Every once in a while a cookbook comes along that is at once so useful and so spirited you can imagine it becoming a kitchen staple. The Commonsense Kitchen is such a book. And it's from an unusual source: one of the toughest colleges to get into in the United States, Deep Springs is an organic farm, school, and working cattle ranch in the high desert of the Sierra Nevada. This general cookbook has more than 500 recipes for delicious, honest staples and sassy regional specialties such as Red Chile Enchiladas and Mama Nell's Kentucky Bourbon Balls. What's more, this book features amazing food as well as lessons in life skills, from the proper way to wash dishes to how to make homemade soap. The Commonsense Kitchen is equally at home on the shelf of an urban foodie or a rural home cook.
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From Publishers Weekly
Written by a former chef at, and graduate of, Deep Springs College in California, a men-only two-year college on a working ranch where students partake in hard physical labor along with academics, and learn a good deal about food, from farming to butchering to butter making, this hefty volume is refreshing in its straightforwardness. It's a nod to the Deep Springs kitchen, "where there is little time for fussy preparations, little money for expensive or exotic ingredients, and little regard for food trends or food snobbery, but where a great appreciation for any good, soul-satisfying food abides." Although there are no photos, the instructions are clear--with a good glossary of culinary terms--and the recipes for the most part are simple and appealing. They include the expected manly, hearty fare, such as biscuits and gravy for breakfast, chicken and dumplings, and steak fried in beef tallow. But there are many more entries along the lines of an asparagus mushroom frittata and fennel, blood orange, and toasted almond salad, which celebrate fresh flavors and seasonal ingredients. And there are plenty of sweet treats (pear, ginger, and lemon crisp; goose egg pound cake) that would serve well as a reward for a hard day of work, on the farm or anywhere.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
If any of this year's cookbooks is headed for dog-eared longevity, complete with tomato- sauce splatters and flour-dustings, it's Tom Hudgens' "The Commonsense Kitchen." ...As appropriate for beginning cooks as it is for those with more experience, this one will stick around your kitchen for years. -- Denver Post, Best Cookbooks of 2010
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Amy Eucare
Format:Hardcover
I received this cookbook for my birthday recently, and, while I have not gotten very far into the 500 recipes, what I have tested so far has been, for the most part, extremely good. The meatloaf is a revelation-- best recipe I have ever tried, and my new staple. It displaces the Martha Stewart meatloaf I've been making for years by a mile-- who knew yogurt (yes, yogurt) would be so awesome in meatloaf?
Just last night, I tried the egg pizza, which isn't even a recipe, really, just a suggestion. Try cracking eggs on top of a pizza (I used a Kashi roasted vegetable one) in the last six minutes of cooking. It creates a "soft boiled" effect, where the white is just set and the yellow is still runny. Takes a fork (messy!) but oh my goodness, it is delicious. The parsnip soup with toasted almond olive oil is also delicious.
I didn't give five stars, on account of the spoonbread. Again, I haven't tried many things yet, but the spoonbread was a crashing disappointment. It looked lovely, but was completely bland. I have a Southern Living recipe that is considerably better.
The book itself is lovely to look at-- no food pictures, but the typeface is appealing and the quality of paper is very nice in the hand. I realize that's not important to everyone, but I enjoy having a good quality book. Also, the anecdotes throughout are very interesting. There is also information about soapmaking, and how to make butter.
There are several recipes for chili, including a couple of vegetarian versions. I think perhaps the black bean chili will be next on my list to make...or perhaps the wonderful sounding buttermilk pie.
Just last night, I tried the egg pizza, which isn't even a recipe, really, just a suggestion. Try cracking eggs on top of a pizza (I used a Kashi roasted vegetable one) in the last six minutes of cooking. It creates a "soft boiled" effect, where the white is just set and the yellow is still runny. Takes a fork (messy!) but oh my goodness, it is delicious. The parsnip soup with toasted almond olive oil is also delicious.
