Japanese cooking is intimidating, to put it mildly, to most Western cooks. So many techniques have been honed by the centuries, so many tricks and twists can only be seen by observing a chef at work... but wait, isn't French cooking the same way? Julia Child and Jacques Pepin made that easily accessible. And Italian? Lidia's books are easy to understand... and so, descending from the heavens, comes Hiroko Shimbo to simplify Japanese cooking techniques and tastes for everyone.

This book has a great inventory of the equipment you'll need to cook Japanese traditionally and well, but more importantly, it tells you where the hell to find that equipment! And what to substitute if you can't. Techniques for slicing and cutting are easily understood through the drawings, and every recipe I've tried has come out beautifully.

It's no substitute for learning on the job with an experienced Japanese chef, but hey, what is? ( )