Some interesting recipes for those just getting into curing and other preservation techniques. The basics are well covered and should build a foundation for additional forays into the practice.

Brilliant and innovative cookbook.Loved the recipes I tried and will try many more I'm sure. Well done on such a great and toothsome book.

I don't like this book very much but it is not without some value. The text, at least in the ARC that I am working from, is disjointed and contradictory and somewhat unclear in places.

Ms Solomon skimps on the fermented foods section because she says that US readers don't like fermented food. What world is she living in? "The revolution will not be microwaved" was published in 2006 and, while it was not the only recent fermenting book, it can be used as a start date for updated fermenting. Check out fermented foods online and you will see many sites devoted to "live" foods which are rich in probiotics and thus favorite recommendations for gut health.

Ms Solomon then devotes a chapter to brined foods, which somehow she separates from fermented foods. Cucumbers fermented in brine are not the protein foods that are the subject of this book, but by golly, brined is fermented there (look up "half-done" pickles). Most people consider corned beef to be fermented, but not Ms Solomon.

The book's introduction says clearly that you are responsible for your own safety and that all of the instructions in the book are safe. I would have put in some "Don't do this" along with the "Do this" for tricky techniques.

Ms Solomon uses sodium nitrate in the form of Pink Cure #1 and #2 which are often called "Pink Salt". While she often adds "(sodium nitrate)" to the sentence to reinforce that this is not table salt but no where does not spell out that Himalayan Pink Salt is something else entirely. Do all novice cooks know this?

As I read the text, Ms Solomon says that you really should not cold smoke meat, a sentiment echoed by many of my fave sources, but then goes on to tell you how to do it. Fortunately she always tells you to cook the cold smoked meat before eating.

Stick in here too are a few non-preserved foods too. Why?

So bottom line here is that this is probably a good reference book but I would check the recipes with other sources before testing.

PS There is a recipe in the book for "Yoghurt Bombs" which are dehydrated yoghurt cheese. You haven't taste anything till you have tasted "qurut" from Afghanistan. It is far too strong, salty, and smelly for me but some American and most Afghan friends, who love it.

Biltong seems to be my word of the month. Just after hearing about it from a South African friend, I came across the recipe in “Cured Meat, Smoked Fish & Pickled Eggs.” But along with the curious meat jerky-like preparation, CMSFPE has a wealth of other techniques for protein-rich snacks and meals. I’ve cut back on my meat eating over the years, so my husband was surprised to come across several pounds of steak, a pork belly, and a six-pack of hot dogs in the refrigerator. After I explained that it was my weekend’s projects, all in the name of testing recipes, though, he was willing to go with the program. I am happy to report back that beef jerky, salt pork, and pickled hot dogs are all worth the effort. Thanks to Karen Solomon for a well-researched, fun, project based cookbook.

TITLE: Basic information and token, simple recipes

So that I don't discourage novice cooks looking to learn the basics of preserving, I decided to rate this book four stars, instead of an average three-star rating. But this book does not contain the creative recipes I was hoping for. And thinking hard about it, I think the basic information and basic recipes may be too little for the novice. It's definitely too basic for those with more experience. I’m not sure what experience level this book is geared towards……

What disappointed me was the fact that there were only single “token” recipes for most of the food types. With the exception of several beef jerky recipes and a few pickled egg recipes, there was only one recipe for bacon, one for pork belly, for example. In regards to what foods to cover in a book on "preserving", this author chose foods with a lot of protein. So you will not find vegetables.

The book begins by explaining the philosophies of and rules for preserving foods. It will be helpful to understand the reasons, which will make it easier to grasp and retain the subsequent instructions and rules. Solomon is an adequate teacher and the instructions and information presented in this book are easy to understand. And what could have been dry and technical reading, comes across as fairly interesting. The reader will spend about 26 pages going through the steps of ten techniques. Then, it’s on to the recipes.

Hot smoking in this book is done at 140 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. I thought I was going to be interested in the hot smoking section, but from experience, I know I cannot maintain a low enough temperature to work with the recipes in this book. In addition, the author only mentions hickory sawdust as smoke flavor (for any and all food types), and instructions are basic.

Cold smoking instructions are provided, but the author does not recommend that technique for home cooks.

Oven drying and dehydrating instructions are straightforward.

Dry curing and wet curing is what I was most looking forward to gathering recipes and information on. But I didn't find much. Definitely not enough to make it worth my while to put this book on my library shelves. We have a butchered hog in our freezer and I wanted ideas for bacon. I found one recipe.....

