Emeril's Cooking With Power: my review

Poodlepet2 · ‎03-09-2010

I like Emeril's personality, but when it comes to food, I can't say I appreciate his killing delicate seafood etc-with "essence". On his shows, he tends to use ingredients that are not widely available to most of us-and the idea of making his recipes just never appealed to me.

I don't know what possessed me to buy this book, but I'm glad I did! He has innovative-but family friendly-recipes for the Pressure Cooker, the Multi-cooker ( like Ninja 3-in-1) the Slow Cooker and the Deep fryer. Just about all of the ingredients can be found in any grocery-and of course you can always adjust spices to your taste, but he's not killing everything with "Essence" (in fact, I don't even think he mentions it from what I've read so far) and tobasco.

I am a huge fan of Bob Warden and his style of cooking-but I have to say-Emeril has earned his place alongside Bob for great food-relatively fuss free....and he's taken some humble dishes to new heights. For example, as a slow cooker recipe, he offers Pot Roast Dianne-made with good ole' chuck roast!

I highly recommend this book: if you were on the fence, I would say it's worth adding to your library. What really makes a good cook-book in my mind is, "Will I use it?" I can tell you, I most certainly will be using this one! Cudos to you Emeril Lagasse!

Poodlepet

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

When I used to eat in New Orleans at Commander's Palace the food was not killed with spices, but that was before the Cajun/Creole food became a fad and before Emeril's days of "bam" and people screaming for garlic and pepper. I think he fell in with that fad, but in real life I seriously doubt if he cooks that way. He didn't used to at least! LOL!!!

Now you have made me want to go check this out, Kindle edition probably! THANK YOU so much for the review!

Poodlepet2 · ‎03-09-2010

Sooner, I grew up in N'awlins and went to college there too-and I had a little Cajun French Grandma (and when I ate her gumbo with home made andouille sausage, I had to have a glass of milk to drown the heat). Cajuns like spice and heat, but what really killed the cuisine-Paul Prudhomme.

I guess you probably know that Emeril is from Fall River Mass. and is of Portugese heritage. I am not familiar with Portugese cuisine, but I can see where he melded Creole with Portugese cuisine because Portugese are in the Creole mix of people-and no doubt, a lot of our spices were imported by the Portugese along with many other people. I've never been to Emeril's restaurants, but I've been told he is on the spicy side. I was in absolute shock over this cook book because I have perused some of his books and they were just "too much". This book, on the other hand, does have familiar dishes to all of us-but these dishes are also a little adventuress too. I can't wait to try some of these recipes-I know they're going to be great!

Poodlepet

Nickname1 · ‎03-17-2010

Just ordered from Amazon. Thanks. Always looking for new pressure cooker recipes. I'm sure I could use them in my stove top p/c too.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

On 1/31/2014 Poodlepet said:
Sooner, I grew up in N'awlins and went to college there too-and I had a little Cajun French Grandma (and when I ate her gumbo with home made andouille sausage, I had to have a glass of milk to drown the heat). Cajuns like spice and heat, but what really killed the cuisine-Paul Prudhomme.

I guess you probably know that Emeril is from Fall River Mass. and is of Portugese heritage. I am not familiar with Portugese cuisine, but I can see where he melded Creole with Portugese cuisine because Portugese are in the Creole mix of people-and no doubt, a lot of our spices were imported by the Portugese along with many other people. I've never been to Emeril's restaurants, but I've been told he is on the spicy side. I was in absolute shock over this cook book because I have perused some of his books and they were just "too much". This book, on the other hand, does have familiar dishes to all of us-but these dishes are also a little adventuress too. I can't wait to try some of these recipes-I know they're going to be great!

Poodlepet

LOL!!! I remember one year we toured some building (the Pontalba maybe sp?) and there was a portrait of a man who had lived there who was a Creole and he looked very much like Emeril--whom we saw the next day at Sunday Brunch at Commanders. WELL, I was just SURE he was from that background. WELL, he turns up on tv and he is from FALL RIVER??? NOOOOOO!!!!! He had picked up enough of the local accent and use of words that he fooled me (of course I never heard him say anything about "pak the caar"). And yes, the spice thing grew as his fame grew!

In the 1980s and most of the 90s we were there several times a year and of course when out of town we ate at all the great restaurants, and some of those out by the lake!!! We started going there back when the old Jax brewery was still boarded up! Now you know how old I am! LOL!!!

boby · ‎01-12-2012

I like Emeril, and I've never had a problem finding most or all of his ingredients. What bothers me about a lot of his recipes, especially with the latter cookbooks, is that they have so many ingredients you'd need a staff of sous chefs to do the prep and cooking. I have the Delmonico cookbook and a friend of mine whom I occasionally cook with socially, a professional chef who's taught at New England Culinary, called the recipes "pretty intense."

Thanks for the tip about the new cookbook though. I just bought his deep fryer, and the few recipes that come with it have all been great. Think I'll buy the book.

Poodlepet2 · ‎03-09-2010

Boby, he does have some innovative recipes for the deep fryer as well....for example, fried eggplant sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. He claims that dessert is on many of the N.O. menu's :I've never seen it in my life, but I'll roll with Emeril on this one! Eventually, I will try it-but I do like this book because the recipes are familiar, but there is also some adventure without going out of your way to find ingredients.

Sooner, you know which restaurant I miss most of all-and I swear, after all of these years, I still remember The Court of Two Sisters....oh the all you can eat fresh croissant....the omelets....and of course, The Camilia Grill which used to be open 24/7 back in the day....

Poodlepet