Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals Review

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(More customer reviews)After living in Japan for three years, I was pining for something Japanese besides sushi. This book more than fills that need. It is beautifully laid out with lots of photos and easy-to-follow directions. The authors recognize that some of the ingredients and tools for these recipes could be difficult to find, so not only do they give suitable substitutes, they also provide websites of vendors who carry the unique items. There are plenty of sidebars offering explanations of why some things are done a certain way, including the right way to slice cabbage and why hot pot ingredients are added in a particular order. Another thing I love about a cookbook is when I can learn something about the dish, along with getting the recipe. I enjoy learning the origin of the recipe and/or why it's unique to a certain region. EVERY RECIPE has a story to go with it and many have serving options along with suggested side dishes.
Japanese hot pot meals are very family-oriented. In a Japanese home, the hot pot meal is cooked right at the dining table using a portable butane stove. Everyone just digs in or cooks their own favorites in the broth. Although a portable butane stove isn't something commonly found in an American home, it is easy enough to find either here at Amazon.com or at an oriental market. I have two of them, and they have been real lifesavers at pot lucks and during power outages. It's like taking my gas range with me, no matter where I go. So if you decide to invest in the butane stove, know that you will use it for more than the hot pot meals!!

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Wholesome, delicious Japanese comfort food, hot pot cooking satisfies the universal desire for steaming, gratifying and hearty meals the whole family can enjoy. In Japanese Hot Pots, chef Tadashi Ono and food journalist Harris Salat demystify this communal eating tradition for American home cooks with belly-warming dishes from all corners of Japan. Using savory broths and healthy, easy-to-find ingredients such as seafood, poultry, greens, roots, mushrooms, and noodles, these classic one-pot dishes require minimal fuss and preparation, and no special equipment—they're simple, fast recipes to whip up either on the stove or on a tableside portable burner, like they do in Japan.

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The Soup Mix Gourmet: 375 Short-Cut Recipes Using Dry and Canned Soups to Cook Up Everything from Delicious Dips and Sumpt (Non) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am not a snob. I often use canned soup as well as dried soup mixes in my cooking. I am a busy mom and don't have time to concoct elaborate sauces and I have children who are extremely suspicious of "flecks" and "chunks". On the other hand, I like to eat food that TASTES good. I welcomed the advent of this cookbook and have already stuffed it with post-it notes on the recipes I am going to try. There is an enormous variety here and if you like to cook with soup you are certain to find something that you will like!
The biggest drawback I found was the emphasis on shallots over onions (this can be pricey for some), but this is easily rectified..just use onions. Some recipes calling for just the seasoning package and not the noodles from ramen noodle soup had me looking askance as well, but you could easily subsitute a bouillon cube. I don't have room to store opened packages of ramen noodles, although I occasionally use the noodles without the seasoning and store those to throw in soup!

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Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons Review

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(More customer reviews)Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons is the fourth edition of Nava's book previously titled Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. It is essentially the same book as the third edition, but with the color photos added along with the new cover. It is substantially different from the first two editions.
I am a total soup nut so I was very excited to try this one. I hadn't seen any of the previous editions but I'm a big fan of Nava's other cookbooks. This certainly lived up to my expectations. Like all of Nava's cookbooks, the recipes in this book were easy to make, used simple ingredients that I typically have in my pantry, and, most importantly, my family loved them.
The recipes are arranged by seasons, which is a really nice feature since we try to eat local, seasonal foods. It being January when I got the book, I turned straight to the winter soups and found several just perfect for a rainy winter suppers. The first soup I tried was the Three Bean Soup with Brown Rice. Well, actually it was only two bean soup (kidney and cannellini) because I didn't have any frozen green beans. I did have kale though so we still got the green in there. My daughters had bowl after bowl of this hearty tomato-based soup and I ended up with no leftovers for lunch the next day.
The second soup we tried was the Hearty Winter Roots Soup. This was a wonderful mash of potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, and parsnips in a creamy, cheesy soup. Another hit with the family. The third dish we tried was the Vegetarian Goulash--a great "meat" (seitan) and potatoes stew that reminded me of the Sunday dinners my mom made when I was growing up--except without the meat of course.
I can't wait to cook my way through the rest of the seasons. This spring, I'm looking forward to Asparagus and Spinach Soup, Leek and Mushroom Bisque, and Puree of Spring Greens. In the heat of the summer, I can try one of the many cold soups offered like Cream of Lettuce Soup, Classic Gazpacho, or Minted Peach Soup. Next fall (if I can wait that long), I'm dying to try the Baked Onion Soup, New England Clam-less Chowder, and Pumpkin-Apple Soup. In addition to soups, there's a lovely selection of breads, muffins, biscuits and scones. My daughters and I had a blast making Chapatis.
If you love soup or are looking for each meals for your family, this is definitely a good cookbook for you.
Review as seen on VegFamily Magazine www.vegfamily.com by Cathe Olson

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