5 Responses to “Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook”

1. Anthony Torres on January 19th, 2010 11:17 am

   If you’re new to veganism, this book would rate a 5. Otherwise, Ultimate doesn’t measure. I’ve been cobbling recipes from vegan, vegetarian, and all other cookbooks for about 2 years. Veganomicon is filled with staples, which is perhaps the whole point, but I was hoping for something more than variations of a theme, or repetitions from almost every vegan cookbook (sandwhiches, soups, salads, baked goods.)

   Ultimately, I was really hoping this would be the end all be all. It’s not. Kathy Cooks… Naturally kicks the pants out of all the cookbooks released in the past 5 years. And that cookbook came out in the 1980s. It doesn’t have “vegan” in the title, but it has an ethos most would appreciate.

   The upside to Veganomicon is the hardcover, and conversational aspect of the writing. The downside is no accounting of the value of the food- protein? Carbs? Calories? Don’t kid yourself that veganism is healthy. Most vegans are chunky to start with, and lack of sufficient protein poses heart health risks for men as they enter their 30s/40s. It’s DEPRESSING that “The Sneaky Chef” has more vegan nutrition boosters than this book.

   Anyways, kudos to the authors for putting the book together. Blah on all the reviewers for not seeing they’re being fed the same stuff…. Best to bust out the original soy not oi. It’s still holding up, and is as ultimate as this. If you’re on the fence, think of this: if you were to eat out “vegan,” you’d spend more than this book. You can eat “vegan” at home now, which is good, but it’s like… hummus, again?! They didn’t say it was pioneering.
   Rating: 2 / 5

2. Gil on January 19th, 2010 1:20 pm

   Too many very weird ingredients and strange unappetizing recipes. I am a long time experienced, good cook and have dozens of cook books, but I regret buying this book. I will likely not make a single dish from this book. The authors writing style is trying hard to be cutesy and ends up just being annoying.
   Rating: 1 / 5

3. Indy Reviewer on January 19th, 2010 3:13 pm

   This book was bought as a gift, therefore I cannot review it for content. However, it was received within a short time and looks to be in great condition.
   Rating: 4 / 5

4. Hector Dorado on January 19th, 2010 4:25 pm

   My wife and I were expecting a cookbook that was full of recipes you could easily try. Not the case in this cookbook.
   
   I should just stick to the vegetarian cookbooks we normally use.
   
   Complicated recipes and no one asked for a second helping, matter of fact we ended up tossing what we did take after a few bites. We tried 9 recipes and all 9 failed the taste test.
   Rating: 1 / 5

5. Ingrid on January 19th, 2010 6:06 pm

   This cookbook has lots of (probably very good) vegan recipes – so in that regard, it’s great -for vegans looking for lots of vegan recipes in one book.

   But as far as cookbooks go, this book does not excite me. Not because it’s vegan, but because there are almost no pictures. No pictures means it’s a pain in the a– to just flip through casually and find an appealing new recipe to try, especially when faced with very “new” kinds of recipes…

   For instance you come to a page with two recipes on it- “Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip” or “Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Muffuletta Sandwhich” – and I’m left with -what the heck is Seitan or Muffuletta? And since there are no pictures to help you figure it out…you’re left reading the actual recipe itself to figure out what these things are or even look like…

   Personally I think pictures in cookbooks are just plain necessary in terms of making it a good cookbook, especially for weird things like- “Muffuletta”. Pictures provide not only information (on what the finished dish is supposed to look like) but also inspiration – for when it’s garnished in an interesting way or presented in such a way as to make you drool over something as simple as rice and beans with some herbs and nuts….

   This book does have some very nice inspiring pictures, but sadly there are only a small handful of them and they are slapped randomly into the middle of the book- there are no pictures accompanying the recipes themselves.

   So if you’re hard core Vegan, which, yes, IS the target audience for the book, then this is probably a 4-5 star resource for you… But if you’re a cook, and are just interested in trying vegan recipes, you may be better off buying a normal vegetarian cookbook with pictures – and if you want to go vegan, just avoid those recipes with dairy, eggs, honey, etc….

   Rating: 2 / 5

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