Hi -

I have been reading reviews of Asian Noodle Cookbooks on Amazon, and
can't find a way to choose one over the other.

Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles: 75 Dishes To Twirl, Slurp, And Savor looks
pretty good, but some reviewers seem to think she's simplified and
Americanized too much.

Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?

Jacki Passmore's The Noodle Shop Cookbook seems to have the same
limitations as Nina Simonds'. (Passmore wrote an Asian Ingredient
Dictionary that I often refer to, so I know that she knows her stuff.)

So, has anyone had good experiences with these or any other
noodle-specific cookbook, or any other cookbook that includes a hefty
number of noodle recipes (that they would recommend)?

Thanks,

Ian

ian > wrote:

> I have been reading reviews of Asian Noodle Cookbooks on Amazon, and
> can't find a way to choose one over the other.
>
> Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles: 75 Dishes To Twirl, Slurp, And Savor looks
> pretty good, but some reviewers seem to think she's simplified and
> Americanized too much.
>
> Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
> bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?
>
> Jacki Passmore's The Noodle Shop Cookbook seems to have the same
> limitations as Nina Simonds'. (Passmore wrote an Asian Ingredient
> Dictionary that I often refer to, so I know that she knows her stuff.)
>
> So, has anyone had good experiences with these or any other
> noodle-specific cookbook, or any other cookbook that includes a hefty
> number of noodle recipes (that they would recommend)?


Bruce Cost; Big Bowl Noodles and Rice

The Wagamama Cookbook

(to add a few more to the list )

Petra

--
Mein Foodblog - http://www.foodfreak.de
Texte & Rezensionen - http://texte.webhafen.de

Petra Hildebrandt wrote:
> ian > wrote:
>
>> I have been reading reviews of Asian Noodle Cookbooks on Amazon, and
>> can't find a way to choose one over the other.
>>
>> Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles: 75 Dishes To Twirl, Slurp, And Savor looks
>> pretty good, but some reviewers seem to think she's simplified and
>> Americanized too much.
>>
>> Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
>> bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?
>>
>> Jacki Passmore's The Noodle Shop Cookbook seems to have the same
>> limitations as Nina Simonds'. (Passmore wrote an Asian Ingredient
>> Dictionary that I often refer to, so I know that she knows her stuff.)
>>
>> So, has anyone had good experiences with these or any other
>> noodle-specific cookbook, or any other cookbook that includes a hefty
>> number of noodle recipes (that they would recommend)?
>
>
> Bruce Cost; Big Bowl Noodles and Rice
>
> The Wagamama Cookbook
>
> (to add a few more to the list )
>
> Petra
>

Thanks for responding - I had just about given up!

I was in Dublin recently, and saw a follow-up book by, I think, Hugo
Arnold again with a similar name. I'd not heard of Wagamama before, but
the distinctive name stayed with me. The book looks interesting, and I
will check it out - and the Bruce Cost one too.

Thanks,

Ian

Steve Wertz wrote:
> On Wed, 30 May 2007 21:00:03 -0400, ian wrote:
>
>> Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
>> bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?
>
> I was looking at this today and I thought it was pretty well put
> together. It covers several cuisines and cross references the
> noodles with the dishes/recipes.
>
> It was a little "fluffy" though - one recipe to a page, big
> glossy pictures. Still A good book for the price - $8 where I
> saw it.
>
> -sw

My rules are pretty relaxed - if I find one good recipe, it stays. At $9
or $10 on AMZ its not a big gamble.

Thanks,

Ian

In article >, ian >
wrote:

> Petra Hildebrandt wrote:
> > ian > wrote:
> >
> >> I have been reading reviews of Asian Noodle Cookbooks on Amazon, and
> >> can't find a way to choose one over the other.
> >>
> >> Nina Simonds' Asian Noodles: 75 Dishes To Twirl, Slurp, And Savor looks
> >> pretty good, but some reviewers seem to think she's simplified and
> >> Americanized too much.
> >>
> >> Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
> >> bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?
> >>
> >> Jacki Passmore's The Noodle Shop Cookbook seems to have the same
> >> limitations as Nina Simonds'. (Passmore wrote an Asian Ingredient
> >> Dictionary that I often refer to, so I know that she knows her stuff.)
> >>
> >> So, has anyone had good experiences with these or any other
> >> noodle-specific cookbook, or any other cookbook that includes a hefty
> >> number of noodle recipes (that they would recommend)?
> >
> >
> > Bruce Cost; Big Bowl Noodles and Rice
> >
> > The Wagamama Cookbook
> >
> > (to add a few more to the list )
> >
> > Petra
> >
>
> Thanks for responding - I had just about given up!
>
> I was in Dublin recently, and saw a follow-up book by, I think, Hugo
> Arnold again with a similar name. I'd not heard of Wagamama before, but
> the distinctive name stayed with me. The book looks interesting, and I
> will check it out - and the Bruce Cost one too.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ian

I have Jacki Passmore's cookbook. Sometimes you do need a cookbook with
recipes that don't require last-minute dashes to Asian groceries. Bruce
Cost's cookbook is good. I also have a paperback called "The World's
Best Noodles", by Norman Kolpas. He mixes in European recipes and some
recipes for couscous, but the majority of recipes are Asian.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

In article >, ian >
wrote:

> Steve Wertz wrote:
> > On Wed, 30 May 2007 21:00:03 -0400, ian wrote:
> >
> >> Others appear to like Terry Durack's Noodle, but their writing reads a
> >> bit like astro-turf - i.e. perhaps writtne by an overeager publisher?
> >
> > I was looking at this today and I thought it was pretty well put
> > together. It covers several cuisines and cross references the
> > noodles with the dishes/recipes.
> >
> > It was a little "fluffy" though - one recipe to a page, big
> > glossy pictures. Still A good book for the price - $8 where I
> > saw it.
> >
> > -sw
>
> My rules are pretty relaxed - if I find one good recipe, it stays. At $9
> or $10 on AMZ its not a big gamble.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ian

I have a quasi-rule of thumb: Ten cents per recipe unless the
explanatory text and ingredient glossary merit otherwise. I won't pay
for high amounts of pretty pictures or egotistical fluffery. Those
guidelines pretty much rule out most books by Food Network celebs, with
the exception of Alton Brown.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Steve Wertz wrote:
> On Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:43:02 GMT, Cindy Fuller wrote:
>
>> I have a quasi-rule of thumb: Ten cents per recipe unless the
>> explanatory text and ingredient glossary merit otherwise. I won't pay
>> for high amounts of pretty pictures or egotistical fluffery. Those
>> guidelines pretty much rule out most books by Food Network celebs, with
>> the exception of Alton Brown.
>
> I don't measure the worth by number of recipes, but rather by the
> amount of narrative text that teaches you about the
> ingredients/recipes, where they come from, and how they're used.
> This would seem to indicate that the author knows what they're
> talking about.
>
> This leaves out pratically all FoodTV celebrity's books as
> they're just slapped together with no rhyme or reason.
>
> -sw

In Ireland, I was struck by the very high ratio of celeb cook books to
real ones. Once you eliminate the generic, useless ones (all those
recycled endlessly cheap knockoffs similar to those you see for under
$10 at Borders), the ratio must have been around 9 - 1.

The bookstore I noticed ithis in was Easons, though, which is more like
Waldenbooks than Borders.

I tend to agree with you more than Cindy, but as the pile increases, her
view might make more sense!

Ian