I didn't give five stars, on account of the spoonbread. Again, I haven't tried many things yet, but the spoonbread was a crashing disappointment. It looked lovely, but was completely bland. I have a Southern Living recipe that is considerably better.
The book itself is lovely to look at-- no food pictures, but the typeface is appealing and the quality of paper is very nice in the hand. I realize that's not important to everyone, but I enjoy having a good quality book. Also, the anecdotes throughout are very interesting. There is also information about soapmaking, and how to make butter.
There are several recipes for chili, including a couple of vegetarian versions. I think perhaps the black bean chili will be next on my list to make...or perhaps the wonderful sounding buttermilk pie.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an astoundingly good book. Hudgens has put together a group of stellar recipes, but the book is so much more. It is a story about working and living on a remote ranch and interacting with its stark, beautiful environment. It offers a philosophy of cooking, eating, and living that urges you to pay attention as you put forkfuls of food in your mouth. Above all, it is a book that believes in taking care with ingredients, but it is not at all fussy or pretentious. The "Big Pink Cake" is already a family favorite at my house, as are the pancakes, the best I've ever made at home. My son and I harvested a zucchini from our garden, and followed a simple but delicious recipe for fried summer squash that added the crunch of cornmeal. You have to love a cookbook that has a whole chapter called "Gooey Desserts." This is the kind of book that makes me want to break my food routines and reinvent the way I eat. It is guided by the author's beautifully written introductions and genial, funny advice. A real pleasure!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Aggie B
Format:Hardcover
I love to cook and I love to read cookbooks, and The Commonsense Kitchen more than satisfies in both categories. The book is beautifully laid out, recipes are easy to read, and the items I've tried so far are delicious (Ginger Peach Crisp was terrific). I love the background notes on many of the recipes -- they make me feel as if I was in the kitchen cooking with Tom Hudgens. A great addition to my shelf of cookbooks, although this one hasn't left the kitchen counter yet!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By dannyboy
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for either the the following two things: 1) a basic cookbook with a very wide range of sensible recipes for the modern palate, 2) an adventure for someone who wants to learn about food from a very specific, very interesting chef's point of view.
There are no pictures, which is a shame, but Tom makes up for it with beautiful prose that elucidates not only what you are going to taste when you are done, but also something more about the food, its history, or his relationship to it.
The book is beautifully produced, with the kind of hard cover that falls open and stays open on the kitchen counter. My only regret is that there isn't some type of plastic coating on the cover, but that just makes it nicer for reading on the couch, or in bed. This is a cookbook that even non-cookbook-o-philes can enjoy reading outside the kitchen.
There are no pictures, which is a shame, but Tom makes up for it with beautiful prose that elucidates not only what you are going to taste when you are done, but also something more about the food, its history, or his relationship to it.
The book is beautifully produced, with the kind of hard cover that falls open and stays open on the kitchen counter. My only regret is that there isn't some type of plastic coating on the cover, but that just makes it nicer for reading on the couch, or in bed. This is a cookbook that even non-cookbook-o-philes can enjoy reading outside the kitchen.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a cookbook from an unusual source. The author attended and cooked at Deep Springs, a two-year college program that only admits 12 students each year that is also a working organic farm and cattle ranch in the high desert of the Sierra Nevada. This is a general cookbook with more than 500 recipes plus lessons in life skills, from the proper way to wash dishes to how to make homemade soap.
The recipe chapters include breakfast dishes, breads, lunches, beans, vegetables, all kinds of meats and seafood, salads and dressings, pasta, soups, sauces and relishes, all kinds of desserts and sweet treats, plus chapters on kitchen tips, menus, and cleaning (washing dishes, getting out stains, etc.). There are some illustrations and antecdotes throughout, although no photographs but somehow the absense of photos fits with the down to basics, commonsense approach of this cookbook.
