I would say this book should be checked out at the library and thumbed through. I would not suggest purchasing it. Time consuming recipes, hard to follow, disorganized... It's not worth the high price, especially for someone that is cashing in on vegetarian cooking and she's not even a vegetarian. Buy a cookbook from a vegetarian author.

This was a great gift to my wonderful neice who is now vegetarian. She was thrilled to receive it.

This book is always out...everything I've made has been delicious and it has so many different recipes for non-meat foods. As a non-veg, I generally substitute chicken stock for vegetable stock and use the tofu marinades for chicken or fish. This book is a great inspiration for diversifying our meals. I recommend it to everyone I know!

I recently purchased this cookbook and am overwhelmed at the variety and quality of the recipes. It quickly has become my default wedding/housewarming gift. I use a recipe from this book at least three times a week, and my family has raved about every recipe I have tried. The mushroom stock is easy and useful, and the frittatas are wonderful. For each recipe, Madison adds a slight twist which makes all the difference - paprika on stuffed peppers, mint in mushroom ragout, etc. I highly recommend this cookbook. It has improved the quality of my cooking significantly.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

This is a great reference book and I will use the recipes in it from time to time. I do find some of the recipes a bit labor intensive. However the information on the right herbs and wines to pair with vegetables is a big help!

This wonderful cookbook is great for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Gives great ideas, has been a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection. It is well-used.

I'm a member of a food coop (in Minnesota) and eat vegetarian 3-4 days a week. Having said that I can't really recommend this book. Too many recipes with too many ingredients with too many sauces/salsas that have to be made along with the main part of the recipe in order to make the food palatable, plus too few recipes for everyday use. Maybe if I had all day to cook and lived in California where I'd have easier access to the ingredients I could recommend this book.

Although not a vegetarian cookbook, I'd recommend "Classic Indian Cooking" by Julie Sahni which contains many vegetarian recipes, some simple, some complex, some vegan and some with milk and butter along with meat recipes as well.

I fell in love with Deborah Madison's food when I lived in San Francisco. Greens remains one of my favorite restaurants in the U.S. and its relationship to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center & Green Gulch Farm have inspired the world's finest chefs to try and imitate. Her whole foods approach has an economy about it, while maintaining a culinary elegance. This is a vegetarian cookbook to be sure, but the foundation it lays for serious cooks and prospective culinary professionals is invaluable. Her breakdown of tools and staple ingredients are where I point folks wanting to start their gastronomic endeavors off correctly with the fewest mistakes. How often have we bought something or loaded up on things, only to think later "I wish I would have done that differently." If you are interested in healthy or vegetarian cooking this is the 'must have' cook book.

It is now customary for my friends to ask, "Deborah Madison?" when they are sated by one of my vegetarian dishes. Go with the majority opinion here (not the negative reviews, which alternatively say "too simple or too complicated") which confirms what an indispensable book this can become for well-rounded cooks. OK, my critical comments in purposeful order:

- The recipes should include estimated cooking times. Her breezy, enthusiastic writing style belies the elaborateness of some of the recipes. I cooked the spinach gratin with red pepper sauce. It was quite an undertaking; good thing I work from home.
- As the book is titled "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," she could help us out with some suggestions of meat accompaniments at least in an appendix; or in the case of the red pepper sauce, letting us know when the substitution of chicken stock (rather than water or vegetable stock) would really make the recipe sing.
- Sometimes she's inconsistent in the consistencies of sauces and soups - ones that call for flour or soaking and the like...a little rejiggering is required.
- The publisher has forgotten to include an extra dust cover; my current one is beaten up due to frequent use.
- Deborah forgot to add her phone number. I am madly in love with her and want to ask her out on a date (I'll even volunteer to cook her a dinner using her recipes!)

Not just for vegetarians. This book has it all, and is written in such an easy to read way. I find myself reading it for fun! Where as I couldn't 'get into' the Joy of Cooking. This book rocks! Well worth the money, I use it at least twice a week.