Regarding pickling, there is a small section each for quick/refrigerator pickled protein, hot-water bath canning and pressure canning. The only fermentation recipe is for yogurt.

The chapters are divided up by food type, not preserving method. So, for instance, in the beef-lamb-game chapter the reader will find jerkies and dried meats (oven drying and dehydrator), and also corned beef and pastrami (brine curing). In the chapter on pork the reader will find brine curing (ham) and dry curing (bacon), smoking, pickling (hot dogs and NOLA pickle meat).

Presenting a recipe for chicken stock, as a means of preserving, seemed a ridiculous waste of space. And a recipe for duck confit also seemed a waste, as the recipes for duck confit are prolific online. The recipe for Duck Breast Prosciutto was a worthwhile addition. There is a recipe for smoked turkey legs that calls for a very simple brine and then a smoke.

In the fish chapter, since the only fish recipes in this book use salmon, tuna, cod, herring, I was surprised and disappointed to find pages on how to fillet a fish. Considering that the filleted “fish” was not broken down into different species, I found the instructions to be too basic and fairly worthless. With all the gravlax recipes to be found online, I also though the very simple recipe provided here was a waste of space. There is also a recipe for making bacalou, which is easy to find online. And a page recipe for creamed pickled herring was simply to add two cups of sour cream to herring already pickled.

The fish information is more than a bit narrow-minded in that the author ignores a cook’s own fish catches. It would have been great if she had included recipes for pickling Northern Pike, for example. But she concentrates on preaching to the reader the values of sustainable ocean preservation and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. She resides in San Francisco, and this book does slant towards the West Coast. Don’t look for fresh water fish pickling recipes. Don’t look for smoked fresh water fish, either!

I like the variety of colorful pickled eggs and the simple white cheese did not need any special ingredients and was really very simple. I’ve had fun with flavoring feta cubes using the herbed feta recipe in this book. The yogurt recipe is simple and one we’ve seen before.

The beans and nuts chapter was unusual in many ways. Tofu that’s been pickled, turned into jerky, and sake-brined were interesting recipes. Cooking up dried beans and canning them seemed ridiculous to me. One token nut recipe was taking roasted, salted pistachios and mixing them with honey and ginger.

There are pictures for most of the recipes, although each picture covers several recipes. So there are not all that many pictures, and they are not really exciting and interesting. Page layout is easy on the eyes.

I found mistakes in the fish pickling and preserved egg yolk recipes, and hopefully they were corrected before the book went to print.

*I received a temporary download of this book from the publisher.

Ok, I'm not known for my ability to wait long periods of time for food. So this book, while super interesting, with food-porn worthy pictures and really YUMMY sounding recipes, might not be the best fit for me, with the wait time being hours to WEEKS to even MONTHS for the food to be ready.

I really enjoyed the little paragraph before each recipe, talking about the history behind it or how her family enjoyed it and why.

Due to the nature of the recipes, there was a LOT of repetition, but it was necessary for each one. The beginning also had some...suspect information and while it mentioned Paleo, this is a Paleo "friendly" book, but in no way, shape or form is it even close to the Paleo lifestyle. So if you are Paleo, be aware of that. Its not a bad thing, just slightly jarring. (Ie-saturated fat is a "sometimes" food, peanuts are nuts and not legumes, etc.)

The techniques and history behind them were interesting and I did learn a lot about food preservation and it has made me REALLY glad I live in the here and now, at least until we get hit with an EMP and we're back to preserving our food like this. Then I'll be wishing I had memorized this book, rather than just read it!

Good, solid intro into the world of food preservation. Not for the faint of heart or impatient. 3.5 stars, rounded up for the mouth-watering pictures and descriptions!

My thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing, LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

#CuredMeat,smokedFish&pickledEggs #NetGalley #Summer #Summer2018

A precious cookbook about the culinary art of the fermented food. Very easy to follow step by step tutorials to create great recipes of cured meat, smoked fish and pickled eggs from every corner of the world

With well thought out easy to follow step by step directions this is a good starting point for all sorts of preserving techniques. A lot of information is covered but it's still easy to read and follow. I hope to make a lot of these recipes soon.

For anyone looking for a comprehensive guide to preserving a variety of meat, fish, eggs, dairy, pulses and nuts by smoking, pickling, salt curing, oil curing and dehydrating, this is it.

