Saturday, December 20, 2008

A Consumers Dictionary of Food Additives or Artichoke to Zaatar

A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods

Author: Ruth Winter

The essential guide for making sure your food is safe

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives is back again, in an updated sixth edition. This valuable reference gives you all the facts about the relative safety and side effects of more than 12,000 ingredients that end up in your food as a result of processing and curing, such as preservatives, food-tainting pesticides, and animal drugs. For example, drugs used to tranquilize pigs may sedate diners!

There are hundreds of new entries to this edition, and topics covered include information about recently discovered resistant strains of bacteria credited to the antibiotics added to animal feed, as well as startling statistics on the amount of money spent on certain additives each year—$1.4 billion—on just flavorings and flavor enhancers.

A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives is a precise tool that will tell you exactly what to leave on supermarket shelves as a reminder to manufacturers that you know what the labels mean and which products are safe to bring home to your family.



Book review: How to Cook Everything or Killer Ribs

Artichoke to Za'atar: Modern Middle Eastern Food

Author: Greg Malouf

This richly illustrated book offers a comprehensive collection of 170 recipes, organized alphabetically according to ingredients widely used in Middle Eastern cooking. Written by award-winning chef Greg Malouf and his writing partner, Lucy Malouf, Artichoke to Za'atar covers everything from the basics--almonds, lemons, and yogurt--to less widely known components such as pomegranates, rose water, and sumac. A brief description and history of each ingredient is provided, along with invaluable tips on how to select, prepare, and cook it. Originally published in 1999 as Arabesque, this book has earned international acclaim as the ultimate guide to modern Middle Eastern cuisine by a chef who is considered a master of the genre. Artichoke to Za'atar is a volume to read, use, and treasure--a must for anyone interested in creative cooking and culinary history. Now available in North America for the first time.

Publishers Weekly

A celebration of Middle Eastern ingredients by the coauthors of Saha: A Chef's Journey Through Lebanon and Syria-one a renowned Australian chef and the other a Melbourne-based food writer-this collection provides a comprehensive overview of traditional dishes of the cuisine. With more than 40 tantalizing color photos, recipes are divided by main ingredient, from the familiar (artichokes, chickpeas, lentils) to the lesser known (rose water, sumac, quinces). Each section offers a brief history of the ingredient and includes tips for selection, storage and use. Most dishes focus on a short list of simple ingredients that highlight rather than disguise flavors. Blue Cheese and Walnut Terrine, Battered Scallops with Cumin Salt, and Fresh Figs Poached in Ginger Syrup all follow this credo. Others are more complex, such as Green Lentil Soup with Saffron Scrambled Eggs and Cardamom-Honey-Glazed Roast Duck. All recipes-170 in total, some including meat-are easy to follow, appropriate for beginning or experienced cooks. Many ingredients are readily available, while some may require a visit to a specialty store. Originally published in Australia, this collection is available in North America for the first time and is sure to appeal to a wide audience. (Feb.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information



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