Product Description

Both experienced and novice cooks will love this A-to-Z guide packed with more than 6,000 tips, shortcuts and other culinary wisdom cookbooks never tell you. Find all the answers you'll ever need to a universe of cooking quandaries and questions on hundreds of subjects, including foods, beverages, kitchen equipment, cooking techniques, entertaining ideas and smart ways to use leftovers. Plus, there are loads of quick and easy reference charts, a handy system of cross-referencing and well over a hundred shorthand-style recipes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #150467 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-01
• Released on: 2002-08-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

About the Author

Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, award-winning food authors and consultants, are among the world's foremost authorities on wine, food, and cheese.

Customer Reviews

Not a bad book for the casual chef
As a veteran food service professional and a devotee of the Food Lover's Companion i expected a little bit more from this book. It's full of fantastic tips and tricks, many known only in the food service industry, but i would be hard pressed to see this used as a reference book. It's interesting light reading. I expected more food science and chemistry and less 'Hints from Heloise'. The author's reliance on non-stick aerosol spray oil is a little unnerving.
It will certainly find a place in my chef's office, but more for the intersting tidbits of knowledge regarding beets than anything else.
Much of this information would be useful for the casual cook, but it lacks the 'must-have' draw of the Food Lover's Companion.

Always Find What I Want To Know
I got this book for a present about six months ago and can't stop picking it up. I heard this author on the radio recently and she was just as engaging and informative talking about burgers as she was about wine-and all the info she discussed is in this book, so I figure it's a darn good deal.

I've been cooking for a long time, but keep finding great info in The Food Lover's Tiptionary-whether for everyday cooking techniques (such as for subjects like corn, eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.) or for tips for special event preparations (like how to handle caviar, or different ways to prepare risotto). There's even info on kitchenware and appliances-from knives to food processors.

Love the "tidbits" at the beginning of almost every listing-little informational "bites" (history, etymology, etc.) that add so much to the subject. In short, LOVE this handy, easy-to-read, exceedingly informative book!

Tips and Techniques to Boost Basic Cooking Skills.
"The Food Lover's Tiptionary" is a collection of tips and techniques on basic culinary subjects, organized alphabetically. I believe there are about 500 separate entries, but the book doesn't say. The 6,000 tips referred to on the book's cover fall under the entries. The book covers specific foods, general food categories, kitchen utensils, and culinary techniques. Food entries are presented in the following format: Tidbit (either a definition or food trivia), Purchasing, Equivalents, Storing, Preparing, Cooking, and/or Using. Some of the food entries are accompanied by short recipes. The formats of other types of entries vary, and may be best described by example: The entry for "Cookies" provides extensive instructions on making dough, preparing pans, baking, finishing, and storing. "Ice" gives general information and instructions for various ice cubes for different occasions. "Baked Goods" includes general baking tips. "Pasta Shapes" describes 65 shapes. Food quotes by recognizable names are scattered throughout the book, wherever the subject of the quote is found. There are several charts in the book, such as metric conversion, oven temperature equivalents, and pan sizes. And there is a Recipe Index in the back, for the over 100 short recipes found throughout the book.

Every cook could learn something from the "Tiptionary", but I think beginning or moderately experienced cooks will find it most useful. The subjects, themselves, are pretty basic. "Gourmet" subjects are few, and ethnic foods not at all. The entries are thorough, though, and would be helpful to an experienced chef if he/she doesn't happen to have experience with a particular food that is included. The emphasis is on instruction in "The Food Lover's Tiptionary", whereas the author's popular "Food Lover's Companion" emphasizes definitions. The "Food Lover's Companion" describes nearly 6,000 culinary terms -ethnic, gourmet, and obscure included.