Customer Reviews

In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker's Companion

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This fascinating volume is actually 2 distinct books in one, so I will deal with the 2 halves separately. The first part is yet another cooking encyclopedia, and the second is a conventional collection of very good recipes.

The author states correctly that there is no real source for all of the information used in baking, even if you have professional training. So, the first part of this book is a comprehensive reference work, which is both good and bad. Tools and techniques occupy almost 90 pages, and ingredients take an amazing 300 pages. On the good side, it is very complete. Some sections are ones where the author has extensive personal experience, and are exemplary, such as the ones on garnishing and fresh fruits. It also has many useful tables. On the down side, the author seems to be cribbing from standard encyclopedias and manufacturers' literature for much of this section; this is true of perhaps as much as half of this section. Plus, I have doubts about whether the author tested ALL of the combinations listed in the "Ingredient Substitution Chart" or "Flavour Pairing Chart". I also have minor quibbles with some of the information, viz: nutmeg and mace are different, but as a practical matter they are interchangeable (in fact, nutmeg is listed as a substitute for mace, but it also works the other way around); a whole Madagascar vanilla bean is worth more than 2 teaspoons-the correct amount is closer to 2 tablespoons. There is also at least one editing error: page 445 states "see page xx".

The 300 page recipe section, however, more than makes up for deficiencies in the reference section. It contains 150 recipes, of which there are very few "throw away" recipes that you will never use. Too many cookbooks have recipes that are either rehashes from other cookbooks (in which case you can actually trace the evolution of a recipe from one cookbook to another), or weird and outlandish variations of recipes that are not worth doing or simply do not work. In this case, it is a collection of both standard recipes and the author's own creations. The emphasis here is on flavor and not elegant or architectural presentations. For example, sauces and garnishes often have the same flavor as the cake or torte rather than a contrasting one; the result is flavor that is often better than the fancy desserts and sweets served at the best restaurants. The author has genuinely rethought the whole subject of baking, ingredients, and taste, and created a collection of recipes that are better than standard baking recipes. They range from traditional ones such as strawberry shortcake and macaroons, to the exotic, such as "Valrhona Molten Chocolate Cakes" and "Lychee and Coconut Milk Sorbet". The most useful chapter is the last one, "Garnishes, Sauces, and Basic Recipes"; it contains useful, all-purpose recipes. In fact, it should be the first chapter in the recipe part of the book, as many recipes elsewhere in the book depend on the ones in this last chapter.

In summary, the reference section is a mixed lot, but the recipes are of the highest caliber. It is not a book for beginners, but both home cooks and professionals will find it useful.

This book explains every baking ingredient, types of sugars, fats, starches, eggs, flour, etc. Difference between flour variations, why sugar is important and what roles each ingredient performs along with their history. All other baking books give you a couple basic techniques then a ton of recipes, but this one goes a step beyond, with 368 pages packed with useful information before the recipes even start. Very smooth reading too - hard to put it down. Should be a mandatory purchase if you bake at home. You'll go from a standard baker to a spectacular one, armed with knowledge of why and how ingredients work rather than just blindly following recipes.

If I could only own one cookbook on baking and pastries, this would be it. As a former pastry chef, I'm excited and amazed by all the information in this cookbook, as well as by the delicious and well-written recipes. Not only is it a great cook book, it's a great idea book as well. In the middle of the book she's included a wonderful section on matching flavors together (apples marry well with calvados, caramel, pecans, etc.) that's ideal for those who want to add their own ideas to the recipes. There's so much great knowledge to soak up in these pages that I find myself carrying the book between the kitchen and my night-stand table for late-night reading. In an age where the big trend in publishing seems to be "bibles" on a myriad of subjects, this is the one I'll recommend to anyone who asks me for a definitive cookbook on desserts.

A while back, I baked the "all in the pan chewy chocolate cake with butter-chocolate icing". It's probably the easiest & surely one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I've ever tried. I mention this because Regan Daley's book is full of delicious & inventive recipes. Recipes that are, mostly, not that difficult & that taste exceptional. One of the reasons for this is that Daley insists on excellent ingredients, & that surely is one of the basic secrets of good baking.

Her book is much more than a wonderful resource for deserts: it's, mainly, a general baking resource, listing ingredients & talking about each one: how to use, what to substitute with what, what to combine with what etc. The book is full to the brim with information & tips, for the beginning & the experienced baker. As a bonus, the writing delighted me, & I think it will probably make all my other desert books redundunt!! (apart from Nigella Lawson's "Domestic Goddess" which I think has a similar style). It's always great to have a cookbook that you can use not just to throw together quick meals but also to savour, to indulge yourself with, to read & reread...

