“Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it: And Other Cooking Projects”
By Karen Solomon
(Ten Speed Press, $24.95)
What it is: You won’t get dinner on the table with this one, but if you happen to salivate at the notion of spending your day up-to-your-elbows in kitchen play (or 8 to 11 such days, when it comes to curing your very own bacon), this book’s for you. Right there on Page 1, you’re drawn into the spirit of the book with this line from the author: “I’d always hoped to find those Girl Scout blueprints to the kitchen — the culinary equivalent of knot tying, fire starting and good citizenship.” Seems Karen Solomon, a food writer from San Francisco, was yearning to whip up the staples — basic mustard, simple crackers, bacon, even marshmallows. And now you can sit back and pore over Solomon’s pages. She walks you, step by step, through practically the whole pantry, from DIY beef jerky to toaster tarts.
Praise (and quibbles): Honestly, we can’t see devoting three days to fermenting kimchee, that pungent Korean condiment. Nor will we soon bottle our own “plain ol’ tomato ketchup,” with the call for 14 ingredients and a Dutch oven big enough to catch all the splatters.
Why we think you’ll like it: Because at heart you’re a Girl Scout (or a Boy Scout), and you can’t resist a newfangled kitchen experiment. Especially one that’s delicious on toast (see orange marmalade, page 92).