This cookbook is great, some recipes are complex , while others are simple in a " why didn't I think of that?" kind of way. However, the biggie is that unless you live near a Whole Foods Market, Fresh Market, or Dean & Deluca, you may be hard pressed to find what you need. I am currently stationed in Germany and my shopping is limited to the commissary or local german grocery. This book is a great resource, I am using it to get more variety in serving veggies to my family as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Since this is a classic you will find all kinds of great reviews. I have no loyalty to Deborah Madison. But I do think this is a wonderful book and some of the negatives are just strange or wrong. If you are considering this purchase, take it out of the library or look at it in a store. This is really worth having on the shelf and for many reasons.
A One star reviewer says that on page 282...Potato Leek Gratin...ends up in a watery mess. The last word in the recipe says...DRAIN. Next..p636 ...Cranberry Nut Bread...uses two different kinds of sugar and doesn't say when to use each type. In defense again...in the directions it breaks things up with the words PUT (that starts the Cranberry Sauce), and then CREAM which uses the next ingredient in line (butter) and then the next type of sugar etc.. I'm no Mr. Chef but this seems straight forward to me.

The bit about Acorn Squash? Not accurate. Very few books that I have seen, have a direct reference to Acorn Squash...(Fanny Farmer, Joy of Cooking, Essential Vegetarian Cookbook etc.)This one does. With most you have to know it is also known as Winter Squash and find it that way. And this book does not just have info and bake at so and so. You can just bake it, there is a side note of good things "partners" that go with it, she gives ideas of what to use this for other than just as is, then another entry a bit more involved with some recipe for a flavored butter, and then, as Fanny Farmer says to put maple syrup and butter with it but then goes on to suggest 5 other kinds of flavors. Fanny Farmer though, says bake at 400 for 40 to 50 minutes, which really kills it. Out of all the cookbooks I have, Madison's book happened to be the most informative!!....and it brings you to a great place in the book that speaks of many other kinds of squash, what they are, and what to do with them....which I never knew about. All these other great well known cookbooks did not have any of this or all in the same place as she does. It is nice to be accurate if you are really going to dig in. Amazing. Really off in the critique there.

Bland recipes? This book is written from the standpoint of a more sensitive palette. This is not snobbery. I love burgers and fries and beer and pizza and all of that. But I simply had to give it up to the occasional. At first most things didn't taste like anything. But in time...a good piece of celery is sweet. Our taste buds are overpowered by the usual stuff we have in this society. Even the so called healthy meals. What I have experienced is that when cooked right, vegetable dishes give hints of this and that flavor or texture and that is the power in them. Our usual is to be knocked over the head. So to get into this kind of book and just cook away can be misleading.
Odd ingredients? Swiss Chard...Quinoa....?...None of what is in here is really that weird. You end up spending less. Animal protein is expensive. Sounds like "elitist artsy-f*rtsy gormand snob set" talk doesn't it? Nope. But some see it this way. I do eat meat. And fish. But not in the portions I was used to. Not necessary. The body needs a balance. In a big way. We create much of our disease from too much acid. This cookbook is a good reference to moving away from this kind of thing. There are cookbooks that are much more "way out" than this one. This seems to aim at many levels.

I had to say something after reading some of the negatives. I just wasn't agreeing or seeing what was said. Many times I find the negative reviews are more helpful than the "can do no wrong types". In this case I think they lead people down the wrong path. See for yourself in person first. Perhaps you will agree.

You don't have to be a Vegetarian to enjoy the elegant recipes.
I am a Vegetarian/Vegan over 25 years. (I don't eat seafood,
pork, lamb, chicken)
This is not a Vegan Cookbook, dairy products are included in
some recipes. I do not have the time to cook, as often as
I would like. I am not the best cook. My younger days, I
had two mishap in my oven forgot my dinner started a fire
and both times The Fire Department had to come put the fire
out. Fortunately, when I do cook; I have a timer I carry with
me. So, I won't forget something cooking on the stove or in
the oven. I have this habit of leaving my kitchen start working
in my office at home or plant flowers in the garden. The recipes
are very easy to follow. I've tried several recipes. I was
totally amazed my dinner turned out perfect. This book includes
many delicious recipes for soups, casseroles, pastas, breads,
desserts, vegetables, and breakfasts too. I haven't tried all of
them. There are so many delightful recipes.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone Non-Vegetarian too.
I believe, at some point in our lives we have the tendency
to eat heathier. An Excellent Cookbook to have on hand.
I highly recommend.

Currently Unavailable: Amazon.
You still can buy Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Amazon's sellers have listed the Cookbook. You can buy
the Cookbook through Amazon from a seller.

