Rating: 
Summary: An excellent gift
Review: The only unfavorable thing I can say about this book is that its a real shame to have to expose it to the environment of the typical kitchen. The photographs of the Thai people and countryside make it suitable for the coffee table, but the wide range of recipes within will not let you take this book out of the kitchen for long. Ingredients and instructions are complete and clearly written, making it easy to create tasty dishes that actually resemble the helpful color photos in the book. The recipe for Pad Prew Wan Moo may be the best recipe you'll ever have for Sweet-and-Sour Pork, and the healthiest.
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious, beautiful, less than authentic
Review: The recipes in this wonderfully illustrated book will give the reader a delicious taste of Thailand. It will not, however, give a 100% authentic taste of it. That may be good news to people who don't live near an Asian grocery where hard to find items necessary for authentic Thai cooking are to be found. Some of the recipes also save the reader time at the expense of authenticity. But unless you are obsessed with making something that tastes exactly as it does in Thailand, the recipes are close enough. This is one of the few books that break all recipes down by region, and that is important. I lived in Thailand for 3 years, with my in-laws for 1 year, and during that time I picked out tell-tale signs of authenticity. I've concluded that the most authentic Thai cookbook is "Thai Food" by Thompson (can't remember his first name.)
In sum, lovely pictures, delicious recipes, authentic enough but not absolutely authentic.
Rating:
Summary: Great, great food, simple instructions!
Review: This book has pictures for almost all the recipes. The instructions are simple, and the food came out excellent, authentic and delicious! I am a very satisfied owner of this cookbook, it's one of the best!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Thai cookbook
Review: This book is great. The first dish I made (Ginger Chicken - p133) was simple to prepare, and tasted wonderful, with those subtle, yet distinctive Thai flavours that I have come to adore.The only drawback is its physical size - unless you have a Heap of kitchen bench space, the book will need to be placed a good distance away to avoid the inevitable splatters...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!!
Review: This is an excellent book. Everything I have tried has been fantastic. It has wonderful pictures as well. In fact, the fact that the pictures are so wonderful may lead some to believe that it is really a coffee table book -- that is, until they try the recipes. A definite must for anyone who loves Thai food!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but there's still one better
Review: This is definitely a great book to have, both because of the recipes and the beautiful pictures, but the best Thai food I've ever made is from True Thai by Victor Sodsook. However, this book doesn't have any pictures and is for people who like it spicy. It does go into more detail about Thai cooking tips but has less about the culture of Thailand. Both are great to have and I use them both often.
Rating:
Summary: Desert island Thai
Review: When I moved to Mexico two years ago, I was forced to accept that it would be impractical to bring my library. So I spent a few hours looking at the volumes on the shelves to select the 20 or so books I felt I absolutely HAD to have with me. One of those books was Thailand The Beautiful Cookbook. Most of the time I open it, it's to find something to satisfy my craving for the sweet, pungent, rich and exotic flavours of Thai food. But other times I've simply lost myself in memories of a beautiful country - memories brought back by the stunningly evocative photographs which fill this book. Thai restaurants here in Mexico seem to be nothing more than a rumour. But Thai ingredients (or serviceable substitutes) are reasonably easy to buy. I have cooked from this book frequently for Mexican friends. Every one of them has been bowled over by flavours packed into the dishes placed in front of them. And if that's the response you want when you cook for friends, then I suggest you buy this book. For me, a Thai food fanatic a long way from Asia, it is essential.
Rating:
Summary: More Than I Ever Expected
Review: When I ordered this book, I thought I was buying a book of recipies. Not only was this an easy to understand cookbook, resulting in the most spectacular dishes I've made in my life, it is also an artistic photo essay of the culture and cuisine of Thailand that was as mouthwatering as the food itself. Most satisfying.
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