Wood-Fired Cooking: Techniques and Recipes for the Grill, Backyard Oven, Fireplace, and Campfire (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: medium heat fire, box roaster, multilevel grates, Big Green Egg, Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, Smoky Romesco Sauce (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Karlin has passed down the knowledge of wood-fired cooking for nine years as an instructor at the Ramekins school in Sonoma, Calif., so it is not surprising that her first cookbook is a teacherlike endeavor. It begins with an extensive review of the basics, including a chart that looks at the appliance characteristics of a vertical clay top-vented oven, a list of woods and their proper uses (red oak for beef and fish) and a survey of various wood-burning devices including the classic La Caja China Box, a pig roaster on wheels. Next, there is a treatise on Becoming an Efficient Wood-Fired Cook. Finally, she challenges her readers with 100 recipes ranging from academic to scholarly. Her specialty includes entrees that include the word smoky or involve a plank or a brick. Smoky barbecued oysters, grilled on a campfire grate, are served with an intense vinegar-based sauce. Smoked chicken and herb dumplings uses bacon, as well as smoke, to flavor the bird. And mushroom-rubbed plank-roasted steak employs a water-soaked aromatic board to flavor and keep the meat from drying out. For extra credit, there are several complex choices that seem a tough match for the open fire, such as an apricot tart with lavender crème anglaise. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Karlin has passed down the knowledge of wood-fired cooking for nine years as an instructor at the Ramekins school in Sonoma, Calif., so it is not surprising that her first cookbook is a teacherlike endeavor. It begins with an extensive review of the basics, including a chart that looks at the "appliance characteristics" of a vertical clay top-vented oven, a list of woods and their proper uses (red oak for beef and fish) and a survey of various wood-burning devices including the classic La Caja China Box, a pig roaster on wheels. Next, there is a treatise on "Becoming an Efficient Wood-Fired Cook." Finally, she challenges her readers with 100 recipes ranging from academic to scholarly. Her specialty includes entrees that include the word "smoky" or involve a plank or a brick. Smoky barbecued oysters, grilled on a campfire grate, are served with an intense vinegar-based sauce. Smoked chicken and herb dumplings uses bacon, as well as smoke, to flavor the bird. And mushroom-rubbed plank-roasted steak employs a water-soaked aromatic board to flavor and keep the meat from drying out. For extra credit, there are several complex choices that seem a tough match for the open fire, such as an apricot tart with lavender crème anglaise. (May) --Publishers Weekly, February 2, 2009

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; illustrated edition edition (February 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580089453
• ISBN-13: 978-1580089456
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,663 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #5 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Outdoor Cooking > Camping & Hiking
  #55 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Outdoor Cooking > Barbecuing & Grilling

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Than Enough, September 7, 2009

By	William J. Oehlkers "Bill Oehlkers" (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mary Karlin's Wood Fired Cooking is a well-llustrated, robust collection of recipes and suggestions for cooking in a wood fired oven. As one who is interested mainly in pizza I cannot comment intelligently on other recipes, but the pizza dough looks worthwhile, and I will be trying it. For a book on wood fired ovens, more information on baking pizza would have been helpful, particularly in distinguishing it from baking bread. Otherwise, the time and temperature suggestions for pizza are appreciated. My only wish is that recipes list ingredients in terms of weight rather than volume, using metric measures. OK, one last wish: use baker's percentages. Overall, a fine book to add to one's collection on either pizza or wood-fired ovens.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Fired UP, July 12, 2009

By	W. J. Douglas (Ashland, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very Informative Book about wood fired cooking that includes source information about suppliers of related products, characteristics of various fire woods, and many unique recipes. As a new owner of a wood fired oven it's a great reference.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keeper, May 13, 2009

By	Steve Sando (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully produced tribute to a neglected subject. The instructions are interesting and easy enough and it's hard not to run to the hearth and play while reading this. One of my favorite books of the year!