Baking
This is one of my favorite cookbooks! I truly can make everything in here, it looks so enticing! Tons of step by step photos and detailed instructions and tips turn it so user friendly. I have made the "Fraisier" for my daughter's birthday and it came out fantastically. I have had success with all the recipes I've tried out of here thus far. He gives so much gen. I'm learning a lot, not just following a recipe. I like that. I'm seeing how things connect in pastry making, like how the pastry cream I'm informal with making is the foundation of mousseline, which I was unfamiliar with before making the "Fraisier cake".
I am making the Devil's Chow Chocolate Cake next week and I did notice the typo in that recipe, but I haven't found any others yet. And even if I do, I still give it 5 stars because what the book contributes outweighs a few errors. I'm so keen I came across this book. It's a wonderful addition to the rest of my books. Don't hesitate to buy this one.
An Unconstrained Must if You're a Gluten-Free Scratch Cook.
My sister is the stripe who will toss off terms like, "Classic bottom-of-the bowl French salad dressing" over dinner. I, not being a cooking in the flesh until my celiac diagnosis, usually have no idea what she is talking about. Needless to say, she's taught me a lot about how to cook.
When I started composition a gluten-free cookbook, she said, "You should look at basic baking techniques, to get an idea of what you're actually disquieting to accomplish." For that, this book is exactly what I needed: the author explains basic things like the inside info that there are really only six types of cakes; there are directions on how to proof yeast--which is essential to gluten-free baking for shape and loft; there are clear explanations of the different kinds of breads; there are extensive instructions on fruit tarts, desserts, and the saneness I really bought this book--how to make lemon bars.
The photographs are beautiful; if you were to pair this with Bette Hagman's pastry technique, a few gluten-free cake mixes, and a gluten-free bread mix, you would find that suddenly you can make the gluten on the house version, of any gluten containing bread, pretty easily.
(And the lemon bars are perfect.)
Disenchanted
The first formula I tried did not turn out. I tried the Lemon Meringue Pie. The filling was very runny. Now, while it tasted okay, there was nothing in the log that says how to troubleshoot recipes.
Typos
I got this hard-cover and was very eager to jump right in - this would be 5 stars based on the photos, tips, and several of the recipes (the Devil's comestibles cake is the BEST I've made, it was simply perfect). BUT I've found several typos, 1st one is professional buttercream on page 45 - 1 1/2 cups of butter is not 1 1/4 pounds of butter. So the 1st heyday I made this I grabbed 3 sticks of butter and was confused on why my buttercream was gooey and did not set up, and I thought the mistake was in my soft-ball sugar which is the on one's uppers part, when it turns out I just didn't have enough butter. There are also a few instances of incorrect page numbers when referencing side bars. I have only made a few things so far but but if you use this order just be forewarned of the poor editing and lack of recipe testing prior to mass hand out.
Lastly, the only way to really make sure your measurements are correct is to weigh your dry ingredients, especially flour, so I am as a matter of fact disappointed that there aren't more weights vs. volume and that I had to spend time doing math. I hate math.
Mostly a Party for Another Valuable Peterson Culinary Book
I purchased James Peterson's disgrace new humongous tome on BAKING a few days ago. It is wonderfully illustrated and clear in its instructions. It's got me thinking I can do far more baking-wise than I've ever attempted before because the processes are so understandably broken down in steps. (Which reminds me of something often attributed to Julia Child: There are no such things as difficult recipes. Some condign have more steps.)
The one complaint I have about the book - and to me it's a substantial one - none of the measurements for the recipes are by weight. I believe this is a big mistake when so many late baking books (including this one) talk about the precision of baking. There can be a meaningful lack of accuracy when doing measurements solely by size.
To finish on the positive, I am eager to start working my way through all Peterson's recipes and increasing my baking vocabulary and talent. There's a huge amount to learn here and it all looks delicious!
