by Jennifer A. Wickes
copyright 2003
"Food Lover's Companion" by Sharon Tyler Herbst is one of my favorite reference books. This book translates foreign cooking terms, culinary terms, an herb reference, food conversions, metric to imperial conversions, meat charts, common American and British terminologies, and much more! Being a small book, yet thick, you would not think that this book contains all the information in here. Yet, it does!
I have used this book for almost any culinary quandry I have had! Once, my family and I were ordering Chinese food. We were not sure of the difference between chow mein noodles and lo mein noodles, as where we lived before, my husband's favorite dish was called Shrimp Chow Mein, and on this menu was Shrimp Lo Mein. We were most happy to learn what the real definition for chow mein and lo mein were.
Another time, I went apple picking with my 3-year old son. We came back with 10 pounds worth of apples. He was going to help me make an apple pie! Before I started this project with a toddler, I wanted to know how many apples made the measured peeled and sliced equivalent in the recipe. This book had the answer for me!
My mother used to call me all the time, asking me what the American equivalent for a British terminology. Despite living in the US, she had a very strong British background, and learned to enjoy cooking in this country. With the terms I was unfamiliar with, they were in here as well. After answering a multitude of her questions, she bought her own copy!
I have also used this book to consult how to handle fruits and vegetables, such as how to choose them and store them. In the section about herbs and spices, I learned what herbs and spices went well with my produce! I, also, encountered addresses of organizations around the country of where to get additional information on that specific food!
I was most excited to learn that Emeril Lagasse, TV chef personality, also recommends this book!
This book has become invaluable in my house. It has educated me in cooking in more ways than I thought possible. I strongly recommend this book to the novice cook or even the experienced gourmand! And for the small price of $14.95, it's a steal!
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