Customer Reviews

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am not a vegetarian, far from it in fact. So why is it that I use this cookbook more than any other?

Simply put, because it has all the information I've needed as a rookie chef. It has comprehensive details on the huge variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans/legumes available; everything from their history to their appearance, as well as which flavorings best complement them. Attractive hand drawings illustrate the process of preparation in the case of "tricky" foods, such as artichokes.

The recipes are fantastic! Meat and bread is easy to make tasty; vegetables, fruits, and plain grains take some culinary knowledge. All of the recipes I've tried are simple in ingredients and preparation, tasty, AND light in the stomach.

Best of all is her attitude. Unlike some vegetarian authors who follow their diets for dogmatic reasons, she simply eats and makes what tastes good to her. That's why some recipes include butter as an ingredient, and her emphasis on local produce above the "organic" produce that's supposedly so much better.

Based on my experience, this is the single most important cookbook for a budding culinary expert. You will not be disappointed!!

Though Madison's knowledge and abilities are obviously unparalleled, sometimes the best chefs aren't the best cookbook authors. Don't get me wrong: this encyclopedic volume is an impressive piece of work. But too often the recipes are just workhorse recipes. And Madison's recipe-writing style can be a bit vague, esp. for beginners.

All in all, I wish she focused on doing a few things very well instead of doing too many things adequately.

The important thing to say is that have not yet tried the recipes. From all i read, this book is very good. The only thing is that when i received it, i was surprised at how few pictures it contained. Given i highly use pictures to decide what i will cook, this was a little disapointing.

I have personally used this cookbook for over 10 years and it is my favourite vegetarian cookbook. Subsequently, I have given it as a gift to many people, as I did this past Christmas.

I am VERY picky about my cookbooks. My most often used cookbooks are the moosewood cookbooks. It is rare for me to find a cookbook that I like... and... I LOVE this one :)

... I really wanted to like this book, especially as I was a diehard fan of The Greens cookbook way back during my militant vegetarian days in university - I'd say that it's not so much that I disliked this book but that I got bored. The tone of the book is OK but the recipes just didn't get me fired up and in the kitchen the way that Mark Bittman's books do say. I ended up returning the book and ordering Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook instead cuz his How To Cook Everything Vegetarian cookbook did the trick for me.

I guess I am not skilled enough for this cook book. I use my cookbooks for meal ideas and I found this book contained a lot of basic things. As a beginner vegetarian I had no idea how to blend the basics into meals. Everything looked like sides to me.

At the very beginning she said she won't specify types of cream in each recipie. She said we should be able to figure it put through context. Again I guess I just don't have the skills. I need to know if I need whipping cream or half and half or something else because I am learning, which is what I thought this book was for, to teach me. I would recommend it to those trained in cooking. It not for a beginner.

After purchasing this as a gift, I have come to realize that this weighty book holds a place on the shelf beside other great kitchen books. It is not just a cookbook but a resource that is of a higher standard and will be used over the long-term. Certainly something that will become part of the global cooking culture if it has not already attained that status. Minor drawback is the convoluted nature of some ingredients or recipes, but as with many books of this class, it is also setting the bar higher and providing an awareness of how dishes are properly constructed using some finer ingredients and techniques.

I've been hunting for a good vegetarian cookbook for some time and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is it! In addition to terrific recipes, this is also a how-to cookbook. As a former caterer and chef, I do know quite a bit about cooking and found that I still learned and I agreed with her on those things I already knew. Good techniques.

I'm glad the book is hardcover, because I tend to be rough on cookbooks and this will hold up. One suggestion that I do in all my cookbooks is to comment on a recipe after I make it. After all, it's not easy to remember not only if we made something, but if we liked it.

There are already a lot of **** and "delicious" written beside the recipes.

I already cook with a nice variety of vegetables, but this year decided to try any and all vegetables. Madison is my first stop for suggestions on different and interesting ways to cook the veggies. Have been very satisfied with results.

One caveat--she uses more salt than I like, so be careful.

Author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

This is the best cookbook I own. I've been cooking since I was 5, and if I had to choose one cookbook to keep on my shelf, it would be Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Her recipes are delicious, her sauces and dressings divine, and most recipes are doable on a weeknight.

The recipes in this cookbook are much lighter than The Greens Cookbook, which tends to heavy cheese dishes, and more arduous preparation. Ms. Madison often uses cheeses in this book, but usually small amounts - enough to flavor without overwhelming the stomach with fat.

And as someone who keeps the Orthodox fasts, this cookbook is invaluable in my vegan arsenal. Many recipes are vegan, or can easily be made vegan with only minor substitutions and without sacrificing flavor. These dishes also complement simply-prepared meats nicely - such as grilled lamb or steak or chicken.

All in all, a really marvelous book.