| View Larger Image | The River Cottage Meat Book | Hardcoverby Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Author)
| List Price: | $40.00 | | Price: | $26.40 | | You Save: | $13.60 (34%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Ten Speed Press | | Page Count: | 544 Pages | | Publication Date: | May 01, 2007 | | Sales Rank: | 5,549th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
First published in the United Kingdom, THE RIVER COTTAGE MEAT BOOK quickly became an underground hit among food cognoscenti around the world. Now tailored for American cooks, this loving, authoritative, and galvanizing ode to good meat is one part manifesto on high-quality, local, and sustainable meat production; two parts guide to choosing and storing meats and fowl; and three parts techniques and recipes for roasting, cooking, barbecuing, preserving, and processing meats and getting the most out of leftovers. With this thought-provoking and practical guide, meat eaters can knowledgeably buy and prepare meat for better health and better living, while supporting the environment, vibrant local economies, and respectful treatment of animals. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 30 reviews)
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Amazing by Juan Bwon Jovi (Prague, CZ)  5 Stars
September 11, 2009
I am very limited in my knowledge of meat, but this booked served its purposing in making me question what outlets I buy my meat at and what impact they have. There is that part of the book, and then all the education I received from it on the different types of meat and parts of the animal. This is truly an indispensable book that will stand the test of time.
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Excellent, but not aware of its limitations by P. Raphaelson (New York, NY)  4 Stars
February 02, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and use it as reference often. However, the title, "MEAT," set in type that dwarves litterally every other title on my book shelves, implies a kind of comprehensiveness that the book does not deliver.
I'm not complaining that there are no recipes for Tibettan yak or rattlesnake. I'm talking about something more general. As most know, Fearnley-Whittingstall is a huge proponent of artisinal, natural farming. It's a great cause, and an approach worth supporting, but I believe mindless adherence can lead you into a couple of quagmires.
First is an idealogicall / political one, which is beyond the scope of this review, and probably also beyond the scope of the Meat book, although it needs to be acknowledged: we don't have enough pasture land on Earth to feed 6 billion people, or even 3 billion, using artisinal methods. It's a terrible truth, but it means we need to think in terms of reforming our broken industrial agricultural system, not just abolishing it (or worse, ignoring it).
Second, and more to the point, is the very complex subject of beef. Fearnley-Whittingstall talks in terms of pastured, grass-finished beef to the exclusion of all others. This reinforces the false dichotomy that cows are either grass fed/artisinal/good or corn fed/industrial/bad.
Well, it just doesn't work like that. I've been researching top quality beef for many months, and have found (and tasted) a whole world of variations. There are cattle raised on pasture land their whole lives but have their diets supplemented with grains during the last months of their lives. There are cattle who spend their lives in large pens, away from pasture, getting fed controlled mixtures of cut grass, hay, alfalfa, corn, and barley. There are the famous cattle of Kobe who get fed god-knows-what (but it includes barley and beer).
All these approaches yield delicious, first rate beef. All are artisinal. All raise healthy, happy cattle. And all are ignored by Fearnley-Whittingstall's book. I happen to like his style of pasture raised beef--If raised well (not a given) it produces fresh herbal flavors, that vary with season and terroir. But this beef is only sometimes my first choice. It lacks the marbling, succulence, and deep "beefiness" that can be produced in meat that's been fattened with grains.
So what? My concern is that some complex issues, ones that matter to anyone concerned with the planet or with good eating, get overly simplified in the book. It still owns a place of prominence among my shelves, but I'm looking for a more comprehensive reference to fill in some of the (big) gaps.
What else? Recipes? They're there if you you're looking for a recipe book, and I trust they're fine examples of country meat cookery. I suspect, though, the unique value of this book is as a reference on buying meat and understanding its sources and all the steps from farm to table.
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Part textbook, part cookbook, a must for chefs and avid cooks by Bradley Nelson (Minneapolis, MN) 5 Stars
December 31, 2008
This book has two focuses: to teach the reader how to procure and prepare the best meat and to emphasize the importance of good husbandry. Fearnly-Whittingstall stresses the importance of treating animals well, but also explains why "natural" or "organic" meat is better than cheap supermarket meat. He must thoroughly convince every reader that it is worth the extra cost to buy a finer product. Heritage breeds, smallholder-raised, free range, or all natural: they mean better animals, which means better meat.
The book is packed with incredible dishes, mostly British in flavor, but very rustic and that highlight the meat. This book belongs on the shelf of every chef and avid home cook.
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Meditation on Meat by A. Jenshel (Australia) 4 Stars
December 21, 2008
A thoughtful and comprehensive meditation on the subject of meat. In addition to the many and varied recipes there are interesting reflections on farming, butchery, selection, storage and, of course, cooking. Good photography, but this is more of a manual than a coffee-table book.
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Just skimming this book has changed the way I cook meat for the better.... by a reader (chicago) 5 Stars
December 20, 2008
Really excellent and thorough book, just a quick read of one chapter has changed the way I cook and manage my kitchen for much the better. Great chapter on meat thrift which was so helpful...made my kitchen already more efficient with some great ideas - and I haven't even read the whole book yet. I think this book is a necessity for those who want to polish their meat cooking skills. Very helpful information in EVERY respect. I love it.
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