Bøker av Makiko Itoh

Bento fever has recently swept across the West, fuelled not just by an interest in cute, decorative food, but by the desire for an economical, healthy approach to eating in these times of recession. A leading light in the popularization of bento has been Makiko Itoh, whose blog, Just Bento, boasts hundreds of thousands of subscribers, all of whom love her delicious recipes and practical bento-making tips. Now, for the first time, Itoh's expertise has been packaged in book form. The Just Bento Cookbook contains twenty-five attractive bento menus and more than 150 recipes, all of which have been specially created for this book and are divided into two main sections, Japanese and Not-so-Japanese. The Japanese section includes classic bento menus such as Salted Salmon Bento and Chicken Karaage Bento, while the Not-so-Japanese section shows how Western food can be adapted to the bento concept, with delicious menus such as Summer Vegetable Gratin Bento and Everyone Loves a Pie Bento. In addition to the recipes, Itoh includes sections on bento-making equipment, bento staples to make and stock, basic cooking techniques, and a glossary. A planning-chart section is included, showing readers how they might organize their weekly bento making. In a market full of bento books that emphasize the cute and the decorative, this book stands out for its emphasis on the health and economic benefits of the bento, and for the very practical guidelines on how to ensure that a daily bento lunch is something that can easily be incorporated into anyone's lifestyle. This is the perfect book for the bento beginner, but will also provide a wealth of new bento recipe ideas and tips for Just Bento aficionados.

"Maki Itoh has succeeded in creating a treasure trove in her exploration of Japanese recipes and culinary traditions...Perfect for the Japanese food loving home cook." --Elise Bauer, Founder, SimplyRecipes.com The first comprehensive cookbook to fully cover all aspects of Japanese cuisine--with 600 recipes! This book has been a lifetime in the making. Bicultural author Makiko Itoh was born in Tokyo and grew up in New York, where her mother ran the leading Japanese restaurant for two decades. She has since developed a career as a successful bilingual food writer and translator, uniquely positioned to explain the cuisine to non-Japanese. Her book answers all the questions foreigners typically have about one of the world's greatest cuisines, including: Why is Japanese food so unique? A full overview--from umami to seasonality to aestheticsEssential ingredients like miso, mirin, dashi, sake and soy--how and why they are usedHow to design a Japanese meal--from tableware to equipment to etiquetteWhich recipes are right for you? The 600 recipes in this book cover everything from bento boxes to nimono simmered dishes to izakaya, sushi and hotpots. But which ones should you try?Itoh's mission is to demystify Japanese cuisine for non-Japanese. Her book contains 400 beautiful color photos with clearly-presented recipes interspersed with fascinating essays and sidebars explaining all aspects of Japan's unique food culture. A must-read book for every Japanese food lover!