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Double Take: One Fabulous Recipe, Two Finished Dishes, Feeding Vegetarians and Omnivores Together
100 recipes that feed vegetarians and omnivores together.
- GenresCookbooks
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 25, 2010
Double Take / 978-1-55832-424-4
I really wanted to like this cookbook, but I just can't. Even my vegetarian friends who love cooking and are always eager for new cookbooks just didn't like this one at all.
1. No pictures. This is a huge deal for me - I've gotten to the point where I almost won't buy a cookbook if it doesn't have pictures of at least a third of the recipes. "Double Take" has no pictures at all. This isn't just an issue of wanting to flip through and find something appetizing - it's also crucial for assembly instructions. If I don't know what the final product is supposed to look like, I am likely going to have a hard time with assembly. This problem is exacerbated by the authors' attempts to use "fancy" names for foodstuffs, leaving me to wonder what, exactly, I am contemplating cooking. Not a good place to be.
2. Poor layout. The ingredients lists should have been divided into thirds: items you will need for both versions of the dish, items you will need for the meat version of the dish, and items you will need for the vegetarian version of the dish. That way, when making your shopping list, you can immediately know what you need to buy and for which version of the dish, right? Wrong: the way the ingredients list is actually set out is in chronological order of appearance in the dish. This makes it a HUGE hassle to try to modify the recipes for all-meat or all-veg gatherings. You might think that "all-veg" just means to strike out the meat and double all the veggie ingredients, but you'd be wrong - some of the veggie ingredients are doubled, but not all, and you have to read through very carefully. Not conducive to list-making. (This isn't even getting into the fact that you can't always apply simple "double everything" math to complex recipes - a fact that the authors completely ignore with this book.)
3. Heavy reliance on meat substitutes. Most of the dishes in this book are classic meat dishes, but with a "veggie" version designed around meat substitutes. For a vegetarian/omnivore cookbook, this feels kind of lazy, but on the other hand, I'm not sure how much to criticize the authors for it. I mean, if you want the vegetarian dish to look, feel, and taste *exactly* like the meat dish, I guess you're going to have to reach for the fake meat, but it seems to me that there needs to be a third option in there somewhere. It's not that I have a problem with meat-substitutes per se, but having a cookbook tell me to substitute the bacon for the tofu-bacon and call it a day makes me wonder why I needed a professional cook to tell me that?
I don't know that "Double Take" is a bad book, and I really did *want* to like it, but I just can't shake the feeling that it feels like a poorly researched cash-in on the omnivore/carnivore dilemma that modern families are facing. I wish the authors nothing but the best, but I can't personally recommend this book because none of the omnivore or vegetarian friends I know felt they got anything useful out of this cookbook. I probably would have given it three stars for trying, but the lack of pictures was such a huge problem for me that I had to go with two stars - you might feel differently.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
I really wanted to like this cookbook, but I just can't. Even my vegetarian friends who love cooking and are always eager for new cookbooks just didn't like this one at all.
1. No pictures. This is a huge deal for me - I've gotten to the point where I almost won't buy a cookbook if it doesn't have pictures of at least a third of the recipes. "Double Take" has no pictures at all. This isn't just an issue of wanting to flip through and find something appetizing - it's also crucial for assembly instructions. If I don't know what the final product is supposed to look like, I am likely going to have a hard time with assembly. This problem is exacerbated by the authors' attempts to use "fancy" names for foodstuffs, leaving me to wonder what, exactly, I am contemplating cooking. Not a good place to be.
2. Poor layout. The ingredients lists should have been divided into thirds: items you will need for both versions of the dish, items you will need for the meat version of the dish, and items you will need for the vegetarian version of the dish. That way, when making your shopping list, you can immediately know what you need to buy and for which version of the dish, right? Wrong: the way the ingredients list is actually set out is in chronological order of appearance in the dish. This makes it a HUGE hassle to try to modify the recipes for all-meat or all-veg gatherings. You might think that "all-veg" just means to strike out the meat and double all the veggie ingredients, but you'd be wrong - some of the veggie ingredients are doubled, but not all, and you have to read through very carefully. Not conducive to list-making. (This isn't even getting into the fact that you can't always apply simple "double everything" math to complex recipes - a fact that the authors completely ignore with this book.)
3. Heavy reliance on meat substitutes. Most of the dishes in this book are classic meat dishes, but with a "veggie" version designed around meat substitutes. For a vegetarian/omnivore cookbook, this feels kind of lazy, but on the other hand, I'm not sure how much to criticize the authors for it. I mean, if you want the vegetarian dish to look, feel, and taste *exactly* like the meat dish, I guess you're going to have to reach for the fake meat, but it seems to me that there needs to be a third option in there somewhere. It's not that I have a problem with meat-substitutes per se, but having a cookbook tell me to substitute the bacon for the tofu-bacon and call it a day makes me wonder why I needed a professional cook to tell me that?
I don't know that "Double Take" is a bad book, and I really did *want* to like it, but I just can't shake the feeling that it feels like a poorly researched cash-in on the omnivore/carnivore dilemma that modern families are facing. I wish the authors nothing but the best, but I can't personally recommend this book because none of the omnivore or vegetarian friends I know felt they got anything useful out of this cookbook. I probably would have given it three stars for trying, but the lack of pictures was such a huge problem for me that I had to go with two stars - you might feel differently.
NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through Amazon Vine.
