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 (The) Silver Spoon

Wow! That's the first thought I had when I saw this massive tome. At over 1200 pages and over 2000 recipes, it's certainly the largest cookbook I've laid my hands on. Part instruction and part reference manual. More than a cookbook this is about food and how food should be prepared and presented, as all of these elements combine to make a great meal. The book has been around for some 50 years so obviously they know what they are writing about. While I would agree that due to it's size and scope, it is for the serious cook, you need not be an expert to use it. In fact its clear and concise lay out and instruction on cooking terminology should prove invaluable to the newbie cooks. The book is laid out in sections dealing with subjects like equipment, anti-pasta, Veggies, meat, poultry, seafood, desserts, etc... and spans the whole of Italy's various regional tastes.

This isn't a breezy talkative book. It's not by some personality who shares stories and amusing anecdotes about cooking. This is like a straight-forward textbook for cooking and in that regard it succeeds tremendously. Honestly you can spend hours just turning the pages to see what comes next. This is a great gift to the cook in your home.
Tim Janson (Michigan) Amazon.com


Book Description
The Silver Spoon is the most influential and successful cookbook in Italy. Originally published in 1950, it became an instant classic. Considered to be essential in every household, it is still one of the most popular wedding presents today.

The Silver Spoon was conceived and published by Domus, the design and architectural magazine famously directed by Giò Ponti from the 1920s to the 1970s. A group of cooking experts was commissioned to collect hundreds of traditional recipes from the different Italian regions and make them available for the first time to a wider audience. In the process, they updated ingredients, quantities and methods to suit contemporary tastes and customs, at the same time preserving the memory of ancient recipes for future generations. They also included modern recipes from some of the most famous Italian chefs, resulting in a style of cooking that appeals to the gourmet as well as the occasional cook

A comprehensive and lively book, its simple and user-friendly format makes it both accessible and a pleasure to read. It provides an introduction to every course, and an explanation of the main type of ingredients. Never translated before, The Silver Spoon has now been adapted to an international market, with every recipe checked for suitability, measurements converted and methods rewritten to accommodate cultural differences, yet maintaining the authenticity of real Italian cooking.

The new layout emphasizes its contemporary appeal and the colour coding of each section simplifies the process of cross-referencing ingredients and methods. A section with original menus from the 15 most famous Italian chefs of the last 50 years has been expanded to include original menus from Italian celebrity chefs working outside Italy.

This is a substantial and prestigious cookbook that will share the bookshelves with other titles such as The Joy of Cooking and Larousse Gastronomique, another classic of national cuisine. With over 2,000 recipes illustrated with specially commissioned artwork and photography, the book is destined to become a classic in the Italian cooking booklist for the international market.