Cookbooks That Were High Expectation Disappointments

[Chris Amirault]

The publication of Shirley Corriher's Bakewise was a major event in my household. I'm a mediocre baker, so I was eager to work on my basics; my wife plows through Pierre Herme, Rose Levy Beranbaum, and Dorie Greenspan books with glee and was eager to dive in. It was a bust that we really were hoping was a boom: bad design, poor writing, lousy recipes. We never use it but can't bring ourselves to throw it out.

Does anyone else have any cookbooks that you were dying to get but were DOA?

[baroness]

I generally restrain myself from buying any cookbook costing over $15 or so sight unseen; bookstore browsing and borrowing from the library has saved me untold thousands. I cannot bear to throw away books, either, so I try to find library book sales or other charity sales to unload the very occasional 'dud'.

[Meanderer]

The parents of a childhood friend were natives of Hungary and the occasional meals I had at their home seemd both exotic and good to me. My recollections of those meals caused me as an adult to search for an authentic Hungarian cookbook, something that was much more difficult to do before we owned a computer. I finally found one in a used book store(The Cuisine of Hungary by George Lang) and I bought it after barely a glance. After getting it home, I decided it might be just a little too authentic because it contained far too many recipes that called for ingredients that were and still are largely unavailable to me locally, e.g., fish milt, smoked goose breast, live carp, partridge, Lipto sheep's-milk cheese(the book says I can use Brindza instead, but I can't get that either).

The other problem is that many of the things we have tried from the book turned out to be merely ok. I assume my tastes have changed over time and flavors that were revelations in the 60's when my diet was simpler are less so today.

[Wholemeal Crank]

Bakewise was a disappointment for me because it seemed to emphasize texture over flavor, exemplarized by one recipe that combined butter, shortening, and oil, purporting to thus gain the benefits of each inthe final result, without any recognition of how 'diluting' the butter this way compromises flavor. If I want a Twinkie, I'll buy a Twinkie; when baking myself, I want better than storebought, not a reproduction of the blandest grocery-store-bakery junk.

Another major disappointment was Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi. It won the IACP award and was gigantic and so expensive--the most expensive I had ever bought. It just had to be good, because it was a collection of vegetarian recipes from a culture with a very strong tradition of vegetarianism, so I anticipated time-tested recipes that would not simply be adaptations of meat-based recipes with substitutions for the meat. But after trying four or five recipes, from different chapters, all of which just seemed off--dry, flat, just not satisfying--I looked at the introduction for the first time, in which she noted that garlic and onions were considered unhealthful in the tradition from which she drew the recipes. D'Oh! I had to acknowledge that it was not the book for me, and gave it away to my father with a warning about this peculiarity. He enjoyed reading it, but I don't think he ever made many recipes from it either.

[HungryC]

I feel ya on the Bakewise disappointment. My latest disappointment: My Bread by Jim Lahey. I wanted to like it, I made pretty good pizza bianca out of it, but it shouldn't win an IACP award any time soon. At least one recipe had an ingredient missing from the instructions section (no small matter in recipes as simple as Lahey's), the tone was way too conversational, and it lacked the sort of depth I look for in a cookbook. Is it too much to ask for a book to be well written? I don't want off-the-cuff, bloggy informality from a book!

[maggiethecat]

I make exactly one recipe from "Bouchon" -- the quiche, which is fabulous. Otherwise, overpriced, overproduced and meh.

[Darienne]

Like the Baroness, I rely on the local libraries, and then mostly on Inter-library loan which is free in Ontario. Our biggest and bestest bookstore is a Chapters which says a lot about the area in which I live. Still...no great bookstores means no big cities which is fine with me.

[JAZ]

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. From what I'd read here and elsewhere, I expected this to be filled with inspirational food combinations and expertise. Instead, it's jumbled, confusing and random. Hate it.

[confiseur]

Paco Torreblanca's pastry book vol.1

Speaking to a lot of pastry chefs the recipes do not'work'...there/my failure?...translation?

[Tastebuddy]

I thought that I was the only one who didn't "get it". Totally unuseable.

[Moopheus]

Another major disappointment was Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi. ...I looked at the introduction for the first time, in which she noted that garlic and onions were considered unhealthful in the tradition from which she drew the recipes. D'Oh!

That's funny, I just made a big Indian dinner using that book--a friend's husband is allergic to onions, and I knew there were none in the book. I thought the dishes I made came out rather well, and everyone enjoyed the food.

