Japan: The Cookbook

A heavy tome packed with authentic Japanese recipes-check out the Chefs chapter for the recipe Sakura Scented Roast Beef. Lots of full page photo illustrations. Clearly written. Measurements are in both ounces and grams, tsp, tbs etc so measuring is no problem for US cooks. Includes prep time, cooking time and servings. Be prepared to search for some ingredients. Well organized chapters (grilled, noodles, pickles, rice, etc.) and an index. Fits on a cookbook stand and under a splash guard! Unfortunately the beautiful cover resembling bamboo arrived with a big ding on the edge. Luckily it was not a gift, so I decided to keep it. Excellent cookbook, am happy I bought it.

This is a beautiful book visually, aside from being inventive, thorough, accurate and sensitive in its written content. I am gratified this writer did not attempt to engage in amateur scholarship of the Japanese language, as some other Western authors have done. The author says to substitute freely, and indeed I think using available ingredients is crucial to her whole culinary philosophy, but many of the ingredients mentioned are not readily available for city people in Japan, let alone the US. But realize the power of local producers--in Japan, for instance, I know restaurant owners who have convinced local people to raise radicchio di Treviso and other Western vegetables. I can really find no fault with this book--save for the recipe for Osaka kitsune soba. Kitsune soba in almost all of Japan is soba with usuage or abura-age tofu. Perversely, in Osaka in particular, I have been told there is no such thing as kitsune soba. "You mean soba with abura-age, eh?" as I've been scolded and taken for a cretin more than once. Presumably real Osaka people call this tanuki soba, but I would not ask for it by that name anywhere else in Japan--tanuki soba in Tokyo has for a topping the crusts of batter that float around tempura, not very appealing to me.

Excellent cookbook! The recipes look awesome! The book is beautifully put together. I am looking forward to preparing many of the recipes presented!

I bought this as a gift and the recipient was very pleased. It's a beautiful hardcover book (bamboo?) with some weight on it; wonderfully crafted. It also has beautiful pictures, and what I believe to be excellent recipes and stories.

Rarely do I write reviews, but this book deserves all the stars I can give it. I collect cookbooks, and whenever Phaidon releases a new one, I automatically purchase it. Although the books are always beautifully presented, the quality of the recipes can vary, and some of the books have practically no recipe notes at all (squinting at you, VEGAN). Fortunately for me, this cookbook checks all of my boxes. The presentation is gorgeous, with full-color photographs accompany every two or three recipes. Furthermore, there is a LOT of information about ingredients, preparation methods, meal presentation and cooking/serving equipment. You can really learn a lot just by paging through this volume, which is one of the most important qualities I look for in a cookbook. I would also note that this book is bound in such a way that it stays open on a cookbook stand, which is a huge help. It's a sizable tome, but not so thick that it won't fit in my stand. That may not be important to some, but it's nice to be able to use a cookbook without scraping up the bottoms of the pages as you wrestle the thing into your cookbook holder. So, final verdict: BUY IT. ::)

Very good cooking book, but its came a little bit broken

Perfect product delivery brand new sealed copy

Husband loves this book , just now I’m eating a gyoza he made out of the receipt of this book and they are delicious , this isn’t the only recipe he has try from the book, he’s an empirical chef and was opening a japanese restaurant, this book helped him so much on getting to know a little more from the japanese cuisine.

Many recipes to try out. Beautiful book.

良さを再認識できます。

It will take a long time to try all of the recipes, but they are promising.

The first recipe I tried was excellent and I don't think it was an coincide. Although I have dozen or so Japanese cookbooks I bought this because I already have several 'The Cookbooks'. Japanese recipe names would have been nice in 'romaji' as well, for us who cannot read all the kanjis.

Ok