Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is quite a book. 1. Recipes are reasonable - with fairly short ingredient lists that are available in most grocery stores like Wegmans. A wide variety of appetizers, soups and entrees. No recipes requiring eel, seaweed or other obscure ingredients. The book is instructive of the techniques that give Chinese takeout it unique texture (crispy) and taste. I like that the recipes in this book prepare a full quart or more of food. It is such a hassle to purchase special ingredients for these types of recipes and have leftover ingredients that get wasted. 2. Contains all the usual favorites from local restaurants. The title says it all for this book - this is a cookbook of takeout recipes. Note well: If you are looking for a "purist" book on Chinese recipes of regional cuisine - look elsewhere. Understand that this book is geared toward Asian / American palate. You can now make them at home and control the quality of the ingredients / sodium. The recipes deliver flavor that is similar to restaurants (Kung Pao, Generals, Sesame Noodles) 3. I love that there are photos of every recipe - the pages are high gloss. There are also explanations of techniques like velveting and for preparing the ingredients. Update: Sesame noodle recipe: On point. savory. Be sure to take the time to find the egg noodles - they give the dish a toothsome quality and richness not present with plan spagetti. Mongolian: dont skip the fish sauce; it lends a note that is impossible to replicate. If you are not used to measuring while cooking you may want to do so. Measure the sauce exactly - otherwise the noodles absorb a large amount of sauce and become very salty and unsightly (very dark and oily looking)