Peter Berley's books on the other hand, have sat largely unused on my shelves.

[snowangel]

The China Moon book by Barbara Tropp. Given how masterful her first book was, I expected to love China Moon. I never used it outside of a couple of flavoured oils.

Sally Schneider's "A New Way to Cook" was another supreme disappointment. I just couldn't wrap myself around that one.

Both went to Half Price Books. Interesting to note that they always have at least one (if not more) copies of both of them on the shelves every time I stop in.

[Anna N]

....

Sally Schneider's "A New Way to Cook" was another supreme disappointment. I just couldn't wrap myself around that one.

.....

I have to agree on this one but somehow I can't seem to part with it. Hope springs eternal...............

[andiesenji]

I have to agree about the Thomas Keller books.

I was given the boxed set: The Complete Keller: The French Laundry Cookbook & Bouchon

and was disappointed in that they were much too wordy. And I got the feeling that he was talking down to his audience and some of the stories that seemed to be aiming for humor, fell rather short.

The main problem is that many of the recipes are far too complicated and require things that are very difficult to source for the home cook and I am adept at locating unusual ingredients.

I'm glad I didn't purchase it because I would be rather miffed at spending all that money for a set of books that really have added nothing to my kitchen knowledge.

[baroness]

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. From what I'd read here and elsewhere, I expected this to be filled with inspirational food combinations and expertise. Instead, it's jumbled, confusing and random. Hate it.

Amen!

This was one that the dear New York Public Library saved me from buying

[AAQuesada]

Wow, I guess this thread falls under to each there own. I love the china moon cookbook, one of my all time favorites. It has some great techniques, her voice really comes through and the recipes work. It's one of the rare times where fusion cuisine works (California-Chinese or as she says the Chinese Provence of San Francisco)

I really like all of Kellers books as well. If you are a chef or cook you can learn a lot from one of the best in the business. The books are easy to read and very well organized.The food really works as well.. BUT All of his stuff is restaurant food, not for anyone else but the most ambitious home cook.

[Chris Amirault]

Definitely to each his or her own. Also a China Moon fan, and I'm one of the people who encouraged Janet to buy the Flavor Bible.

[snowangel]

Three of my close friends and I have a "dud" exchange once a year, which works well since we can easily revisit a dud if we so choose!

[jumanggy]

I was going to say Dessert Fourplay, because of the lack of variety in ingredients here (and the fact that the shortcakes I made from it sucked), but I've heard some of it's pretty good from gfron1. (But then I get to the States where all the ingredients are there, but I'm in someone else's kitchen where I don't have my tools!)

Right now, it's Rose's Heavenly Cakes (Beranbaum). Annoying, frustrating, more complicated than it has to be, HUGE margin for error, bizarre mixing methods. I can count a whole bunch of books on my shelf with cake- Herme, Bugat, Tartine, Greenspan, Braker, Claire Clark, Payard, Cook's Illustrated, and I've made cakes successfully from all of them without the constant stepping on eggshells (yes, even Flo Braker! Love her.).

[Shinboners]

Grant Achatz's Alinea book was a disappointment for me.

[TimmDavis]

I really like all of Kellers books as well. If you are a chef or cook you can learn a lot from one of the best in the business. The books are easy to read and very well organized.The food really works as well.. BUT All of his stuff is restaurant food, not for anyone else but the most ambitious home cook.

I'd have to agree, and what miff's me people get PO'd because of the whole home cooking issue, while yet he states from the get go that it's not a normal cookbook and repeats it throughout.

[Darienne]

Just broke my cardinal purchase of books rule: never sight unseen, and bought Peter Greweling's new as-yet-unreleased Chocolates and Confections at Home and hope it doesn't end up on this list!! Canadian prices & Canadian shipping and handling too!!!

[Darienne]

Three of my close friends and I have a "dud" exchange once a year, which works well since we can easily revisit a dud if we so choose!

Now that is a brilliant idea!!! I do belong to a No Name Group...survivors of regular craft guilds...and I'm going to suggest that.

[judiu]

Three of my close friends and I have a "dud" exchange once a year, which works well since we can easily revisit a dud if we so choose!

Now that is a brilliant idea!!! I do belong to a No Name Group...survivors of regular craft guilds...and I'm going to suggest that.

Dead rapid brill, ladies! One woman's 'dud' might just be the next woman's "Wow, I LOVE this!"

[mkayahara]

Grant Achatz's Alinea book was a disappointment for me.

Why?