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Books: CookBooks: Diabetic Cooking
The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfectionby Michael Ruhlman List Price: $15.00 Available from Amazon $9.75 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review For his first book, The Making of a Chef, hands-on journalist Michael Ruhlman attended the most prestigious cooking school in the U.S., the Culinary Institute of America. He also earned his chef's whites and began cooking professionally. Ruhlman ventures further into the secret lives of chefs with his second book, The Soul of a Chef. This enthusiastically researched report is divided into three parts: The first concerns the Certified Master Chef exam, a brutal weeklong cooking marathon that measures the skill levels of professional chefs. The second and third parts of Ruhlman's book are devoted to the careers of two different chefs, Michael Symon of Cleveland's Lola Bistro and Thomas Keller of Napa Valley's legendary French Laundry. The thread connecting these three tales together is Ruhlman's quest for culinary perfection: Does it exist? Is it possible? How is it even measurable? Ruhlman does indeed stumble onto the realization of his high-minded ideal, serving up a palatable conclusion for hard-core foodies equally obsessed with the perfect meal. --Sumi Hahn Almquist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly In this follow-up to his cooking school odyssey, The Making of a Chef, Ruhlman examines what causes chefs to seek absolute perfection. The book is divided into three parts: in the first, Ruhlman observes the arduous Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, which was the setting for his first book. The second segment focuses on Michael Symon, a rising star at Lola (in Cleveland) who was recently dubbed one of the 10 best chefs in America by Food & Wine. The third is dedicated to Thomas Keller, chef of California's esteemed French Laundry. While Ruhlman's play-by-play descriptions of chefs struggling to cook exactly as Escoffier dictated 90 years earlier can be exciting (and the stories of those who failed heartbreaking), they strongly echo his previous book's account of culinary education. The author fares better in his portrait of Keller's development into an exacting perfectionist. But even here Ruhlman often slips into simply writing about the process of working on The French Laundry Cookbook, to which he contributed the text, or repeating stories that appear in it. Overall this book makes a fine introduction to Ruhlman's writing, but readers of his previous books will be disappointed to find the chef reheating leftovers. (July) Copyright 2000 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchenby Harold McGee List Price: $40.00 Available from Amazon $25.20 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Before antioxidants, extra-virgin olive oil and supermarket sushi commanded public obsession, the first edition of this book swept readers and cooks into the everyday magic of the kitchen: it became an overnight classic. Now, 20 years later, McGee has taken his slightly outdated volume and turned it into a stunning masterpiece that combines science, linguistics, history, poetry and, of course, gastronomy. He dances from the spicy flavor of Hawaiian seaweed to the scientific method of creating no-stir peanut butter, quoting Chinese poet Shu Xi and biblical proverbs along the way. McGee's conversational style—rich with exclamation points and everyday examples—allows him to explain complex chemical reactions, like caramelization, without dumbing them down. His book will also be hailed as groundbreaking in its breakdown of taste and flavor. Though several cookbooks have begun to answer the questions of why certain foods go well together, McGee draws on recent agricultural research, neuroscience Reviews and chemical publications to chart the different flavor chemicals in herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables. Odd synergies appear, like the creation of fruity esters in dry-cured ham—the same that occur naturally in melons! McGee also corrects the European bias of the first edition, moving beyond the Mediterranean to discuss the foods of Asia and Mexico. Almost every single page of this edition has been rewritten, but the book retains the same light touch as the original. McGee has successfully revised the bible of food science—and produced a fascinating, charming text. Copyright © Reed business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. |
Eating for Pregnancy: An Essential Guide to Nutrition with Recipes for the Whole Familyby Catherine Cheremeteff Jones and Rose Ann Hudson List Price: $16.95 Available from Amazon $11.02 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page From Publishers Weekly Aiming to fill a gap in the market, Jones has collaborated with perinatal nutritionist Hudson to produce a volume that combines both recipes and nutritional advice aimed specifically at the mother-to-be. Delicately balancing optimum and unnecessary weight gain with the required dietary needs for a healthy lifestyle, Jones and Hudson also addresses the requirements of diabetic, vegetarian and vegan diets. After an introduction providing a summary of needs and goals, the authors start with breakfast and move through the usual soups, salads and mains before finishing with desserts. A full chapter is dedicated to the vegetarian diet, and at the beginning of each chapter recipes are highlighted to indicate that they conform to a vegan diet. Each section contains recommended pantry items for the recipes. Along the way Jones makes full use of convenience and semi-prepared ingredients to provide simple yet flavorful dishes, while Hudson doles out advice on vitamins, health hazards and goals. Each recipe is preceded with the nutritional goal for baby and mother-to-be and followed by tips for cooking, storage, health, special diets as well as complete meal ideas, variations and the approximate nutritional content. Appendixes on weight, sources of nutrition from calcium to iron and food safety round out the book. Despite the book's wordiness and repetition in places there is an overwhelming amount of information. Copyright 2003 Reed business Information, Inc. Diane Snyder, M.D. "As an obstetrician this is a welcome resource for our patients." |
Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars Revised and Updatedby Richard K. Bernstein List Price: $27.95 Available from Amazon $17.61 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page From Library Journal Bernstein (Diabetes Type Two, Prentice Hall, 1990), a Type I diabetic, begins his book with testimonials from 14 patients praising his methods for controlling diabetes. His most radical departure from established medical practice is his diet plan, which recommends high fat, high protein, and a minimum of carbohydrates advice that conflicts with that given by the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Bernstein's exercise regimen also differs from standard practice by advocating anaerobic over aerobic exercise. There is a brief overview of diabetes, and specific supplies and brand names of products for diabetes are recommended. Sick days, the emotional challenges of the disease, pregnancy, and sex are either not included or barely mentioned. Richard Beaser's The Joslin Guide to Diabetes (LJ 7/95) is a far superior choice. Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp., Tampa, Fla. Copyright 1997 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Booklist Bernstein has had type I (juvenile or insulin-dependent) diabetes for 50 years and has become well known for his unconventional approach to treating both types of the disease. His emphases on almost hour-by-hour normalization of blood sugar and a diet consisting of nearly no carbohydrates and high levels of fat and protein have certainly educed two results: they have alienated many other diabetes specialists and required Bernstein's patients to be meticulous in self-managing their disease. Bernstein begins with some successful case histories, proceeds to basic backgrounding on diabetes, and then describes his treatment plan in considerable detail. He discusses diet, types of insulin and their uses, and the importance of establishing a close relationship with one's physician. He encourages his patients to make frequent visits to his office, makes himself available by phone virtually round the clock, and here includes five appendixes of data and exposition to help patients align their physicians' thinking with his. William Beatty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
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