Review of Livin’ Large in Louisiana

[Christell Lindeque]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Livin’ Large in Louisiana" by Chef Hunter Lee.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Chef Hunter Lee's Livin' Large in Louisiana is a Southern social cookbook, but it stands out by providing a little context and helpful hints alongside many of the recipes on how to dine as a Southerner.

After reading only a few pages, I already felt like I belonged in the author's household. Everything from planning the menu to placing the place settings for a formal Louisiana as well as a more casual dinner is covered in the book. Some recipes come with an accompanying tale, which, while interesting, can be skipped over in favour of the recipe itself when the reader would like to make it multiple times. Although the paragraphs were not numbered, the book was nonetheless easy to read because each step was presented in its own paragraph.

One thing I like about cookbooks is when the author shares their personal preferences for ingredients and methods, so the reader isn't left wondering what went wrong or why a certain brand didn't bring out the recipe's full flavour. Except for the one point I'll make below, I really appreciated how clear the recipes were and how simple it was to follow the instructions and get the necessary components.

It wasn't the book's subject matter that troubled me, but rather the format of the ebook itself. The text is unreadable on a smartphone because the text is too small. It was a burden on my eyes to read on my Kindle, but it was more readable than on my phone, so I had to take breaks frequently. When I try to make the text larger, it becomes extremely pixelated and unclear. Also, having to exit the current page every time you change a page when enlarging the text is also a major distraction.

Due to the small text size, which caused my eyestrain, I can only give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Aside from that, I thought the book was fantastic. I've heard that even here in South Africa, people talk about how delicious the food is in Louisiana, so I think it's a good bet that I'll be using this book in the kitchen. Some of these recipes I have already planned to make. The few mistakes I did find led me to believe the book was thoroughly edited. The text size prevented me from giving this book five stars.

If you enjoy cooking and would like to bring a little bit of Louisiana into your own kitchen, I highly recommend this book. In particular, if they can't travel to Louisiana to experience the food for themselves.

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Livin’ Large in Louisiana
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