FREE/BARGAIN — Cookbooks

[bgalbrecht]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

And all low-calorie???

As long as you share them with others, yes.

[Little.Egret]

Booksumo etc, free

Seafood for Dinner Cookbook: Delicious Seafood Recipes for Fun Weeknight Dinners

Easy Fish Cookbook Box Set: Easy Fish Cookbook, Easy Shrimp Cookbook, Easy Salmon Cookbook, Easy Tilapia Cookbook (Fish Recipes, Fish Cookbook, Salmon ... Seafood Recipes, Seafood Cookbook 1)

Easy Sweet Potato and Yam Cookbook: 50 Delicious Sweet Potato and Yam Recipes for the Cool Autumn Months

Easy Coleslaw Cookbook: 50 Delicious Coleslaw Recipes

Easy Oatmeal Cookbook (Oatmeal, Oats, Oatmeal Recipes, Oatmeal Cookbook 1)

Easy Chicken Cookbook: 150 Chicken Recipes (Chicken, Chicken Cookbook, Chicken Recipes)

Easy Cupcake Cookbook (Cupcakes, Cupcake Cookbook, Cupcake Recipes, Cupcake Ideas, Cupcake Cakes, Easy Cupcakes 1)

Easy Spanish Cookbook: Authentic Spanish Recipes from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Peru, and Colombia (Spanish Cookbook, Spanish Recipes, Spanish Food, Spanish Cuisine, Spanish Cooking Book 1)

Easy Mexican Cookbook (Mexican Cookbook, Mexican Recipes, Mexican Cooking 1)

Mexican Appetizer Cookbook: Spice Up Any Dinner With Over 50 Delicious Mexican Appetizer Recipes

Easy Mexican Dinner Cookbook: Over 50 Delicious Mexican Dinner Recipes for Fun Weekend and Weeknight Meals

Easy Asian Cookbook: 200 Asian Recipes from Thailand, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines (Asian Cookbook, Asian Recipes, Asian Cooking, ... Thai Recipes, Japanese Recipes Book 1)

The West Coast Cookbook 2: Real West Coast Recipes for Authentic West Coast Cooking


https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...isher=booksum*

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...isher=booksum*

https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...isher=booksum*

[Little.Egret]

Free, British

Cooking for Numpties: My Culinary Voyage by Will Newman

Not just a cook book. It is a hopefully humorous account of my journey from being a total cooking disaster to being a fairly useful cook. The journey is described recipe by recipe as I slowly overcame my handicap. This book is the one I would have benefited from to get me started many years ago but could also prove useful to many who believe that they can cook. An ideal gift if your partner is culinary challenged. The biggest problem I found when I started, and is still evident today, is that a great many recipes assume a certain amount of skill or knowledge which the beginner does not have. I have endeavoured to address within the recipes particularly at the early stage.
As this book is the story of my journey from being a complete numpty at cooking to a good level of proficiency the chapters reflect the different stages of my experience. The very last page of the book contains the index of recipes which sadly does not appear on the preview

Beef
Beef Burgers
Beef Curry
Beef Stroganoff
Braciole
Cottage Pie
Lasagne
Spaghetti Bolognese
Steak
Tournedos Rossini

Chicken
Chicken Breast with Mushroom and Cheese
Chicken Pasta Bake
Chicken Stroganoff

Eggs
Fried Eggs

Fish
Baked Haddock
Baked Salmon & Pasta
Fish Pie
Mackerel Pasta Bake
Smoked Haddock with Chives

Lamb
Lamb Burgers
Lamb Chops
Lamb Chop Hotpot
Shepherds Pie

Pork
Bacon
Pork Chops
Pork Chops with Mustard & Parsley Glaze
Sausages
Sausage, Courgette & Pasta in Tomato Sauce

Soup
Chicken
Leek and Potato
Mushroom
Parsnip and Apple

Vegetables
Basil, Chive and Tomato Pesto
Oven Chips
Potato Salad
Roast Potatoes


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MXT0Z46/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MXT0Z46/

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MXT0Z46/

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01MXT0Z46/

[GA Russell]

Real Food/Fake Food - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Fak...dp/B01B3VMBN8/

[GtrsRGr8]

That's 99 cents!

I know, I know. It's technically not a cookbook; however, there are supposed to be "over a hundred shorthand-style [whatever that means, G] recipes" in the book.

