Customer Reviews

Splendid Soups: Recipes and Master Techniques for Making the World's Best Soups

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A hefty, comprehensive, door-stop of a book, this "soup-lopedia" includes every soup I'd ever had a hankering to make--"Sopa de Ajo"--Spanish-style garlic soup with an egg in it (I craved it after a trip to Madrid) and Dried Fruit Soup (which my Scandinavian grandmother made when I was growing up)--and every other broth-based dish under the sun.

The histories of the soups and ingredients are so thorough and so fascinating that I felt like I was in a cooking class being taught by a wise, likeable teacher--and the photos of the soups were mouth-watering, and gave me serving suggestions.

An A++ book--I'm giving it to several people for Christmas!

I was introduced to Splendid Soups in my second semester of culinary school - my chef told the class that "if you follow the directions, there's not a bad soup in the book"- and she was so right! You really don't need to be a chef to use this book - as all of my friends and family who I've given it to for gifts can attest! Very clear directions for each recipe, good discussions on when Peterson likes to serve each soup, great advice on how to play with each recipe to make it more your own (and great advice on "fixing the soup" if you aren't completely happy with the recipe exactly as followed) and even a wonderful section in the back with resources, patterns for improvising soups, and fundamental knowledge of how to make the fun extras, like flavored butters and croutons. I write for the Dollar Stretcher (a frugal living webzine) and I've recommended this book to thousands of people, without reservation. If soup is part of your weekly menu (and for those of us trying to save money on food so we can buy more books, it is!) this is the first, last and best reference to have on your shelf. Many of the soups are very down-to-earth - try the wonderful French Onion (p.169) or White Bean and Vegetable Soup (p.197) or the Mushroom Veloute (p.163-164) if you want soups that freeze well and save tons of money from the grocery bill. There are also lovely soups for when company comes (like the Duck Consomme) and a whole section on Fruit Soups (which any child will love!). Perhaps my favorite thing of all about Splendid Soups, after the recipes, of course, is how Peterson tells you how he discovered each soup (hitchhiking to Paul Bocuse's restaurant for a meal that began with Foie Gras and Truffle Soup), mistakes he's made while preparing some (like buying a pumpkin too big for his oven)- you get to live vicariously though his background information. In all, a splendid book.

This book is very informative and gives a wide selection of soup recipes. The author obviously loves cooking and soup and so his descriptions are never boring. I've made a few recipes so far and they have turned out great!

I am a self-described soup addict. I make soups at least once a week year round, even when the weather in my hometown is well above 100 degrees! This book is an excellent book, great for someone who has spent a lot of time making soups and is willing to put the time and effort into getting the ingredients, and doing the chopping and cooking that is required. It has nearly every soup imaginable in it and is great for coming up with great ideas for your own new recipes. However, the reason I can't give it 5 stars is that, as others have mentioned before, it does not go into intimate detail in the instructions, it includes some hard-to-find or largely unfamiliar ingredients, and some of the recipes are difficult. If you are a beginner, you should probably stay away from this book. If you are soup obsessed like me, this book is well worth buying and will become an invaluable source of information for you.

great book. i tend to use it as a base for creating soups (e.g., a turkey soup that was based on 3 different veggy soup recipes). i've bought a copy for a buddy and for my brother-in-law and they both love the book (for some reason, men in my family do the cooking!!)

This book is great. I bought it for the Senegalese Peanut soup recipe and it was a stunning winner. When the weather turns colder and darker I make a lot of soups and this is the best book I have seen on the subject.
I have been reading some of the other reviews and I am somewhat amazed. I guess the net of all of these remarks is that this book is not a step-by-step for beginners. It assumes you know something about cooking. It does not give exact instructions. It gives outlines with options for branching out. This is exactly the way I like to cook, so it is perfect for my style.

After checking this book out of the library, and cooking my first presentable soups. I ended up getting the book for my library. My friends and family ended up buying the book for me after eating a few of the soups from this book. Mr Peterson includes alternate finishes as well as ideas on what to do with the leftovers. I've been using this book for a few months now and good soup is part of my weekly ritual now. As an amateur cook I found the book easy to follow and enjoyably elegant to have around. I end up reading it on the couch figuring out what I'm going to eat for supper. I've also found it an easy book to improvise with I've converted the avocado soup into dip for parties, and used the roasted garlic and acorn squash soup as a sauce. I'm looking forward to reading his sauce and vegetable books as well. Mr. Peterson I thank you for the good food...

There's nothing like hot, hearty soup on a cold winter day. If you want to read about soups, great book. If you want to cook them, forget it. The book suffers from overly complicated recipes. To make matters worse, it's filled with errors and omissions. Recipes sometimes seem to skip steps (ingredients never get added!), and the ingredients chapter doesn't bother to describe the truly unusual ingredients. It's as if the editor just checked spelling and no one actually tried to COOK from the recipes.

Beware - receipes include many esoteric ingredients you're not likely to have on hand. Contains a handy, although limited, food glossary. A challenging cookbook!

This guy can cook and he shares it with the rest of us. He is thorough and clearly communicates. Even the simplest and basics of soups turn out spectacular with this book, e.g. Potato and Leek Soup. So many categories and techniques to play with, this book is a goldmine of soups.