****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Content:I like the book. It has a huge variety of soups arranged by type (light and fresh, winter warming, meat based, noodle based, etc.); a chapter on what various ingredients do to the flavor, how to use them, how to choose them, and how to store them; suggestions for thickening; explanation of techniques; and more. The index has soups listed by ingredients, it's really handy. As for the recipes themselves, an initial browse through shows that most are not too difficult (though some are). There are some which made me drool instantly, some I'd make with a slight alteration, some I'm not sure of but might consider, and some I would never ever touch. That last category is actually pretty small, though, and would probably exist with any recipe collection. They seem pretty healthy, too, which was one of my main motivations for wanting a soup book. There are some that strike me as odd but they use healthy ingredients in ways I've not heard of so I'm willing to give them a try. I happen to already have most of the spices and kitchen equipment, but after buying those things I think these soups could be affordable. Fresh veg can be expensive, but when you make a large batch it would feed for several meals or even freeze. You'll definitely need at least an immersion blender, which aren't too pricey.Value for price:I got mine used because the price seemed a bit high as new. There IS quite a lot of valuable information, but several of the soups are similar and it's not like they're rare recipes. I'm glad I bought it, I keep randomly perusing it and wanting to make so many of the soups immediately. But, I'd say buy it as "like new" or "very good" instead of new.
