Rating: 
Summary: Great Book for a Narrow Cooking Category
Review: I think some people expected a two-book 1,000 page volume about how to do Fondue when they got this book. For $10 this book is outstanding as every single recipe has color photos and good instructions. I have made 50% of the fondues in the book for entertaining and there was not one that I served to guests that didn't stop all other conversation and make the party a hit. So far, all of the recipes have been unbelievably delicious and unique. This was my first experiment with "The Book Of..." cooking series and made me look at the other 50 or so titles. The book assumes that you have some basic knowledge of cooking.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for a Narrow Cooking Category
Review: I think some people expected a two-book 1,000 page volume about how to do Fondue when they got this book. For $10 this book is outstanding as every single recipe has color photos and good instructions. I have made 50% of the fondues in the book for entertaining and there was not one that I served to guests that didn't stop all other conversation and make the party a hit. So far, all of the recipes have been unbelievably delicious and unique. This was my first experiment with "The Book Of..." cooking series and made me look at the other 50 or so titles. The book assumes that you have some basic knowledge of cooking.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice pictures, Easy to follow recipes
Review: I think this book is good but a bit confusing if you are new to fondue. I was new to fondue and I actually bought this book because it has gorgeous and simple photos and recipe pages. It has a picture of the completed product at the top and step by step photos next to the instructions. I liked that simplicity a lot. However, I found that it didn't explain the basics of fondue in a detailed enough way for me. Because it has so many dip and sauce recipes, I was confused as to what fondue meant...or what a fondue process was...Having said all that, I do still believe it is one of the best photographed and simply laid out books. The recipe & photos are all on one page, it has step by step pictures next to the recipe steps. I enjoy looking at this book and using it now that I understand the basics of fondue better. Some of the recipes are really elaborate and multi stepped - like "go bake these cookies and then make this sauce so you can dip them in" Others are simple.
Rating: 
Summary: Great introduction.
Review: In its roughly 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.This installment, the Book of Fondues, starts with a brief introduction of the equipment necessary for fondue-making, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of fondues, from cheese to dessert fondues. Special chapters are dedicated to deep-fried fondues, accompaniments, seafood fondues, vegetable fondues, hotpots, vegetable dips and fruit dips. There are also menu suggestions for starters, main courses, accompaniments and desserts; and the book ends with six suggestions for complete menus built around the recipes described here. Classics such as fondue Bourguignonne, Swiss fondue and mushroom fondue appear next to unique dishes such as anchovy mayonnaise, blackcurrant cassis fondue, crab and cheese dip, Drambuie cream fondue, hot berry compote, marshmallow cream fondue, praline fondue, raspberry cream, peppermint fondue, spiced plum puree, fruity duck fondue, and wine and cherry sauce. From aioli, almandine trout and almond clusters to yellow bean sauce and yogurt dressing, this collection of recipes is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of making a meal out of food dipped into hot oil or a delicious sauce - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended: This series' installments on French provincial cooking, and on crepes and omelets.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction.
Review: In its roughly 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Fondues, starts with a brief introduction of the equipment necessary for fondue-making, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of fondues, from cheese to dessert fondues. Special chapters are dedicated to deep-fried fondues, accompaniments, seafood fondues, vegetable fondues, hotpots, vegetable dips and fruit dips. There are also menu suggestions for starters, main courses, accompaniments and desserts; and the book ends with six suggestions for complete menus built around the recipes described here. Classics such as fondue Bourguignonne, Swiss fondue and mushroom fondue appear next to unique dishes such as anchovy mayonnaise, blackcurrant cassis fondue, crab and cheese dip, Drambuie cream fondue, hot berry compote, marshmallow cream fondue, praline fondue, raspberry cream, peppermint fondue, spiced plum puree, fruity duck fondue, and wine and cherry sauce. From aioli, almandine trout and almond clusters to yellow bean sauce and yogurt dressing, this collection of recipes is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of making a meal out of food dipped into hot oil or a delicious sauce - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended: This series' installments on French provincial cooking, and on crepes and omelets.
Rating:
Summary: good recipes & lot's of pictures
Review: This book does assume you have some basic idea of fondue. It does talk about different pots to use, and how to prepare for a fondue dinner (what to provide guests, how to instruct them, etc). It doesn't discuss things like why alcohol is used in many recipes (to prevent cheese from curdling) & cooking techniques, like keeping the heat on low. However, these are adequately covered in newsgroups & web sites. The cheese fondue recipes are very good & simple. They usually don't call for expensive ingredients and do suggest many dipping foods. There are color pictures on every page. The sauces for Tempura are weak. While tasty, the variety is slim -- you'll use diff. sauces for seafood vs. beef vs. chicken. Additionally, there are yummy looking dessert fondue recipes 'tho I have not tried those yet. Overall, very good book for the money.
Rating:
Summary: good recipes & lot's of pictures
Review: This book does assume you have some basic idea of fondue. It does talk about different pots to use, and how to prepare for a fondue dinner (what to provide guests, how to instruct them, etc). It doesn't discuss things like why alcohol is used in many recipes (to prevent cheese from curdling) & cooking techniques, like keeping the heat on low. However, these are adequately covered in newsgroups & web sites. The cheese fondue recipes are very good & simple. They usually don't call for expensive ingredients and do suggest many dipping foods. There are color pictures on every page. The sauces for Tempura are weak. While tasty, the variety is slim -- you'll use diff. sauces for seafood vs. beef vs. chicken. Additionally, there are yummy looking dessert fondue recipes 'tho I have not tried those yet. Overall, very good book for the money.
Rating:
Summary: Nice pictures, Easy to follow recipes
Review: This book does have alot of different dips, but not much info on how to have a fondue "party". It doesn't explain in detail the equipment you need or how to set everything up. The only good thing about the book is that there are lots of pictures for preparation and presentation of the dips.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy, not too informative
Review: This book does have alot of different dips, but not much info on how to have a fondue "party". It doesn't explain in detail the equipment you need or how to set everything up. The only good thing about the book is that there are lots of pictures for preparation and presentation of the dips.
Rating:
Summary: Good for Hot Pot Too
Review: This book has served me well for both fondue and Mongolian hot pot meals. I would agree that it isn't a book for beginners, as you have to improvise a bit to get exactly what you want. . . but it is good for providing a jumping off point. For those who like to cook meats in broth instead of oil, the book has several simple and tasty recipes for dipping sauces spread throughout the book.
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