Now that he has completed his travels round Britain, Gary Rhodes turns his attention from the "What" to the "How" in Step-By-Step Cooking, a reworking of his part-work Good Cooking with Gary Rhodes (it retains something of the feel of a magazine serial). This really is very helpful. Over 100 recipes, for light and main dishes and desserts, are presented in detail, fully explained and with every stage of the process illustrated clearly. Variations on the master recipes are suggested, nudging the cook towards individual choice and creativity. What of the recipes themselves? Rhodes is famous for his championing of traditional British food and many familiar dishes are to be found here. Steak and Chips, Cornish Pasty, Roast Duck with Orange Sauce, Shepherd's Pie, Smoked Haddock Tart, all put in an appearance. There are roasts, crumbles, pies and stews. Assimilated foreign dishes such as lasagne and risotto are included. There is no whiff of the restaurant about this utterly domestic food. Rhodes tends to ignore questions of fashion and, some might say, taste. It's good to find here recipes for dishes that seem to have disappeared from view, such as Beef Stroganoff or Chicken Kiev. Who else would dare to give recipes for Arctic Roll or an ice cream version of Battenburg Cake? --Robin Davidson
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Waxing Lyrical I am astounded that more reviews are not available for this wonderful and easy cookery book. From the maestro of the kitchen - in this reviewers opinion anyway - here is a step by step cookery book that is honest, accurate with easy to obtain ingredients. The most cautious of cooks will navigate these recipes with ease and confidence. If all great chefs produced such simple and honest recipes more people might cook at home and begin to understand how the simplest of British ingredients can merge on a plate... more info
Major disappointment I bought this book, thinking that it was a book of recipes for standard fare. Lasagne - hah! Vegetarian lasagne, not mince lasagne! Too many fish dishes! I wanted a book of home cooking type recipes and that is most definately NOT what I got.
I tried one of my favourite dishes, beef stroganoff, and it was really bland. It gave me a couple of ideas to incorporate into my own recipe, but the basic recipe supplied really wasn't worth the effort.
Colourful and easy to follow I am always looking for inspiration in my cooking and Gary Rhodes certainly does that with this book, it gives in detail how dishes are prepared and shows in pictures how the finished product should look. It also gives you ideas on special touches,and there are also helpful hints and tips. Well Done Gary you are an inspiration to us all!!
