[.uk] Sticks & Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and ... (ISBN 1572232218)

Book Description:
Here is cooking at it's most primal - using natural elements to create food imbued with flavor, touched by fire and licked with smoke! Inspired by the Northwest Native art of plank-grilling, this modern method adapts itself to the home grill where seasoned meats, fish and seafood cook slowly in their own oils and flavors and scent not found in any other form of cooking. This is the definitive modern guide to an elemental (not to mention fun) culinary art using woods, hot stones and rocks.

Salmon recipe on cover is to-die-for!:
Everyone who loves salmon or who loves to barbecue needs to read this book; it's amazing what a wood plank can do to a fish! We weren't sure at first if Reader was nuts, or a genius. He's a genius! We didn't have exactly what we needed (a cedar plank instead of alder, a Copper River Coho instead of Chinook), but the results were incredibly delicious! The combination of the wood smoke and the marinade ingredients made for an exotic, but simple and fast way to prepare an entire fish. Four of us did our best to devour a 10+ lb fish in one sitting. We didn't succeed, but had a good time trying. We are eager to try other recipes, but are at the wood-gathering stage. We wish the book had a guide to different woods and the foods they work well with so we'd feel more comfortable with our own experimenting (cooking this way is expensive if you have to go to the lumber yard for wood). We live near orchard country and have access to a variety of fruit woods in addition to apple, and aren't too far from both coastal and interior forests where different types of trees grow. Folks who are lucky enough to figure out what to do with a few salmon every year need to try this cooking method.

Absolutely Fantastic, Unbelievable, The Best:
It is incredible. I am so proud to have been able to write this book. It was definitly a lot of fun to put together. Recipes that are simple and delicious. The most difficult thing about my book is that you must seach for the planks, vines, stone slabs, pine needles, leaves etc. But that is actually a lot of fun. And once you begin to creat the recipes it truly is a joy to make and even more to eat. I hope that those who adventure into buying Sticks and Stones truly enjoy the recipes. Let me know what you think. Chef Ted Reader

The Sticks & Stones Cookbook:
This cookbook has shown me a whole new way of grilling. I'd never planked before and this cookbook told me how and let me know what to expect. Grilling and smoking at the same time - what great flavor and simple to do. You just have to make sure your planks are well soaked as the instructions point out. I've used recipes from this book to entertain friends and has it ever made me look good. Several have even gone out and purchased the book. This book proves you don't have to eat out to have fabulous meals.

Does not rate five stars!:
Very disappointed. The 2 lead recipes used in the TV cooking demo as well as in the book are very good. That's it. Many ingredients are either difficult to find or unobtainable which makes some recipes practically useless, if you want to follow it for the correct results. Other recipes include the use of store-bought BBQ sauces, which can alter the taste completely, depending on what brand used. BBQ sauce recipes should have been included. Certainly not worth \othe money spent on it\c! Don't waste your money. Go to the BBQ or Food.tv websites for not only free, but much better results.

You can cook more than just fish on a plank!:
And I thought the only thing you could cook on a plank was fish or steak! This book has everything from appetizers to veggies to dessert! Cook it all on the grill! Some of the recipes are more involved than I would want to do on a plank. I like the plank for simplicity, and this book goes beyond that. But if you love the plank and you love the BBQ, you'll love this book!