~ Ana Mardoll
July 6, 2011
I gave it this review based on no pictures (minus the cover) and very basic not very creative recipes. I would only make about 4 recipes in this book.
May 12, 2010
Jeremy Holt and A. J. Rathbun, Double Take: One Fabulous Recipe, Two Finished Dishes – Feeding Vegetarians and Omnivores Together (Harvard Common Press, 2010)
My family is, culinarily, about as dysfunctional as it gets. I am a pescetarian who'll eat pretty much anything. My daughter is a vegetarian who doesn't eat most exotic vegetables. My wife is an omnivore, but a picky one. Family dinners are, to say the least, a hassle, not to mention generally unhealthy (since the only commonality is pasta, really). When I saw this crop up in the list, I jumped at the chance. Could it be the savior of our dinner table? I'm not entirely sure yet, but early results look promising.
I must admit I was expecting the recipes to be a little more complex when it came to splitting things between the vegetarians and the omnivores, but it all turns out to be rather simple; much of the prep work (sauteing vegetables, preparing sauces, etc.) is done all at once, and then half of each preparation is split between the meat dish and the vegetable dish. If you generally shop at your local hypermarket, you may have a few problems coming up with some of the ingredients (seitan, for example, is tough to come by in the big supermarkets in my neck of the woods), but it's worth checking out nonetheless. Turns out this is a very simple idea that no one thought of before, really; you've gotta give these guys credit for codifying it and coming up with some good recipes as evidence that it actually works. They do stretch a few times (vegetarian osso bucco? Can't wait to see how THAT one goes over with your extremist pals), but in general, this is good stuff indeed. *** ½
My family is, culinarily, about as dysfunctional as it gets. I am a pescetarian who'll eat pretty much anything. My daughter is a vegetarian who doesn't eat most exotic vegetables. My wife is an omnivore, but a picky one. Family dinners are, to say the least, a hassle, not to mention generally unhealthy (since the only commonality is pasta, really). When I saw this crop up in the list, I jumped at the chance. Could it be the savior of our dinner table? I'm not entirely sure yet, but early results look promising.
I must admit I was expecting the recipes to be a little more complex when it came to splitting things between the vegetarians and the omnivores, but it all turns out to be rather simple; much of the prep work (sauteing vegetables, preparing sauces, etc.) is done all at once, and then half of each preparation is split between the meat dish and the vegetable dish. If you generally shop at your local hypermarket, you may have a few problems coming up with some of the ingredients (seitan, for example, is tough to come by in the big supermarkets in my neck of the woods), but it's worth checking out nonetheless. Turns out this is a very simple idea that no one thought of before, really; you've gotta give these guys credit for codifying it and coming up with some good recipes as evidence that it actually works. They do stretch a few times (vegetarian osso bucco? Can't wait to see how THAT one goes over with your extremist pals), but in general, this is good stuff indeed. *** ½
January 28, 2010
The concept here is pretty intriguing. I am getting more pressure for vegetarian dishes from my family. This book looks like it might be a nice way of linking vegetarians to more traditional meat eaters. The book's purpose is laid out early (Page 1): "'Double Take' is a book in which all the recipes... are for one master dish, but you end up with servings for both meat-eaters and vegetarians. . . ."
One example. I just made the "Mighty Mac and Cheese" recipe. First off, it was tasty. Second, I had two options--a vegetarian only version and a version with meat (in this case, cooked ham). Most recipes have three versions--mixed meat and vegetable, vegetarian only, and all meat. Basic ingredients for this dish: elbow macaroni, butter, flour (butter and flour are to make a roux), milk a hint of cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, cooked ham, and whole wheat bread (I skipped that). I made the vegetarian version, without the ham. End result? Tasty!
Obviously, it is a plus that a person can make different versions for different people in the household, to match their tastes. There is some inconvenience to this, but the instructions are pretty clear on how to make separate versions.
Other recipes that caught my attention? Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Hot and Gooey Ham and Cheesers, Gumbo, Border-Busting Parmigiana, Osso Buco, and so on.
All in all, an interesting twist on cookbooks, but one that promises to be satisfying. . . .
One example. I just made the "Mighty Mac and Cheese" recipe. First off, it was tasty. Second, I had two options--a vegetarian only version and a version with meat (in this case, cooked ham). Most recipes have three versions--mixed meat and vegetable, vegetarian only, and all meat. Basic ingredients for this dish: elbow macaroni, butter, flour (butter and flour are to make a roux), milk a hint of cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, cooked ham, and whole wheat bread (I skipped that). I made the vegetarian version, without the ham. End result? Tasty!
Obviously, it is a plus that a person can make different versions for different people in the household, to match their tastes. There is some inconvenience to this, but the instructions are pretty clear on how to make separate versions.
Other recipes that caught my attention? Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Hot and Gooey Ham and Cheesers, Gumbo, Border-Busting Parmigiana, Osso Buco, and so on.
All in all, an interesting twist on cookbooks, but one that promises to be satisfying. . . .
March 23, 2010
Feeding meat eaters and vegetarian's at the same table is always a dilemma. This book has an excellent solution with recipes that are pleasing to both palates
Read more at Suite101: Double Take by Rathbun and Holt: A Vegetarian Cookbook That Works for Meat Eaters Too http://vegetarian-cookbooks.suite101....
Read more at Suite101: Double Take by Rathbun and Holt: A Vegetarian Cookbook That Works for Meat Eaters Too http://vegetarian-cookbooks.suite101....
May 25, 2010
Relies heavily on fake meat.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews