Amazon.co.uk Review
Leiths Cookery Bible is an old-fashioned cook book in the best possible sense. It's not that the recipes are out of date--though the traditional favourites such as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding are present and correct--but that this isn't a volume written around gorgeous colour photographs so perfect they actually put the average home chef off even attempting the dishes for fear of failure. That said, there are 64 pages of very nice pictures.
Leiths concentrates on information: a 100-page primer covering conversion tables, cookery terms, menu planning, calculating quantities, presentation, serving, healthy eating, nutrition, food safety, storage, leftovers, freezing food, equipment and wine, and a further 740 large pages of very detailed recipes that are unambiguous, precise and easy to follow. Especially helpful is the fact that all measurements are given in imperial and metric, and all temperatures in Fahrenheit as well as Celsius.
Written in a practical, straightforward style, Leiths doesn't try to entertain and the recipes are as free from gimmicks and pretension as the prose: you won't learn here how to prepare anything which looks more suited to a contemporary art gallery than a dining table. Instead there are hundreds of recipes for every occasion from a quick and easy family meal to an upscale dinner party, all of which have been tested repeatedly during 27 years of the Leiths School of Food and Wine.
The result in this third edition is the inclusion of dozens of "new classics"--the fresh, imaginative cooking that has been such an inspiration for today's chefs. It has meant that Oriental, Indian, South American and vegetarian dishes have come into their own. It has meant due regard for healthy eating, alongside the "haute cuisine" of rich butter sauces and high-cholesterol puddings and the hearty, homely cooking of the modern brasserie.
Also included are useful sections on the preparation of all the main types of meat and fish, though for more detailed coverage of kitchen craft Leiths Techniques Bible is the place to go. Otherwise, this is the perfect one-stop shop for anyone wanting a practical, functional guide on how to cook just about anything. --Gary S Dalkin
Product Description
The LEITH'S COOKERY BIBLE is a classic. The most authoritative and comprehensive cookbook there is for seasoned cooks and beginners, chefs and caterers from the celebrated Leiths School of Food and Wine. Covering soups, first courses, vegetable dishes, salads, main courses, stocks, sauces, dips, spreads, puddings, cakes, breads, biscuits, preserves, canapes, snacks and garnishes, the Leiths Cookery Bible is truly exhaustive. In it you will find a perfected recipe for almost any dish you are looking for - Steak Tartare, Beef Bourguignonne, Peking Duck, Gazpacho, Dauphinoise Potatoes, Chicken Kiev, Thai Red Curry, Cassoulet - and for any occasion, be it a quick supper or cocktail party, picnic, three course meal or afternoon tea. The 1,400 recipes range from timeless classics such as Cheese Souffle and Steak and Kidney Pie to more innovative recipes such as Salmon and Plaice Ravioli and Red Onion and Polenta Tart, and come from every part of the world, from Scotland to the South Pacific. In addition there are clear, illustrated instructions on how to perform every culinary operation from preparing a game bird to skinning a squid. From the prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine, this is a comprehensive and authoritative cookbook that contains everything anyone could ever need or wish to know in the kitchen.
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