The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Reviews

• 
  Ericka

  The original edition from 1997 is my favorite cookbook of all time. I wanted to see how the updated version compares, and to figure out whether I would want to replace my trusty original copy, cracked spine, stained pages, penciled marginalia and all. So I checked it out from the library and proceeded to read it cover to cover. (It's long. I used a bookmark.)
  
  Although I am definitely interested in trying nearly every one of the new recipes I came across, I have to say that I prefer many things about the original edition, many of which come down to formatting. The formatting changes in this edition — obviously made to save paper, which in and of itself is fine — make it more difficult, for me personally, to cook from the book. Leaving it open on the counter, I kept losing my place in the recipe because the text on the page is so dense. The older edition also made use of the outer margins of the page for recipe headnotes as well as — my particular favorite — suggested flavor pairings and/or sauce/seasoning companions for a given vegetable; moving all this information from the margins into the dense column of text makes it harder to access and to process. Also abandoned (presumably for space/budget reasons) are the very charming illustrations of the original. Most of them were just for looks but there were several places in the book where a particular knife cut was shown, which I had always found helpful. On the whole, I do prefer the more spread-out formatting of the original.
  
  And on a personal note, I can't possibly consider getting rid of — or even relegating to a high shelf — my copy of the 1997 edition. My wife and I have written important notes here ("Make this every year" or "Lots of work, not a lot of return" or "We used cooked carrots instead of rice as a side dish"), we have written out our calculations for doubles or halves of recipes, we have spilled red lentil soup with aromatics on the recipe for red lentil soup with aromatics. I sincerely hope that my son will beg us for our copy when he grows up and moves away. I hope we live long enough that by the time he inherits it, his own hypothetical kids will be old enough to cook from it.
  
  And anyway in the meantime, he won't need our copy (although he may long for our notes), because I have given this book out as a gift before, and I am sure I will do it again. If you've never read either edition, and if you like to cook, you should absolutely give this one a go. If you don't know how to cook, you really should absolutely given this one a go, which is what I did back in 1999.
  
  You know, I read quite a few cookbooks in a given year (most of them cover-to-cover, like novels). I am always disappointed that each one does not offer what Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone continues to provide. We've been using this cookbook for fifteen years. We rarely make the same recipe (from any source) twice in a single year. We are still discovering new things here. Like so many of Deborah Madison's recipes, this book is greater than the apparent sum of its parts.
  
  
• 
  Christina Dudley

  Madison's original VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE is one of my most stained, most used, most beloved cookbooks, and we don't even have any vegetarians in the family. This update looks great, and I've already marked several of the "dozens of new recipes" to try out. Thankfully, she kept the old favorites of mine: pico de gallo, granola, lentil minestrone, Greek salad.
  
  For my full review, please see my post as the UrbanFarmJunkie:
  http://urbanfarmjunkie.blogspot.com/2...
• 
  Emily

  A wonderful resource, truly the Joy of Cooking for vegetables. I’ve tried a few recipes from this book already and they have all been fabulous. Can’t wait to test out more. They’ll join my normal rotation of meal ideas. Recommended to my vegetarian and non-vegetarian friends alike.
• 
  Vicky Maldonado

  I never thought I could fall in love with a cookbook that didn't have pictures! I hoarded this book from the library for 3 months and am very sad I have run out of renewals. I will be spending the $40 to purchase a copy of my own.
  
  Madison includes the simplest recipes like how to cook brown recipe or blister shishito peppers. In particular I learned a ton about stocks and have started making my own rather than using store bought. She labels recipes that are vegan or can easily altered to be vegan. There are foods that I have never cooked like black rice and dried kelp. There are foods I had grown bored of like carrots, that have been redeemed! Favorite recipes: Collard Greens, Black Rice, and Coconut Butter (topped with Coconut Sweet Potatoes or Yams); Miso Soup with Kombu Stock Base; Carrots with Hijiki; and I'll never stop making the Sherry Vinaigrette. There are so many more recipes that I can't wait to try like the Chilled Avocado-Tomatillo Soup and anything with Kasha.
• 
  Tamara

  If you own only one vegetarian cookbook, let it be this one or Mark Bittman's
  How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
• 
  Katie

  So I haven’t “read” this per say. But! I’ve used this cookbook for the last four years. I love how the author saves things to be used in other recipes, she always gives suggestions of what to do with scraps. She really knows how to make the veggie the star.
  
  Some recipes that I have made multiple times that I highly recommend that have become staples:
  -Parsley caper sauce, good with Brussels sprouts
  -Corn Chowder with new potatoes, Golden peppers and basil
  -Spinach avocado salad with sunflower seeds and sprouts
  -Warm asparagus salad on arugula with walnut vinaigrette (I make this at least once a month lol)
  -Rice cooked in black bean broth (so freaking good)
  -basic vegetable stock
  -bean broth or stock
  -Migas, just started making this one. I’ve made it three times so far. Fast delicious breakfast.
  
