1. The Kitchen Survival Guide

by Lora Brody (William Morrow & Co., 1992,
$20). If you think that batter is relegated to
the ballpark or shredding is only something
that happened during the Iran-Contra affair,
this book is for you. A compre-
hensive, hand-hold-
ing primer for the
. .
first-time kitchen user,
it's crammed full of
everything you need to
know about kitchens
and cooking. It is the ul-
timate in user-friend-
ly— down to its spiral
binder (so it lies flat on
the counter) and lami-
nated pages (for easy
wipe-off of splatters).
The first part of the guide covers the
basics: how to get all of your brand-new
appliances to function efficiently; how
to shop; and what dishes, pots and ac-
cessories are essential to have on hand.

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•

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Following are "130 Recipes to get You
Through Life." Designed as teaching tools,
these recipes leave nothing to the beginner
cook's imagination.

2. The Way to Cook

by Julia Child (Alfred Knopf, 1989, $60). The
grand doyenne of America's culinary powers
that be gears this instructive and creative tome
for a new generation of cooks. Basic tech-
niques are described step-by-step in Child's
inimitable style, making cooking of the '90s
easier and faster.
Child recognizes the need for health-con-
scious cooking the vegetable and sal-
ad chapters are particularly
inspiring. "Fresh vegetables
are glorious food," she says
enthusiastically. Special notes
on amounts to buy, dietary tips,
and ahead-of-time planning are
included. This is a must-have,
informative cookbook for every
kitchen.

. Food Lover's Companion

by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barron's, 1990,
$10.95). is a comprehensive collection of de-
finitions and descriptions of food, wine and
culinary lingo. What's finnan haddie? Sole
Veronique? And what exactly is tofu? These
and 3,000 other culinary terms are explained
simply and clearly in this compact manual. En-
tries go into fascinating detail, so that when
the cook goes back to the recipe, each and
every ingredient, no matter how esoteric, is
understood.

4. Spice and Spirit: The Complete

Kosher Jewish Cookbook

(Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications,
1990, $28.95). The community of Crown
Heights, Brooklyn (the headquarters of the
Lubavitch movement) combined their tal-
ents— cooks, caterers, mothers, editors,
artists— to produce a book with complete in-
structions for everything from setting up a

A Roundup of Local Jewish Cookbooks

Style looked to local synagogues and philanthropic organizations to find recipe
collections contributed by Detroit's talented and creative Jewish cooks.

BY DEBBIE LANDAU

* All the Recipes You Wanted To Borrow...But Were Afraid
to Ask by the Batya Chapter, Amit Women, order from Esther Starr,
23699 Coventry Woods Lane, Southfield, 48034. This Mizrachi
Women's collection contains many helpful household hints, rang-
ing from laws of kashrut to pages detailing suggested baking speeds
and times for numerous generic types of food.
* Congregation Beth Shalom — Cooks the Second Time
Around Congregation Beth Shalom, (313) 547-7970. This sisterhood
cookbook is an easier to read successor to the group's first widely pop-
ular book.
* From Generation to Generation, the Sisterhood of Congre-
gation Shaarey Zedek, (313) 357-5544. This long-awaited collection
sports a lively "good and plenty" colored hard-bound cover. Among
its 388 pages are categories from appetizers to molds, a special Kids
Corner and Passover section, among others.
* Fruit of Her Hands, Temple Israel Sisterhood, (313) 661-5700.
The sisterhood will introduce its fourth version — an expanded edi-
tion in hard-bound form — soon, according to Annie Weiss, chairman
of the cookbook revision.
* Glennwood's Gourmet Women's American ORT (Organiza-
tion for Rehabilitation Through Training), (313) 855-9820.
The Health Club Cooks, Jewish Community Center of Metro-
politan Detroit's Women's Health Club, (313) 661-1000. This single

74 • JAN JARY/IzE FIR JARY I004 • S-11(1..1-2

largest project undertaken by the
health club is a compendium of up-
scale recipes, traditional "keepers" and
irresistibly hilarious artwork.
* like Mama Used To Make, Ann
Arbor Hadassah. This collection of 400 recipes
represents "flavors of the past and present from Ann Arbor's Jewish
homes."
* Cookbook of Na'amat/Pioneer Women, Greater Detroit Coun-
cil, (313) 967-4750. This is a revised edition of the 1983 book.
1983. * Still Fiddling In the Kitchen, National Council of Jewish
Women, Greater Detroit Section, (313) 258-6000. This is the long-
awaited sequel to the organization's widely popular {Fiddler In the
Kitchen }.
* Temple Kol Ami Cookbook, the sisterhood of Temple Kol Ami,
(313) 661-0040. Temple Kol Ami's interpretations of creative cookery
are being compiled into the sisterhood's first cookbook venture ever,
according to sisterhood president Barbara Edelman.
* We Love To Eat — Incredible Edibles Young Sisterhood of
Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
What's Cooking in Our Kitchens, Women of Maimonides Med-
ical Society. Contact Marge Bennett Kaufman, (313) 737-1872.

