I should have known, after nearly 40 pages of dense text with barely an illustration, I should just stop. But I tried, I really did.

Making calves foot gelatin from scratch? Birch syrup, pecan flour, and pecan oil? Classic meatloaf - yes, with chunks of gelatin inside. And a photo to prove it.

Is this book a joke?

Besides too much text, obscure ingredients, and nausea inducing photos, there are so few recipes that provoke even the slightest interest that I decided that this book is a waste of space on my hard drive and immediately deleted it.

Ugh. No, just no.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

This is an interesting dive into the world of gelatin. The book talks about the history of gelatin and its uses and how it became so popular in American dishes. There are some recipes throughout the book, but they're not really the focus like I expected. This book covers sweet and savory uses of gelatin and includes recipes than span both, though I didn't see much that I would personally make. This is a good read for those who want background or information on retro cooking more than those wanting practical recipes.

Very interesting! I had to check it out because I love seeing the vintage gelatin dishes. Mysteriously, none of the elders I've asked have ever heard of it! I live in the Southeastern US so perhaps that's why.

I don't think I'll be working gelatin into my rotation but these are fun visuals!