 List Price: Price: $26.40 You Save: $13.60 (34%) |
Product Description
Customer Reviews
Fondness it, Love it!!This is one of my favorite cookbooks! I truly can make everything in here, it looks so enticing! Tons of step by step photos and detailed instructions and tips turn it so user friendly. I have made the "Fraisier" for my daughter's birthday and it came out fantastically. I have had success with all the recipes I've tried out of here thus far. He gives so much gen. I'm learning a lot, not just following a recipe. I like that. I'm seeing how things connect in pastry making, like how the pastry cream I'm informal with making is the foundation of mousseline, which I was unfamiliar with before making the "Fraisier cake".
I am making the Devil's Chow Chocolate Cake next week and I did notice the typo in that recipe, but I haven't found any others yet. And even if I do, I still give it 5 stars because what the book contributes outweighs a few errors. I'm so keen I came across this book. It's a wonderful addition to the rest of my books. Don't hesitate to buy this one.
An Unconstrained Must if You're a Gluten-Free Scratch Cook.
My sister is the stripe who will toss off terms like, "Classic bottom-of-the bowl French salad dressing" over dinner. I, not being a cooking in the flesh until my celiac diagnosis, usually have no idea what she is talking about. Needless to say, she's taught me a lot about how to cook.
When I started composition a gluten-free cookbook, she said, "You should look at basic baking techniques, to get an idea of what you're actually disquieting to accomplish." For that, this book is exactly what I needed: the author explains basic things like the inside info that there are really only six types of cakes; there are directions on how to proof yeast--which is essential to gluten-free baking for shape and loft; there are clear explanations of the different kinds of breads; there are extensive instructions on fruit tarts, desserts, and the saneness I really bought this book--how to make lemon bars.
The photographs are beautiful; if you were to pair this with Bette Hagman's pastry technique, a few gluten-free cake mixes, and a gluten-free bread mix, you would find that suddenly you can make the gluten on the house version, of any gluten containing bread, pretty easily.
(And the lemon bars are perfect.)
Disenchanted
The first formula I tried did not turn out. I tried the Lemon Meringue Pie. The filling was very runny. Now, while it tasted okay, there was nothing in the log that says how to troubleshoot recipes.
Typos
I got this hard-cover and was very eager to jump right in - this would be 5 stars based on the photos, tips, and several of the recipes (the Devil's comestibles cake is the BEST I've made, it was simply perfect). BUT I've found several typos, 1st one is professional buttercream on page 45 - 1 1/2 cups of butter is not 1 1/4 pounds of butter. So the 1st heyday I made this I grabbed 3 sticks of butter and was confused on why my buttercream was gooey and did not set up, and I thought the mistake was in my soft-ball sugar which is the on one's uppers part, when it turns out I just didn't have enough butter. There are also a few instances of incorrect page numbers when referencing side bars. I have only made a few things so far but but if you use this order just be forewarned of the poor editing and lack of recipe testing prior to mass hand out.
Lastly, the only way to really make sure your measurements are correct is to weigh your dry ingredients, especially flour, so I am as a matter of fact disappointed that there aren't more weights vs. volume and that I had to spend time doing math. I hate math.
Mostly a Party for Another Valuable Peterson Culinary Book
I purchased James Peterson's disgrace new humongous tome on BAKING a few days ago. It is wonderfully illustrated and clear in its instructions. It's got me thinking I can do far more baking-wise than I've ever attempted before because the processes are so understandably broken down in steps. (Which reminds me of something often attributed to Julia Child: There are no such things as difficult recipes. Some condign have more steps.)
The one complaint I have about the book - and to me it's a substantial one - none of the measurements for the recipes are by weight. I believe this is a big mistake when so many late baking books (including this one) talk about the precision of baking. There can be a meaningful lack of accuracy when doing measurements solely by size.
To finish on the positive, I am eager to start working my way through all Peterson's recipes and increasing my baking vocabulary and talent. There's a huge amount to learn here and it all looks delicious!
