Customer Reviews

Vegetables

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've seen a number of books before from the CIA that were clearly for student and working chefs - recipes and instructions heavy on the technical specifications and light on the images. That's fine for the cook with heavy experience, but tough on the average kitchen denizen. So I was delighted to see The Culinary Institute of America Vegetables: Recipes and Techniques from the World's Premier Culinary College.

Let's ignore the very last claim, as restaurant schools from Johnson & Wales to those in Zurich, France, and Germany might disagree. Physically this is a well-illustrated and designed book. Recipes are laid out with the steps on one page, ingredients running vertically next to the steps, and a full color picture facing. That's critical, because students in a culinary school get to see the food when the instructors show them how to make it. But if you've never laid eyes on a dish, it's difficult to tell whether your results are correct or not.

The one place where the visuals are lacking is in basic preparation and cooking techniques as well as information on storage and individual vegetable types. But, realistically, economic realities come into play. The volume is already just over 290 pages long at a suggest price of $40; any more, and it would quickly hit the $70 and higher price of culinary text books, putting it out of the price range of all but the most ardent home cooks.

Recipe organization is in a standard set of categories: soups, appetizers, salads, entrées, side dishes, and sauces and relishes. What is unusual for a book covering vegetables is that it's not vegetarian; there are some recipes that include meat. I was actually happy to see that. Too often vegetables are treated as accompaniments to meats, poultry, and fish, and not as integral parts of the recipe concepts. Those who eschew eating that which moved about at one time won't like those parts of the book, but for most people, I think it's a sound approach. I also saw enough unusual dishes - such as Thai Fresh Pea Soup and Hoisin-Caramelized Root Vegetables - that this collection is unlikely to be a duplicate of the standard "exotic" recipes that you find turning up in one book after another. I look forward to the next volume they do in this fashion.

I was looking forward to this title to complement the material in some of the other great CIA titles I have with some veggie-specific information. However, in contrast to those titles, it is little more than a collection of recipes without the in-depth sections on ingredients and techniques that I have come to expect from the CIA.

The "cooking" part of this volume is barely 25 pages long; not enough to give any depth to any of its discussions. From there it launches into a collection of specific recipes using vegetables, without providing "master recipes" for any. For example, "How can I roast beets?" isn't answered with a direct "400° for 45-60 minutes in a foil packet" kind of answer anywhere. The recipes seem to be repeats from other (recommended) CIA books I have, such as The Professional Chef, 8th Edition, Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America, and Techniques of Healthy Cooking, Professional Edition.

The recipes aren't organized by vegetable, as I might have liked, but by course (e.g., salads, appetizers, entries, etc). As a result, I do not find it easy to use as a "go-to" resource on my bookshelf.

This book would be at home on the coffee table of someone that has immaculate, polished stainless steel or copper All-Clad pots and Global knives on display in their kitchen. If your All-Clad and Japanese knives fall into more into the well-loved category, I'd save your money on this one.

(Interestingly, this is published by Lebhar-Friedman Books rather than Wiley -- No idea if that means anything in general.)

The book has enticing pictures of the recipes and has nostalgic images of vegetable growers' packages.(love them) The recipes are reasonable, up to date, and the informational snip-its are well laid out. Do not be afraid to try a recipe twice, the ingredients are inexpensive enough to have a trial run before you prepare them for company. The CIA has published a mountain of books and I feel that this cookbook is one of the better ones. I would have enjoyed a few more exotic vegetables for the adventurous, but overall the book is worthy of shelf space in any kitchen.

Whether you're a vegetarian, like myself, or want to accompany your meat/poultry/fish entree with fabulous side dishes, this book is wonderful. The photographs "draw" you in to the dishes and inspire your creativity. From appetizers to salads to entrees, the recipes are easy to follow and the results are guaranteed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who never thought vegetables could be the highlight of their meal!

Never a disappointment buying or cooking anything from the CIA! I have most of their books and not only are the photos great but the instructions can work for the home cook as well.

This book is such a great guide to using vegetables in wonderful ways. Not only do you learn about different vegetables you can find fun and creative ways to cook with them. The photos are beautiful and the food is delicious. It is hard to find such a comprehensive source of vegetable dishes in one place. This book benefits beginner to advanced cooks.

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA):
Vegetables
Recipes and Techniques from
The World's Premier Culinary College
Reviewed by Marty Martindale

From the classrooms of the Institute come 170 kitchen-tested recipes with 100 exquisite color photographs. The book features vegetables as themselves, as appetizers, in salads, entrees and side dishes, plus sauces and relishes. They also include valuable handling and storage information. Specific forms of cooking are addressed in addition to recipes. It's difficult to become disappointed with any CIA presentation.
Here's an overview of selected recipes:
* Corn Chowder with Chiles and Monterey Jack: Calls for cream, bacon, onion, red pepper, celery, garlic, broth, potatoes, tomatoes, green chiles, Tabasco and tortilla strips
* Thai Fresh Pea Soup: (a delightful and simple delight) broth, onion, garlic, green curry paste, peas (frozen okay), toasted mustard seeds and mint
* Chilled Asparagus with Mustard Herb Vinaigrette: cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, parsley, tarragon leaves, onion powder, garlic powder and olive oil
* Green Beans with Frizzled Prosciutto and Gruyere: Simply add lemon juice, vinegar, shallots and olive oil.
* Roasted Beet and Orange Salad: olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, walnut halves and goat cheese
* Zucchini Pancakes: scallions, eggs, flour, dill, parsley, tarragon, feta cheese, walnuts and top with Tzatziki Sauce
* Sicilian-Style Spinach: olive oil, pancetta, anchovy, onion, garlic, raisins and pine nuts
* Winter Squashes Sauteed with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans: calls for broth, pumpkin, butternut squash, acorn squash, butter and lemon juice
* Corn Relish: red pepper, jalapeno pepper, brown sugar, cider vinegar, dry mustard, Tabasco and Worcestershire
* Harissa (a pleasure to keep around all the time): hot red chiles, garlic, caraway, coriander, cumin and olive oil.
This book is capable of being at home amongst your working cookbooks and on your coffee table.

Lovely book, great recipes and a massive disappointment all wrapped into one.

While the idea is great, there are NO pictures of individual vegetables!
Surely, with 100 full-page colour plates, the editors could have thought to add thumbnails, at the very least, of the many, many different kinds of vegetables featured. Salsify, jicama, chayote, various cucumbers, lettuces, types of squashes, eggplants and on and on are MISSING!

Otherwise, very nice, but come on folks...Wikipedia can do it, why not CIA?

A beautiful book. I loved every thing I have attempted so far. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

One of the Best - all you need to know about the wonderful benefits of Vegetables