Customer Reviews

Recipes from LA Isla: New & Traditional Puerto Rican Cuisine

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

 

 

This cookbook has really helped me in being able to perfect my Puerto Rican cooking. My husband is from the island and I am very determined in trying to be able to cook his authentic food. When he tasted the food, he said that he was quite impressed with the way the way the food turned out. He is not an easy man to please when it comes to his cultural food. This cookbook made it very simple for someone who is not used to that type of cooking or food. I would recommend this to anyone who may also be in my situation or who is just looking to expand their horizons.

Every person who cooks uses different ingredients for different reasons. My mother has never used tomatoes or vinegar in her sofrito. Because of this book, I had her experiment. She enjoyed the "slight" difference in taste. In the end, she loved the slight difference in color, ingredients, and taste. Every cookbook enhances your cooking to some extent. This book did so in many ways. It doesn't hurt your cooking but enhances it when you learn something new. Hats off to both authors; American & Puerto Riqueño.

This is a wonderful cookbook. I am Puerto Rican (de pura cepa), pretty good in the kitchen, and with a very demanding palate. I have really enjoyed learning the Rosado's take on recipes that I have cooked differently for many years, and I will tell you, most of the time, my recipes start to incorporate a lot of what they do, in part because their recipes are healthy, in part because they are plain delicious, and in part because we all get tired of the same take on an idea. If, like a couple of other reviewers, you come with a narrow view about what "real Puerto Rican cooking" is you are bound to be disappointed. Everyone is entitled to their taste, but honestly, when you get down to it, cooking in Puerto Rico, and by Puerto Ricans, has an immense variety (regional, generational,etc.), of dishes, of styles, and of recipes for a particular dish. The authors are not shy about sharing their own style.

Los Rosado presentan una propuesta gastronomica que no es ni definitiva ni tradicional, pero si de primer orden.

I have no idea where the authors got those recipes or their ideas about Puerto Rican food, but I am disappointed that I wasted my money on this book. My parents are Puerto Rican and although I was born in New York, I lived in Puerto Rico for 34 years before moving to Maryland in 1998. Believe me, no one in PR uses ginger in their daily meals.... only in teas if their stomach is upset and in desserts like coconut rice pudding. I didn't need this book to learn how to cook Puerto Rican food since I've eaten it all of my life and have been cooking it for 41 years. I bought it just to have a nice collection of our food. I don't even remember where I put because I was so upset about how misleading it is, but I DO know it's not on my bookshelf! The only place you'll find this "new" type of cooking is in a restaurant geared toward the tourist trade, not in a Puerto Rican home. If you want real PR cooking I suggest buying "Puerto Rican Cookery" by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli or "Puerto Rican Dishes" by Berta Cabanillas & Carmen Ginorio to get a more realistic idea of what PR food is all about. It's unfortunate that I couldn't give this book "0" stars.

I enjoyed this book very much. MR. Rosado is a caterer & he pre sented in his book elegant & versatile versions of our native recipes. He has the advantage of knowing the american palate better than us in PR, therefore he adapted our recipes to contain an international flair & a decided cosmopolitan taste. That is not bad because the essence of the recipe is preserved. I also enjoyed the historical facts presented. It is a valuable addition to any Puerto Rican Cooking Library.