Not the most inspiring recipe book I've ever bought! (Steaming! - Annette Yates)

Member Name: sakura8

Product:	Steaming! - Annette Yates
Date:	28/03/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some useful tips on steaming, e.g cooking times

Disadvantages: No photos, cheap paper, old fashioned

This is the latest Steaming! With Recipes book by Annette Yates, as a previous edition was released in 2003. Even though this edition was released in 2008, the cheap recycled-type paper gives the book an old fashioned feel, like a book your Mum or Grandma might have passed down to you (or as my fiancé said, a book that you bought from the naff school book club). This kind of nostalgia doesn't do the book any favours, as the recipes also seem out-of-date and they don't sound particularly appetising. Another reason I don't like this type of paper is it doesn't cope very well in the kitchen, where spills and dirty hands will easily stain the paper, unlike the lovely glossy books which are easier to keep clean with a quick wipe.

There aren't any photos in the book to entice you to try out the recipes and there are just simple black and white hand-drawn pictures which separate each section. This book would really benefit from a coloured photo of each dish, as what my imagination conjures up of how the unappetising recipe 'Wrapped Pork with Redcurrant Sauce and Soured Cream' might look like is probably far off the mark and undoubtedly doesn't do it justice.

This is the first book I've bought on steaming and I'm not overly impressed with it. I bought it because I have a Tefal 4-in-1 which has a steaming function and I wanted some tips and ideas on what to steam.

The introduction of the book is quite useful as it tells you about the health benefits of steaming food. However, the author also states that this is a book about steaming and not about health, so she has included recipes for traditional puddings, which is a definite highlight for me!

Part One of the book is broken down into the following sections:
1) At a glance guide to steamers - this talks about the different types of steamers, from the simple bamboo type to the modern electric ones. This is useful if you haven't bought one yet and need help choosing.

2) How to get the best results - this section is full of useful tips on how to use your steamer and how the food should be prepared before you steam it. She also gives some tips on what to add to your food for different flavourings, e.g. garlic, lemon, spices, etc.

3) Recipe Notes - this section explains the various elements of her recipes, such as serving size, weights of ingredients and the type of eggs she's used. One particularly useful cook's tip is about her method of covering steamed puddings.

4) Cooking charts - for a relative newcomer to the world of steaming, these charts are very useful as they give a good guide to how long you need to steam things for. They cover the majority of foods from eggs, vegetables, fish & seafood, rice & other grains, poultry & meat and fruit.

Part Two of the book is the recipes section and it is split into the following sections:
* Eggs and Vegetables
* Couscous, bulgar rice & pasta
* Fish
* Poultry & Meat
* Desserts
* Parcels & Wraps

As I said before, the pudding recipes are perhaps the only highlight of this book. The recipes are well written and easy to follow, but the lack of photos really does hinder any inspiration or excitement. I'm the kind of person that really enjoys flicking through cookery books, but this one will probably only be used when I need to check the cooking time for fish or vegetables.

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Right Way (6 Nov 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0716022028

Bought from Amazon for £4.24.

Summary: Like a sad, old spinster, this book will get left on the shelf!