The Old West Baking Book (Cookbooks and Restaurant Guides)

Rating:
Summary: Bob Wiseman - author, reviewer
Review: Get out your Dutch oven. Find a ceramic crock with a tight lid.You'll need both when you open this wonderful cookbook. Of coursethe oven is for the baking and the crock is for the sourdough starter you'll learn to make. I couldn't believe the Old West recipes that were in this cookbook. I immediately bought several books as gifts for my relatives and friends. Walters has dug up so many memorable and forgotten recipes that it's like finding the Mother Lode of pioneer vittles. Houn' Ears & Whirlups, Splatter Dabs, Oatmeal Pudding, three different sourdough starters, Railroad Cake, they're all packed into 170 pages. In addition, the book has excellent historical and contemporary photographs and informative inserts. The Old West Baking Book is a truly a treasure found.

Rating:
Summary: Great book, even for armchair bakers!
Review: I adore this cookbook! Spiral-bound, lie-flat pages; many gorgeous color photographs of the baked goods as well as historical photographs of cowboys cooking and eating; and a great layout are just the beginning. Every single recipe has a several-paragraph commentary about how the recipe came into being or the differences between the original Old West and updated recipes. Scattered throughout the book are features on various topics such as cooking equipment in the Old West, chuck wagons, and availability and use of various foods. I also enjoyed the uniqueness of the recipes. Never before have I seen recipes for green tomato pie, gems (similar to muffins), or spotted pup (a pudding). However, the book doesn't neglect more common fare such as sourdough bread, cherry cobbler, bread pudding, biscuits, etc. Additional features include an Old West cooking dictionary, a comprehensive index, and a bibliography of books about food and life in the Old West. If you love baking or the Old West, you MUST get your own copy, because I'm not going to lend mine to anyone!!!

Rating:
Summary: The Old West Baking Book
Review: This is an awesome book! So much more than just a "cookbook" it contains little bits of history woven throughout, along with many detailed descriptions and explanations on how and why things were done. I also enjoyed the wonderful pen and ink illustrations. The recipes are great and easy to follow. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for original, old-time recipes!