  The list can go on! There’s still so many recipes I haven’t made. I love having random veggies in the fridge then cracking this book open to see what she has done. Great addition to anybody’s cookbook library :) oh also I’ve definitely added meat to some of these recipes. Delicious!
• 
  Pixie

  After seeing Deborah Madison named as a resource in more cookbooks than I can count, I decided to give her classic a look-see (found an updated version). It really is "all that." For all the cookbook authors who are clearly influenced by culinary school traditions, here is one who literally wrote the book. You could use it instead of going to culinary school. Sure, there's no meat in it, but who needs that anyway? This book is very classic, full of recipes, explanations, and instructions, not the photos and white space of many current cookbooks. For people who truly want to learn to cook. mastering the basics, going through some variations and learning what goes with what, then having enough under your belt to start riffing on those foundations, which is what those cookbook authors who were inspired by Madison have done. Would be a great present for the right pair of newlyweds.
• 
  Steven

  A very good book with lots of clear recipes.
  
  Some fine main dishes were portobello-mushroom stew, eggplant gratin, orecchiette with broccoli rabe, and zucchini pizza with goat cheese and cherry tomatoes.
  
  Some good dessert recipes are also included.
• 
  Sylvia Johnson

  Quite comprehensive but I wish I liked it better. I am still looking for a vegetarian cookbook that would be arranged seasonally and that had more single dishes that were nutritionally balanced that did not rely so much on eggs and dairy.
• 
  Genine Franklin-Clark

  I bought the Kindle edition, like it so much that I ordered the hardback. Almost every recipe sounds SO good! I'm not a vegetarian, but I love veggies. Meat seems so much all the same, while veggies are so colorful and varied.
• 
  Amber

  Extensive, diverse, easy to follow, satisfying. Highly recommend for all those who love to cook and create.
• 
  Tamra Lagrone

  Somehow, this newer version of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone remains my #1 go-to cookbook and has improved. LOVE!!!
• 
  Sarah

  Kindle edition is on sale for $2.99. Thank my sister for the hot tip!
• 
  Lara Samuels

  Basic introduction to vegetarian world. It wasn’t as helpful for those who are interested in a WFPB as I had hoped.
• 
  Laura

  a great reference with a review of the basics - loads of recipes.
• 
  Kathryn

  Well laid out. Great "why" sections that introduce recipe groups. Great variety of cuisine and lifestyle selections. Every recipe I've tried from this book has resulted in an excellent dish.
• 
  Mariah

  A lot of recipes in here. I especially like the information about how to cook the veggies well as well as descriptions of different veggies.
• 
  Pinky

  Want to try the Artichoke Pesto, Saffron Noodle Cake, and the Giant Cheddar Soufflé recipes.
• 
  Loz

  Really thorough and informative
• 
  Artemi Morningstar

  Fantastic cookbook, including basic preparation methods and tips. Absolutely recommended.
• 
  Zoë

  This is the best cookbook and one I've relied on for well over a decade. There are recipes for a wide variety of tastes. Some use dairy, some are vegan. Madison is thorough in explanation of selection, storage, and preparation of each vegetable.
  
  We also use her recipes for bread, pizza dough, and other quick breads.
  
  I've found this book to be indispensable and even purchased the new edition on my kindle to replace the very well used and loved hard copy we had in our kitchen. As minimalists I can say this is definitely one worth having - we have given away countless cookbooks over the years and this one has always been too precious to give up. Yay for Kindle versions!!!
• 
  Elizabeth Grieve

  A detailed and thorough book for the vegetarian cook, starting with the basics, tools and equipment, and lists of allowed foodstuffs and how to use them. Its nineteen chapters give a huge and varied range of recipes, and I found the chapter on sauces particularly useful. This book does not have illustrations, but for me that's not a negative - often a cookbook seems to have lavish photographs at the expense of actual recipes. I would recommend this to cooks of all levels.
  
  Reviewed in exchange for a preview Kindle copy.
• 
  Debra Daniels-Zeller

  I've got the 1997 version of this book and I'm really impressed with the revisions and new recipes. I couldn't get enough of Deborah's inspiration. Vegetables are my favorite food group, grains come in second. I will use this book over and over again. It contains both basic and unusual recipes. It will be my first choice when I need vegetable inspiration for years to come.
• 
  Ady

  This is a fully comprehensive book for vegetarians. I loved how there was even a section on wine pairing for vegetarians! There is a LOT of information here and it is probably better as a reference than as a recipe book, but some of the recipes sound great too. Most are pretty basic things that I already know how to make, but they often have unusual herbs added that I would like to try
• 
  Liz De Coster

  An updated version of a classic cookbook - delicious-looking recipes, techniques and ingredients. A definite "buy" rating. I can't wait to try ...