Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

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

Average Customer Rating:

Great Italian cooking - not just for chefs or Italian mothers!

Customer Rating:

This is an incredibly vast and informative collection of Italian recipes, set to make your mouth water and your cooking skills improve. It contains hundreds of traditional recipes at all levels, so even if you're not a chef or properly trained by your mother (or father) in the schools of Italian cooking, you'll find something to your taste. I've just browsed the book and tried out some gnocchi and pizza, but am looking forward to testing more recipes. Besides, it contains great photographs, not your usual food pornography, but simple, daylight-lit pictures of delicious real food!

THE Italian Kitchen

Customer Rating:

Pluses: Comprehensive and organized in an extremely user-friendly way (by food category and within that by specific ingredient). Pluses for some: Telegraphic- you get the gist quickly. Less suitable for people who like detailed step by step instructions. I would almost say it is as much a Italian food "concept" book as it is a "cookbook." Questionable: I'm not sure how long the binding will support its almost 1300 pages. Time will tell.

Great recipes!	Customer Rating:
My sister-in-law is Italian and recommended this to us. It is supposedly the Italian version of the "Joy of Cooking".

Best Cookbook Available	Customer Rating:
This cookbook is awesome! It has recipes listed by ingredients and by course. Each section begins with an explanation of how to care for and cook the ingredient. I have decided this would make a great gift for a housewarming or even a wedding.

Wow there are a lot of recipes	Customer Rating:
This book is full of recipes. I think you could spend a life time trying the different recipes. Before owning this book, I never realized how few ingredients Italian cooking had in it. I'm still trying to master the simple recipes, but this is a reflection of my cooking skills and not the book.