The Great Chile Book: [A Cookbook]

by John Harrisson and Mark Charles Miller

Book Overview

This full-color handbook presents an in depth look at 100 chiles (50 fresh and 50 dried), each with a color photograph, hotness scale, and brief description. The Great Chile Book also includes... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898154286
• ISBN13: 9780898154283
• Release Date: December 1991
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.6" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

The Great Chile Book

A great reference book for "foodies". Chiles are properly broken down into fresh and dried forms. The chile photos are very accurate. Each chile has description of growing areas, heat level and recipe applications. I sell specialty chiles so this book makes a great gift to my customers.

The Great Chili Book

I purchased this book for my husband. He wanted a book that described all the different types of chilis and their degree of hotness. He loves to cook with chili peppers so this book was the ideal gift to use as a reference guide.

Outstanding PHOTO/REFERENCE/GUIDE Book

I'll tell you what this great little book IS.....not what it isn't. 1.....This GUIDE BOOK rates each chili with a 1-10 temperature scale. Thank you, Mark Miller!!! Why didn't someone do this a long time ago? (In a neat, concise format, that is.) Did you know that bell peppers have a rating of zero? Poblanos rate a 3.....jalapenos a 5.5.....and those smokin' habaneros top the charts with a big fat 10! 2.....This PICTURE BOOK beautifully portrays every chili, both fresh and dried, with a bright, colorful, professional photo. I've taken this book grocery shopping to help identify the type of chile I'm buying because grocers don't always give us a name. 3.....This REFERENCE BOOK is an essential guide to identifying chilis...something every cook needs. At a glance the reader sees why Peruvian peppers aren't the best choice for filling with chorizo and rice. We must know what a habanero looks like (and why it doesn't belong in the tossed salad, or in the soup, or the casserole...or almost anything else). This book identifies all the choices that won't scald your tongue...and also those that might. 4.....This INFORMATIVE BOOK offers history, guidance, personal experience and opinion. Lay this on your coffee table to educate your friends and to inspire some "hot conversation." Everyone has a good pepper story to tell........"You think jalapenos are hot? Let me tell you about the time when..." 5.....As an ADDED BONUS...some great basic/authentic recipes are included. Mango-habanero sauce (So that's where those trouble-makers go!)..... guajillo salsa..... chipotles in adobe sauce..... mole amarillo..... spicy grilled shrimp and melon salad..... pipian rojo..... a total of seventeen wonderful recipes. Mark Miller urges the cook to focus on the flavor and not the heat...ha ha ha. Well, he's probably not kidding, since he's worked with chiles for over 30 years. Maybe I can focus on the flavor of everything below a 7 on the heat scale, and there are many of those to choose from. Because of this book, I can now discuss the merits of poblanos versus those of anaheims, and I can identify any "capsicum" in the world if that need arises. I can definitely choose with confidence from the produce section. All in all, "The Great Chile Book" offers ACCESSIBLE and VALUABLE information that every cook needs to know.

It has pictures!

If you've ever read a cookbook that tried to verbally go into the differences on chiles, and you felt yourself get just a little lost when it came to the physical descriptions, than this book will be a great resource. The full color photos are nicely done, actual size, and very helpful, especially since chiles often get misnamed, or get labeled with a regional name that is not the one most widely used. Actually knowing what to look for by sight has been very helpful at the market.