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How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage Classics Anniversary)

How To Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food (Vintage Classics Anniversary)

byNigella Lawson
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From India

Sand
4.0 out of 5 stars for Nigella fans
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 8 April 2018
Verified Purchase
Decided to buy after watching her programs on TV. She is good in cooking as well as in writing.
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Shyam Sundar
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 30 September 2015
Verified Purchase
Loved this book. it's not just any cookbook but more like a conversation between the reader and nigella, It may not contain color photographs of the completed dish wud look like but it will never fail to charm the reader... nigella sure is a captivating writer!
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Amazon
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible and faulty payment systems.
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on 4 July 2021
Verified Purchase
I ordered the product online. I got a message saying my payment failed. So i ordered again on COD terms. And now got two of the same item- one paid and one COD! Your computer systems are clearly not working
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From other countries

thediamondsea
5.0 out of 5 stars this book is my bible
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on 12 November 2004
Verified Purchase
I bought this book in the spring of 2000 and I have literally never put it down. Its spine is broken, its pages are dirty, and it is falling apart. It can take a lot love, strain, abuse and argument.

That said, when was the last time you had a really great teacher? This is probably the best and the most important cookbook that has been published in the last decade (the last big one, for me, was Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso's New Basics). Nigella inspired me. Obviously, she knows how to make and serve superb food. But she can also write, in a voice that is straightforward, simple, and direct; and she makes you want to cook.

Her credo is directed toward those of us who eat well and also struggle in the kitchen at home: we are a generation of cooks who have been cowed in the kitched by "too much cheffiness," the endemic fussiness of restaurant food; and the subsequent intimidation we experience from professional chefs and food celebrities (clearly she wrote this before she became a superstar). Instead of trying to replicate restaurant food, she argues, we should consider the distinction between how we eat at home and how we eat when we go out. This book directs itself toward how we eat at home. And her answer is simple: make what you want to make, in the time that you're allowed to do it. Therefore, this book is organized by time and convenience, rather than by region or category. You get whole (albeit limited) menus, rather than exhaustive descriptions of one regional category or another.

I have probably cooked every recipe in this book and (like one of the previous reviewers) I have some of Nigella's recipes permanently under my belt--alas, in more ways than one. The parsley salad with red onion, capers, and lemon juice is a permanent fixture in my life now; so is her red wine onion gravy (for sausages and mash, even though I disobiently use chicken or turkey instead of pork). I make that @!%$ recipe for chickpea and pasta soup more than I can bear to admit, even to myself, because it's inexpensive and it works. Nigella even instigated enough courage in my soul to actually purchase and cook oxtails, and she was right: they are less trouble than you would expect, delicious (and cheap). I also completely understand her obsession with rhubarb . . . and linguine with clams . . . and ham cooked in cider . . . and creme caramel made with coconut creme instead of milk . . . and the pleasure of laying out nice things you bought at the store when you can't deal with imprisoning yourself in the kitchen.

In the meantime, you have her stories to keep you company--her family's celebrations and tragedies, the tribulations of raising small children, and the most beautiful drag queen in all of Florence.

What more could you ask? This book acts as a guide to the hidden culinary adventures possible in your own home. Familiar energizing ideas suddenly offer up new ones, and old neglected ones naggingly call your name until you get off your ass, go out and try something new

Four years later, I am not by any means finished with this book. It waits, open, spattered and torn, by the other cookbooks that I love to flip through but rarely use. It now forms part of the fabric of my life. Forget the hot shots and the style network . . . she an oracle of our modern age, where everything is available but we have no idea what to do with it.
145 people found this helpful
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St. Ören Fried
5.0 out of 5 stars No metric measures (no grams, no °C) AND no photos
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on 10 December 2012
Verified Purchase
"5-pound half bone-in ham"
"4 1/2 cups hard or sweet cider"
"cut into 2 1/2-inch lengths"
"2 ounces dried red chillies"
"1/2 can (14.5 ounces) plum tomatoes"
"preheat the oven to 450°F"
"1 tablespoon all-purpose flour"

If it wasn't for Nigella I wouldn't even begin to read a "Macaroni and Cheese" recipe. By reading it I found that she adds "Parmesan, mixed in with the bread crumbs to be sprinkled on top before going under the broiler". Still I would not mind seeing what this looks like.

