Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0714845310
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
Average Customer Review: 
(From 152 total reviews)
List Price: $39.95
Amazon Price: $24.69 (30 new 19 used available)
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com:
First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy’s bestselling culinary “bible,” Il Cucchiaio d’argento, is now available in English. The Silver Spoon boasts over 2,000 recipes and arrives in a handsome (and weighty) photo-illustrated edition complete with two ribbon markers. Its chapters make every menu stop from sauces and antipasti through cheese dishes and sweets, with many standout dishes like Genoese Pesto Minestrone, Eggplant and Ricotta Lasagna, Pork Shoulder with Prunes, and Chocolate and Pear Tart; the book also includes a number of “eccentricities,” like sections on patty shells and bean sprouts, surely not an Italian dining staple. Meant to be inclusive, the book also offers a wide range of non-Italian, mostly French formulas, supplemented by a few “exotic” and other non-traditional entries.
Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book’s editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for “pans” when “pots” is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), and pancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed–even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don’t specify pan size–and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be “stirred frequently for five to twelve hours”).
All this said, many cooks–casual and serious alike–as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It’s an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book–a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. –Arthur Boehm
Book Description:
First published in 1950 and revised over time, Italy’s bestselling culinary “bible,” Il Cucchiaio d’argento, is now available in English. The Silver Spoon boasts over 2,000 recipes and arrives in a handsome (and weighty) photo-illustrated edition complete with two ribbon markers. Its chapters make every menu stop from sauces and antipasti through cheese dishes and sweets, with many standout dishes like Genoese Pesto Minestrone, Eggplant and Ricotta Lasagna, Pork Shoulder with Prunes, and Chocolate and Pear Tart; the book also includes a number of “eccentricities,” likesections on patty shells and bean sprouts, surely not an Italian dining staple.Meant to be inclusive, the book also offers a wide range of non-Italian, mostly French formulas, supplemented by a few “exotic” and other non-traditional entries.Though the recipe range is vast, it must be said that American readers, anxious to cook this authentic fare, will encounter problems. Translating a cookbook from one language to another requires cultural recasting as well as word substitution, and in this the book’s editors have been lax. The problems include non-idiomatic usages, for example, calling for “pans” when “pots” is needed; awkward conversions from the metric system, resulting in requirements like eleven ounces of zite; and the inclusion of ingredients like cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage), tope (a Mediterranean fish), andpancetta copatta (ham-stuffed pancetta) that are unavailable here and for which no alternatives are suggested. In addition, the recipes themselves are often insufficiently specific or detailed–even seasoned bakers will pause before cake recipes that don’t specify pan size–and can also lack yields. Space considerations have also meant printing recipes in single, one-column paragraphs, which can make place-finding while cooking difficult, and there are typos and other goofs (one recipe for four specifies six cups of sliced scallions; another requires that a marinade be “stirred frequently for five to twelve hours”).All this said, many cooks–casual and serious alike–as well as cookbook collectors, will want The Silver Spoon. It’s an essential document of the Italian table and as such a classic. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine a complete cookbook library without the book–a welcome evocation of a much-beloved repertoire by those who know it best. –Arthur Boehm
Customer Reviews
Very well priced by Maryla
There are so many cookbooks out there!! It seems that every day a few new cookbooks are published. However, I suppose that this one will stay longer on everyone’s shelve. With almost 1300 pages there is something for everyone’s taste buds, and for everyone’s cooking skills. Considering the size of it, it is very inexpensive - definitely worth the price. For everyone who is interested in healthy foods I suggest Healing Foods for Dummies
endless possibilities by D. Seda
An exhaustive approach to Italian cooking. While the instructions are not as clear or detailed as I would prefer, the recipes are often very tasty and appear not to be doctored for mass appeal. Why alter a classic?; there is often not good reason to. The recipe for pesto, my personal bellweather of Italian cookbooks was good, although not the best I’ve tried. Worth looking into if you want to move beyond basic meats and flavors and explore true regional Italian fare that includes cod, boar, and rabbit.
An Italian gem! by Derek
So with me carrying over my passion for all things Italian. It is only natural it leads me to cooking! I consider myself a novice in the kitchen. I’m 29 and just over 3 months ago I decided the next thing for me to learn is to cook. But I had no desire to cook typical american dinners. So I immediately began learning how to cook italian! I began with Giada, the always lovely Food Network star, and started using my mothers Giada books. I have been preparing nothing but successful dishes once a week using Giada’s books. But I started seeing that Giada, really can americanize things. I got bored with her books, and looked elsewhere. I prepare a 3-4 course italian dinner every saturday evening, for my family. About 3 weeks ago I bought this book and swear by it now! I cannot believe as a novice that I’m making dishes like Crema di Zucchine! Lasagna alla Bolognese! Creating sauces like Bechamel, so simple! Those who say that Italian don’t know what this book is, lie. Recently the Italian Magazine Oggi was including for a few extra euro each the individual books that make up the italian version of this book, in their weekly magazines. It as a collection of smaller books in Italia. I travel to Italia every year, have eaten at places very chic and modern to the traditional and rustic. IWithin a year i will be transfering to Italia to live and work, and I’m so looking forward to continuing to perfect my italian cooking using the treasure trove of italian cooking!
Average and Encyclopedic by Greeper
I collect cookbooks and enjoy them for different reasons, from “go-to” books for recipes to more general theory books. This is hard to categorize; it’s more of an encyclopedia than anything. (It’s organized like an index, one food at a time). It’s clearly Eurpopean, and uses European words and named for food. THe recipes are nothing particularly interesting or creative. THink of it as the Joy of Cooking with big color pictures. After browsing though it for an hour or two, I put it down and never picked it up again. For the price, I would not recommend it as it does not offer anything that better cookbooks offer.
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