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Rating: 
Summary: not necessarily utilitarian, but fun...
Review: I don't know how appropriate the title is (or how "essential" many of these items are) but I had a lot of fun reading through this book--which I did in one seating, and read almost the entire contents--quite a rare feat for what is essentially a kitchen gadget guide/cookbook I would think! Now I find myself coveting pricey mandolins and Indian woks. And no longer a complete kitchen gadget neophyte, I'm able to identify the most obscure tools at, say, the well-stocked shelves of haughty culinary kitchen shops like Sur La Table. The design of this book is intriguing as well--I like how some pages unfold to reveal a double-sized page...and if you're one to appreciate lustrous thick paper and engaging text layout (you know who you are, DK/Eyewitness guidebook fans), this book will probably catch your fancy. The content is interesting as well, it is sort of like reading "Cook's" magazine. The only drawback to the book is that although there are some recipes included, they don't seem to have any theme to them, and furthermore, there isn't an index...so while you're casually browsing the book, you might happen upon a potential recipe, but then when you try to go back and find it later, you have to flip through each and every page to find it again! Overall though, a fun book to go back to as a reference and inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: not necessarily utilitarian, but fun...
Review: I don't know how appropriate the title is (or how "essential" many of these items are) but I had a lot of fun reading through this book--which I did in one seating, and read almost the entire contents--quite a rare feat for what is essentially a kitchen gadget guide/cookbook I would think! Now I find myself coveting pricey mandolins and Indian woks. And no longer a complete kitchen gadget neophyte, I'm able to identify the most obscure tools at, say, the well-stocked shelves of haughty culinary kitchen shops like Sur La Table. The design of this book is intriguing as well--I like how some pages unfold to reveal a double-sized page...and if you're one to appreciate lustrous thick paper and engaging text layout (you know who you are, DK/Eyewitness guidebook fans), this book will probably catch your fancy. The content is interesting as well, it is sort of like reading "Cook's" magazine. The only drawback to the book is that although there are some recipes included, they don't seem to have any theme to them, and furthermore, there isn't an index...so while you're casually browsing the book, you might happen upon a potential recipe, but then when you try to go back and find it later, you have to flip through each and every page to find it again! Overall though, a fun book to go back to as a reference and inspiration.
Rating: 
Summary: Attractive, but many items are neither basic nor essential!
Review: Perhaps this book is aimed more at the gourmet cook with LOTS of space for storing all kinds of gadgets and tools! But I have been cooking from scratch for almost 25 years now, and I have not found a need for many of the tools this book claims are basic and necessary. I did enjoy, however, looking through this book with its beautiful pictures. I also enjoyed learning about tools that I have never seen before! There are no doubt people who use tools such as the tomato press, nutmeg mill, bean slicer, and cheese dome, frequently and couldn't cook without them! Which gadgets a cook treasures is a very individual thing. As for me, my favorite cooking gadgets are Kitchen Aid mixer (see my review of this on Amazon), garlic press, and a rotary grater for grating fresh parmesan cheese. My advice is to check out reviews of particular brands of cooking tools here on Amazon and on other cooking websites. This book has many fold-out pages with pictures of MARVELOUS looking food! There are quite a few recipes and many have photos showing the various steps. Most of the recipes are on the gourmet-cooking end of the scale, rather than ones that would be easy to make and family-friendly. My advice is to decide which tools you will need for YOUR style of cooking and then buy a quality product that will serve you well and will last a long time! Please check out my other reviews - I've reviewed a number of cookbooks here on Amazon. Happy cooking!
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