Food Processor Bible Book

There are not that many cookbooks that remain as relevant and in demand 50-plus-years after their original release. Oh, of course, the books can still be cherished at home but the number that are reprinted, revised, reprinted and revised again for over half a century do not account for that much compared to the number of totally new releases...

This telephone directory-sized tome is one of those pleasant exceptions, which has undergone significant structural renovation. Strangely though, not everybody can understand or appreciate why a book like this is necessary. The food processor is just a tool, isn't it? You can get recipes from a recipe book! The manufacturers of food processors often give you a (little) manual, don't they? Well yes, technically such assumptions are correct but then the typical reader will not really learn how to get the most out of their investment, both in terms of physical usage and culinary output.

As you would expect, knowledge about how to use a (typical) food processor is given - the book is brand agnostic but that makes no real difference here. Being deceptively basic and clear with its education, it could be understandable if you skip through the basic stuff, thinking you know better. However it is worth investing the time here as you may pick up a little wrinkle or more.

The vast majority of the book is given over to recipes - over 600 of them, all of them using your food processor! It is unlikely that you will not find anything of interest here as all basic recipe categories are amply accounted for. Each recipe is cleanly laid out with some supporting background information or special tip as required. Plainly workmanlike you get the basic facts - enough to do your job and do it well. Make no mistake, this is a practical book rather than inspirational - no full-colour photographs and flowery text. Just knowledge, recipes, recipes and more recipes. Oh... and a very comprehensive great index at the back.

With all of this information at hand, it would not have been TOO much trouble to have also added an approximation of preparation and cooking times would it! If you can include detailed nutritional information down to the nearest 0.1g there is really no excuse. Regular readers will know this to be a particular, justified bugbear for YUM.

If you view this book's relatively low price and factor in the volume and diversity of recipes you will have a good contender for your kitchen shelf. If you have a food processor the additional knowledge to help you really make the most of the unit is a very, very welcomed bonus and a sufficient raison d'être in itself.

The New Food Processor Bible, written by Norene Gilletz and published by Whitecap Books. ISBN 9781770500280, 552 pages. Typical price: GBP18. YYYY.


// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //