My Martha question

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Julia Altshuler

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Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
recipes and cookbooks? I have one, Entertaining, I think. I
don't use it regularly, but the few times I've cooked out
of it, I was pleased. At this point in my life, I'm making
more simple, old standby recipes so Stewart's recipes
strike me as too fancy, too much emphasis on presentation,
but I've been known every now and then go for presentation
too. Thoughts?

--Lia
 
Julia Altshuler wrote:

> Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> recipes and cookbooks? I have one, Entertaining, I think.
> I don't use it regularly, but the few times I've cooked
> out of it, I was pleased. At this point in my life, I'm
> making more simple, old standby recipes so Stewart's
> recipes strike me as too fancy, too much emphasis on
> presentation, but I've been known every now and then go
> for presentation too. Thoughts?

Check out her Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook. It's quite good. As
for her recipes being too fancy, I've never found them
difficult. She doesn't really write her own recipes. She's
sort of a recipe clearinghouse, and she smart enough to
publish ones that are not overly difficult. That's one
reason why she's popular, I think.

.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609603108/qid=1078806111/sr=2-
1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8284641-0858534>

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot)
com
 
What I never liked about her recipes is that she always had
like one ingredient that you could only get in one store in
Manhatten. I always thought that everything she made was
rather pretentious. Maybe that's way I like Rachel Ray so
much more.

Sandra
 
Julia Altshuler <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4tb3c.148920$Xp.606602@attbi_s54... [snip]
> what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's recipes and
> cookbooks?
[snip]

I was given three of them by family. (They know I collect
things like this.) I looked through them and shelved'em. I
find they're just not what I want in a cookbook. I have so
many alternative choices that are better-written, better-
sourced, better presented.

The Ranger
 
Julia Altshuler wrote:
>
> Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> recipes and cookbooks?

You reminded me of something I found amusing. Sorry that I
cannot help you about her recipes or books.

This co-worker of mine was dating another co-worker of mine,
he was from a wealthy family. He lived in this little rich
town in central jersey. So, they went into the little snotty
bookstore in town, looking to buy the latest Martha book,
guess what. (sniff) We do not carry her books any longer
since she started selling stuff from KMart. (laughing)
Pretentious jerks. Probably out of business.

nancy
 
Lia asked:

> Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> recipes and cookbooks?

Last Thanksgiving, I followed her gravy-making recipe, and
thought it was extremely good.

Bob
 
On Tue, 09 Mar 2004 04:10:40 GMT, Julia Altshuler
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
>celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
>recipes and cookbooks? I have one, Entertaining, I think. I
>don't use it regularly, but the few times I've cooked out
>of it, I was pleased. At this point in my life, I'm making
>more simple, old standby recipes so Stewart's recipes
>strike me as too fancy, too much emphasis on presentation,
>but I've been known every now and then go for presentation
>too. Thoughts?

One of the recent biographical specials said a NYTimes
reviewer (I think) infuriated M. by trying several recipes
in her first book and discovering they didn't work.
Presentation is all; content not so important.

Someone gave me one of her magazines that featured a
beautiful color picture of an hors d'oeuvre composed of a
toasted baguette slice, goat cheese, and 3 lima beans. I'm
wasn't interested in reading further.
 
The Ranger wrote:

I have so many alternative choices that are better-
written,
> better-sourced, better presented.

Tease! So what are the cookbooks you like better? --Lia
 
in article [email protected], Sandy n ne at
[email protected] wrote on 3/8/04 11:36 PM:

> What I never liked about her recipes is that she always
> had like one ingredient that you could only get in one
> store in Manhatten. I always thought that everything she
> made was rather pretentious. Maybe that's way I like
> Rachel Ray so much more.
>
> Sandra

Well, I think she's a stickler for "quality" ingredients. I
always have this mental picture of her describing
ingredients in superlatives. She would never use Hershey's
or Baker's pre-wrapped, pre-measured chocolate squares,
available in any supermarket for $2 for a half pound box to
make homemade brownies. She uses chunks of imported
Callebaut or Guittard, and weighs out 4 ounces that she's
chopped off the block. ("4 ounces of best quality
chocolate") You might not be able to find Callebaut or
Guittard at the Super Walmart in Coralville Iowa.

Frankly, I made 2 batches of brownies, one with some
Callebaut I picked up in NYC and one with Hershey's. And I
liked the Hershey's brownies better.
 
> Lia asked:
>
> > Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> > celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> > recipes and cookbooks?
>

De-lurking . . . .

