Rating: 
Summary: High praise for Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen
Review: "Regardless of your grocery situation, this is a book to be relished on several levels. It's rich in content, cleanly written, and beautifully designed, with black-and-gold typography and soft, flamelike shapes silk-screened onto the pages. The elegant old black-and-white family photos that introduce each chapter, as well as Alan Richardson's lush, painterly food photography, add to the delicate respectfulness of a book Young calls 'a modern-day act of filial piety.'"- Margo True, Saveur magazine "But even if you don't eat one dish from this book, you'll feel satisfied. The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, like Diana Kennedy's, My Mexico, and works by M.F.K. Fisher, is as much about a way of life as it is about cooking. That this way of life exists with such astounding vitality next door makes this book all the more valuable. - Patricia Unterman, San Francisco Examiner "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen is not just a unique collection of Chinese recipes, but also an excellent introduction to the Chinese culture in foods. It is a must for book-lovers. It enables Westerners to get a deeper understanding of China; it enables ethnic Chinese to understand themselves as well." - CHIN Chin-chuan, Sing Tao Daily, Translated from the Chinese by Sun Yui Fung
Rating: 
Summary: Remembering Old Fragrances
Review: As a third generation Chinese, this book was a wonderful treat to have in the kitchen. It's recipes and instructions were so clear and precise that one couldn't possibly make a mistake. The results were excellent. Most of my siblings have also enjoyed being my guinea pig while I experimented with the recipes from our childhood. We all enjoyed the brief intro to each of the recipes as well. Thank you Ms. Young for publishing this book that all third generations can relate to.
Rating:
Summary: Drooling with delight!
Review: As an American Born Chinese, finding this book was a huge relief. Like so many ABCs, I love the food of my culture but certainly didn't know how to prepare it. This is an authentic down home Chinese cookbook. No fancy dishes here - only comfort food need apply. The book is divided into the following: 1) rice from steamed, fried, dumplings and porridge 2) stir fry - including tomato beef and beef chow fun 3) steamed cooking- egg custard, sponge cake, spareribs with black bean sauce 4) cooking with ginger - drunken chicken, cabbage noodle soup 5) seasonal market dishes - braised taro and chinese bacon, stir fried bitter melon with beef 6) celebratory dishes - stir fried clams with black bean sauce, pepper and salt shrimp, sweet and sour pork 7) New Year's dishes - turnip cake, seasame balls 8) authentic recipes from the homeland - savory rice tamales, pork dumplings, stuffed noodle rolls 9) Chinatown favorites - soy sauce chicken, roast duck, barbecued pork and salt roasted chicken 10) a slew of healing soups and dishes. Reading it was a trip down memory lane for me. The dishes are truly authentic to the Chinese family experience and or those who seek authenticity, Young has presented it here. She also includes a handy guide to shopping and mail order resources!
Rating:
Summary: Just Like Mom's Cooking
Review: Grace Young's cookbood bought back memories when I was a little girl growing up at home. My mother's cooking was the best, but I couldn't duplicate it precisely. Now I can with the help of your book. Especially the egg custard my mom use to make. It was a simple dish but yet delicious and one of my favorites.Your book is wonderful and simple to follow cookbook for Cantonese cooking. I enjoyed reading the history and the childhood stories you had relating to your parent's cooking. Now that my parents are elderly all the receipes will be lost if I don't write them down. Grace Young will save me the work because her book is precisely the one that I can use as a reference and guide to help me cook the way my mother cooked. Simply delicious and wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Just Like Mom's Cooking
Review: Grace Young's cookbook bought back memories when I was a little girl growing up at home. My mother's cooking was the best, but I couldn't duplicate it precisely. Now I can with the help of your book. Especially the egg custard my mom use to make. It was a simple dish but yet delicious and one of my favorites.Your book is wonderful and simple to follow cookbook for Cantonese cooking. I enjoyed reading the history and the childhood stories you had relating to your parent's cooking. Now that my parents are elderly all the receipes will be lost if I don't write them down. Grace Young will save me the work because her book is precisely the one that I can use as a reference and guide to help me cook the way my mother cooked. Simply delicious and wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: Authentic Home Style Cantonese Recipes
Review: Growing up in Chinatown, my family ate Cantonese food pretty much every meal, every day. When cooking Chinese food on my own, I try my best to mirror how my parents cook because there are no written recipes to follow. With this book, there are finally written-down Cantonese recipes that a real Chinese family would cook at home and are perfect for those people who want to cook like mom & dad used to. Most of the recipes are for everyday dishes such as Steamed Pork Cake with Salted Duck Egg, Stir Fried Egg with BBQ Pork or Soy Sauce Chicken. But there are also a few special occasion recipes such as Shark's Fin Soup. Extremely helpful is the index/description of common and not so common ingredients and their Chinese characters/ Cantonese pronounciations for those who don't speak Chinese. I couldn't attest to the 100% accuracy of the history behind the dishes as other reviewers have been critical of, but I'm just looking for recipes, not stories. Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's The Chinese Kitchen is okay but seems more complicated so I find myself gravitating to Grace Young's book more. If you prefer Chinese food like you find at a mainstream American Chinese restaurant, then you'll probably be disappointed with this book. This is a good book to buy if you're interested in Cantonese food that goes beyond Cashew Chicken and Sweet & Sour Pork (both authentic Cantonese dishes and found in this book - but taste very different from what is found in most restaurants). A valuable find!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Hailing from Singapore and being Cantonese, I have searched for recipes representing food that I remember from home. The recipes in this book are authentic and wonderful. I've enjoyed discovering wonderful dishes and have loved every one of them. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants a taste of authentic chinese food.
Rating:
Summary: A Cookbook of Memories
Review: Having been born in Hong Kong and having lived there and in Taiwan for the first 15 years of my life, this cookbook brought back vast memories. I love cooking, and have a wide range of cookbooks. But until now, I have never come across a Chinese cookbook that captures so much of the "essence" of Chinese cooking as in Ms. Young's "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen." Reading this cookbook is like looking back into my childhood and how I grew up. I am astounded at how accurate Ms. Young described all the traditions the Chinese attach to food. The section on Chinese New Year is especially meaningful to me; all the dishes are ones that I ate as a child during Chinese New Year. It was indeed a nostalgic moment for me as I read it. I have tried several of the recipes, and the results have been excellent. What I find most helpful is the glossary and the pictures of the food items that are more unique to Chinese cooking. With this aid, I can now go shopping at an Asian supermarkets with much more confidence. In all, this is a terrific tome that takes away some of the "mysteries" of Chinese cooking, and in turn, allows everyday cooks like myself to be able to enjoy Chinese home cooking.
Rating:
Summary: Oh so yummy!
Review: I absolutely loved this book! Like many other American-born Chinese, there are so many foods and dishes that I love and savor but don't know how to prepare, don't know the English name, or don't know the Chinese name. Fortunately, this book has the Ping Yum pronounciation of recipes--so if I don't know the English name and can't read the Chinese, then I can look at that, mouth it and figure out "oh yeah! I love that dish!". In addition to just providing recipes for all of our favorite dishes, the author also describes all the off-the-wall customs when it comes to food--such as why certain foods are "yeet-hay" or "leung" and why I won't get married if I don't finish my entire bowl of rice. This book is a simple joy to read for everyone and I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes
Review: I am a Chineses food lover. I have tried several recipes in this book. They are not impressed me. I would prefer The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo because her recipes taste closer to some of the best Chinese Cooking we have tried.
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