Customer Reviews

Tips Cooks Love: Over 500 Tips, Techniques, and Shortcuts That Will Make You a Better Cook!

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The field of "cooking tips" books is a crowded one, which already includes the superb "834 Kitchen Quick Tips" from Cooks Illustrated to choose but one example. So the real question is, "How does 'Tips Cooks Love' stack up to the competition?" Speaking as a decent cook, myself, and as the owner of an extensive kitchen library, my tip to cooks would be, "Pass this one by." I have two main complaints about this attractively packaged volume:

First, the organization, apart from being alphabetical, seems completely haphazard. There appears to have been no guiding editorial voice in choosing what went into the book vs. what was left out, or in the amount of information for each entry. So, for example, you get more than two full PAGES of info (almost none of it "tips") for balsamic vinegar--that's more than the book devotes to key cooking topics like roasting or grilling--but there's no entry in "B" at all for a widely used cooking ingredient like basil.

Second--and this is my main complaint--while this is titled as a "tips" book, it is really a hodgepodge of dictionary, encyclopedia, recipes (which are the longest entries in the book, running up to four pages each) and yes, some tips. In short, it's a book that doesn't know what it wants to be, and ends up master of none, especially as the tips book it claims to be. Plus, there is far too much information in this book that falls into the ridiculously obvious, "D'uh" category. For example, in the info about "rice cookers" (which could actually be packed with useful, time-saving tips), you'll learn instead that this appliance "was originally created for Asian families who eat rice three times a day." REALLY? Trust me: that's just one of many examples you'll find of eye-roll inducing stupidity in this book.

Overall, I don't get the sense that there was a cook behind the writing of Tips Cooks Love. It comes across as a book created by a writer on contract who needed to fill X amount of pages, and who did so by pulling food topics from a hat. Then, lacking enough "tips, shortcuts and techniques" info to do the job, he padded the book with recipes and the kind of general info you'd find in a food encyclopedia or dictionary. If this is your first tips book, you'll probably find it interesting, but there are far better choices you could make amongst competing volumes. If you already own a tips book, there is little you'll find here that would make a purchase worthwhile.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review, and I hope you found the info helpful in making a purchase decision!

Many of the tips were new to my wife and I; others were of the 'doesn't everyone know that' type; and then there were those slap yourself 'I'd forgotten that!' tips that we used to know. I won't admit how many there were in the third category - our memories aren't slow, just deliberate.

Though the tips are presented in alphabetical order, there is also a much needed index - some of the tips aren't intuitively posted. For example - instead of putting the 'mile-high apple pie' recipe with apples or under 'M', it is under 'P' for pie (though it is cross-referenced under apples). In the index it's listed under apple pies; pies; and mile-high apple pie.

This is not a recipe book or encyclopedia. It is a book of tips. There is a lot lacking. For example: 'Vanilla" has two pages about working with vanilla beans but nothing about extract (real or artificial).

I was impressed by the 'goodies' that were included like: a chart of baking pan volumes (I'm sure I could do the math without it - cough! cough!); volume equivalents; and an ounces per cup chart.

The inclusion of pots & pans; bake ware; and utensils was a nice touch as well. Like too many of this type of book on our shelves, this is not a 'must-have'. It definitely is a 'nice-to-have'. And, most of all, this would make a great gift for folks in their first homes or apartments. (That'll keep them from stealing yours!)

I rather enjoyed reading parts of this book, but I'm not sure what purpose it actually serves. Tips? A few, yes. But the alphabetical organization and spotty coverage of topics, combined with the fact that many "tips" are VERY lengthy "articles" on the history and/or usage of an item make it somewhat difficult to discover anything that can be put to use in the kitchen NOW.

This might be the perfect "bathroom reading" book -- something to digest piecemeal in short reading sessions. But I didn't find it particularly useful as a reference, and the mixture of articles, "tips," and recipes makes it difficult to pin down.

An odd, if somewhat interesting, little book, indeed.

Okay. I admit it. I'm ADHD in the kitchen. I have TONS of cookbooks. I love the thumb through them. But, when it comes down to using them, they fall into two categories: The ones with 20+ steps that make my eyes glaze over at the thought of actually making them OR the ones with terse directions that assume more knowledge than I actually have.

Yes, I know. I could have and should have paid more attention in home ec class. Of course, there is the internet but, my husband frowns on getting food stains on the laptop. Go figure.

For me, I need a book. And, that book better have information I can find ASAP when I'm in the middle of making something going, "What the heck is that?"

Most of the tips would be more for the novice cook - although, the book has a nice section on baking which is a totally different skill than cooking. The book also has a nice section on fresh fruits and vegetables which, what with the current emphasis on eating seasonally could be very helpful for those not familiar with the season of some fruits and vegetables and how to tell if they are ripe or not.

There are a small number of recipes that are more to illustrate a particular technique.

The cover is easily wiped clean. The book is a small size (slightly larger than a mass paperback. I liked the alphabetical format which I found easy to use. My copy is already dog-earred. And, I will be using this one again.

I was pleasantly surprised with the content of this paperback-sized book. The tips are arranged in alphabetical order, making them easy to find, and have very useful information, not just the obvious. I am an experienced cook and found a number of nuggets that I will use in the future. There are quite a few charts that alone would make this book valuable to have, such as equivalents for volume, common baking ingredients, meat doneness temperatures, candy stage temperatures, Fahrenheit to Celcius oven temperatures, baking pan volumes. There are a few recipes, but that's a bonus, not the focus of this book.

