French Fries Reviews
May 17, 2011 by admin
Filed under french food cookbooks
French Fries
- ISBN13: 9781423607441
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Who doesn’t love the traditional twice-fried potato, our hot and salty friend? This innovative cookbook offers recipes for every kind of fry imaginable, from Parmesan to pesto to sweet potato fries. Try something as familiar as Drive-in French Fries to those as exotic as Pataje Oorlog, a Dutch dish with three different sauces, or Chocolate Fries, a sweet french fry dessert. The book also includes recipes for non-potato fries, such as Fresh Green Bean Fries or Tempura Vegetables with Wasabi Garli
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This might be a decent cookbook for the French Fry novice, but I don’t recommend it for foodies,
I have been a fan of French Fries for my whole life. However, in the last decade or so I have discovered that fries can be much more than a fast food. “Gourmet” fries can be found in many high-end, fine dining restaurants and they can be incredible! I had high hopes that a cookbook that is dedicated to French Fries would at least mention some of the things being done with the food by the cutting edge culinary elite of the world. It didn’t happen here.
The book is divided into just 5 chapters: Introduction; Basic Fry Recipes, French Fry Favorites; International Fries; Dips and Sauces. It was while I read the introduction that I first disappointed by this book. In discussing which oils to use the author briefly mentions that “In times past, beef tallow was considered the most delicious natural fat in which to cook fries.” He goes on the say that with our increased understanding of the health effects of different fats, vegetable-based oils are now preferred. Yes, if you are going to eat French Fries (or any other fried food) on a regular basis you should be very cautious of what you cook them in. However, many people now pass on ordinary French Fries and save their desire for something truly special.
If you try Googling “duck fat fries” you will come up with thousands and thousands of articles and recipes and dozens of videos. In France and Belgium one of the more traditional fats used for fries is horse fat (don’t hate me for saying this, but true fry experts say that it makes for the tastiest fries ever.) When I discovered that these alternatives are not even mentioned my hopes for a great French Fry cookbook were diminished.
Except for about 6-8 recipes (including “The Essential Fry” which gives the proper method for double cooking the fries) I found little of interest or value. I have to admit that a few of the recipes were just awful looking. I was also surprised that most of the recipes simply used the basic fry recipe and then just add stuff, including eggs, chicken, steak, cheese, onions, etc. There are also recipes for onion rings and green bean and asparagus fries. The herbs and seasonings used in the recipes tended to be ordinary and (at least for me) uninspiring. Except for a few recipes I didn’t see as much use of fresh herbs to flavor the fries as I would have expected, something that is very common in restaurants now. The chapter on sauces was just O-K and could have really used a recipe for fresh, homemade mayonnaise instead of relying on the store-bought variety (you really can’t compare the two.)
The photography (which is also by the author of the book, Zac Williams) is fairly professional and well executed but the paper stock chosen by the publisher makes them appear dull and lacking proper contrast.
This might be a fine cookbook for casual home use, although I think that the book really misses the mark and could have been much, much more. If you are a true foodie looking for some exciting, new French Fry ideas, I suggest that you keep looking.
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I’ve been looking for something like this for forever!,
Not only is it a great cookbook, it has great photography and it has given me and my girlfriend some new ideas to try with our home cooked fries! This exceeded my expectations in every way!
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Dips, revised flavors and other techniques transform the French fry into something completely different,
French Fries provides an outstanding survey of some sixty recipes for every kind of fry, from pesto to sweet potato. Over 125 pages and fifty color photos, this packs in a host of recipes and dishes which take the traditional fry and goes a step further, creating Green Bean Fries, Nacho Fries, and more. Dips, revised flavors and other techniques transform the French fry into something completely different, add international flavors, and make for an innovative collection sure to prove popular for any cookbook collection in a general lending library setting. Color photos abound, embellishing the results!
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