Book Review: "Gourmet Preserves" by Madelaine Bullwinkel
by Jennifer A. Wickes
© 2005
Gourmet Preserves is a nice cookbook for making jams, jellies and preserves. Unfortunately, this book is for recipe-followers and provides little education in the actual preservation of jams, jellies and preserves.
Madelaine Bullwinkel has had over 30 years experience in making jams. She, currently, takes people on culinary tours of France. Bullwinkel has her own cooking school in Chicago and has been featured in such magazines like Bon Appetit and Better Homes & Garden.
With accolades from people like Charlie Trotter and Gale Gand, it is hard to see anything negative about this book. There is a basic instruction, in the front of the book, that teaches readers some beginning knowledge in jamming. The author does include no-sugar options, which is wonderful for the diabetics in your family. Bullwinkel, also, includes recipes that utilize some of her creative jams, like scones and trifles.
Chapters included in this book are: A Short History of Preserving; Techniques and Equipment for Preserving; Jams; No-Sugar Jams; Jellies; Marmalades; Preserves; Breads and Muffins; Desserts; A Seasonal Guide to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Preserving.
Photographs in a cookbook, in my opinion, are a perfect opportunity to sell your book. Unfortunately, the only photos in this book are the occasional black and white photos of a piece of fruit. There is no instruction on pH levels in jamming, nor any discussion on it. I find her term "No-Sugar Jams" misleading. Since fruit contains fructose, a type of sugar, one cannot really say that there is no sugar in the recipe. The proper term utilized by the USDA is "No-Sugar-Added".
Bullwinkel encourages creativity in her book (see Page 14) and suggests adding fresh herbs, spices and liquors. What she fails to mention is that if you add too many low-acid items, you can raise your pH levels to a dangerous level, and being there is no real discussion on pH levels, a new reader would not know this that they are even doing this.
When attempting to educate readers of this book about jam-making, she does point out that the utilization of copper in jamming is not good. Having been in training positions before, I always find that if you explain why you should or should not do something, you will have a greater understanding of what you are attempting to learn. In this specific case, she does not explain that the use of copper actually destroys the vitamin content of the product.
by Jennifer A. Wickes
© 2005
Gourmet Preserves is a nice cookbook for making jams, jellies and preserves. Unfortunately, this book is for recipe-followers and provides little education in the actual preservation of jams, jellies and preserves.
Madelaine Bullwinkel has had over 30 years experience in making jams. She, currently, takes people on culinary tours of France. Bullwinkel has her own cooking school in Chicago and has been featured in such magazines like Bon Appetit and Better Homes & Garden.
With accolades from people like Charlie Trotter and Gale Gand, it is hard to see anything negative about this book. There is a basic instruction, in the front of the book, that teaches readers some beginning knowledge in jamming. The author does include no-sugar options, which is wonderful for the diabetics in your family. Bullwinkel, also, includes recipes that utilize some of her creative jams, like scones and trifles.
Chapters included in this book are: A Short History of Preserving; Techniques and Equipment for Preserving; Jams; No-Sugar Jams; Jellies; Marmalades; Preserves; Breads and Muffins; Desserts; A Seasonal Guide to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Preserving.
Photographs in a cookbook, in my opinion, are a perfect opportunity to sell your book. Unfortunately, the only photos in this book are the occasional black and white photos of a piece of fruit. There is no instruction on pH levels in jamming, nor any discussion on it. I find her term "No-Sugar Jams" misleading. Since fruit contains fructose, a type of sugar, one cannot really say that there is no sugar in the recipe. The proper term utilized by the USDA is "No-Sugar-Added".
Bullwinkel encourages creativity in her book (see Page 14) and suggests adding fresh herbs, spices and liquors. What she fails to mention is that if you add too many low-acid items, you can raise your pH levels to a dangerous level, and being there is no real discussion on pH levels, a new reader would not know this that they are even doing this.
When attempting to educate readers of this book about jam-making, she does point out that the utilization of copper in jamming is not good. Having been in training positions before, I always find that if you explain why you should or should not do something, you will have a greater understanding of what you are attempting to learn. In this specific case, she does not explain that the use of copper actually destroys the vitamin content of the product.
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