I don't usually write reviews on Amazon, but after reading some of the other non-favorable reviews, I felt I had to put my two cents in. This is one of my two favorite cookbooks (the other is the very overlooked Cindy Mushet book). Some of the recipes I made just because I couldn't imagine what the thing must taste like - and it came out wonderful. Her advice has helped me fixed recipes from other books that I could never make work. I wasn't so fond of it when I first got it, but over time this book has become invaluable. Most of the recipes are time consuming and often esoteric, so it's not for busy parents looking to feed the family. It's primarily for making special occasion desserts to wow freinds and family.

I am a professional pastry chef and this is the book that I am now recommending when asked questions about baking desserts. Ms. Daley's information is complete and accurate and her writing style is easy to read and understand. The recipes are fresh and unique.

This is a cookbook that you sit down to read, not one you pick up to cook from. The first half of it is full of detailed descriptions and explanations of ingredients, tools, and baking lingo--all of it very well written and informative. This makes a great reference for any baking project and encourages experimentation. Two of the best features of the book are found in this section: the Ingredient Substitution Chart and Flavour Pairing Chart. If the book ended there, it would surely get 5 stars from me. But this is a cookbook, and so the second half contains the recipes, and these are a collective doozy. Even the simplest recipes are written with at least one diatribe per paragraph. It often takes half a page to convey a simple instruction such as "sift the dry ingredients together." As a result, baking from the book is frustrating. I found myself having to turn the pages of a recipe back and forth countless times to get through all the excess language and still remember what ingredient goes in next. That being said, most of the recipes do turn out great desserts (the All-in-the-Pan Chewy Chocolate Cake is a favorite in my house), you just have to get through the recipe itself.

Remember way back when "The Cake Bible" came out? We hobby bakers (and not just a few professionals) read it cover to cover: information city! Rose rocked us with more baking how-to and why than we'd have thought possible. Oh,yeah, recipes, too, even the scary ones in the back.

With "In the Sweet Kitchen," Daley broadens and updates Rose's work, going beyond cakes with a full spectrum of baking information. Written in a fun, accessible style, she gives you the facts on myriad tools, techniques, ingredients, and more. If she doesn't discuss it, you probably don't need it.

If you are an IMPULSE BAKER (the sudden urge to bake, with whatever's on hand), you must have this book! I'd pay full price for two extensive tables of essential information: ingredient substitutions, and flavor pairings. No molasses in the house? No problem: use dark corn syrup. If you love to bake, you get my drift.

An essential addition to our baking library! You'll be reading it in bed.

Regan Daley's Book is not only indispensible for it's wealth of knowledge, but her recipes are hands down some of the best I've ever made. I've made upwards of 10 recipes from the book now, and have been thoroughly impressed by all of them. In response to a previous review about the amount of butter and sugar, I'd have to say that my impression is completely the opposite. The emphasis here is on the best balance of ingredients; which she does splendidly. (if you want to see stars, check out Ina Garten's sweet recipes...that woman is no stranger to copious amounts of butter).

Some recipes that I've adored from this book are the Oatmeal Stout Cake (actually, my favorite cake of all time...I could polish it off myself, given enough time), the easy chocolate cake, the orange-cranberry millet muffins (divine!), sweet potato cornbread, Rich Toffee Shortbread, PB cups.... The list goes ON! I couldn't recommend a book more highly. I sincerely hope Regan Daley writes another.

I've been using this book as both a great source of recipes and for the ideas in the matching flavors. A couple of comments on my favorite recipes....
The chocolate pudding is awesome.
The pecan toffee coffee cake reminds me of what my mother used to make years ago, but more complexly flavored.
The toasted hazelnut pound cake I've been making for years and it tastes better every time I make it.
The black chocolate espresso cake with bittersweet glaze is worth every bite and pays for the book in itself.
The plum cake with cardomom I've made with other sorts of plums (than the suggested Italian blue plums) and is great. The sourer the plum, the better...sweet plums lose their bite in this complexly flavored treat.

I've no problem following any of the recipes in this large book. It's clearly written in a lucid style that's easily followed.

Oh, ignore the botany. Pineapple (Ananas comosus) and fruits in the custard apple family (Annonaceae) are not related. A couple of other gaffes of this type will bother only green thumbed bakers like me.