African American Cookbook: Traditional and Other Favorite Recipes

This book is my favorite cookbook, and I have at least 50 of them. The recipes are wonderfully delicious, and my teenage daughters and I love to try different ones together. The ingredients are things you would normally have around the house, unlike some cookbooks where you have to buy stuff that you will never use again. You will use this cookbook more than your other ones. It's great!!

This is my most consistent in terms of taste of the 5 cookbooks I own. All the recipes I have tried so far have been GOOD and those who have eaten them have given them rave reviews. Some of the recipes aren't completely written, for example, one says, "Cook for 45-60 minutes." and it is not clear whether this means in the oven, in the frying pan, and at what temperature. There are enough of similar kinds of recipes though to figure these errors out. For those who never learned how to cook like grandma or moms, this is the book to learn. You can also substitute ingredients, such as nonfat milk for whole milk, to make the food a bit healthier. You can also substitute smoked turkey for hamhocks and salt pork. However, sometimes you have to splurge and go for those to get that old school taste. :)

I got this book as a Secret Santa gift. After one night in the kitchen, I went nuts with all the recipes. They are all written so simply! They don't take too many ingredients. And I use my judgement on how healthy I want to cook. If I want a lower-fat meal, I just use a bit of butter/oil. It has recipes from all over the world, Scandenavian cookies, potato pancakes, Jewish Apple Cake, pork friend rice, not too mention traditional Soul Food dishes. Also, I have a lot of experience in West African cuisine, and the traditional dishes are very similar. You don't need to be of a certain race/culture to use this book! Most dishes are ready from 30 mns to 1 hour.

I'm not black, I'm white, but I enjoy cooking and cuisine generated from hard times and a lack of waste. While I have other cookbooks focusing on the history of cooking by black cooks in this country, what makes this little book particularly interesting is the sprinkling of history throughout. No, it's not comprehensive and doesn't pretend to be. However, like doughnuts and coffee, the two just go well together. Some of the recipes, particularly desserts, rely too much on processed foods I wouldn't want to make. The meats and vegetables are better. Still, it's a nice little book and I'm glad to add it to my shelf.