[.ca] Breakfast Book (ISBN 0394555295)

An Inexpensive Classic, Full of Great Suggestions:
This durable classic was written by one of the better known names among American cookbook authors, who apprenticed with James Beard and supervised the rewrite of the Fannie Farmer cookbook. The book endures by providing a super coverage of a neglected culinary subject. While there are dozens of books with chapters on breakfast dishes, there are only a small handful of books devoted exclusively to breakfast written in the last 20 years. This book, neatly typeset, edited, and designed by the Alfred A. Knopf crew, should grace your shelf for a long time, even if your space is limited. This book among my favorite types of cookbooks to own, as it gives you easy access to a great number of recipes on a single subject. This is even better than books on fish or red meat or potatoes or chicken, as it covers a wide range of recipes for all flavors available to a single meal. And, Ms. Cunningham does touch all the bases. Her chapter titles are: Yeast breads such as American White Bread. Toasts, French Toast, and Breakfast Sandwiches. Quick Breads such as biscuits, cornbread, scones, muffins, and fruit breads. Cereals, hot such as oatmeal and corn, such as granola Doughnuts and Fritters Griddling, as in pancakes and waffles Eggs, as in boiled, omelets, frittatas, souffles, baked, scrambled, poached, fried, and so on Fruit Fixing, as in applesauce, poached apples, stuffed pears, fresh juices, rhubarb, pineapple, mango, etc. Potatoes, as in oven fries, hash browns, potato pancakes, potato bacon pie, and potato custard Meat and Fish as in steak, chipped beef, corned beef hash, bacon, ham, fresh fish, fish hash, and salt cod Custards and Puddings, an extension of eggs or cereals, depending on how you look at them Cookies, Pies, and Cakes as in yum, yum, cookies for breakfast Condiments, as in jellies, jams, caramel, syrups, and salsas Breakfast Beverages as in tea, coffee, hot chocolate ya da ya da ya da Breakfast Menus Some reviewers have stated that her recipes are easy. While this may be true of most topics above, it is not true of yeast breads. Even the simplest recipes, and Cunningham's are relatively simple, require a modest amount of skill and a fair amount of time, so I must say that Cunningham is more concerned with good recipes and completeness than she is with speed. While Miss Marion covers all the bases, some are covered a lot better than others. The yeast bread chapter has only a few samples and an exceptionally picky person may feel that the book suffers by not having a brioche recipe, as this is a perfect ingredient for French Toast. I will only point this out and generally suggest that if you are serious about making bread, check out either 'Baking with Julia' as an excellent general introduction to baking or Rose Levy Beranbaum's 'The Bread Bible' for the straight skinny on everything bread. For the very best Southern biscuits, check out Nick Malgieri's 'How to Bake'. The coverage of eggs and toast and condiments and cakes and custards and puddings and pancakes is terrific. This represents the strongest reason to own a copy of this book, if you are especially fond of leisurely weekend breakfasts or brunches. There are dozens of recipes for things I knew people did actually eat for breakfast, but never came close to having them myself or even seeing them on restaurant menus. As with the bread and biscuit recipes, do not believe Ms. Cunningham has absolutely covered all bases in chapters such as Meats and Beverages. She does not always cover the most common recipe for a dish. A perfect example is her creamed chipped beef recipe that includes mushrooms. A classic recipe would not include mushrooms and would include Worcestershire sauce and a little cayenne. This aside, this book packs an enormous punch with 288 recipes for a list price of $20 and an Amazon discounted price of $14. Very highly recommended, especially for a modest budget and a big appetite for big breakfasts.

The Best!:
This cookbook is fabulous. I have given as gifts numerous times, and have been told by each recipient that it is the favorite cookbook! I have even bought this cookbook used to give as a gift when it was out of print for awhile! The pancakes and waffles are terrific, and the other recipes are great, lots of new and old things to try. I am a collector and I have one thing to say: Buy it! This is a must have cookbook!

Here Here! This book is A-OK:
I just loved the fantastic recipes. Easy as pie to follow, yet the dishes turn out restaurant quality. My husband says this is the best eating since our bed and breakfast tour of Sonoma/Napa.

Good book for students!:
As a student, I find this book FAN-TAS-TIC with a capital F. I just threw a biscuit and gravy party at my friend's house in WeHo, everyone loved it. Thanks Marion!

Easy and simple recipes even for a 29 year old bachelor!:
This book is cetainly a must to have if you enjoy breakfast. I guarantee you that you will never buy waffle/pancake mix again once you have the experience of making your own from the Breakfast Book - simple as making your own version of maple syrup to the details of leaving eggs at room temperature when making waffle mix. You will love this book and impress your guests for sure.