Thousand Recipe Chinese

by Gloria Miller

Book Overview

An essential resource in the American kitchen and a classic for nearly four decades, this is the definitive Chinese cookbook, perfect for cooks at every level Here is the largest, most comprehensive... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399128352
• ISBN13: 9780399128356
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 926 Pages
• Weight: 3.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Pass The Bitter Melon, Please

I was packing my cookbooks in preparation for some kitchen remodeling and, for the umpteenth time I found myself paging through Gloria Miller's opus magnus on Chinese cooking. This is probably the most worn out book on the shelf - stained, dog-eared, scribbled in, and every other horrible thing that could happen to a book that is normally open when cooking. I still love this book, although I've absorbed enough knowledge over 30 or so years of using it so that it has had a chance to rest.There are countless chapters on ingredients, techniques, tools and everything else one needs to know. And an unending supply of recipes and variations on recipes. All of this is done in a well-written, reader friendly style that engages the budding Chinese cook and unfolds a whole new world of cooking. I don't know if there really are a thousand recipes here, but I can testify that I have eaten at least a thousand meals that were cooked based on these pages.When this cookbook was written, Chinese food stapes that we take for granted today were often hard to come by. To overcome this, Miller spends a considerable amount of time on substitutes. This is still important today, even when all the key spices are readily available on the internet. One you grasp the principles, almost anything is eligible for a trip to the wok.This is one of those landmark cookbooks. Dating back to the beginnings of the popularity of oriental cooking, it has been the mainstay of a generation of cooks. While most cookbook's tend to alternate chitchat with recipes and a smattering of explanation, Miller's book is a primer on the theory of Chinese cooking that contains a whole spectrum or information. If you want to get past the occasional stir-fry, this is your best roadmap.

The Cantonese "Joy of Cooking"

This was originally published in the early 70's, when I bought my first copy.As other reviewers have mentioned, my copy is stained from frequent use. I also purchased a copy for my parents, even though they prepared Chinese meals without recipes, they were reminded of other dishes and were impressed with the entire contents...the authenticity of methods and ingredients. I have given this wonderful book to many Chinese food enthusiasts and they also regard it as a sort of 'bible'. These recipes are what we eat at home! I give this collection my very highest recommendation.

The best book on the subject.

Our family has used this book for Chinese cooking extensively since 1965. This is the most useful book on the market because it includes descriptions of all of the basic methods of Chinese cookery as well as complete information on buying and storing special ethnic ingredients. The recipes are simple to use and each method may be mastered in turn. If I had to choose one Chinese cookbook this would be it. In 1965, before everyone was cooking Chinese food, I went to a hardware store in New York's Chinatown to buy my basic equipment. I was carrying this book. The Chinese proprietor stopped me to say that he had just bought this book for his Americanized daughter so that she should not forget her heritage. He thought the book was that good. I do too.

A stunning achievement, Gloria got it all in one book!

Gloria Bley Miller shows her love of Chinese cuisene and its techniques throughout every page of this book. There are examples of every type of cooking along with many examples of substitutions so that you learn the art of Chinese cooking as you progress through the many recipes. I have been using this book as the mainstay of my Chinese kitchen and library. P My family and neighbors have all developed a taste for Chinese food now that I mainly cook in that tradition. Some of our Asian friends wouldn't believe at first that an American had cooked these dishes; they wanted to know who really cooked them. P So a tip of the hat and profound thanks to Gloria for introducing me to living to eat in a never ending adventure of the wonderful tastes awaiting in every menu new and old of this fascinating art of cooking that has spanned centuries in development. P If I could only keep one book in my cooking library, this would be it. Not just for all the valuable information in the book, but also for the fact that Gloria is a great teacher , in that the information and experience end up in your own cooking. P This is the only one out of many Chinese cookbooks I now have where all the pages are falling out from heavy use. I almost hate to buy a new one, this one is like an old friend and has notes on many of the pages