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An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler, Tamar Adler, Alice Waters
sarabearian's review against another edition
Guaranteed to make any cook see food through new eyes. Not exactly a cookbook; a former editor at Harper’s magazine and sometime chef at Chez Panisse, Adler shares tips on all aspects of food preparation, storage and re-use. Through it all she extends the invitation to view individual foods clearly and without presumption— to appreciate each onion, egg and grain of rice for exactly what it is to begin with, and proceeding to cook with its most essential qualities in mind.
–Kate D
–Kate D
vtri's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic cook, great writer and love this 'no frills, no gadgets, just cook with your heart' thing. Towards the end of the book it gets bit tedious and the structure is bit too linear. But we'll worth a read.
lukeestrada10's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.25
This is the kind of loose, lovely, pretentious beautiful book that makes my relationship to books more of a passion than a hobby. Pick it up!
_walter_'s review against another edition
5.0
Tamar Adler could probably turn cardboard, discarded eggshells, banana peels, coffee grounds, and olive pits into a five-course meal fit for kings...
Seriously, ideas abound here dripping with so much brilliant simplicity that it will give you cause to look at food in a whole new way, and wonder why you even try anymore...
I pray I can one day know ten percent of ingredients as intimately as Ms. Adler.
Recommended!
Seriously, ideas abound here dripping with so much brilliant simplicity that it will give you cause to look at food in a whole new way, and wonder why you even try anymore...
I pray I can one day know ten percent of ingredients as intimately as Ms. Adler.
Recommended!
mburnamfink's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
An Everlasting Meal is a wonder. I'm not much of a cook. Most of the cookbooks I own are along the lines of "Fast Meals for Busy Idiots", which is a problem, because I love food, and if you're just shoveling calories in your mouth, why not go for pizza, or burgers, or something out of a box.
Adler is a serious cook. She was the chef at Farm 225 in Athens, Georgia, cooked at Chez Panisse, and has been writing about food for over two decades now. She has opinions, but more than opinions, she has genuine enthusiasm for good meals, for doing it right, and for letting your senses and intuition guide you, rather than mechanically following a recipe.
The central point of An Everlasting Meal is to eat like a certain kind of prosperous peasant. Dietary staples are root vegetables, beans, leafy greens, and fatty gristly chunks of meat. Staple carbs like pasta, bread, and rice can be left to the experts and bought from a store. Learn to love the stewpot. Boiling and simmering is a forgiving cooking method that helps food taste more like itself, and leaves rich flavorful broths and ends to be incorporated into the next meal.
I'm not sure I have the patience for the farmer's market recommended in-season produce all the time, but the idea of roasting a giant portion of veggies on Sunday and finding ways to reuse it through the week is very appealing. Advice like "now add a grated cup of parmesan and freshly chopped parsley" is face-slappingly obvious. Woodchips would probably be edible with sufficient parmesan.
This is a book that is a joy to read, and deserves careful study.
Adler is a serious cook. She was the chef at Farm 225 in Athens, Georgia, cooked at Chez Panisse, and has been writing about food for over two decades now. She has opinions, but more than opinions, she has genuine enthusiasm for good meals, for doing it right, and for letting your senses and intuition guide you, rather than mechanically following a recipe.
The central point of An Everlasting Meal is to eat like a certain kind of prosperous peasant. Dietary staples are root vegetables, beans, leafy greens, and fatty gristly chunks of meat. Staple carbs like pasta, bread, and rice can be left to the experts and bought from a store. Learn to love the stewpot. Boiling and simmering is a forgiving cooking method that helps food taste more like itself, and leaves rich flavorful broths and ends to be incorporated into the next meal.
I'm not sure I have the patience for the farmer's market recommended in-season produce all the time, but the idea of roasting a giant portion of veggies on Sunday and finding ways to reuse it through the week is very appealing. Advice like "now add a grated cup of parmesan and freshly chopped parsley" is face-slappingly obvious. Woodchips would probably be edible with sufficient parmesan.
This is a book that is a joy to read, and deserves careful study.
lcmilewski's review against another edition
3.0
After having this on my list for a few years, I found a copy at my used book store for $2. I found Adler's writing style to be a bit overwrought, which was disappointing to me
because it has gotten great reviews from some of my favorite authors. In places, the writing borders on pretentious, while in others it is simpler and more honest. This is mainly why it took me so long to get through.
In terms of content, nothing in this book is a new idea, exactly, but Adler does have great ways to spin dishes that don't come out quite right. She also has good uses for kitchen scraps that normally go to waste. The way the book is structures, with fewer recipes and more paragraphs outlining various ideas for ingredients, encourages experimentation by even inexperienced cooks. There are enough useful, everyday recipes and techniques in the book that I won't be giving it away any time soon.
because it has gotten great reviews from some of my favorite authors. In places, the writing borders on pretentious, while in others it is simpler and more honest. This is mainly why it took me so long to get through.
In terms of content, nothing in this book is a new idea, exactly, but Adler does have great ways to spin dishes that don't come out quite right. She also has good uses for kitchen scraps that normally go to waste. The way the book is structures, with fewer recipes and more paragraphs outlining various ideas for ingredients, encourages experimentation by even inexperienced cooks. There are enough useful, everyday recipes and techniques in the book that I won't be giving it away any time soon.
tirio's review against another edition
5.0
READ.THIS.BOOK. When I began reading An Everlasting Meal, I was struck by how beautifully Tamar Adler described food she cooks - not just the usual how does it smell, how does it taste - but with glowing descriptions of the texture, feel, and appearance. When she describes a meal, you are right there with her!
It wasn't far into the book that I decided that I simply MUST have a copy to call my very own. Not long after that, I realized that one of the reasons I loved this book so much is that it reminds me of my grandmother. Tamar cooks with the grace & love that my grandmother did, and that she passed along to me.
Tamar's description/explanation of cooking is how I cook most of the time, so no wonder I loved this book! It reminds me of all the things I love about "playing" in the kitchen, and why I should spend even more time there.
It wasn't far into the book that I decided that I simply MUST have a copy to call my very own. Not long after that, I realized that one of the reasons I loved this book so much is that it reminds me of my grandmother. Tamar cooks with the grace & love that my grandmother did, and that she passed along to me.
Tamar's description/explanation of cooking is how I cook most of the time, so no wonder I loved this book! It reminds me of all the things I love about "playing" in the kitchen, and why I should spend even more time there.
cransell's review against another edition
5.0
I have Thoughts about this book. It was good. It was sort of a contemplation on home cooking. Tamar Adler has cooked at various restaurants (including Chez Panisse), but this book is really focused on making food at home with a goal making home cooking seem doable - not with any tricks, just by saying, food doesn't have be complicated, here is how you make basic things. Here is what to do if things go wrong. But not in a textbook sort of way, in a "meditations on cooking" sort of way. There is even a whole chapter about what she does when she doesn't feel like cooking. I liked this book a lot (although I'm not sure it would be at all helpful if you don't cook at all and are looking for a place to start). It seem perfectly focused for me - the home cook who follows a lot of recipes, but could use some help figuring out how to cook efficiently, not waste food and who needs things to be not too time consuming. I could see myself reading this again (which I very rarely say), when I need a little reinvigoration of my relationship with cooking. If any of you read this, I would love to know what you think of it!