Crazy Good e-Book Bargains

[Anna N]

15 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

I have it. Thought it might be promising for someone who needed to live a GF lifestyle. Not so much.

But if you are looking for a crash course in thought experiments – – – 

 

I am still toying with the sandwich that uses two sheets of nori. Both sheets have a layer of rice. Mentally I have been trying to flip that second sheet of nori over the filling so that the rice is on the underside of the nori to form the sandwich.  The photograph shows an amazingly good looking sandwich. Did someone actually succeed in flipping this sheet of nori or is Photoshop involved? For $1.99 I still think I got a bargain.😂
 

 

[Toliver]

Some finds from this afternoon...all "slightly more expensive..."

 

Slightly more expensive...
From the small Philadelphia pie shop of the same name, "Magpie: Sweets and Savories from Philadelphia's Favorite Pie Boutique" Kindle Edition $3.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)
Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the list of recipes which includes savory pies.
Measurements look to be both Metric and Imperial.

 

Slightly more expensive...
From the blogger of In Jennie's Kitchen, Jennifer Perillo's "Homemade with Love: Simple Scratch Cooking from In Jennie's Kitchen" Kindle Edition $3.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

Slightly more expensive...
From Anne Byrn, the Cake Mix Doctor, "Skillet Love: From Steak to Cake: More Than 150 Recipes in One Cast-Iron Pan" Kindle Edition $3.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)
Use the "Look Inside" feature and scroll down to the green box to see the list of recipes for the first chapter and scroll a little bit further to see some recipes.

 

I am a US Prime member and the price you see may vary.

[DesertTinker]

On 12/25/2020 at 10:37 AM, Anna N said:

But if you are looking for a crash course in thought experiments – – – 

 

I am still toying with the sandwich that uses two sheets of nori. Both sheets have a layer of rice. Mentally I have been trying to flip that second sheet of nori over the filling so that the rice is on the underside of the nori to form the sandwich.  The photograph shows an amazingly good looking sandwich. Did someone actually succeed in flipping this sheet of nori or is Photoshop involved? For $1.99 I still think I got a bargain.😂
 

 

Sorry to be so late to this, I haven’t seen the picture you refer to, but,  food stylists are amazingly talented at such wizardry.

[hsm]

Another from the $3.99 column:

Rose Water and Orange Blossoms: Fresh & Classic Recipes from my Lebanese Kitchen Kindle Edition by Maureen Abood $3.99 I went for it.

From Amazon: Maureen presents more than 100 irresistible recipes that will delight readers with their evocative flavors: Spiced Lamb Kofta Burgers, Avocado Tabbouleh in Little Gems, and Pomegranate Rose Sorbet. Weaved throughout are the stories of Maureen's Lebanese-American upbringing ...

 

 Ruhlman's How to Saute: Foolproof Techniques and Recipes for the Home Cook (How to... Book 3) Kindle Edition by Michael Ruhlman is $2.99. 

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, DesertTinker said:

Sorry to be so late to this, I haven’t seen the picture you refer to, but,  food stylists are amazingly talented at such wizardry.

Yes, of course. I am completely aware of this. Nevertheless, if you are going to offer a recipe then there ought to be some way you could come close to the photographed dish. This photograph appears to ignore the laws of physics.

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, Anna N said:

Yes, of course. I am completely aware of this. Nevertheless, if you are going to offer a recipe then there ought to be some way you could come close to the photographed dish. This photograph appears to ignore the laws of physics.

Via Amazon’s Look Inside feature, I was able to see some photos from the book, including a nori/rice sandwich with what looked like a vegetable filling.  I’m disappointed to hear they don’t explain how to do it. Maybe assemble the two nori/rice rafts close to each other on a piece of plastic wrap, top one with the filling then use the plastic wrap as a tool to bring them together, as one might close a book?  Could work if the rice was firmly pressed.  Trying to pick it up and take a bite would be another matter entirely 🤣

 

I found the grilled cheese on apple slices intriguing. Could you actually get melty cheese before the apples cook to mush?  
Too bad it’s $10.99 now. I've been having trouble sleeping and assembling such sandwiches in my head could be good therapy...or at least kill some time!

[Anna N]

4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Too bad it’s $10.99 now.

As a soporific it is still a bargain. As a practical guide to making sandwiches that one can actually eat…not so much. One day I might attempt the nori sandwich and come back here to offer my apologies for my scepticism. 

