Going Solo in the Kitchen by Jane Doerfer
|
Book Summary Author: Jane Doerfer Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 1998-08-25 ISBN: 0375703934 Number of pages: 320 Publisher: Knopf |
| New | New Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $8.79 | ||
| Used | Used Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $1.99 |
Your purchase is protected by the A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee. Amazon.com automatically transfers your payment to the merchant so you'll never need to pay a merchant directly. Amazon.com A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee covers both the delivery of your item and its condition upon receipt.
Book Reviews of the Going Solo in the Kitchen
Customer Review: Not in my kitchen, not on my stove!
Summary: 2 Stars
I fancy myself an expert reader, but confess to barely emerging from my novitiate as a chef. I'm busy compiling a library of cookbooks to garnish my newly reacquired bachelor status and freshly cultivated culinary courage. Alas, this particular tome is working its way to dust-gathering status. My most recent experience: I attempted the "Piquant Boneless Chicken Breast," the recipe for which spans pages 132-133. First of all, the split breast at a medium-high heat took far longer than the suggested 4-5 minutes to cook. So perhaps, I thought, the stove was not hot enough. Nevertheless, I allowed some time for the pan to cool to "medium" before adding the garlic and cooking for 30 seconds, as indicated in the recipe. Although the chicken took longer to cook than suggested, allowing me to believe the temperature too low, the cooled pan burned the garlic (and optional added tarragon) almost instantly. Adding the chicken stock and lemon juice produced a scorched brown paste in the pan. Now, I happen to love the taste of burnt garlic and tarragon, and I count lifeless brown among my favorite colors, so I quite enjoyed my dinner, but I'm glad the recipe produced but a single portion. I would never have served this mess to guests.
I've now tried and taken notes on six of the recipes in this book, all with similar experiences. I'd think the problem was my equipment and my incipient dotage were I having similar problems with recipes from other cookbooks. Alas, such is not the case. "The Joy of Cooking," Pepin's books and the stuff the Silver Palate people put out all yield reliably splendid repasts. I note the five star reviews that precede mine and marvel incredulously.