This book was produced by Sur La Table, a cooking equipment retail chain that I love for the quality and diversity of their offerings. As stated in the introduction, "Our goal with Tips Cooks Love is to share the "aha!" moments we have had in the kitchen when we have learned the answer to a previously confounding question." In my opinion, Sur La Table has succeeded with this book.

Each time someone sees this book, they instantly want to flip through the book in eager anticipation of finding some new tip. The book just draws people in. The organization of the book is a bit interesting but maybe the authors spread things around to present variety? This is a book that you just kind of casually pick up and read 10-20 pages at a time. The book looks rugged too in that I think it may be able to take some abuse over the years.

We've tried a few of the tips and most seem to work well. I've seen some of the tips in articles and such, so it is nice to have a (hopefully) a centralize place for some good cooking tips.

Finally, a book that is alphabetically organized, so that I can find the answer to a question when I need it, in the middle of preparing a huge dinner with a house full of hungry people waiting on me. This is, in my opinion, the ultimate kitchen helper. There are no beautiful illustrations or drawings, but do you really need those in a simple reference book? I know I don't. And like all reference books, there will be some things that you think are common knowledge, but that someone else might not know. I've found the answer to everything I've wondered in the kitchen, in this little book. I am just amazed that they could get all this information in one fairly small book. I was so happy to get advice on the best types of pans and utensils to use for certain dishes and also get information on how to soften butter in a pinch. Many of the ways, I had never heard of in the past. I suggest you get this book if you need a go-to book in the kitchen. I recommend this for the beginner and experienced alike. Sure, you could go to the internet to find the answer to the question you need, but it's a lot easier to have a reference book right there in the kitchen. If you're anything like me, you need a hard copy. I just love it.

This book is compiled in alphabetical order, but it is by no means a reference book. It is a collection of random bits of information, some practical and others make a good conversation starter. The book is mostly text only; it has some graphics but not illustrative of the text content. The quality of the content in this book is no better than what you get from elsewhere... google, magazines, etc., but the covers are attractive. The material is accessible, and it makes light reading, and that's why I said "coffee table reading" in the title of this review.

If you are looking for a comprehensive and authoritative reference, you are better served by a book like Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson The Oxford Companion to Food 2nd Ed.

Does it help my cooking? No.
Should you read this book to enhance your cooking skill? Maybe.
Should you read it for enjoyment if you are interested in cooking? Absolutely.

There are many useful tips in here--concise pages interspersed throughout with "top tips" on things like baking...braising...deep-frying, etc. There are also useful charts scattered throughout--volume equivalents...metric conversions...oven temperature equivalents, candy temperature, meat doneness temperature and so on.

There are also some recipes (mile-high apple pie...salmon with panko crust...wheat bread, etc.)

Plus, all the random items that make up the bulk of the alphabetical organization of this book (a sample section, in order: "ice cream, immersion blender, knives, lamb.")

The key phrase is, "scattered throughout". Here's the Table of Contents, in full: "Introduction ix...Terms 1....Acknowledgments 350")

That's it. Yes, its organized alphabetically but that is pretty random with recipes and food items and various topics with short entries following each other with no other organizational pattern. I can't imagine anyone really using this as a reference unless you were checking something you already knew was there. Most of the things you'd look up, probably would be missing. And how do they think you could find the recipes? (Oh, yes, there's an Index in the back, but it doesn't have "Recipes". You have to know what to look for. And its little tiny type, too, for no good reason that I can see, as there's plenty of white space on the page).

Speaking of design...aside from the organizational problem, why are publishers so enamoured of such small type when there's plenty of space? And why, why, why feature "special pages" with very tiny white type on a light green background? It is so hard to read (and reading is still more important than book design when it comes to cooking). That's a pet peeve, and really gets this book 3 1/2 stars instead of 4.

Fun to skim, there's useful information, but aside from the tables (and if you happen upon a good recipe by chance) its not a very useful general reference.

I am an experienced cook, a rather good one so when I saw this book I thought it might be a useful item for those just learning their way around the kitchen but when I began to look through this I discovered many highly useful items. Yes, there are many little tidbits that fall into the 'well duh' category but many other things were great time savers - like the volume of various sized pans - yes it only takes a few minutes and a measuring cup filled with water to figure this out but this is quicker and solves the problem of figuring out the volume of an unavailable item. Many other items though were in the 'I didn't know that' category, making the information available in this little book truly worth the purchase price.

The down side of this volume though is in the way this information is presented. It is an attractive book, presented in a very visually appealing way but it is not as readable as it could be. The type face is small, significantly smaller than is usually found in cookbooks, making the use of reading glasses and good lighting essential for this cook at least. Also some sections are printed with white typeface on a light green background, attractive but not easily read. The book is arranged alphabetically and there is an extensive index but some items are not either presented or indexed as logically as one might hope, making some items a bit tricky to find quickly.

There are a few recipes scattered throughout this volume although it is most definitely NOT a 'cookbook'. It is more of a compilation of all though extra chapters that often appear in the back of cookbooks - the ones a cook might vaguely remember reading something about somewhere but are frustratingly difficult to locate when needed again quickly. This is a volume that would make a great shower gift to a new bride, or present for anyone who enjoys cooking regardless of their level of skill.