FREE/BARGAIN — Cookbooks

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Grabbed it because I have several of her books and haven't come across a bad recipe yet.

The revised edition didn't have enough reviews (total of 4--Amazon and GoodReads) to give me much assurance that the ratings averages would be valid, and so to meet my standards for posting an item. I was going to post it, anyway, for the same reason that you grabbed it, and also the fact that the "Fix-It-And-Forget-It" series titles have always seemed to be pretty good. I knew, at least, that I had not remembered running across a clunker among the bunch.

It didn't hurt any, either, that it is so much cheaper right now than the digital list price ($17.99), and would certainly be a lot cheaper, too, than whatever regular price that the publisher/Amazon sets on it after the markdown is over.

[GA Russell]

The Complete Mushroom Hunter - $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Mush...dp/B004Q3QRU4/

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

The revised edition didn't have enough reviews (total of 4--Amazon and GoodReads) to give me much assurance that the ratings averages would be valid, and so to meet my standards for posting an item. I was going to post it, anyway, for the same reason that you grabbed it, and also the fact that the "Fix-It-And-Forget-It" series titles have always seemed to be pretty good. {. . .}

I looked at the preview and there were lots of recipes with dried beans, but not all had the "boil briskly for 10 minutes".

So not safe.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

I looked at the preview and there were lots of recipes with dried beans, but not all had the "boil briskly for 10 minutes".

So not safe.

I thought it was only red kidney beans that need to be boiled 10 minutes.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

I looked at the preview and there were lots of recipes with dried beans, but not all had the "boil briskly for 10 minutes".

So not safe.

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I thought it was only red kidney beans that need to be boiled 10 minutes.

I wasn't aware of the issue. What is the problem with not boiling beans of some kind(s) 10 minutes? Is it a health/safety issue?

If someone can confirm Little.Egret's information, please do so. I'll delete the post right away if there is a health/safety issue. If it's just a matter of affecting quality--e.g., taste--I won't. I'll just let your posts serve as an advisory.

This kind of thing is one reason that I have a rule not to post a book with less than 20 ratings. But it seems that I'm finding myself breaking the rule more often than I used to. Twenty actually may be too low of a number.

Perhaps I based the fact of my posting the book too much upon the reputation of the author and the "Fix-It-And-Forget-It" series. The old edition had adequate ratings at GoodReads (there were none at Amazon for the old edition). There were practically none for the new edition, anywhere, however.

But what kind of changes did the new edition make over the old one? One may have been in instructions about how long to boil the beans! Who knows? It wouldn't be impossible, perhaps, to compare the two editions, but it would be impractical, especially if you couldn't find a copy on the Internet to look at.

Sometimes I check the ratings details, but I don't remember if I did it for this book or not. Even if there are high average ratings, sometimes there is an excessive number of "1's" and "2's," and they reveal one or more problems. But, again, that would have been for the old edition, not the new one.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

I looked at the preview and there were lots of recipes with dried beans, but not all had the "boil briskly for 10 minutes".

So not safe.

In 50 years, I have never boiled dry beans for 10 minutes.
That isn't for safety purposes. Otherwise why would those recipes say boil 10 minutes, turn off for one hour then Start cooking the beans.
It is just supposed to soften them faster.

Some people soak for several hours but in the crockpot that isn't necessary.

Proof of the safety issue please?

[Cinisajoy]

Just looked at my Joy of Cooking and not one of the recipes says boil for 10 minutes. Now it does say wash the beans.
It also says if you forget to soak to tenderize the beans, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat let stand tightly covered for 1 hour.

Good Housekeeping had the same instructions.

[ApK]

The Joy of Cooking website says it is only kidney beans that should be boiled for ten minutes, to avoid gastric distress:
http://www.thejoykitchen.com/ingredi...ng-dried-beans

[Purple Lady]

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIll.../ucm071092.htm

Apparently it's only a problem with slow cookers.

1. Name of the Organism:

Phytohaemagglutinin (Kidney Bean Lectin)
This compound, a lectin or hemagglutinin, has been used by immunologists for years to trigger DNA synthesis in T lymphocytes, and more recently, to activate latent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1, AIDS virus) from human peripheral lymphocytes. Besides inducing mitosis, lectins are known for their ability to agglutinate many mammalian red blood cell types, alter cell membrane transport systems, alter cell permeability to proteins, and generally interfere with cellular metabolism.

