Very interesting front pages / chapters with details about history, soaking, cooking, spices, and reasons for using beans. Beautiful photos. But I only found 2 recipes that I actually want to make. ( )

So far so good. I made my first dish--chili--which was a little strange because the author is English and thinks chili powder is hot. I modified it slightly and cooked it in a slow cooker overnight, and it was inhaled by my husband. My son and I liked it too. "Big hunks of meat," one of them said.

I love beans! My other bean cookbooks tend to the overly-rich or the overly-simple, but this one looks just right.

BTW, ever since trying Diana Kennedy's recipe for frijoles de olla, I have not presoaked my beans. I just throw everything in the slow cooker. (Usually, "everything" is just beans, water, and some seasonings, because the beans take so much longer to cook than other ingredients. Then you use the beans in your recipe. Much better than canned beans.

(The slow cooker, or crockpot, was originally sold as a bean pot, and it's perfect for cooking dried legumes. I have an old one that I'm hanging on to, because the FDA says that the cooker has to come to a minimum temperature, which the old ones didn't reach. But if you have one of the newer ones then you may not be able to leave your meal overnight or all day while you're out.) ( )

Quite a sub-title and it is accurate. Beans were one of my grandfather's crops so I've been cooking beans since I was old enough to boil water. I can read and appreciate the recipes without actually doing the cooking. Many of the recipes are very similar to some of my favorite bean dishes and she prepares them much the same way I do. Others give me ideas for new things to try.

This book deals with dried beans, not canned. There is is the information about the different kinds of beans, nutritional information, and the general tips on how to prepare and use them. There is a nice chart showing how long to soak each type.(Did you know that there is a short cut to soaking beans overnight?)

Chandler has dishes from several cuisines(some very tempting Moroccan ones) and covers everything from appetizers to sweets. There and light salads and hearty casseroles. The pictures are excellent and the book has a pleasing layout.

This is an excellent cookbook for any cook, especially those not familiar with cooking dried legumes.

The copy I read was from my local community college library. ( )