The Kitchenware Book

Features entries for more than seven hundred items, including cooking tools, storage bins, kitchen kitsch, construction materials, and more

Kitchenware ranges from the collectible spurdle (a long, flat wooden tool for stirring) to the merely functional modern bread machine. But just about every gizmo and gewgaw makes an appearance in this book by Ettlinger ( The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores ). With its 700 entries and 600-plus illustrations, The Kitchenware Book is clearly intended to serve as a reference. As the introduction proclaims, "Cooking meals is a well-defined process, and this book is organized to follow that process logically." Each gadget is assigned to one of four major sections: preparation, cooking, beverage/garnish/serving or kitchen accessories. This seems simple enough--but the textual organization is not so very logical. Woe to the reader who wants to identify the gadgets needed to make pasta at home. A wooden pasta drying rack is categorized as a "stove-top cooking accessory," while a pasta machine is listed under the "mashing and pressing utensils." Moreover, the table of contents offers few clues or cross-references to aid in finding items. And so, like a mysterious fork, the book can be frustrating to use, despite its obvious assets.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With the help of research consultant Irena Chalmers, Ettlinger, the author of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Garden Centers (Macmillan, 1990) , now turns to cookware. He describes and explains the functions of more kitchen equipment and utensils than most people have ever seen. Some are of interest only to professionals, some can make the home cook's life easier, and some (like a citrus slicing guide) are of questionable value to anyone. Ettlinger sometimes includes evaluations in his buying tips but seems reluctant to dismiss relatively nonessential items. Nevertheless, his book covers several hundred more items than Fred Bridge and Jean Tibbett's The Well-Tooled Kitchen ( LJ 12/90), making it a good companion to theirs. For most reference collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.