The New Food Lover's Tiptionary: More Than 6,000 Food and Drink Tips, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Other Things Cookbooks Never Tell You (Expanded, Revised and Updated Edition). By Sharon T. Herbst. Rated 4.4 stars, from 23 reviews at Amazon at the present moment; rated 4.09, from 55 ratings at GoodReads. Print list price $18.99; digital list price $12.99; Kindle price now $0.99. HarperCollins e-books, publisher. 528 pages. https://www.amazon.com/New-Food-Love.../dp/B003IR5KWA.

Book Description
Both experienced and novice cooks will love this A-to-Z guide packed with more than 6,000 tips, shortcuts and other culinary wisdom cookbooks never tell you. Find all the answers you'll ever need to a universe of cooking quandaries and questions on hundreds of subjects, including foods, beverages, kitchen equipment, cooking techniques, entertaining ideas and smart ways to use leftovers. Plus, there are loads of quick and easy reference charts, a handy system of cross-referencing and well over a hundred shorthand-style recipes.

[GA Russell]

Homemade Vitamin Water - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Vita...dp/B00KVRRXH0/

[pdurrant]

This is now an undated thread and may continue indefinitely

[GA Russell]

Happy New Year!

How To Cook Restaurant-Quality Burgers - $2.99
https://www.amazon.com/Cook-Restaura...dp/B00LYKHRF6/

*****

Eat What You Grow - 99 cents
https://www.amazon.com/Eat-What-You-...dp/B00J4PGFTC/

[GtrsRGr8]

The ratings are fine. The markdown (73%) and price ($2.99) are fine (my standards are high). But the main reason that I'm posting this ebook is that it is on an out-of-the-ordinary culinary subject from the ones that I usually see around.

Catchy title, too. I wonder: is there anyone out there in MobileReader Land who can say "Preserving with Pomona's Pectin," ten times, fast? ha

Preserving with Pomona's Pectin. By Allison Carroll Duffy. Rated 4.6 stars, from 147 reviews at Amazon at the present moment. Print list price $21.99; digital list price $21.99; Kindle price now $2.99. Fair Winds Press, publisher. 176 pages. https://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Po.../dp/B00D3KJNJI.

Book Description
If you’ve ever made jam or jelly at home, you know most recipes require more sugar than fruit—oftentimes 4 to 7 cups!—causing many people to look for other ways to preserve more naturally and with less sugar. Pomona’s Pectin is the answer to this canning conundrum. Unlike other popular pectins, which are activated by sugar, Pomona’s is a sugar- and preservative-free citrus pectin that does not require sugar to jell. As a result, jams and jellies can be made with less, little, or no sugar at all and also require much less cooking time than traditional recipes, allowing you to create jams that are not only healthier and quicker to make, but filled with more fresh flavor! If you haven’t tried Pomona’s already (prepare to be smitten!), you can easily find the pectin at your local natural foods store, Williams-Sonoma, or online.

In this first official Pomona’s Pectin cookbook, you’ll learn how to use this revolutionary product and method to create marmalades, preserves, conserves, jams, jellies, and more. From sweet offerings like Maple, Vanilla and Peach Jam to savory favorites like Red Pepper and Jalapeno Chutney, you’ll find endless combinations sure to delight all year round!

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

...[I]If you’ve ever made jam or jelly at home, you know most recipes require more sugar than fruit—oftentimes 4 to 7 cups!—causing many people to look for other ways to preserve more naturally and with less sugar. Pomona’s Pectin is the answer to this canning conundrum. Unlike other popular pectins, which are activated by sugar, Pomona’s is a sugar- and preservative-free citrus pectin that does not require sugar to jell. As a result, jams and jellies can be made with less, little, or no sugar at all...

I don't know if I could repeat the tongue twister 10 times, but I do know more than a little about jam making; the above quote smacks to my own way of thinking as just being a sales pitch for a product that is not necessary and is undesirable for making good jams. I would avoid the so called low-methoxyl pectins like these if one wants to make good jams.

Of course some people need to avoid excessive sugar intakes and these calcium substituting for sugar additives may be useful for them, but in my view perhaps just using less proper jam and limiting other sugar rich foods (including the magical honey ) is a better and tastier method. Also, in the end, low sugar jams do not keep very well as they tend to lose quality and colour.

