 |
|
|
|
|
Cool Tools
Cooking Utensils from the Japanese Kitchen
Kate Klippensteen
Photographs by Yasuo Konishi
Styling by Ori Koyama
Hardcover 112 pages
190 x 250mm 580g
ISBN : 978-4-7700-3016-0 / 4-7700-3016-9
Publish : Jun, 2006
Price : $28.00 |
|
|
[ About the Book ]
"These kitchen tools—like the dishes they are used to prepare and serve—are windows into the heart of Japanese culture. They are made by dedicated artisans for very specific uses, and only come to life in the hands of a chef who honors and respects them."
—Nobu Matsuhisa
"I cannot think where you could find a more beautiful collection of products than the Japanese cooking utensils illustrated and described in this book. If there was ever an example of the form and beauty following function, this is it. They make you want to slice, grind, sieve, strain, cook and eat."
—Terence Conran
What do chefs use to grate wasabi, the eye-watering Japanese "horse radish"? To pick up the delicate cubes of tofu from boiling water? To cut those elegant slices of sashimi? Or scoop freshly steamed rice from the cooker?
Japanese cuisine is flourishing among the food-conscious all over the world—as are the recipe-laden cookbooks. Now, this book goes inside the kitchen, but this time into the cupboards and drawers, onto stovetops and wall hangers where all sorts of utensils, pots and pans are stored. Here are the items that are manipulated in the hands of the famous in their awe-inspiring kitchens—and the not-so-famous in their homes.
As with so many Japanese creations, the utensils that stock a Japanese kitchen are both functional and artistic. And the pieces that are the focus of this book are treated as both works of art and items of practical interest. The photography, by one of Japan's leading lensmen, celebrates the care in materials and design. The text, by a longtime columnist on Tokyo dining and entertaining, celebrates the history, the usage, the people behind these tools in brief, informative and entertaining entries.
This is a book for the professional chef and the curious amateur, a perfect addition to the well-stocked cookbook library.
Reviews
"... A neat package of very useful information, elegantly presented. This guide to the best ways of cooking and serving Japanese food marches methodically through most common procedures, picking the tools for you and keying them to the recipes and cooking terms you'll find in cookbooks."
—The Associated Press
"The esthetics of Japanese food, so evident on the plate, start with often hand-crafted kitchen implements."
—The New York Times
"Klippensteen provides an enjoyable and informative journey through the Japanese kitchen."
—Publishers Weekly
"Cool Tools is a 'must' for any aspiring chef."
—The Midwest Book Review
"...Well-designed kitchen tools beautifully photographed by Yasuo Konishi. In addition to detailing their use, the text by Kate Klippernsteen...has much to teach about Japanese food."
—American Craft
About the Authors
KATE KLIPPENSTEEN contributes features, essays and reviews on photography, film, travel and gastronomy as well as comparative culture to Japanese, US and European publications. She is the author of several books published in Japan: Talking to Strangers (1993), a collection of vignettes of twentieth-century artists, and Tokyo City Confidential (1997), essays on dining and "hanging out" in Tokyo. Ganguro Girls, a book on Tokyo youth culture was published in Germany in 2001. Klippensteen has lived in Tokyo since 1986.
YASUO KONISHI studied in New York as a fashion photographer but is now based in Tokyo. Since the 1980s, he has traveled to more than one hundred countries for a number of publications, including Esquire Japan. He is close to completing a fifteen-year-long photo project on the nomadic Samburu of northern Kenya. He has also done the photography for a number of food-related books published in Japan.
|
|
|
|
Terms and Conditions