And who would not want to see "Poires Belles Hélenè" to get an idea what Bartlett pears look like and to be inspired on how "to serve, arrange pears cut-side down on a big flat plate and pour some syrup over...Offer with the ice cream, sauce, and violets, if using, served separately; allow diners to help themelves."?!

The book contains an Editor's Note which says:
"The great success of HOW TO EAT in its own land isn't hard to fathom. Rooted firmly in the pleasures of home cooking... In "translating" HOW TO EAT for American cooks, I've tried, whenever possible, to remain faithful to the book's spirit of spontaneity. The author's intention was to make the recipes easy to follow and reliable - they are - and also to allow cooks the freedom needed to gain pleasure and confidence in the kitchen. Thus, bossing and too much quantifying have been avoided; dish yields, for example, are given where necessary, but left otherwise to the judgment of the cook."

"Charts and measures" states:
°F -- description
275 -- very cool
350 -- moderate
425 -- hot

onion - 1 average onion = 1/4 pound

Of course the book is still an excellent read if you read recipes the way other people devour novels. Nigella is a journalist AND has a passion for food - tasty combination! If you are more advanced/experienced with cook books, this is still a very good book to buy. There are people that are creative enough to picture the dish while they are reading the recipe.

I would like to mention that this book does not have the traditional - most annoying - way of dividing the chapters: Poultry, Fish, etc. In "How to Eat" you will find following chapters:
BASICS, ETC. (deals with Mayonnaise, Hollandaise and its variations, basic roast chicken, Vegetable Soup, Real Custard, Birthday Cake, etc. which is really basic.),
COOKING IN ADVANCE (Greek Lamb Stew, White Tiramisu)
ONE AND TWO (Cod with Clams, Cream of Chicken Soup, Apple and Walnut Crumble)
FAST FOOD (Salad, Soups, Chicken, Beef Stroganoff, Duck with Orange Salsa, Steak Mirabeau)
WEEKEND LUNCH (Lemon Chicken, Coconut Crème Caramel, Tabbouleh, Roast Beef, Roast Lamb Shoulder)
DINNER (Caesar Salad, Loin of Pork, Guacamole, Pavlova, Onion Tart)
LOW FAT (Vegetable Miso Broth, Shredded Beet Salad with Yoghurt, Vegetable Curry)
FEEDING BABIES AND SMALL CHILDREN (Couscous, Lamb Chops, Frittata, Chicken Strips, Chocolate Mousse)

But I might have chosen another of her titles that contain photos AS WELL (Nigella&food). And I will certainly pay attention to the measures next time I buy ANY cook book!
13 people found this helpful
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KM
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant if you love READING about food - beware no images
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 November 2013
Verified Purchase
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book; being a big fan of Nigella in our house, we already own a lot of her more recent books (such as Nigella Express, Kitchen, Nigellisima and of course Nigella's Christmas).

And when I first flicked through the book I was worried... no images, or at least no food images(!). Recipes in book are sometimes broken up with a random image of a rolling pin or a random ingredient, but I really thought I was going to hate this book (have uploaded a couple of images so you can see how typical pages look).

Thinking I had made a mistake (and wishing I had clicked Amazon's `look inside' before buying) I started to read the book anyway... and turned out to be very pleasantly surprised.

`How to Eat' is less your traditional recipe book of instructions accompanied with images, it is much more like listening to a friend tell you how to do a recipe.

Indeed the book is very conversational and contains all the information and advice you could wish for; my wife likened it to her mum telling her how to do a recipe over the phone and I think this analogy is very appropriate.

The book contains over 350 recipes, with the premise of them all being uncomplicated and delicious. And to date I would concur.

To try and summarise the main things we like about the book:

-The recipes are straightforward and very doable
-We have found no mistakes in quantities / oven times etc (something that has rung true with all of Nigella's recipes we have tried across all books)
-Nigella's writing style - really is like chatting to a friend over a coffee about food and recipes
-The detail in the recipes; advice / information is not lacking nor is it too much

All in all, yes this book is very heavy on the text, had I known that I probably wouldn't have bought it, but weirdly I'm very glad I did. My wife especially enjoyed reading it almost cover to cover when we first bought it and it is now regularly referenced in her day to day cooking. I would especially recommend the Birthday cake from the `basics' section (very simple but exceptionally tasty and rich chocolate cake).

