2024 the best zucchini recipes review

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Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference is at once an encyclopedia, a produce market manual, and a treasure trove of recipes. With produce specialist Elizabeth Schneider as your guide, take a seed-to-table voyage with more than 350 vegetables, both exotic and common. Discover lively newcomers to the North American cornucopia and rediscover classic favorites in surprising new guises.

In this timely reference, Elizabeth Schneider divulges the secrets of the vegetable kingdom, sharing a lifetime of scholarly sleuthing and culinary experience. In her capable hands, unfamiliar vegetables such as amaranth become as familiar as zucchini -- while zucchini turns out to be more intriguing than you ever imagined.

Each encyclopedic entry includes a full-color identification photo, common and botanical names, and an engaging vegetable "biography" that distills the knowledge of hundreds of authorities in dozens of fields -- scientists, growers, produce distributors, and chefs among them.

Practical sections describe availability, selection, storage, preparation, and basic general use. Finally, the author's fresh contemporary recipes reveal the essence of each vegetable and a culinary sensibility that food magazine and cookbook readers have trusted for thirty years. Each entry concludes with a special "Pros Propose" section -- spectacularly innovative recipes suggested by professional chefs.

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference is an indispensable resource for home cooks, food professionals, gardeners, information seekers, and anyone who simply enjoys good reading.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Cookbooks; First Edition (December 18, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 777 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688152600
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688152604
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.5 x 11.25 inches
Reviewer: Esther Schindler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Worth every penny
Review: The idea of buying a $60 cookbook (however much discounted) makes me gasp. At that price, it had better be awesome.Fortunately, Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini delivers... and then some.If you're interested in non-mundane foods, particularly "ethnic" foods, then you've probably had the same experience I have. You find an odd looking vegetable in the grocery store, and are intruigued. You pick it up, and contemplate bringing it home. And then you realize that you have absolutely *no* idea what you'd do with one of these (other than think, "I'm sure I read about bitter melons or chayote *some*place). So you sadly put the veggie back on the shelf, feeling as though you've missed out.VfAtZ is a perfect answer to this dilemma. In this fat book (you could squash a *huge* spider with this tome), the author goes through all the "interesting" veggies with a predictable and welcome formula. There's a clear photo of the item, usually with some indication of size and with a "cutaway" so you know what the thing looks like once you chop it open. The author explains what the vegetable is (genus and all that jazz); where it came from (i.e. originally from South America, but now most popular in Asia); the varieties you can expect to find and the differences between them. I very much appreciate her clear instructions about choosing the vegetable in the market (i.e. heavy for its size, and no black marks on it), and the "basic" method of cooking (boiling, steaming, etc.) There's always at least a few recipes that highlight the essential tomatillo-ness or chayote-hood or whatever, plus a "Pros Propose" section where she gives you recipes from chefs and other cookbooks. (The latter are intentionally vague -- "he grills tomatillos with garlic and onlon" without indication of quantities -- presumably for copyright reasons. You get the idea anyway.)In short, after reading one of her 3-4 page entries for each vegetable (they're much longer for some items, such as the range of squash and mushrooms), you can confidently stand in the grocery store looking at the aforementioned veggie and Know What To Do With It.Other reviewers criticize the book for not including EVERY vegetable (I admit I'd like more, but only because I'd enjoy anything this author wrote), and that the recipes aren't all that great. They're generally okay, but I admit that few of them are awesome. But I see the recipes as an exercise in learning about the vegetable rather than a source of "what to have for dinner." I often reach for this book because some other cookbook was too vague.Case in point: a recipe in another cookbook for a Sichuan hotpot suggested you could cook sliced lotus root in the hotpot. I dutifully picked up a lotus root at the Asian market. When I got it home, I had no idea how one slices it -- do I peel it first? What about these knobby chunks? I grabbed Schneider's book off the shelf, and five minutes later I knew just what to do. (It tasted darned good, too.)I don't grab for this book when I'm trying to figure out what to make for dinner. But I'm glad I have this book when I want a definitive answer about using a vegetable, or learning how to cook it.

Reviewer: Maria Reidelbach
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: stunning
Review: This book is amazing. Each vegetable's entry includes: the latin name, varieties and species, color photographs, history, how to select, how to store, how to prepare -- including quotes from outside experts. Next, there are a few well-chosen recipes. Following that are detailed descriptions of dishes that Schneider collected by interviewing a wide range of the best chefs. Throughout, Schneider is informative, interesting, opinionated and frank -- if a vegetable's a dud, she'll say so. It's a great read -- but don't plan on carrying this 800 page, large format book on the train with you, unless you've got a backpack or cart.My only quibble is that I want more! Schnieder doesn't include the best known vegetables -- tomatoes, peppers, etc., since she feels there is plenty of information elsewhere. I'd also love a taxinomic chart showing major families and relationships. And it would be great if the book had a key, so that you could find the identity of a vegetable using its description. But these are very minor omissions, and the book is quite large enough as it is.This book is a magnum opus of the vegetable kingdom -- we can only hope that Shneider will be writing on future books about fruits and grains.

Reviewer: McJeeee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: one of my 3 most often used kitchen books
Review: This is a beautiful and functional and useful book. I refer to it at least once a week, sometimes more often. Most people will use this book in at least one of the following four ways:1) coffee table book and conversation starter - this is the least valuable way to utilize such a brilliant tome but if food books appeal to your coffe table senses you can't go wrong with this one, the photographs are lovely2) "what the heck did I just buy at the farmers market?" reference. I frequent farmers markets and sometimes I buy a lovely vegetable that I honestly don't know what to do with when I get it home. This book tells me how to clean, store, cook, and serve those farmers market goodies3) "how the heck do I pick a good [enter vegetable here]?" reference. Sometimes the best squash is not always the one with the hardest shell. Can a perfectly good artichoke have brown spots? Should I select leeks with fat bulbs or slender bulbs? This book tells you how to make the best selection and what time of year is prime for each item, including varietals.4) Should I bake or steam or boil or braise or roast or gril or...? This book tells you how the flavor and texture of your selected vegetable will differ based upon cooking technique.Another reviewer indicated that this book does not cover common vegetables in some cases. That is correct. You won't find an entry for traditional carrots, but you will find several entries for non traditional carrots. You won't find green asparagus described (though it is referenced) but you will find white and purple asparagus entries. The author clearly indicates omissions and her reasoning is that even basic home cooks already have that knowledge. I can understand why some reviewers would omit a star for that but to be honest I use this book so often that it is still a five star product in my opinion.

Reviewer: CSB
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I love this book!
Review: I love this book! While the recipes are excellent, its the information about each vegetable, and the techniques needed to cook and store them that are the real " meat and potatoes" of this book. Excellent pictures- they are not only beautiful, but also really informative- almost like mug shots whereby I am able to distinguish one vegetable from an other that looks remarkable similar- not always an easy thing to do. As others have commented, reading this book inspires me to go out there and try new vegetables. Is that not reason enough to buy this fabulous book?

Reviewer: Eagle Eyes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Génial! Un des meilleurs livres sur ce sujet. Beaucoup de détails. Beaucoup de contenu. Écrit en Anglais Américain.

Reviewer: Bibliophilia
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is a wonderful encyclopedia - can't stop browsing!

Reviewer: reasonable
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Comprehensive guide to a host of vegetables including really useful preparation cooking ideas.I can see why this book was nominated for an award.

Reviewer: Imcanadian
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The book is of fine quality and well researched with good photos, but I do not use it.

Reviewer: Sandra Kramer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Book was in almost pristine condition, but I was never apprised of the fact that there was NO dust jacket.