Williams-Sonoma Collection: Potato

Williams Sonoma: nostalgic and elegant (oh, yes, and the recipes are wonderful)Content:In a time of microwave cooking and instant pots, it was really nice to find this gem of a book, a book that transported me back to the bygone days of my youth (as my granny used to say, “Yes, I was born in the age of the Pharaohs” ) and to my grandmother’s elaborate dinner parties and elegant meals where the dining room was lit with candles and decorated with flowers , where the utensils were laid out in perfect order, where the napkins were folded into flower shapes…you get the idea.Okay, okay, okay…so I don’t actually entertain the way my grandmother did very often (where would I get the time or the money-people, lavish entertaining isn’t cheap!!!), I reserve that type of formal elegance and fine dining for special occasions and holidays, but it is really heart-warming to have a book that shows me exactly how to prepare special dishes for special occasions, how the set the table, how to serve my guest, and how to be a great hostess in general.And the recipes…oh, the recipes!!! Every recipe I tried turned out perfectly delicious. I am salivating right now while typing this review! I even went as far as to emulate the food presentation in the pictures (with the platters and decors I already owned, of course).I thought the recipes were rather well written, were not overly complicated, and did not require the reader to have extensive cooking experience cooking (although some cooking experience does make the recipes more accessible). With that being said, I do think that the absolute novice cook may struggle with some of the recipes in WS CB. (By novice, I mean a newbie to the kitchen who does not know what the difference between roasting braising is or know how to steam, boil, or blanch). For the absolute novice cook, I recommend the ATK series.Ingredients:Granted, some of the ingredients are not always present in a home pantry, but they are easily procured from most local grocers, butchers, and organic markets (Walmart even has a reasonable collection of the ingredients necessary for the realization of the recipes in this book).Presentation:Every recipe has a picture! Normally, that would not matter to me as I have over a hundred “picture-less” cookbooks, but for a “vintage cookbook” (from the 80s-early 00s) such as this, pictures are rather important as they show images of recipes with which we may no longer be familiar; to me, an image of a final product, especially if the last time I saw said product was when my grandmother made it in the 80s, is essential. The pictures themselves are breathtaking works of art, elegant, romantic (yes, romantic), and inspiring!The book itself is easy to handle (not too heavy, bulky, or big, but also not too small) and easy to read. The paper is thick and glossy. The font is dark enough and large enough to read, but I do use reading glasses (I am of an age where I simply cannot read ANYTHING without reading glasses. I have to have 16 point font on my computer to read without glasses). Simply put, the book is elegantly compiled and presented.Repetition:Yes, some of the recipes may be found in other editions of WS CBs, but to me that is of no concern as I am collecting ALL the WS CBs published in the 80s and 90s (well, anything prior to 2010 really).Delivery: arrived three days earlier than anticipated.Price: bought the used edition; copy cost me less than $5; pretty good deal!Condition: although I purchased the used edition, I got a copy in excellent condition.Conclusion:It is a product from WS. What is not to like? Is this cookbook worth the money? Should you buy it? For me, the answer to both questions is a resounding, unequivocal YES! As with all WS CBs, this is a beautiful book with elegant and tasty recipes, with lovely photographs of each described dish, and with side ideas and suggestions for improvement.Recommendation:Highly recommend! I cannot recommend this book enough even if I tired! I love it.Note:1. If you found this review helpful in some way, please click the helpful button. Thank you.2. If you want to read more reviews submitted by this reviewer, please follow. Thank you.

I bought a bunch of these here on Amazon for a few dollars each for my daughters who expressed interest in learning how to entertain and cook for themselves and company, most of the books in the series are great for just this purpose, being a Disabled Veteran on a fixed income I really wouldn’t want to pay the full retail price and judging by the sheer abundance of used copies for next to nothing I am not the only one who didn’t.TLDR great when bought used recommended at a used price.

Wow, I own quite a few of the Williams Sonoma cookbooks, but this one is the best I've purchased. I read one of the non-glowing reviews about this book and am really perplexed that the person stated there was not a good selection of recipes. I'm shocked because I just received the book a few days ago, and sticky-tagged all the recipes I'll be making for my family in the next month or so. There are side-dish recipes, potatoes for breakfast recipes (delicious looking oven roasted hash browns that look yummy...), potato pancakes, Thanksgiving accompaniments, and all sorts of beautiful recipes, yet they seem easy to prepare. Photos are gorgeous too.Potatoes are a staple at my home and we don't eat a huge portion of them at dinner, but do like a little potato side dish at our meals. I usually cook them at least 3-4 times a week, so this book is really going to come in handy for my family.This book is great and since it's been out a while, you should be able to pick it up for the phenomenal price of 1 cent (which is what I paid), plus $3.99 for shipping. Book was in great condition (actually better than advertised condition). I don't hesitate to purchase books for a penny anymore because they're in good to great shape. Why pay more?

Loved this book. Great pictures. Love the side captions. Wiliam Sonoma does it right with these books. I own the entire collection and plan on having them for a very long time. Hopefully one day will be able to say I made every recipe in the book which seems possible. Some people my not like the limited number of recipes but I feel this is a great example of quality over quantity. Somebody really put some love in this book and it shows. Everything I have made so far has been great. Once you buy one you will want them all. Great way to explore one of my favorite vegetables.

One of my favorite recipe books for the holidays!

I bought this book as a gift for a friend's birthday. It has great pictures to accompany each recipe and the recipes looked delicious. My friend loved it. I only gave it four stars because since I gave it away, I did not try any of the recipes myself so I can't say how difficult they were or how they tasted/turned out.

Have a friend who is unnaturally obsessed with a vegetable? I do, he LOVED this book beyond all natural reason. Williams-Sonoma has a whole collecting of everything you ever wanted to know about a vegetable and recipes to cook it.

looks like some really good recipes... havent tried any yet, but looking forward to it... i love how the williams sonoma cookbooks have such vibrant pictures to go along with the recipes... im a picture kind of a girl!

Me gustan mucho los libros de Williams-Sonoma, este está dedicado por entero a las patatas, muchas recetas apetecibles y muy variadas con las patatas como ingrediente principal, ademas con muchas fotos. Está muy bien.

Simply nothing original BUT omitted many classics.