A short example of an excellent take on jam making is, to me, at http://www.allotment-garden.org/reci...ugar-and-water .

If you want to be bored by my take on low-methoxyl pectins and on jam making then:

Spoiler:

The preservative in jams is sugar and so to claim that jams, which are preserves, can be made with little or no sugar at all is just rubbish. Jams are, typically, with slight variations about this, made with equal weights of sugar and fruit, in which case they will keep long term, or with half the weight of sugar to fruit, in which case they keep but may not be long keeping (and because of that should be refrigerated when opened). If a low-methoxyl pectin is used to allow sugar quantities less than these the jam's keeping properties will be adversely affected. Note that honey is just a sugar, even though one would not guess that among the frequent claims inferring otherwise when given as a substitute in some jam recipes.

I have not, that I can recall, come across a common fruit that requires pectin added, though, admittedly, the addition of pectin or the use of "jam sugar" (which is just sugar with pectin added) makes jam making easier, but it does not change the sugar quantities for qualification as a preserve or for giving the jam its keeping properties.

The difficulty most people have is recognising the set point during the final boil up of the jam and adding pectin does make this easier. I have the same difficulty as the test on a plate or watching the way drips come off the stirring spoon, etc. I find are pretty subjective. The key for us is to use a thermometer (the electronic cooking ones with probes are good) then when the boil up gets to 105C (220F approx.) most fruits will set at the "standard" consistency. Varying that temperature up and down will give a thicker or runnier jam. If it takes too long to get to 105C then commonly too much water has been added when cooking the fruit before the sugar is added for the later boil up; most recipes, in my experience, state far too much water, juicy fruits require just enough to prevent catching prior to its juice flowing when the fruit is first put in the pan and cooked.

Some low acid fruits will set more reliably with a little citric acid or lemon juice added, as for setting conventionally sugar, pectin and acid are necessary (using slightly unripe fruit is another way of ensuring sufficient acid). The so called low-methoxyl pectins substitute calcium for some sugar. If acid is added to a readily setting fruit having sufficient acid in itself one will end up with a thicker than desirable jam when boiled to the normal setting temperature (105C).

Which leads to when I had a look at the Pomona website ALL of their jam recipes that I looked at (I did not look at them all) had large amounts of citric acid or lemon juice added which infers that a lot of extra acidity is needed to promote setting with calcium substituted for sugar. Use of citric acid/lemon juice has a definite effect on the taste of jams and this is going to be more so with "jams" having low sugar ratios. My own experiments with jams having the conventional jam making lowest recommended 1:2 sugar to fruit weight ratio indicate added acid in the usually recommended quantities results in a very noticeable acidity in the finished jam; that may be fine if a not so sweet jam is wanted but to my taste the effect gives an artificial result that masks the fruit's own flavour. Artificially adding pectin other than from that in the same fruit (so, for example using commercial pectin or extracting it from another fruit, say apples) also affects the true flavour of the jam, but not to the same extent as added acids do.

Regarding fruits that are claimed to be low in pectin, I never trust a recipe's claims of that as they are usually wrong. As one example we grow loquats and use those as a base for jams (e.g. loquat and ginger jam) and recipes will commonly claim that loquats are low in pectin requiring extra to be added; whereas, in fact, they actually have more than enough pectin to allow setting (and that verified by analysis as well as in practice).

Note that my criticism of this book is not meant to detract from your leads to book bargains, they are much appreciated by me .

John

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

I don't know if I could repeat the tongue twister 10 times, but I do know more than a little about jam making; the above quote smacks to my own way of thinking as just being a sales pitch for a product that is not necessary and is undesirable for making good jams. I would avoid the so called low-methoxyl pectins like these if one wants to make good jams.

Of course some people need to avoid excessive sugar intakes and these calcium substituting for sugar additives may be useful for them, but in my view perhaps just using less proper jam and limiting other sugar rich foods (including the magical honey ) is a better and tastier method. Also, in the end, low sugar jams do not keep very well as they tend to lose quality and colour.

A short example of an excellent take on jam making is, to me, at http://www.allotment-garden.org/reci...ugar-and-water .

If you want to be bored by my take on low-methoxyl pectins and on jam making then:

<snip>

Note that my criticism of this book is not meant to detract from your leads to book bargains, they are much appreciated by me .

