Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5951 EAN: 9780688146115 ISBN: 0688146112 Label: William Morrow Cookbooks Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 624 Publication Date: 1996-04-15 Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks Release Date: 1996-04-15 Studio: William Morrow Cookbooks
This classic text on Chinese Cooking Technique, now available in paperback, combines an insider's knowledge of authentic Chinese cooking and culture with more than two hundred recipes.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Taught me basic Chinese cooking technique Comment: I wanted one Chinese cookbook that would teach me all the basics of cooking.
This is it! (And I'm still learning.)
Ok, it's very time consuming. But it's worth it! I've even learned little hints that have helped me in all of my cooking! For instance, now I can bread and lightly fry or bake any item without it falling apart!
Customer Rating: Summary: The Julia Child or Marcella Hazan of Chinese Cooking Comment: This book isn't really what I was looking for. It is filled with informative recipes, ingredient lists, and anecdotes. Like Julia Child or Marcella Hazan, Tropp is a purist. I've got a large Chinese market nearby, but I'm still intimidated by the ingredients she insists on. (They're not necessarily exotic, it is just finding the best soy sauce, for example, that is daunting.) I like this style of cookbook, and I'm convinced that if I cooked my way through it I'd be an accomplished Chinese cook, ultimately this book has much loftier aspirations than I do. Customer Rating: Summary: Good Instruction but... Comment: This is certainly a fantastic book, which I bought following recommendations from the Amazon reviews and from an internet food community. The strengths of the book are that it contains a level of detail in the recipes, and in the introductions to the various types of cooking styles, ingredient preparation and correct use of cooking utensils.
However, the recipes themselves are not on the whole as appealing as one might expect from a book of this size. Also, in terms of "classical" chinese cuisine (by that I mean what you and I are used to, rather than what someone from Mainland China is used to) this book is not as strong as you may think.
My main gripes emerge when comparing this book with Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook. This book to me contains the same, if not greater levels of detail with regards to frying/steaming and ingredient prep, and also contains many many more appealing recipes, with just as good levels of detail for those that are not familiar with chinese cookery. The section on ingredients and also on the cuisine of Mainland China is also superior in this book.
Yan-Kit's Classic Chinese Cookbook remains my go-to book for Chinese food, altho I will keep this and use it from time to time, but it is certainly not as useful and doesnt contain as many appealing recipes. If you are interested in smoking chicken and duck however, you will need Barbara Tropp's book. Customer Rating: Summary: One of the best Comment: I'm an avid cookbook reader and recipe-try-outer and this is one of the best cookbooks in general that I have come across. Instructions are crystal clear, which is great for beginning cooks, and because of the careful instructions, each recipe turns out exactly like it's supposed to. She has a lot of home-cooking type recipes that are easy, like the Master Sauce Eggs and chicken. It's true that some recipes do take time, but most of them you can do parts ahead of time or are hands-off sorts. Customer Rating: Summary: Great cooking teacher Comment: Totally spellbinding and exciting book! Barbara recognized that great outcomes require more than simply great recipes, and that great execution requires more than superficial knowledge.
In The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, Barbara prepares the reader for virtually all of the conditions and eventualities that home cooks face. She then provides the in-depth knowledge and nuance necessary to consistently achieve world-class perfection. And she does it in an easy-to-read, entertaining style.
Thanks to Barbara's book, the fine recipes from David Hom and Irene Kuo have reached even greater heights.
