[.ca] Bruce Aidells Complete Sausage Book (ISBN 1580081592)

Insanely great book (if you want to make sausage)!:
I really bought this book to make cajun boudin, as well as andouille sausage. My dream was to make gumbo with my own andouille, and darned if it didn't turn out perfect the first time. We've made Chorizo, Linguica, and are looking at a poultry-Thai sausage next! To truly get the most out of this book you need the following: 1) a meat grinder (I use my Kitchen-Aid with an attachment 2) a sausage filling attachment for your meat grinder (not required, if you're just going to make patties!) 3) some medium hog casings (again, not required, if you're just going to make patties!) 4) a smoker (not required, if you're not making smoked sausages, of course!) However! The second half of the book is recipes USING sausage, so you could just buy the sausage at the market and enjoy the recipes (but what's the fun in that?) This is a fantastic book, highly recommended, with interesting background essays on several of the sausage varieties. The sidebar on "Hot Boudin and Cold Beer" is right on the money.

absolute keeper:
Okay, I bought this book, went out to get the food grinder and sausage stuffer attachment for my KitchenAid. I read and scanned the book over and over again. I finally decided to try the fresh Italian sausage and the chicken and apple recipe. I kept stalling and putting it off..well finally I got so sick of postponing that I actually got out of bed at 2 a.m. in the morning. Rolled up my sleeves and went right into it. From grinding, to mixing, to clean up took me at least 4 hours. You have to remember that this is the first time I ever attempted something this crazy. I was petrified. What did I get myself into? But know what... the sausages were incredible. I practically ate the first batch of Italian sausage all of 3.5 lbs by myself. I had the hardest time sharing it with my kids who stared at me drooling with those puppy eyes begging to have a taste of what Mama was eating. And when I have to use these sausages for a pasta dish for some visiting friends, I actually regretted inviting them over since I wanted to eat the sausages myself. That bad..and that good!! Sorry for the long story..but anyways here's the lesson for me. I won't know till I try and that's all it took me. Once. So for you who are intimidated with the whole thing but who loves to eat like me it's all worth it. Here's an excellent book to start your journey to becoming a sausage maker. And you will see the great difference between a store bought and something you made yourself. Another book I found useful is Home Sausage Making by Charles something. Have an incredible time eating!!!

Worth it even if you don't make your own sausage:
If you're unsure about your commitment to sausage making, don't let your uncertainty dissuade you from buying this book. While his sausage recipes are indeed excellent (I've made a few of them), a large portion of the book provides recipes for using sausage in recipes. And those recipes are very good. Personally, I think the book's worth the price for the cornbread stuffing (with pork sausage and andouille) alone.

Want to make sausage? Buy this book!:
While visiting from Indiana, my brother told me about making sausage. He bought a grinder and a book. Said I would no longer wonder about the fancy sausages I got in Portland. He convinced me. I bought an attachment for my Kitchen Aid, picked up Bruce Aidell's book and that was that! I bought some casings from the local whole foods store and some meat, spices and stuffing goodies and started making the best sausages I have ever eaten! This book has all the recipes and they are wonderful! Easy to follow. No pictures, but it is a book about grinding and stuffing. Who needs pictures? The book is great! Want to make your own sausages? Buy this book. Adds a new dimension to cooking...or grilling!

Easy recipes and colorful descriptions:
These sausage recipes gather dishes from across the country, providing a treatise on different kinds of sausages and regional variations. Recipes blend with Aidell's travels across America in search of great sausages, providing a wide range of sausages and ethnic insights. No color photos, but the easy recipes and colorful descriptions don't need them.