Joshua McFadden

Cookbooks that focus on a specific group (e.g., beans, pies, soups), preparation (e.g., barbeque, Chinese, French), or apparatus (e.g., wok, air fryer, slow cooker) follow a fairly standard content. Grains for Every Season is no exception. Following a brief introduction, McFadden addresses the nature of grains and covers whole-grain basics and techniques. Chapters on barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rye, wheat, and wild rice follow in order, and the basic ingredients you should always have on hand are covered in the concluding chapter.

Each of the ten chapters on grains begins with a brief tutorial on the grain, followed by an assortment of recipes. The chapter on brown rice, an all-time favorite, was of particular interest, but one pleasure of perusing a cookbook is the discovery of the unexpected. For example, including barley in meatloaf, peanut butter, and peanut brittle caused me to reconsider a grain I have largely ignored. Whatever your favorite or proclivity to experiment, you will find something that makes your time with this book worthwhile.

Like most cookbooks I review, Grains for Every Season is best considered a reference. Search through to bookmark some favorites, then keep it on your shelf as a handy reference for the next time you are trying to think of a tasty use for the (name a grain) on your pantry shelf.… (altro)