together and she would cook from this book. I bought myself a copy and have never been disapointed with anything that I have made. We both feel that these are easy receipes with good ingredients and that is the key to this type of cooking. As a result of this book, my daughter visited the Shinn's restaurant in NYC and LOVED her lunch. I give this cookbook to anyone who complains that they can't cook. Honestly, if you can read, you can cook fabulous food if you have this book as your guide.

In terms of content, this is fabulous. I was familiar with the authors' recipes from Country Home magazine and was so looking forward to cooking from their new book. BUT. Who in their right mind approved the size and format of this thing? It is absolutely and totally ill conceived for practical use in the kitchen. If you just want to read the recipes and pretend that you are eating all that glorious food, OK. But if you want to put this book to use in the kitchen, forget it. I am so frustrated!! Let's hope the authors, designers and the publisher come to their senses when they put out the paperback edition!