In reading through the recipes and instructions, they seem to include enough information for novice cooks as well as the more experienced. The only recipe I tried so far was the buttermilk ranch salad dressing which was wonderful. I also appreciated the tutorial in the salad section of the cookbook on how to properly prepare greens and toss a salad, along with suggestions for ingredient combinations. This is the kind of good, basic background information that can be found throughout the book. I also like that the recipes call for fresh ingredients readily available in my local grocery store.
There are so many recipes I'm looking forward to trying, including the glazed meatloaf, green chile enchiladas, sweet potato bread, black bean chili, cayenne-rubbed chicken with potatoes and garlic, and a fresh salsa recipe that seems very easy to make.... Read more ›
The recipe chapters include breakfast dishes, breads, lunches, beans, vegetables, all kinds of meats and seafood, salads and dressings, pasta, soups, sauces and relishes, all kinds of desserts and sweet treats, plus chapters on kitchen tips, menus, and cleaning (washing dishes, getting out stains, etc.). There are some illustrations and antecdotes throughout, although no photographs but somehow the absense of photos fits with the down to basics, commonsense approach of this cookbook.
In reading through the recipes and instructions, they seem to include enough information for novice cooks as well as the more experienced. The only recipe I tried so far was the buttermilk ranch salad dressing which was wonderful. I also appreciated the tutorial in the salad section of the cookbook on how to properly prepare greens and toss a salad, along with suggestions for ingredient combinations. This is the kind of good, basic background information that can be found throughout the book. I also like that the recipes call for fresh ingredients readily available in my local grocery store.
There are so many recipes I'm looking forward to trying, including the glazed meatloaf, green chile enchiladas, sweet potato bread, black bean chili, cayenne-rubbed chicken with potatoes and garlic, and a fresh salsa recipe that seems very easy to make.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Commonsense Kitchen
Love that it explains the how and why of cooking. Also, love the explanation of the ingredients. Why certain things go together. Feel more confident in the kitchen now.
Published 2 months ago by Maryellen Lofland-Skura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well-worn, and much loved, after 2 years in the kitchen.
The Commonsense Kitchen has become, over the 2 years or so that we've owned it, one of the most beat-up and dripped-on cookbooks on our kitchen shelf. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ryan R. Bond
2.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle formatting is atrocious
This is a decent cookbook, but I can't recommend the kindle version as the formatting is messed up. Sentences are split into multiple lines in random places, fractional... Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Kearney
5.0 out of 5 stars
happy again.
I was just wandering through this latest find, and I must say YEAH!. I'm a happy woman. I came across a few recipes that I already have. Comfort. Word to the wise .. Read more
Published 3 months ago by V. Viti
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for those "on the path."
This book is a welcome change from the usual TV celebrity driven, marketing hype books about food and cooking that seem to prevail these days. Read more
Published 4 months ago by C. Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Common sense kitchen uncommonly good
Tom Hudgens has done an amazing thing here- he has combined a conversation, a novel, and a cookbook into one. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Heather Jennings
3.0 out of 5 stars
I like the style and instructions, but not the recipies
I purchased this cookbook for myself a year ago. I was looking for a cookbook that went beyond the fast and easy. Read more
Published 6 months ago by run4fun
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wide ranging, well tested book of very tasty food
I like to think I can cook, and I often think up something to make, and just look for a consensus recipe from the internet. Read more
Published 10 months ago by NewToTheseParts
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
I am giving this book a 5 star rating for contents. However,there is a problem with it and it is the only problem I found. Read more
Published on April 30, 2011 by cherie s. cook
5.0 out of 5 stars
Packs in appealing dishes and also teaches life skills that include...
Tom Hudgens' THE COMMONSENSE KITCHEN: 500 RECIPES PLUS LESSONS FOR A HAND-CRAFTED LIFE emphasizes self-sufficiency and American cuisine which blends regional specialties with... Read more
Published on January 16, 2011 by Midwest Book Review
