Cookery Investigation

1) The first book that I assessed was titled The Spice Cookbook. This book sticks to its theme like no other. When you first open it, a colorful map of spices and their typical locations invitingly greet the eye. The book first describes each spice and then gives a brief cultural background for it. It also explains how spices can be used in each category of food and gives simple recipes for ease of reading. I found this book very effective because it keeps the reader's attention with pictures, gives the detailed history behind spices, and also is very practical when it comes to its actual recipes.

2) The second book was Oriental Cooking: The Fast Wok Way. Apparently, the Wok is a traditional "all-purpose" utensil for cooking in China. Although the book does manage to stay on theme for the most part, it often lost my attention. This could be partly due to the total absence of color and personality in my opinion. The organization is also difficult to follow because its recipes seem to run together. In a more positive light, the book does provide very detailed recipes. Overall, this book is less effective than the first because it does not create enough interest.