2. Nature of Acute Disease:

Red Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Poisoning, Kinkoti Bean Poisoning, and possibly other names.

3. Nature of Disease:

The onset time from consumption of raw or undercooked kidney beans to symptoms varies from between 1 to 3 hours. Onset is usually marked by extreme nausea, followed by vomiting, which may be very severe. Diarrhea develops somewhat later (from one to a few hours), and some persons report abdominal pain. Some persons have been hospitalized, but recovery is usually rapid (3 - 4 h after onset of symptoms) and spontaneous.

4. Diagnosis of Human Illness:

Diagnosis is made on the basis of symptoms, food history, and the exclusion of other rapid onset food poisoning agents (e.g., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, arsenic, mercury, lead, and cyanide).

5. Associated Foods:

Phytohaemagglutinin, the presumed toxic agent, is found in many species of beans, but it is in highest concentration in red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The unit of toxin measure is the hemagglutinating unit (hau). Raw kidney beans contain from 20,000 to 70,000 hau, while fully cooked beans contain from 200 to 400 hau. White kidney beans, another variety of Phaseolus vulgaris, contain about one-third the amount of toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% the amount that red kidney beans contain.
The syndrome is usually caused by the ingestion of raw, soaked kidney beans, either alone or in salads or casseroles. As few as four or five raw beans can trigger symptoms. Several outbreaks have been associated with "slow cookers" or crock pots, or in casseroles which had not reached a high enough internal temperature to destroy the glycoprotein lectin. It has been shown that heating to 80°C may potentiate the toxicity five-fold, so that these beans are more toxic than if eaten raw. In studies of casseroles cooked in slow cookers, internal temperatures often did not exceed 75°C.

[Cinisajoy]

Thanks for the information.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ApK

The Joy of Cooking website says it is only kidney beans that should be boiled for ten minutes, to avoid gastric distress:
http://www.thejoykitchen.com/ingredi...ng-dried-beans

Now pinto beans can cause GAS.

[GtrsRGr8]

So, delete the original post or keep it up? Of course, it's quoted in some of your responses, but they wouldn't have the same impact as the original post.

[koland]

I'd leave it up. That rule on kidney beans should be common knowledge, for those that cook from dried beans, and isn't just for slow cookers - those on a "raw diet", for example, should never eat kidney beans and just simmering on the stovetop is about the same as using a slow cooker. Of course, many new slow cookers will boil everything on High and near so on low, as the govt continues to save us from our own actions (then again, some church out in CA just killed 3 and hospitalized several more from the dinner they served at an American Legion Hall - still no word on what the problem with the meal was).

Oh, and Fava beans may not be as toxic, but they can trigger favism in some genetic groups - and you won't know if you are affected until it is triggered by eating too much of them (apparently a 'lifetime dose', not a single meal dose, is involved).

And artificial sweeteners can kill select individuals that have another genetic condition (which is yet another reason never to buy those nasty things to serve to your friends).

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

That's 89% from the digital list price.

There is a paucity of reviews at Amazon, therefore you really can't put much stock in the average ratings, on this new, revised edition. However, the ratings for the 1969 edition are still up on GoodReads, where there are 337 ratings, with an average rating of 3.99.

Don't know about any 1969 edition (wouldn't it be full of open a can and dump recipes? oh wait, it actually is), but the one I have from 2014 is decently formatted. Not sure if I want to spend another $2 to upgrade.

Here's a "typical" recipe (or, at least, the one I ended up on randomly clicking the slider to see what the inside of the book looked like):

Tomato Soup Spice Cake

Makes 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6-7 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

18¼-oz. pkg. spice cake mix
10¾-oz. can tomato soup
½ cup water
2 eggs

The directions then follow and are pretty much what you'd expect, other than cooking it in a slow cooker instead of the oven. If you want to play with a solar oven, I'd say the recipes might be a good place to start experimenting, unless you are in a very southern and sunny location.

[Little.Egret]

Booksumo Press, free

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[GA Russell]

120 Hot Chocolate Recipes - free
https://www.amazon.com/120-Chocolate...dp/B01N0IML88/