I used a recipe of hers for a dinner party. Roast pork
tenderloin with apples and red cabbage, served with a hot
cider vinaigrette. It wasn't difficult, and it was a big hit
with our guests.

Wieland
 
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> deliciously posted in
news:BC73415E.48317%[email protected]:

>
> Well, I think she's a stickler for "quality" ingredients.
> I always have this mental picture of her describing
> ingredients in superlatives. She would never use Hershey's
> or Baker's pre-wrapped, pre-measured chocolate squares,
> available in any supermarket for $2 for a half pound box
> to make homemade brownies. She uses chunks of imported
> Callebaut or Guittard, and weighs out 4 ounces that she's
> chopped off the block. ("4 ounces of best quality
> chocolate") You might not be able to find Callebaut or
> Guittard at the Super Walmart in Coralville Iowa.
>
> Frankly, I made 2 batches of brownies, one with some
> Callebaut I picked up in NYC and one with Hershey's. And I
> liked the Hershey's brownies better.

She makes me crazy when she presents her ingredients. That
and her condescending attitude. That being said I will admit
to purchasing an item or 2 under her label. I can't say I've
had a gripe about anything I've bought. I bought a cutting
board and some stainless burner covers for the stove.

Michael
--
Deathbed statement...

"Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d.
December 12, 1968
 
Thanks for the replies. I took another look at my bookshelf.
I have _Entertaining_ and _Hors d'Oeuvres_ and a holiday
magazine on cookies. What a surprising mix of styles and
advice. The cookie recipes are ones I've used. The
instructions and photographs are clear. She answers basic
questions that someone new to baking might ask. (If you bake
all the time, "cream butter and sugar" is automatic. If
you're new to it, you might appreciate a detailed
explanation on what that means in terms of temperature and
texture. Hell, even if you're an old pro, it is nice to have
the nuances explained.) I like the chocolate ginger snaps.

Then I looked through the other books and was reminded of
why I never use them. I could also see how her abrasive
personality gets confused with her basic cooking advice. I
love to entertain, but my style is so different. There's
something precious, cold and exacting even in the cookbooks.
Hard to pinpoint.

--Lia
 
>Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
>celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
>recipes and cookbooks?

Never looked at them. I found the idea of "branding" good
taste so offensive that I ignored her and her enterprise
whenever they emerged.

Neil
 
Julia Altshuler <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<4tb3c.148920$Xp.606602@attbi_s54>...
> Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> recipes and cookbooks? I have one, Entertaining, I think.
> I don't use it regularly, but the few times I've cooked
> out of it, I was pleased. At this point in my life, I'm
> making more simple, old standby recipes so Stewart's
> recipes strike me as too fancy, too much emphasis on
> presentation, but I've been known every now and then go
> for presentation too. Thoughts?
>
>
> --Lia

I don't have any of her cookbooks, but every single recipe
of hers that I've used, especially the "101s," have been
"perfect" and gotten rave reviews. I have no complaints,
whatsoever. I don't believe her recipes are difficult so
much as they require a lot of attention to detail, which
doesn't bother me. I've looked through the appetizer book
and think I'd like to have it, but right now, I'm collecting
pop-up books. ;-)

N.
 
"Julia Altshuler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:nfs3c.91015$ko6.560608@attbi_s02...
> Thanks for the replies. I took another look at my
> bookshelf. I have _Entertaining_ and _Hors d'Oeuvres_ and
> a holiday magazine on cookies. What a surprising mix of
> styles and advice. The cookie recipes are ones I've used.
> The instructions and photographs are clear. She answers
> basic questions that someone new to baking might ask. (If
> you bake all the time, "cream butter and sugar" is
> automatic. If you're new to it, you might appreciate a
> detailed explanation on what that means in terms of
> temperature and texture. Hell, even if you're an old pro,
> it is nice to have the nuances explained.) I like the
> chocolate ginger snaps.
>
>
> Then I looked through the other books and was reminded of
> why I never use them. I could also see how her abrasive
> personality gets confused with her basic cooking advice. I
> love to entertain, but my style is so different. There's
> something precious, cold and exacting even in the
> cookbooks. Hard to pinpoint.
>
>
> --Lia
It saddens me that she is condemned for her personality and
seems to bring out the *****iness in people. I think we all
have known others like her that are detail oriented and
don't make friends easily or quickly. A person with a bubbly
personality and charming wit seems to have no trouble at all
in getting things from others without complaint. I know that
is the way the world works, but it has always struck me as
so unfair. Janet
 
I wish Martha would get it right. Sometimes, the stunts,
recipes, whatever do not work. Remember the episode about
growing garlic in your back yard? WRONG. The stunt of
bringing her live chickens into the studio with Regis
Philbin with the chickens shitting all over the place was
grotesque. Yes, she does practice a little *****craft, but I
don't think she should go to prison. I think her recipes and
cookbooks suck. Period.