If recipe images are an absolute must though, even as a fan of Nigella this probably isn't the book for you; but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this if heavy text doesn't put you off and you love READING about food / reading through recipes with no images.

I had considered that the kindle version might have been better - you certainly wouldn't be missing out if you bought this version. But if like us you like to have the recipe to hand in the kitchen, then probably still best to buy the book (our Kindle would be dead when I look at the state of some of our recipe books).

I'd also recommend opening the `look inside' image on this product page and scrolling to the end as it lists all the recipes in book, and for the most part we find them to be most suited to everyday cooking.
Customer image
KM
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant if you love READING about food - beware no images
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 November 2013
I wasn't sure what to expect of this book; being a big fan of Nigella in our house, we already own a lot of her more recent books (such as Nigella Express, Kitchen, Nigellisima and of course Nigella's Christmas).

And when I first flicked through the book I was worried... no images, or at least no food images(!). Recipes in book are sometimes broken up with a random image of a rolling pin or a random ingredient, but I really thought I was going to hate this book (have uploaded a couple of images so you can see how typical pages look).

Thinking I had made a mistake (and wishing I had clicked Amazon's `look inside' before buying) I started to read the book anyway... and turned out to be very pleasantly surprised.

`How to Eat' is less your traditional recipe book of instructions accompanied with images, it is much more like listening to a friend tell you how to do a recipe.

Indeed the book is very conversational and contains all the information and advice you could wish for; my wife likened it to her mum telling her how to do a recipe over the phone and I think this analogy is very appropriate.

The book contains over 350 recipes, with the premise of them all being uncomplicated and delicious. And to date I would concur.

To try and summarise the main things we like about the book:

-The recipes are straightforward and very doable
-We have found no mistakes in quantities / oven times etc (something that has rung true with all of Nigella's recipes we have tried across all books)
-Nigella's writing style - really is like chatting to a friend over a coffee about food and recipes
-The detail in the recipes; advice / information is not lacking nor is it too much

All in all, yes this book is very heavy on the text, had I known that I probably wouldn't have bought it, but weirdly I'm very glad I did. My wife especially enjoyed reading it almost cover to cover when we first bought it and it is now regularly referenced in her day to day cooking. I would especially recommend the Birthday cake from the `basics' section (very simple but exceptionally tasty and rich chocolate cake).

If recipe images are an absolute must though, even as a fan of Nigella this probably isn't the book for you; but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this if heavy text doesn't put you off and you love READING about food / reading through recipes with no images.

I had considered that the kindle version might have been better - you certainly wouldn't be missing out if you bought this version. But if like us you like to have the recipe to hand in the kitchen, then probably still best to buy the book (our Kindle would be dead when I look at the state of some of our recipe books).

I'd also recommend opening the `look inside' image on this product page and scrolling to the end as it lists all the recipes in book, and for the most part we find them to be most suited to everyday cooking.
Images in this review
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21 people found this helpful
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Diana
5.0 out of 5 stars Nigella Lawson
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 2 September 2022
Verified Purchase
It’s Nigella Lawson …a brilliant food writer that makes you think of food on a whole new level . Writing that nourishes the mind and soul .
Pure perfection in my book ( pun intended )
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catherine york
4.0 out of 5 stars Simple tasty recipes for all
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 13 August 2019
Verified Purchase
A clear informative book on eating and cooking. It's full of great simple recipes which are affordable to do. It doesn't have pictures which is a shame and the format is a little clunky for practical use in the kitchen. No one wants a cookbook to slam shut off it's own bat at a crucial point in a recipe even if the page has been marked. All in all a nice addition to any cookery book collection.
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B. A. Newbery
4.0 out of 5 stars The type face is too small.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 11 December 2020
Verified Purchase
I am a Nigella fan, however, I would not have purchased this book if I had known that the printed word was so small.
I have to go on line when I want to use a recipe, and print a copy off.
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Dennis
3.0 out of 5 stars MEH, not great.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on 24 November 2021
Verified Purchase
Had high expectations from all the hype, but it’s mostly a picture-less book about food with very ordinary writing and quite a few old-school, boring recipes. Expected a lot more from Nigela. Maybe it just doesn’t hold up to the far more exciting and original books of today.
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