Mastering Fermentation: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Fermented Foods [A Cookbook] Hardcover – August 27, 2013

WELL WRITEN, BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS, GREAT INFO AND READING. SOME SURPRISING RECIPES. DEFINITLY IN MY COOKBOOK REFERNCE LIBRARY.

This BEAUTIFUL book is a terrific introduction to fermentation. I've been fermenting foods and beverages for over 4 years and have found some excellent recipes and techniques. So far I've tried Basic Brine for cauliflower and carrots (p13), Tomato Ketchup (p24), Whole Grain Dijon-Style Mustard (p63), Beet Kvass (p176 which we now drink everyday), and Kombucha (p177). they have all turned out fabulous. Can't wait to try some of the other recipes.Pickled fish must be the most disgusting food on the planet, but Ed Anderson has actually made it look good on page 151. This book is so beautiful, it would make an excellent gift for someone interested in fermentation.

I really enjoy the recipes in this book. They are concise and reliable. I love the kimchi recipes in particular, as well as the endless uses for the beer brine. I feel that the equipment or special items and vessels needed for some of the recipes are not too expensive or hard to find. I really want to try making the pineapple vinegar, it sounds wonderful. Worth every penny for the inspiration in the kitchen alone. If you are patient enough to wait for your endeavor to ferment(up to several months in certain recipes, like fruit vinegars), definitely pick this book up.

An excellent introduction to using fermentation processes in a wide variety of foods. If you are familiar with using fermentation as a food preparation process in some kind of food, this book is a wonderful guide to other areas you might wish to try out. I'm sorry to say I can't rate this book from the perspective of a novice, but the recipes and explanations seem reasonably complete. I would like to note that the feta cheese recipe fixes an omission in another popular cheese making book. As someone who has come to this book through bread and cheese making, I appreciate the use of materials such as whey as starter cultures, rather than starting all over with each food type. Enjoy

I have gotten into fermenting foods somewhat recently, making sauerkrauts, pickling corn, okra, eggplant, hot sauces, etc. I saw this book referenced in a magazine, and decided to purchase it despite its having no reviews at that time.I am glad I did. It is now one of the books I would want to save if my house catches fire. There are several of those, but this is near the top of the list.I don't follow recipes; instead, I follow ideas. This book is full of wonderful ideas. I used ideas from her hot sauce recipes and her mustard recipes to make a wonderful habanero mustard. I can't wait to try others, such as bran-fermented vegetables. I'm going to have to work up to some, such as corned beef that sits at room temp for 24 hours. Every page I turn to has a nice idea to try.The only negative I see in the book is that it really needs to be a companion book to, say, Wild Fermentation or The Art of Fermentation. Those books explain why fermentation is neither entirely predictable nor exactly repeatable, and gives mileposts and signs for judging when a fermentation is going right or astray. And also that the final product can depend on personal preference. This book, to me, gives the impression that one should follow a very precise regiment, and is less informative about how individual conditions (or preferences!) might require adjustments. Likewise, some ingredients and steps are called for, such as adding whey or blanching, and it is sometimes not clear why. I understand what these do, but the description does not say whether something special to the ingredients/procedure makes them necessary (for safety) or if they are conveniences and optional.I think this is a fantastic book and it goes beyond what I have seen elsewhere. My personal negatives are trivial in comparison to what the author has accomplished

I am fairly new to the world of fermentation and find the author's well researched background and detailed explanations extremely useful and informative. The recipes I have tried so far are delicious. One thing I really appreciate is that the recipe yields are managable--the Apricot-Date Chutney recipe yields two cups rather than the twelve cups or more that comparable recipes in other books I have produce. Whether you are new to fermentation or are a seasoned veteran, this book has something for you.

This is a good technical book on fermenting. My fermenting library includes The Art of Fermentation and Nourishing Traditions; both authors are passionate about the subject which gets me excited to try everything in their books. The passion was lacking in Mastering Fermentation and I found it hard to get excited, although there were some very interesting recipes I will try. I was disappointed it didn't delve into the real world of vinegar making; something this book made a point in covering and something I am very interested in and find it hard to get any information on. If you need to be inspired to try fermentation try the books I mentioned above but if you already know about fermenting then this book has some interesting recipes to try.

I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I have been making Kim Chi for years and wanted to start trying to ferment other food items, this book is a great resource. All of the recipes so far are fairly simple to follow with minimal ingredients, also, the pictures that accompany the recipes are beautiful.