Farmer John

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Lia asked:
>
> > Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> > celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> > recipes and cookbooks?
>
> Last Thanksgiving, I followed her gravy-making recipe, and
> thought it was extremely good.
>
> Bob
 
On 10 Mar 2004 08:38:08 -0800, [email protected] (Nancy
Dooley) arranged random neurons, so they looked like this:

>I don't have any of her cookbooks, but every single recipe
>of hers that I've used, especially the "101s," have been
>"perfect" and gotten rave reviews. I have no complaints,
>whatsoever. I don't believe her recipes are difficult so
>much as they require a lot of attention to detail, which
>doesn't bother me. I've looked through the appetizer book
>and think I'd like to have it, but right now, I'm
>collecting pop-up books. ;-)
>
Nancy, I have her _Entertaining_ book and have not been
impressed with the recipes atall atall. I tried a cream
cheese stuffed cherry tomato recipe topped with red and
black caviar that was a disaster. The caviar bled into the
cream cheese and looked horrible, not to mention not a taste
sensation. I'd estimate 40% of the recipes I've tried out of
that book have been gawdawful to pedestrian and I fancy
myself a fairly good "recipe reader." Much of the recipes
seem to be long on presentation (with the aforementioned
glaring exception) and short on taste.

And lovely to see your post, toots! You are missed!

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd AAC(F)BV66.0748.CA

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret
had been as old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had
been as full as the waitress', it would have been a very
good dinner." Anonymous.

To reply, remove replace "shcox" with "cox"
 
On 10 Mar 2004 16:27:51 GMT, [email protected] (WardNA) wrote:

> >Questions of innocence, guilt, crime, punishment and
> >celebrity aside, what do y'all think of Martha Stewart's
> >recipes and cookbooks?
>
> Never looked at them. I found the idea of "branding" good
> taste so offensive that I ignored her and her enterprise
> whenever they emerged.
>
What other brands do you boycott? Branding is everything
these days.

Practice safe eating - always use condiments
 
Janet Bostwick wrote:

> It saddens me that she is condemned for her personality
> and seems to bring out the *****iness in people. I think
> we all have known others like her that are detail oriented
> and don't make friends easily or quickly. A person with a
> bubbly personality and charming wit seems to have no
> trouble at all in getting things from others without
> complaint. I know that is the way the world works, but it
> has always struck me as so unfair.

Some of the best informed and most technically competent
teachers I've ever had were also very low on the emotional
IQ scale. It never really bothered me.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot)
com
 
On Wed, 10 Mar 2004 19:44:04 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On 10 Mar 2004 08:38:08 -0800,
> [email protected] (Nancy Dooley) arranged
> random neurons, so they looked like this:
>
> >I don't have any of her cookbooks, but every single
> >recipe of hers that I've used, especially the "101s,"
> >have been "perfect" and gotten rave reviews. I have no
> >complaints, whatsoever. I don't believe her recipes are
> >difficult so much as they require a lot of attention to
> >detail, which doesn't bother me. I've looked through the
> >appetizer book and think I'd like to have it, but right
> >now, I'm collecting pop-up books. ;-)
> >
> Nancy, I have her _Entertaining_ book and have not been
> impressed with the recipes atall atall. I tried a cream
> cheese stuffed cherry tomato recipe topped with red and
> black caviar that was a disaster. The caviar bled into
> the cream cheese and looked horrible, not to mention not
> a taste sensation.

Dahlink, you simply are NOT using the same quality of caviar
that Mahtha uses. If you use the dyed stuff, you can expect
it to bleed.

> I'd estimate 40% of the recipes I've tried out of that
> book have been gawdawful to pedestrian and I fancy myself
> a fairly good "recipe reader." Much of the recipes seem
> to be long on presentation (with the aforementioned
> glaring exception) and short on taste.

Well, Hruumph. Don't you know presentation is EVERYTHING?

Personally, I haven't tried many of her recipes... I'm
trying desperately to think of ONE. I do have her
Entertaining Book, but it's not on my cookbook shelf...
it's with my clothes. When you think about it, that's
telling. LOL!
>
> And lovely to see your post, toots! You are missed!
>
My sentiments, exactly!

Practice safe eating - always use condiments
 
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