You don't have to be a Vegetarian to enjoy the elegant recipes.
I am a Vegetarian/Vegan over 25 years. (I don't eat seafood,
pork, lamb, chicken)
This is not a vegan cookbook, dairy products are included in
some recipes. I do not have the time to cook, as often as
I would like. My younger days, I had two mishap in my oven
forgot my dinner started a fire and both times The Fire
Department had to come put out the fire. Luckily for me,
when I do cook; I have a timer I carry with me. I will not
forget, something cooking on the stove or in the oven. I have
this habit of leaving my kitchen start working in my office
at home or plant flowers in the garden. The recipes are very
easy to follow. I've tried several recipes. I was totally amazed
my dinner turned out perfect. This book includes many delicious
recipes for soups, casseroles, pastas, breads, desserts,
vegetables, and breakfasts too. I haven't tried all of them.
There are so many delightful recipes.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone non-vegetarian too.
I believe, at some point in our lives we have the tendency
to eat healthier. An excellent cookbook to have on hand.
I highly recommend.

Currently Unavailable: Amazon.
You still can buy Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Amazon's sellers have listed the cookbook. You can buy
the cookbook through Amazon from a seller.

You don't have to be a Vegetarian to enjoy the elegant recipes.
I am a Vegetarian/Vegan over 25 years. (I don't eat seafood,
pork, lamb, chicken)
This is not a vegan cookbook, dairy products are included in
some recipes. I do not have the time to cook, as often as
I would like to. My younger days, I had two mishap in my oven
forgot my dinner. Luckily for me, when I do cook, I have a timer
I carry with me. I will not forget, if have something cooking
on the stove or in the oven. I have this habit of leaving my kitchen
start working in my office at home or plant flowers in the garden.
The recipes are very easy to follow. I've tried several recipes.
I was totally amazed my dinner turned out perfect. This book
includes many delicious recipes for soups, casseroles, pastas,
breads, desserts, vegetables, and breakfasts too. I haven't
tried all of them. There are so many delightful recipes.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone non-vegetarian too.
I believe, at some point in our lives we have the tendency
to eat healthier. An excellent cookbook to have on hand.
I highly recommend.

Currently Unavailable: Amazon.
You still can buy Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Amazon's sellers have listed the cookbook. You can buy
the cookbook through Amazon from a seller.

You don't have to be a Vegetarian to enjoy the elegant recipes. I am a Vegetarian/Vegan over 25 years. (I don't eat seafood, pork, lamb, chicken) This is not a Vegan cookbook, dairy products are in included in some recipes. I do not have the time to cook, as often as I would like to. My younger days, I had two mishap in my oven I forgot my dinner. Luckily for me, when I do cook, I have a timer I carry with me, I will not forget I have something cooking on the stove or in the oven. I have this habit of leaving my kitchen and start working in my office at home or plant flowers in the garden. The recipes are very easy to follow. I've tried several recipes. I was totally surprise my dinner turned out perfect.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone non-vegetarian too.
I believe, at some point in our lives we have the tendencey to eat heathier. An excellent cookbook to have on hand.
I highly recommend.

Currently Unavailable: Through Amazon.
You still can buy Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
Other sellers have listed the cookbook.

I think this book offers a wide variety of interesting vegetarian options. The recipes that I have prepared have turned out well. (I have made a corn and lima bean cobbler and pasta with beans and pesto.)

However, this is not the book for anyone who works and feels the pressure of time mid-week. The recipes are really time consuming to make. (I am an experienced cook and I am familiar with the techniques referenced and I have the equipment.) For example, Ms. Madison does not allow for the use of canned beans but assumes that you will begin by soaking dried beans.

I also think that the instructions are sometimes less than clear. For example, she will tell you that canned tomatoes can be preferable to fresh. But, her instructions tell you to use 2 fresh tomatoes and she does not tell you how that equates to a canned tomato quantity.

Whether you try one of her quick and easy sandwiches, a salad, or one of her more elaborate dishes, the recipes are simple to follow, tasty and attractive on the plate. Bon Appetit!

I've been hunting for a good vegetarian cookbook for some time and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is it! In addition to terrific recipes, this is also a how-to cookbook. As a former caterer and chef, I do know quite a bit about cooking and found that I still learned and I agreed with her on those things I already knew. Good techniques.

I'm glad the book is hardcover, because I tend to be rough on cookbooks and this will hold up. One suggestion that I do in all my cookbooks is to comment on a recipe after I make it. After all, it's not easy to remember not only if we made something, but if we liked it.

There are already a lot of **** and "delicious" written beside the recipes.

I already cook with a nice variety of vegetables, but this year decided to try any and all vegetables. Madison is my first stop for suggestions on different and interesting ways to cook the veggies. Have been very satisfied with results.

One caveat--she uses more salt than I like, so be careful.

