We’ve had this cookbook for about 3 years now, and its stature and use in our kitchen has only grown over time. I felt disappointed with this cookbook when I first got it. The subtitled reads “200 Sultry and Savory Global Recipes”, so when I looked through it and found that a substantial number of those 200 were sauces, marinades, or other condiments, I felt like I’d been a little cheated or something.

I was also initially bothered to see that most of the recipes are comprised of short ingredient lists and only 2-3 steps. I thought this meant that the recipes would be boring or unimpressive. On this account, though, my worries were misplaced. Almost without exception, the recipes in this book are great. The actual level of “fire” varies wildly, so if you’re like me and really like the spice, you may have to turn up the heat on some. But everything is tasty, and there’s a great variety of recipes of all types here, organized by geographical region. And that simplicity that bothered me at first? That’s actually what has made this book such a staple in our kitchen, especially on busy weeknights when a complicated or time-consuming dinner is just not going to do it. It also makes this a great cookbook for beginning vegetarians, who are still trying to feel their way around what they can do without meat.

My biggest complaints have to do with nutrition and serving size. The book, like many others, provides no nutritional information on recipes, which is frustrating for those who are calorie-, carb-, or protein-conscious. That said, the recipes actually tend to be pretty healthful. More frustrating is the vagueness on serving size. Sometimes a recipe only says "serves 4 to 6," which is unclear and hard to work with when cooking for company. Other times, it's specific and reads "serves 4" - but then you make it and it’s actually 8 huge, filling servings worth of food. This is annoying, especially in our house where we are always either cooking only for 2 - and want to be able to adjust recipes accordingly - or else are cooking for large dinner parties, and want to be sure to have the right amount of food for everyone.

My complaints are small, though, in comparison with the use this book gets in our household. Great food, usually easy to make, and generally pretty healthy with minimal-to-no alteration. VFS is now a favorite in our kitchen. ( )