John

No offense taken. In fact, I appreciate your viewpoint and the added information that comes from your expertise and actual experience. I'm sure that MobileReaders who do that kind of canning or were thinking about starting, perhaps based upon seeing this book, very much do, too.

I know next to nothing about canning jellies and jams! My mother used to do it, but quit probably as late as the early 1970's. She probably realized that there were other things that she would like to do with her time instead of the time- and labor-intensive work of home canning, especially since you can buy stuff as good or almost as good, off of the grocery shelves. I remember SureJell being mentioned a lot, and if memory serves me correctly, it was basically just pectin. However, she kind of specialized in something called freezer jam, which I'm sure had little or no pectin and, as the name suggests stayed in the freezer until it was needed--usually in the mornings when she made these delicious biscuits that would melt in your mouth. Something makes me think that it was faster, if not easier, to make that kind of jam. But I digress.

I'll continue to post books in subjects where I am not very knowledgeable, basing much of the decision on high ratings, and depend upon readers like yourself to alert us to potential problems. I usually don't have time to research the books (particularly the reviews of them) that I post as thoroughly as I would like to, or I might catch some issues like you raised above, before posting the book.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by AnotherCat

I don't know if I could repeat the tongue twister 10 times, but I do know more than a little about jam making; the above quote smacks to my own way of thinking as just being a sales pitch for a product that is not necessary and is undesirable for making good jams. I would avoid the so called low-methoxyl pectins like these if one wants to make good jams.

Of course some people need to avoid excessive sugar intakes and these calcium substituting for sugar additives may be useful for them, but in my view perhaps just using less proper jam and limiting other sugar rich foods (including the magical honey ) is a better and tastier method. Also, in the end, low sugar jams do not keep very well as they tend to lose quality and colour.

A short example of an excellent take on jam making is, to me, at http://www.allotment-garden.org/reci...ugar-and-water .

If you want to be bored by my take on low-methoxyl pectins and on jam making then:

Spoiler:

The preservative in jams is sugar and so to claim that jams, which are preserves, can be made with little or no sugar at all is just rubbish. Jams are, typically, with slight variations about this, made with equal weights of sugar and fruit, in which case they will keep long term, or with half the weight of sugar to fruit, in which case they keep but may not be long keeping (and because of that should be refrigerated when opened). If a low-methoxyl pectin is used to allow sugar quantities less than these the jam's keeping properties will be adversely affected. Note that honey is just a sugar, even though one would not guess that among the frequent claims inferring otherwise when given as a substitute in some jam recipes.

I have not, that I can recall, come across a common fruit that requires pectin added, though, admittedly, the addition of pectin or the use of "jam sugar" (which is just sugar with pectin added) makes jam making easier, but it does not change the sugar quantities for qualification as a preserve or for giving the jam its keeping properties.

The difficulty most people have is recognising the set point during the final boil up of the jam and adding pectin does make this easier. I have the same difficulty as the test on a plate or watching the way drips come off the stirring spoon, etc. I find are pretty subjective. The key for us is to use a thermometer (the electronic cooking ones with probes are good) then when the boil up gets to 105C (220F approx.) most fruits will set at the "standard" consistency. Varying that temperature up and down will give a thicker or runnier jam. If it takes too long to get to 105C then commonly too much water has been added when cooking the fruit before the sugar is added for the later boil up; most recipes, in my experience, state far too much water, juicy fruits require just enough to prevent catching prior to its juice flowing when the fruit is first put in the pan and cooked.

Some low acid fruits will set more reliably with a little citric acid or lemon juice added, as for setting conventionally sugar, pectin and acid are necessary (using slightly unripe fruit is another way of ensuring sufficient acid). The so called low-methoxyl pectins substitute calcium for some sugar. If acid is added to a readily setting fruit having sufficient acid in itself one will end up with a thicker than desirable jam when boiled to the normal setting temperature (105C).

Which leads to when I had a look at the Pomona website ALL of their jam recipes that I looked at (I did not look at them all) had large amounts of citric acid or lemon juice added which infers that a lot of extra acidity is needed to promote setting with calcium substituted for sugar. Use of citric acid/lemon juice has a definite effect on the taste of jams and this is going to be more so with "jams" having low sugar ratios. My own experiments with jams having the conventional jam making lowest recommended 1:2 sugar to fruit weight ratio indicate added acid in the usually recommended quantities results in a very noticeable acidity in the finished jam; that may be fine if a not so sweet jam is wanted but to my taste the effect gives an artificial result that masks the fruit's own flavour. Artificially adding pectin other than from that in the same fruit (so, for example using commercial pectin or extracting it from another fruit, say apples) also affects the true flavour of the jam, but not to the same extent as added acids do.

