Saturday, November 15, 2014

Home Cooking - Review

Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen

Rating: 4 Stars
Source: NetGalley

Description:  This is a collection of essays written by Laurie Colwin about cooking, kitchens and everything food related.  There are recipes sprinkled throughout for some of the foods she writes so poetically about.

Genre: Non-Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I can't resist a food book and I'd heard good things about this author.

My Impression:
Pros:  Colwin's prose is beautiful and it flows in a warm comforting kind of way.  I imagine this would lovely in audio format but is still very nice in print.  She talks about cooking in all it's forms from the complicated and fancy to a tiny apartment that featured a small refrigerator, a hot plate and the bathtub she had to use to drain pasta.  Her descriptions are so vivid that you can almost taste the food, feel the textures and see the ingredients and spaces she's talking about.  I love that she isn't stuck on gadgets or "must have" tools and emphasizes working with what you have or what you want to do.  The recipes includes aren't overly fussy and connect back to the story before it.

Cons: This book was originally published in the 80s and it definitely has a slightly dated feel.  The kitchen gadget mentions especially showed age.  She mentions several things that have either disappeared or have come down in price enough that they're no longer considered a big deal - like a food processor.  While I enjoyed her writing trying to read large chunks at a time got a little monotonous.  It's all lyrical descriptions and is great for one story at a time but for story after story I could start feeling my attention wander.

Overall: This is an entertaining book and one that should never be read while hungry!  While it's not a book I'd sit down and read in one sitting since it's so descriptive is is a book that I'll pick up on and off for awhile to read a story here and there.  If you enjoy food and cooking I think you'll enjoy this book.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes!

Would I Recommend this Book?:  Definitely!

I'm linking up with Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking


22 comments:

  1. I love Colwin's writing and enjoy going back to read parts of this book now and again. :)

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    1. This is the first book by her that I have read but I'm looking forward to trying more!

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  2. I have read (and loved) some of Colwin's novels about family...and I was curious when I saw this title. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I enjoyed this one and am definitely looking forward to reading more of her work!

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  3. Oh how love Colwin - all her books. It was so sad that she died so young.

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    1. I know absolutely nothing about her but I'm definitely going to find out more!

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  4. I haven't heard of this author...will have to give her a try! I lived in a tiny NYC apt, so can relate to her draining pasta in the bathtub! There were so many things we just couldn't have b/c our kitchen had nowhere to store them!

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    1. Oh I think you would definitely relate to some of the stories in this one!

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  5. Now on my tbr! Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

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  6. I've never heard of Colwin either--so are they republishing her works? Interesting! I love essays on food as well but I find that a lot of nonfiction essays tends to become a bit monotonous if read too quickly. Have you read Ruth Reichl? I really enjoy her food memoirs!

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    1. I LOVE Reichl! Tender at the bone was life changing! I really want to try her fiction

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  7. I haven't heard of the author before, but I like the sound of the book, especially since it was published in the 80's.

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    1. I enjoyed it and she was new to me as well. It's definitely worth reading!

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  8. Oh I've been wanting to read this for a while now! I've read one of Colwin's fiction and quite enjoyed it but would love to read her food writing!

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    1. I'm really interested in her fiction after this. I loved her writing style!

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  9. Oh this sounds good and yes I bet with the right narrator it would make a fun audio. Too funny about draining pasta in the tub!

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    1. This would be a fabulous audio! I enjoyed the small apartment stories!

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  10. I'm reading this now! Requested it from Netgalley after you mentioned it. At the 50% mark, I'm enjoying it very much... even though it is a little dated.

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    1. I'm glad you're enjoying this one! It was a good read!

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  11. I haven't read anything by Colwin. I don't generally read food essays though I love reading cookbooks and the comments about recipes found in some cookbooks. It's too bad these essays are so dated, but sounds like they were interesting anyway.

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    1. They were a little dated but not too bad. I love cookbooks! I can spend hours going through them!

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