The Family Baker: 150 Never-Let-You-Down Basic Recipes (Hardcover)

~ Susan G. Purdy (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Today's baking books often exhort readers to produce technically advanced marvels. Not so The Family Baker, Susan G. Purdy's collection of 150 basic but delicious recipes. "These are meant to look as homemade as they taste," the award-winning baking book author says, encouraging whole-family participation in their creation--and everyone can get into the act with Purdy's reliable, take-you-by-the hand recipes. Readers looking for a fundamental baking companion, perfect for adult and kid use, or a "one-of-everything" source for American baking favorites will want the book.

In chapters devoted to biscuits, muffins and scones, quick breads, cookies and cakes, pies, pizzas (Purdy's term for thin one-crusted fruit-covered desserts), and more, Purdy offers treat after doable treat. Among these are superior versions of buttermilk biscuits, carrot bread, tapioca and chocolate puddings, old-fashioned sugar cookies, brownies, apple pie, carrot cake, chocolate mousse, and a no-bake cheesecake. Readers will also want to try Sour Cream Apple Crumb Pie, Anna Olson's Spritz Cookies, Chocolate Walnut Bread, and Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Gingersnap Crust, among other delights. Purdy also offers Kids in the Kitchen, a chapter that includes a blueprint for successful baking with grownups and children, along with recipes such as Baked Banana-Coconut Ice Cream and Caramel Nut Turtles. Step-by-step illustrations, tips, recipe variations, bake sale information, ingredients, and equipment notes round out this easygoing collection, sure to invite kitchen fun. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly

Purdy (author of award-winning Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too) offers time-honored desserts from friends and family. Extremely helpful organization lets home bakers know what special equipment to get, how long a recipe will keep and tips for preparation. Chatty preludes create a tempting fantasy world in which women sit around tea tables crying over long-forgotten cookie recipes. The recipe for Gladys Martin's Sour Cream Coffee Cake alone may be sufficient reason to buy the book, and there are also fine recipes for classic pies, cakes (Basic No-Bake Cheesecake) and puddings (Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Apple Pudding with Warm Nutmeg Cream). Unfortunately, many basic recipes (Thumbalinas are just thumb-print jam cookies) have been covered in such compendiums as The Joy of Cooking. Everyone already has a recipe for Lemon Squares tucked away on an index card; as well, the author admits that Cookie Jar Oatmeal Raisin Cookies is a variation of the Quaker Oats recipe and that the chocolate chip cookie recipe is Nestle's. The Triple Chocolate-Nut Biscotti, an unusual inclusion here, complicates what should be a simple Italian cookie with too many ingredients. Many of the recipes in the "Kids in the Kitchen" chapter don't quite come togetherAwaiting overnight for the Baked Banana-Coconut Ice Cream, only to find out that it is potentially too hard to scoop, will strain the patience of child and adult alike. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (October 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902610
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902618
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #730,995 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, November 28, 1999

By	Susan L. Duncan "dunsu" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If there was ever a cookbook to get you in the kitchen this one is it! The first recipe I tried was Gladys Martin's Sour Cream Coffee Cake. It alone is worth buying the book. I own many other baking books but I can already tell this will be the first one I reach for! If there were more stars to rate this book-I would have used them all.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars yummy , easy to follow and reliable desserts., October 10, 1999

By A Customer

The book is written in an easy to follow style and the desserts come out perfect every time. There is also a chapter on bake sales. (This book brings back happy childhood memories.) Every parent should have a copy. It will become cherished for generations

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Like Grandma Used To Make, July 3, 2001

By	Teantae Turner "sistert" (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many cookbooks on baking expect that we, the reader, either have culinary degrees or have plenty of time to create masterpieces worthy of a magazine spread. They seem to think we prefer the laboriously intensive creations that run $10 a plate at the finest restaurants. If that were truly the case why are our fondest memories of the baked goods created by our mothers (and fathers)?

In Susan Purdy's "The Family Baker", Mrs. Purdy takes us into her kitchen and shows us how to recreate those childhood delights, with all the guesswork tossed out. This is a no-nonsense cookbook. That is, there is very little idle chatter and lots of good information.

At first glance, recipes seem very long and involved. What you are actually seeing is the abundance of the information she provides to make sure that the results "never-let-you down". Beyond the usual ingredient list and steps, a list of any special equipment needed, advanced preparation options, the necessary temperature and cooking time to be used, and the expected yield are provided. A "For Good Measure" box appears in many of the recipes, providing specific tips or possible adjustments to further enhance the recipe. Some recipes also end with a list of alternate versions to increase your options. Mom's Apple Pie can become an Apple-Cranberry Pie, Kentucky Bourbon Pie, Apple-Raisin Pie, or Apple-Dried Cherry Pie if the mood struck you.

One of the first recipes tried was for Pumpkin `n' Spice Muffins. If you have a small can of plain pumpkin puree, you probably have everything to make these tasty muffins. This recipe was easy to prepare and resulted in a flavorful muffin. These are not dessert muffins. As stated in the description, they would be great for breakfast or served along side a bowl of soup. They are highly addictive.

Experienced cooks will appreciate the wide variety of recipes provide. Beginning cooks and those who want to increase their skills will love the tons of information packed into this cookbook.