Regarding fruits that are claimed to be low in pectin, I never trust a recipe's claims of that as they are usually wrong. As one example we grow loquats and use those as a base for jams (e.g. loquat and ginger jam) and recipes will commonly claim that loquats are low in pectin requiring extra to be added; whereas, in fact, they actually have more than enough pectin to allow setting (and that verified by analysis as well as in practice).

Note that my criticism of this book is not meant to detract from your leads to book bargains, they are much appreciated by me .

John

I know very little about jam and jelly making but I have never seen that much sugar to fruit ratio. I too figured sales pitch.
Since I was curious, for concord grape jelly using juice : 1.5 cups of sugar per 1 cup juice.
I looked in an older booklet called well preserved.
Edited to add: the red currant jelly had your exact ratio + 1/2 cup water.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I know very little about jam and jelly making but I have never seen that much sugar to fruit ratio. I too figured sales pitch.
Since I was curious, for concord grape jelly using juice : 1.5 cups of sugar per 1 cup juice.
I looked in an older booklet called well preserved.
Edited to add: the red currant jelly had your exact ratio + 1/2 cup water.

So, who could be some people or what could be some organizations behind the sales pitch possibility that you and AnotherCat brought up?

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

No offense taken. In fact, I appreciate your viewpoint and the added information that comes from your expertise and actual experience. I'm sure that MobileReaders who do that kind of canning or were thinking about starting, perhaps based upon seeing this book, very much do, too.

I know next to nothing about canning jellies and jams! My mother used to do it, but quit probably as late as the early 1970's. She probably realized that there were other things that she would like to do with her time instead of the time- and labor-intensive work of home canning, especially since you can buy stuff as good or almost as good, off of the grocery shelves. I remember SureJell being mentioned a lot, and if memory serves me correctly, it was basically just pectin. However, she kind of specialized in something called freezer jam, which I'm sure had little or no pectin and, as the name suggests stayed in the freezer until it was needed--usually in the mornings when she made these delicious biscuits that would melt in your mouth. Something makes me think that it was faster, if not easier, to make that kind of jam. But I digress.

I'll continue to post books in subjects where I am not very knowledgeable, basing much of the decision on high ratings, and depend upon readers like yourself to alert us to potential problems. I usually don't have time to research the books (particularly the reviews of them) that I post as thoroughly as I would like to, or I might catch some issues like you raised above, before posting the book.

I saw freezer jam on the Pamona Pectin site and I am very interested in it. I don't eat jam or jelly at all because there's so much sugar in it that I just don't like it. I figured if I wanted to eat a spoon of sugar, I would just eat a spoon of sugar. Also, canning is just too much work.

I love chocolate, but I like dark chocolate. So I do like sweet stuff, just not straight sugar. There's recipes on their site, so maybe I'll try it out.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I saw freezer jam on the Pamona Pectin site and I am very interested in it. I don't eat jam or jelly at all because there's so much sugar in it that I just don't like it. I figured if I wanted to eat a spoon of sugar, I would just eat a spoon of sugar. Also, canning is just too much work.

I love chocolate, but I like dark chocolate. So I do like sweet stuff, just not straight sugar. There's recipes on their site, so maybe I'll try it out.

Yeah, freezer jam is probably just basically sugar and strawberries (Mother always used strawberries, but I'm sure that it's made with other fruit, too). There might be a little pectin in it, too, since you saw it on the Pamona pectin site.

A person today who does canning probably does it because they enjoy it. It is a lot of work. The only other reason that I can think of is to save money--some people have large gardens and they preserve their veggies and stuff over the winter and use from the canned goods through the winter. They think, at least, that it saves them money. Our local Walmart still carries canning jars and supplies, and they're not hidden away in some corner, so I get the feeling that there are still quite a few people who do it.

I love milk chocolate, but would almost as soon eat no chocolate at all if dark chocolate was all that was available. And, wouldn't you know, the dark chocolate is actually the healthy one of the two.