The Vegetable Butcher

What a fantastic book - it takes me into the realms of the unexpected. There are a lot of books on cooking and using vegetables but this one actually explores the more unusual and does not leave anything out. A joy, I come from an Italian background and most people look at me strangely when I either talk and serve up some of these vegetables, its lovely to have ones heritage given credence. How wonderful to see nettles, celeria, broadbeans, fennel and artichoke explained These recipes are very creative but at the same time easy to prepare especially with the very detailed vegetable preparation process. Really recommend this book for all.

Love vegetables? The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Magini is an essential book for vegetable lovers to have in the kitchen. This wonderful book takes the guessing out of preparing almost every vegetable. Not only does it contain recipes for favorite vegetable dishes, but also information on how to choose, store, cut, and prepare almost every vegetable anyone would want to eat. The pictures are great – and show the way to prep them; sometimes just telling through words leaves readers a bit confused and it is always better to actually see how things should be done. Everyone, from the most inexperienced to veteran chefs can learn something from this excellent book.
The book is divided by the names of the vegetables and shows how to prep each. Then it gives suggestions on serving, as well as one or more showstopper recipes that are elegant and unique for each vegetable. The recipes are for truly mouthwatering dishes, with a good variety: Cauliflower and Caramelized Fennel Soup, Tomato and Thyme Scones, Carrot Coconut Muffins, Kabocha Squash, Adzuki Bean, and Ginger-Coconut Curry to name a few. The recipes are set out in a concise manner and are easy to follow. Most importantly, they turn out exactly like pictured and every one so far has been delicious.
The Vegetable Butcher is not just for vegetarians; rather it's for anyone who wants to prepare vegetables. The recipes can serve as main dishes for vegetarians, but also as side dishes for carnivores.
I love this book. It is a must-have reference for every kitchen, and makes a great gift for beginning cooks to those who may be a little more experienced.

WOW! What an amazing book, and so very useful, the techniques are clearly illustrated and explained. My only suggestion would be to laminate each page. This is a book you will use in the kitchen all the time.

This guide to all things veggie is fantastic!! The author treats the reader as an intelligent and capable beginner, and steps through a wonderful variety of processes and recipes. I highly recommend this book, and plan to buy a few actual copies to give as gifts!!

The Vegetable Butcher is a superb cookbook for both the novice and experienced home cook. Pairing a collection of mouth-watering recipes with instructions on the proper techniques for "butchering" all major vegetables from carrots and broccoli to jicama and bok choy, this reference book is a must-have for all foodies. I love the beautiful color photos that fill the book along with the "favorite cooking methods" in each section. The Vegetable Butcher will be a staple in my kitchen for many years to come.
*I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

I’m not a vegetarian or vegan but I have a tendency to steer myself towards eating like one most of the time. It is therefore extremely refreshing to find a book that not only explains and inspires you on how to select, prepare and cook everyday vegetables, but also challenges you to try the more unusual ones by demystifying them. The stunning photography only serves to enchance the book further. I can see this book fast becoming my vegetable bible and would highly recommend it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who enjoys veggies more and more this book is the best yet! The layout of the pictures are beautiful and the information about how to pick and prepare them is one of the greatest things about this book. Can't wait to purchase my own personal copy for my home.

As an avid vegetarian cook with innumerable vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and a strict veggie-only eater of 10+ years, I flipped through this book with a renewed vigor for cooking. It lists basically every vegetable that you can think of, including the tricky romesco, with beautiful, detailed colored photos giving the reader a step-by-step tutorial on the breaking down process, and many with several methods. It also includes recipes that look completely amazing and simple, and this is especially helpful for vegetables that might be categorized as out of the ordinary. Essential for every public library and the homes of cooks and novices alike.

This is the cookbook I never knew I needed until now! I love the step by step colour photos and the recipes look delicious. I cannot wait to make some of these and get started with new produce now that I know how to prep and cook it.

A beautiful compendium of vegetables, delicious recipes, and pertinent information to help maximize and relish your vegetable intake!

This is a great reference book for home cooks, and it would make a wonderful gift for weddings or first-time home buyers.

I first heard about Cara Mangini, when she wrote a series of blogposts for The Kitchn last year.

Since the posts were really interesting, I decided to check out the book and I’ll be honest, if you cook a lot and are used to handling a knife, then you will probably know lots of the basic cuts this book will show you: how to julienne onions, peel potatoes, slice and dice carrots, etc.

However the real value comes from the tips and tricks it gives you. For each vegetable listed in the book there will be explanations on how to select, clean and store them; along with pairings, favourite cooking methods and several recipes.

Each vegetable gets a gorgeous full page picture and then step-by-step pictures of peeling and cutting. Some recipes get extra full page pictures, but not all of them. I wish each had its own picture but I understand that would have made the book too long.

My favourite part was definitely exploring the book for the vegetables that I didn’t know about, like Crosnes (Japanese artichokes,) Fiddlehead Ferns or Nettles. (Did you know you can eat nettles? I didn’t!)

Not just a cookbook, The Vegetable Butcher is a must-have kitchen resource. I loved the step-by-step instructions showing how to prepare various types of vegetables, as well as the many included recipes designed to get the reader to think outside the box when it comes to preparing veggies -- not just side dishes, but incorporating them as the main dish. Highly recommend!

Absolutely fantastic recipes. I want to move away from eating so much meat and junk, and this smart and incredibly useful book (including times that certain veggies are in season) was a great step one on that journey.

Beautifully presented and well-organized, this goes beyond preparation techniques (although the preparation techniques are invaluable). Pairing tips, seasonal information, and basic cooking methods are given for each vegetable, as well as delicious-sounding recipes. A great addition to any cookbook collection.

I really love this book not only for it's great recipes, but it wealth of information. It is beautifully written. This is the book that you will keep coming back to, whether you are a cook just starting out or a seasoned home cook. I will be adding this to my personal collection of cookbooks.

This is a beauty! I loved seeing many of these veggies in their full color glory. I would recommend this to anyone's cook book shelf.

This is an excellent cook book - one of the best that I have read in a while. I loved the clean look of the book, the way the recipes are set out and the instructions, everything is concise and with just enough details. Some fantastic ideas in here as well as tips on preparation as well as cooking.

I'm really digging the emerging trend of non-recipe cookbooks, like the groundbreaking Flavor Bible and Vegetarian Flavor Bible. And here's a new entry to the fold, sure to be one of the most popular cookbooks of the year with: a really cute title; attractive, informative pictures, and a focus on familiarity with purchasing, processing, and cooking vegetables.

Some other reviewers thought that the book had too few vegetables represented, myself I guess Indy is lame or something because I'd never heard of some of these vegetables and couldn't think of any that weren't covered. For my money I would have preferred more "classic" recipes for the vegetables (no 'slaw to accompany the cabbage?) but the recipes do present a good variety in complexity and style. The main value of the book, however, is the encyclopedic elements, the recipes are mostly I think to remind you that the plant stuff can also be eaten after you cut it all up.

So am I going to immediately stop buying those delightful frozen bags of pre-cut butternut squash cubes after reading her instructions for cutting those darned things? Well, no... but I am going to try to hunt down a celery root!