The Book of Food: A Cook's Guide to over 1,000 Exotic and Everyday Ingredients

Offering an Americanized resource for an international scope of possibilities to serious cooks and professionals, a strong proponent of fresh, wholesome ingredients tells how to choose, store, and prepare everyday and exotic foods.

YA?A comprehensive, alphabetically organized guide that includes over 1,000 ingredients and over 200 photographs. Each entry within the 36 chapter headings describes where the ingredient comes from, basic history and varieties, buying and storing, and various preparation techniques. This title is very easy to use and is a strong resource guide for basic as well as exotic edibles. A great reference tool for earnest cooks as well as a desirable companion for casual reading.?Susan Sager, R.E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

First published in Great Britain in 1989, this is a comprehensive reference tool that looks like a coffee-table book. British cookbook writer and food columnist Bissell describes and discusses the uses of over 1000 ingredients, supplementing her text with more than 200 glossy photographs as well as meat charts and how-to illustrations, e.g., "preparing a pomegranate." While Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia (Crown, 1988) gives equal time to recipes, Bissell devotes herself entirely to the ingredients, only occasionally suggesting a particular dish. The familiar and the exotic get equal time here; in the foreword, Alice Waters, known for bringing America's attention back to fresh food, notes that Bissell has "gathered together more information about more kinds of food than most of us will ever be able to use." This alphabetically arranged guide, which includes a helpful index, is appropriate for all public libraries and any others with a strong cookery section.
Wendy Miller, Lexington P.L., Ky.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.