[Toliver]

A new month and nothing to post about what Amazon is offering in sale-priced cookbooks, as the year starts. 

Yes, they do have some sale-priced cookbooks listed but a lot of them are aimed at the diet crowd (of course).

I will keep my eyes open for any that may pop up...

 

[dtremit]

@Toliver I have been noticing the same thing. Must be January, all the cookbooks on sale are for the fad diet of the moment.

[Toliver]

Two I stumbled across this morning...

 

"Big Dips: Cheese, Salsa, Pesto, Hummus" Kindle Edition $2.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the list of recipes.

 

 

"The Complete Milk Street Cookbook: 350 Hand-Picked, Fast and Amazingly Delicious Weeknight Recipes for Your Whole Family" Kindle Edition $2.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the list of recipes.

 

I am a US Prime member and the price you see may vary.

[ElsieD]

2 hours ago, Toliver said:

Two I stumbled across this morning...

 

"Big Dips: Cheese, Salsa, Pesto, Hummus" Kindle Edition $2.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the list of recipes.

 

 

"The Complete Milk Street Cookbook: 350 Hand-Picked, Fast and Amazingly Delicious Weeknight Recipes for Your Whole Family" Kindle Edition $2.99US (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Use the "Look Inside" feature to see the list of recipes.

 

I am a US Prime member and the price you see may vary.

 

I find it odd that the description of the book on Amazon matched the tone of the narrative in the book which matched the tone used in the one and only review and that said review gave the book 5 starts.  Apparently 77 people rated the book but only one left a review.  98 % of the reviewers gave it 5 starts, 2 % gave it 4 starts.  Hmmmmm.  Hard to believe Kimball had anything to do with this book.

 

ETA:  I just looked at Amazon again and she has 5 other cookbooks, all issued in December, 2020 and all 5 star rated.  Busy lady.

Edited January 8, 2021 by ElsieD (log)

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

 

I find it odd that the description of the book on Amazon matched the tone of the narrative in the book which matched the tone used in the one and only review and that said review gave the book 5 starts.  Apparently 77 people rated the book but only one left a review.  98 % of the reviewers gave it 5 starts, 2 % gave it 4 starts.  Hmmmmm.  Hard to believe Kimball had anything to do with this book.

 

ETA:  I just looked at Amazon again and she has 5 other cookbooks, all issued in December, 2020 and all 5 star rated.  Busy lady.

I too found this the strangest cookbook. I particularly found it odd to title a recipe Carrots Pudding or Nuts Bowl? I, too, cannot see any connection with the legitimate Milk Street books. I dunno. 

[Toliver]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

 

I find it odd that the description of the book on Amazon matched the tone of the narrative in the book which matched the tone used in the one and only review and that said review gave the book 5 starts.  Apparently 77 people rated the book but only one left a review.  98 % of the reviewers gave it 5 starts, 2 % gave it 4 starts.  Hmmmmm.  Hard to believe Kimball had anything to do with this book.

 

ETA:  I just looked at Amazon again and she has 5 other cookbooks, all issued in December, 2020 and all 5 star rated.  Busy lady.

I thought it was strange that Christopher Kimball wasn't listed as the author since Milk Street is his "baby". Yes, odd to say the least.

[Anna N]

4 minutes ago, Toliver said:

I thought it was strange that Christopher Kimball wasn't listed as the author since Milk Street is his "baby". Yes, odd to say the least.

I just went back for another look. Surely there is something drastically wrong here. Whether you like Kimball or dislike him, does this sound like him? This is from the book description on amazon.com.

“Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street is a new approach to cooking styles that can be done at home by anyone, everywhere in the world! In this book, different kinds of recipes can be shown. All with the directions and ingredients you would need for that dish along with simple nutritional information of each dish. Cooking is about to change, as Christopher said. Northern European is known to be a particular style of cooking, and this style is very reliant on technique and methods. Which, half of the world might not even know of. Milk Street is different. It’s new and it’s all about the flavor of it all. Every person in the world doesn’t have access to any kind of ingredient that is required in every dish, so Milk Street offers a simple and flavor-focused way to home cooking.”

 

 

[ElsieD]

8 minutes ago, Toliver said:

I thought it was strange that Christopher Kimball wasn't listed as the author since Milk Street is his "baby". Yes, odd to say the least.

 

Me too.

[Toliver]

7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I just went back for another look. Surely there is something drastically wrong here. Whether you like Kimball or dislike him, does this sound like him? This is from the book description on amazon.com.

“Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street is a new approach to cooking styles that can be done at home by anyone, everywhere in the world! In this book, different kinds of recipes can be shown. All with the directions and ingredients you would need for that dish along with simple nutritional information of each dish. Cooking is about to change, as Christopher said. Northern European is known to be a particular style of cooking, and this style is very reliant on technique and methods. Which, half of the world might not even know of. Milk Street is different. It’s new and it’s all about the flavor of it all. Every person in the world doesn’t have access to any kind of ingredient that is required in every dish, so Milk Street offers a simple and flavor-focused way to home cooking.”

 

 

If you use the "Look Inside" feature, there's a few paragraph's and then BAM! Off to the recipes they go. 

This is completely unlike Christopher Kimball. He tends to enjoy a long (tedious) explanation in his cookbooks before he gets to the recipes. 

This is raising red flags now. How authentic is this association to Kimball's Milk Street?

[ElsieD]

2 minutes ago, Toliver said:

If you use the "Look Inside" feature, there's a few paragraph's and then BAM! Off to the recipes they go. 

This is completely unlike Christopher Kimball. He tends to enjoy a long (tedious) explanation in his cookbooks before he gets to the recipes. 

This is raising red flags now. How authentic is this association to Kimball's Milk Street?

 

I saw those recipes too which is what initially aroused my suspicion.  They did not look like any recipes I could envision Christopher Kimball coming up with.

[Toliver]

4 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

I saw those recipes too which is what initially aroused my suspicion.  They did not look like any recipes I could envision Christopher Kimball coming up with.

 

I just sent off an email to Amazon's Copyright Infringement Department asking them to investigate this cookbook and its claimed association with Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street".

I will post any answer I get about the cookbook.

[ElsieD]

4 minutes ago, Toliver said:

 

I just sent off an email to Amazon's Copyright Infringement Department asking them to investigate this cookbook and its claimed association with Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street".

I will post any answer I get about the cookbook.

 

I'm looking forward to you hearing from Amazon.

[Anna N]

18 minutes ago, Toliver said:

If you use the "Look Inside" feature, there's a few paragraph's and then BAM! Off to the recipes they go. 

This is completely unlike Christopher Kimball. He tends to enjoy a long (tedious) explanation in his cookbooks before he gets to the recipes. 

This is raising red flags now. How authentic is this association to Kimball's Milk Street?

I did look inside and did my best to copy some of it so I could quote it here but that was not possible. Kimball at least writes English!  Or if not he has decent editors that do!  

[Toliver]

I also thought this was interesting.

Really? Why "German"?

[ElsieD]

1 minute ago, Toliver said:

I also thought this was interesting.

Really? Why "German"?

 

I went down a complete rabbit hole with this "author".  I saw that also.  Try reading the reviews on some of her other stuff.

[dtremit]

There is a pretty big problem with counterfeits on Amazon:

 

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/24/18715584/amazon-counterfeit-book-problem-nyt-project-zero

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, Toliver said:

I just sent off an email to Amazon's Copyright Infringement Department asking them to investigate this cookbook and its claimed association with Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street".

I will post any answer I get about the cookbook.

Given Kimball's litigious reputation, it was a rather brazen choice to include his name in the description!  But I'd guess the author is not a fluent English speaker and perhaps unaware!

 

I noticed that one of this author's other Dec 2020 releases (as mentioned by @ElsieD ) is The Complete Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: 1001 Fast, Healthy, Budget- Friendly Recipes that Everyone Can Afford (eG-friendly Amazon.com link), though this one makes no mention of Tieghan Gerard, who writes the Half Baked Harvest blog and has authored 2 well regarded cookbooks.

Going farther down the rabbit hole, I found several similar cookbooks, by other authors, that include "Half Baked Harvest" in their titles. 

 

Most of these are offered for free via Amazon's "Kindle Unlimited" program.  Since that's a paid program, I'd say that makes Amazon a seller of this material and that they'd want to be more careful than in earlier cases where other entities were offering  counterfeit hard copy books for sale on Amazon. 

[Toliver]

I heard back from the Amazon Copyright Department. They basically sent me a laundry list of information that I had to send them before they would look into the issue.

So I decided to work the other end, so to speak.

I contacted Milk Street via their web site and almost immediately got an email back from them stating, "Thanks for the tip/information. We will look into this further."

The ball seems to be in Milk Street's court now.

If I hear anything back, I will post it.