Author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet

I am not a total vegetarian. I do lots of exercise and have a high stress job and need a little more protien to feel good. However, during certain times, such as spring, I feel like eating only vegeatarian for a couple days at a time and this is a handy book to have on hand since my husband barely notices he's not eating meat! lol!

This cookbook was recommended for everyone (all eaters) by the instructor at a Gourmet Retreat I recently attended at [...] in Napa (which was fabulous, btw).

I am a vegetarian and have found most veg cookbooks just too "out there" for my non-veg family and friends, and even myself. So I will say I was pleasantly surprised with this one! The instructor recommended it particularly for things like sauces, herb butters, and other little extras that can be made ahead, then frozen or stored, and used to add some quick pizazz to weekday meals.

However I have already found several great rice dishes and other things the whole family has enjoyed, both as side dishes to meat-centered meals and as main dishes.

I would consider it more of a very detailed "how to cook well" book as opposed to a veg cookbook. There is so much depth to this book I haven't even gotten through it yet.

--Highly recommended, 4-stars only because I'm one of those people that likes more pictures in my cookbooks.

Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone came highly recommended from some vegetarian friends. Though I still eat meat occasionally, I have for various reasons made vegetarian cooking a larger part of my time in the kitchen. I had been looking at this book, as well as Mark Bittman's newest vegetarian cookbook, and ultimately decided on this one. As others have described it to me, what Bittman does today, Madison accomplished ten years ago with this book - and to better effect.

So far, a month into this book, I've made probably a dozen dishes, and at least that many side dishes. Each has been superb. The directions are always perfectly clear. Purely as a reference to what you can do with various types of vegetables, this book is a must have. Many of the recipes are basic, and allow a lot of room to deviate to taste. Personally, I like it when a cookbook author is upfront as to which ingredients are integral to a dish, and which can be left out or substituted. It's refreshing, and it allows one to be creative in the kitchen.

Although I'm not a vegetarian at the moment, this book nevertheless appealed to my desire to include more colorful foods in my daily diet. Whether a novice in the kitchen, or a seasoned pro, there is much to be had from this cookbook. From recipes, to descriptions of ingredients and techniques, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is an undeniable classic, and a worthy addition to anyone's cookbook collection.

I purchased this book years ago to help me cook for my vegan teenager. She is now an adult and on her own (still vegan) and I still consult with this cookbook a few times a month. It not only has great recipes for main courses, appetizers, and sides, but great breakfast and baking recipes. Whenever I need a fresh idea on how to prepare a vegetable dish I refer to Deborah's book, and I am not disappointed. Highly recommend it!

This book was a joy to read. Deborah Madison has a way of getting you very excited about the endless possibilities in vegetarian cooking. She incites the imagination and soothes your worries, reassuring you that the funny looking brown bumpy root thing is quite delicious and, indeed easy to cook. So you stock up your grocery cart, emboldened and inspired. Then you follow the recipe, trusting that 3 whole quarts of water won't wash out the potential taste explosion in rosemary, garlic, onions, and merely 2 cups of white beans - despite your instinct. But of course, your instinct was right, and the soup is a waterly, bland, concoction of ingredients with no zest. Disappointed, but determined, you try something else. Perhaps this was just a fluke, a tiny typo, in an otherwise praiseworthy masterpiece. But then, it happens again...and again. Countless time and energy devoted to enticing recipes, only to be disappointed with the lack of flavor, or vigor. Something was always missing. I had to add more salt here, more herb there, more garlic, perhaps I'll add some lemon...just to liven it up a bit. I don't regret buying this book, because I truly enjoyed the read. Nevertheless, I'll never seek it again for inspiration in cooking.

I've been the the Green's restauant in San Francisco, which was excellent, decided to get the book, also recommended by a friend, and try some of the recipes. I certainly have not had enough time yet to test many of them, but what I have seen looks quite good, and if the restaurant is any indication, it should become one of my best references.

My only complaint about this cookbook is that it is so large that scanning through it seems a daunting task. I especially like the section on vegetables A - Z. I have always had trouble knowing when to put things in the refrigerator, when to leave them out, etc. This book has pointers on that, as well as many great recipes. I'm still learning how to navigate the book, so skimming the book to look at recipes and pick one out is still somewhat difficult for me, but I expect to be going back to this book as frequently as I do The Professional Chef.

This is my favorite cookbook, my standard, my go-to. When I say to my husband, "let me look that up in the cookbook", I'm referring to VCE, just the same way I *used* to mean Joy of Cooking. No longer. This has everything I need for easy, delicious vegetarian cooking. I've made a ton of the recipes in the last 3 years, and they're all great.