After an interesting discussion of the protein content in various food groups the next section covers the different methods of preserving them. The introduction and techniques are followed by 7 chapters filled with some very interesting sounding recipes.

This book is definitely one to be added to my cookery shelf.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a preview copy.

Karen Solomon, a noted cookbook author, teacher, and expert on food preservation, has outdone herself in her cookbook Cured Meat, Smoked Fish & Pickled Eggs: Recipes & Techniques for Preserving Protein-Packed Foods. This unique book has recipes for homemade treats that most of us thought we couldn’t make at home. Have you ever tasted homemade hot smoked salmon or salt pork? While commercial versions are quite good, it isn’t that difficult to make over-the-top delicacies that are worthy of family and friends.

Solomon has included recipes using the basic recipes, like homemade salt pork –a favorite - Boston Baked Beans – the real kind and her recipe is excellent. The hot smoked salmon goes into Killer Smoked Fish Salad which was a big hit at a recent outdoor gathering. Pickled Shrimp is another excellent recipe that is perfect for salads and appetizers. The Preserved Herbed Feta is perfect for entertaining, and is definitely different from the norm.

The photographs in the book are beautiful, and the recipes are easy-to-understand. Although some of the recipes are time-consuming, they are not difficult to make, and even beginner cooks can follow the easy recipes to turn out picture-perfect dishes.

This is definitely a specialty book for cooks and cookbook collectors who want something different. However, they are for things that many, except for the most dedicated of cooks, won’t want to take the time to make (their loss). Dedicated cooks who want to prepare dishes that are a cut above will want to add this cookbook to their collection.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The home cook who may be curious but nervous about preserving your own food will find this cookbook an invaluable reference. Smoking, canning, and pickling are broken down into simple steps, with explanations and recipes.

This is an interesting cookery book on pickling and curing meat with many beautiful photographs. I will for sure follow up all the lessons and put them into practice.

I’m just starting my health journey send this was a great insight into techniques and methods.
Easy to u derstand recipes and nice layout.
Thanks for the opportunity to read NetGalley.

Great recipes. Easy to follow. Good range of ingredients. Techniques I had not tried before. and will try again. Recommended.

This was a very interesting book to read and to learn how to preserve protein-rich and expensive foods, I am more likely to pickle than to smoke or cure anything.
Easy to grab and satisfying to eat, preserved proteins go way beyond jerky. Food preservation teacher and cook Karen Solomon teaches you how to smoke, pickle, salt-cure, oil-cure, and dehydrate a variety of meats, dairy, fish, eggs, and other proteins economically and at home.

This hunger inducing book goes beyond its title of the expected jerkies, gravlax, and pickled eggs. It will expand the home cooks repertoire for preserving a variety of protein rich foods. Enticing and delicious styled photos accompany the clear instructive text.

This book is well organized, it begins with an educational primer to preservation before delving into the many recipes. The methods range from pickling and drying to fat curing and cold smoking. The primer is valuable as it provides the framework skills necessary for each type of preservation. The recipes then specify required steps in detail. This allows the recipe page layouts to be concise and informative. Each one is clear about expect yield, time requirements, and basic preservation method. If a recipe breaks across pages, there is a note on the bottom of the page.

For those who are lacto-octo-vegetarians there are a broad selection of egg and dairy recipes to choose from in this collection. If you are vegan there's something for you! The assorted styles of preserved tofu, beans, or nuts all look delicious.

Throughout the preservation recipes there are suggestions for using the new ingredients. If you can restrain from my favourite method of consumption, straight out of the jar! This is a thoughtful look at protein-based preservation.

It is worth pointing out that the subtitle of the book is “65 flavorful recipes for preserving protein packed foods.” So don’t expect to find information on preserving vegetables and fruit. Great idea to take the huge topic of preserving and limit it to beans and nuts, fish, meat and eggs, yoghurt and cheese.

The title is somewhat misleading. It is very catchy and appealing though! The recipes cover more than cured meat, smoked fish and pickled eggs; for example the fish recipes cover canning, curing, drying as well as smoking. There are only 65 recipes, so this is not a huge resource, but there is enough information and interesting recipes to make it a worthwhile addition to my bookshelf. The author references the excellent books by Michael Ruhman (in the sources and resources section) for further information.

The book is clearly laid out and has some superb photographs. I really liked the Cook It: sections where recipe ideas for using the preserved food are given. I would have liked to see more of these!

