Bitterman's Craft Salt Cooking

Salt. Yummy, yummy salt. I dread the day that my blood pressure starts to rise and I have to start learning to live without salt. Until then, my philosophy is that I’m going to enjoy salt as much as I can. And on a salt-lover’s journey, there’s no one better to ride shotgun than Mark Bitterman. Actually, he should be doing the driving. I’ll ride shotgun and just keep murmuring “I am not worthy” under my breath.

If you share my passion for salt, you are going to want a copy of Bitterman’s Craft Salt Cooking. This book provides all sorts of salt-based pleasures: a history of the production and use of salt, a craft salt field guide, recipes for making your own craft salts, and recipes for cooking with craft salts organized by food type (meat, poultry, seafood and all the way on to sweets and drinks and cocktails). The book is beautifully illustrated with color photos, so your eyes can start picturing the tastes your mouth will soon be savoring.

Perhaps a whole book devoted to salt sounds excessive. Believe me, it’s not. These are recipes you’ll turn to again and again. The field guide will have you going on your own journeys of exploration looking for unusual types of salt to experiment with. Unless salt is forbidden you for medical reasons, you are going to want a copy of this title in your kitchen within easy reach.

Mark Bitterman's knowledge of craft food is exemplified in this collection of recipes featuring various salts. He discusses all salts ranging from Fleur de Sel to Flake Salt and what the differences between them are. His tables and grids map out how to use which salts for optimum flavor profiles. The photography, as in previous Bitterman compilations, is gorgeously shot. And while the recipes are of artisan quality, readers will not shy away from playing around with them and the tricks featured. The cocktail and dessert portions are for sure highlights. A must for every collection.

I wanted badly to review and read this book, but I was unable to get the PDF file on my Kindle! I am so sorry!! Hopefully this can be changed in the future? I Hope.

I really liked this book. I like using unusual ingredients, but I don't how to use them. I usually have to follow a recipe to get a spicy taste in my food, but I can't get creative with other dishes. I'm just not creative that way.

When I went to the Spice House, I looked at all of the Craft Salts, I wanted to use them, but didn't have the knowledge. The smoked salts and the infused salts sounded delicious, but I was just too timid to just throw them in a recipe.

This book had a section on the history of salt, which I found interesting, but it was the charts that really caught my interest. Very detailed charts were provided which showed me how to use each salt. A description was given of each salt, and which meat or fish was appropriate. I learned which salts were too delicate, or too overpowering for each ingredient.

This book really helped me use Craft Salts creatively. I look at the charts and I know which Craft Salt is appropriate for salmon, meat, or chicken dishes..

It made using the different salts really easy. I bought the Kindle version because this one is a keeper.