The initial chapters on Techniques and How-Tos cover clear step by step instructions for hot water bath canning, pickling, dry curing, brine curing, drying, freezing, fat curing, hot smoking. Individual chapters cover processes and recipes for meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy, beans and nuts. I was particularly taken by the recipes for cheeses and small fish, so often left out of preserving books.

Options given for preserving methods are useful – for example instruction are included for drying in the oven if you do not have a food dehydrator. I also liked the fact that traditional methods are often explained, such as in the making of biltong (with the caveat that it is frowned upon by the USDA!)

My only grumble is the introduction which focuses on protein, almost as a justification for the book not including vegetables and fruit. I thought it was unnecessary in an otherwise excellent book.

This is an interesting cookery book on pickling and curing meat with many colour photographs.

There are 9 sections within this book which includes an introduction, techniques & how to, beef, lamb & game, pork, poultry, big fish, small fish, eggs & dairy and beans & nuts.

The introduction is unusual as it really begins by talking about the protein in different foods rather than the reasons for curing or pickling.

The techniques section is more the introduction, as it discusses all the different methods for preserving or curing and includes how to instructions for pickling, hot-water-bath canning, pressure canning, dry curing, brine curing, drying, freezing, fat curing, hot smoking, and finally cold smoking.

The recipes include good instructions, the amount it makes, the time taken and if a certain method is used. Also included is storage information for the recipe.

I would think from looking at this that a certain amount of specialist equipment is required such as a canning pot and pressure canner for canning methods. The curing does not appear to require much equipment apart from a bucket or dish and the drying could be done on cooling racks, or a food dehydrator could be used.

There is a conversion table in the rear of the book, but you also need your calculator handy to multiply from ounces & pounds to grams.

I received this eBook from Netgalley in return for a honest review

So excited to read this book, as I adore cured, smoked and pickled food. The photos are mouth-wateringly tempting. This is definitely a book for the home chef who wants to go a step-beyond. It would make a fantastic gift, as it is a good reading book for the recipe-nook lover, to be savored and used to plan, with mouth watering detail.

Just enough detail in the description part at the front to explain the principles of preserving food.

I look forward to making the recipes. I had high expectations for this book, but there are a couple of disappointments - no pickles/chutneys, limited pickled vegetables, no ceviche (quick cured) recipes, and a recipe for pickled anchovies - there is a reason you can't get 'fresh' anchovies, and it is disappointing that the author does not know this. So dropped a star.

Note: I received a digital advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who has never pickled, cured, or smoked any foods, I dove into this unique cookbook with some trepidation. Would this be a book more suited to a chef or would I actually be able to make some of these recipes in my own kitchen?

The answer was thankfully the latter. Author realizes that a lot of these techniques are daunting, and she holds your hand through all the techniques in the first part of the book. From smoking to drying, fermenting, pickling, canning, curing, oil-preserving, any way you can possibly think of preserving a food, she will teach you. She also briefly mentions the history of food preservation but never in a dry boring way. I came away feeling like a more accomplished, knowledgeable chef.

Once she walks you through the basics, she gives about 70 recipes, broken down by meat. The recipes incorporate the methods taught earlier in the book, and helpfully list which methods will be used, along with the page number if some mental refreshing is needed.

The recipes cover everything from staples like pastrami, bacon, ham, and beef jerky to interesting spins on the familiar like Preserved Egg Yolks, Salmon Jerky, and Pickled Tofu. She also includes some recipes from other cultures like Biltong, Khlea, Coppiette, Bak Kwa, and Rou Song (a staple of my Chinese-American childhood!). The recipes are clearly written and about a third come with gorgeous color photos. For some of the basics, she follows them with recipes that incorporate them, like Boston Baked Beans for the Salt Pork recipe and Bacon, Roasted Tomato, and Onion Spread for the bacon recipe. For vegetarians and vegans, there's even a section with new spins on eggs, tofu, beans, and nuts.

The recipes are clearly written, and the overall aesthetic is elegant but approachable. My minor criticisms are that I wish there were slightly more photos and slightly more recipes. But for what is in here, the writing and clear instructions inspire confidence in the kitchen in an endeavor that can go very wrong if not done properly. When I first encountered this book, I thought it sounded too niche, but now that I've read it, I think it's an interesting concept that satisfies a clear need. There is something to be said for being daring and enterprising enough to preserve all your own food for a rainy day.

I would buy this book for not only me, but also my friends who enjoy cooking. The recipes might be a bit intimidating for the beginner cook, but they are sure to excite anyone with a love of food.

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars