The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook

I am a huge fan of The Lost Kitchen and Getting Lost With Erin French series on Magnolia Network. Recently read her autobiography Finding Freedom and was deeply touched by her amazing story. I buy and read cookbooks all of the time but hers really inspire me. I came to cooking later and life and while my recipes don’t always turn out the way I would like, I still enjoy the process. What appeals to me most about these recipes as I read through is how simple they are but how they put different ingredients together in ways I would not have thought to do on my own. I saw one reviewer remark that she won’t be foraging for some of the ingredients that Erin uses so found the cookbook useless. I couldn’t disagree more. Erin does use ingredients that I may not be able to get but she seems to offer alternatives for most and if I can’t get something I will leave it out. It’s clear to me just by reading them that the recipes will stand on their own. If you are like me and love to read cookbooks for inspiration, I highly suggest this one and her other Big Heart Little Stove. Both are packed full of beautiful pictures of her food and of Maine which I love. There are a ton of tips and tricks and anecdotes from Erin which make me smile. I actually can’t wait to cook my way through both of her cookbooks because having watched The Lost Kitchen and listening to her create and serve many of these recipes, I can’t wait to try them myself! I will come back and update my review on the quality of the recipes after that but I would say buy this book without even having prepared them yet. So inspirational.

I love the book. I think Erin took the time to add extra details and tips to make cooking easier. I also really like the stories about Main and the great variety of recipes she included. I really wanted to make the recipes I’ve watched in the show and they’re all in there. Beautiful book!

I ordered this last night (11/6) while watching The Lost Kitchen on HBO Max. The book arrived today, November 7th. I was planning to give it as a hostess gift for a friend on Thanksgiving. Although the shipping box wasn’t damaged, the book had a deep gash in the back cover, so I’m sending it back.I will NOT be reordering this book. After paging thru the beautifully written and photographed cookbook the ingredients that Erin French employs in many of her recipes are NOT easily sourced and so it would not be a cookbook that would be used by anyone I know.ALL of my friends LOVE and WATCH her show, The Lost Kitchen. We would ALL enjoy winning her annual postcard lottery to have the chance to dine at her restaurant, but this is NOT a “simple” cookbook. Although the directions for most of the recipes are certainly straightforward, it’s the unusual ingredients that Erin uses that would present a challenge (edible flowers, chive blossoms, periwinkles, pea tendrils, razor clams, smelts, ramps, fiddleheads, etc.) and that’s just some of the ingredients contained in the first 40 pages! (The actual book is over 250 pages!!!)This is one of those books that would make a good read but then would sit on your shelf collecting dust. It’s not a practical book by any means. I’ve been cooking for over 50 years. I am addicted to the Food Network. I’m a foodie. I know my way around a kitchen. I plan elaborate, gourmet meals for my friends. But I’d never use this book.I guess it’s a blessing in disguise that the book came damaged, as otherwise I would have quickly gift-wrapped it and never bothered opening it. That would have been a mistake as my friend (who is hosting Thanksgiving) would not use this book. So it would have been a wasted hostess gift. (I think I’ll bring chocolates & wine instead)Bottom line: If you are a fan of the Ina Garten style of cooking (I own most of Ina’s cookbooks and refer to them often) and the way Ina simply explains a recipe, with easily sourced ingredients, you will be sorely disappointed in Erin’s style of recipe writing with her hard-to-find ingredients.On the positive side: The quality of Erin’s cookbook is absolutely beautiful, as the cover is an embossed heavy tweed with matte color photos. This cookbook was perhaps written for residents of Maine where one can “forage in the woods” and also buy fresh shellfish. Living in Arizona, we don’t have that luxury.Kindly excuse me while I watch another episode of The Lost Kitchen.

The book is great

I ordered this cookbook as a gift and it arrived damaged. At first glance it’s gorgeous. Beautiful texture on the cover along with an eye catching photo. Flipping thru there are tons of recipes that are drool worthy. The photos and details are exciting to look at. Some items are hard to source or not my taste but the amount of other inspiring recipes makes it worth it. Will be returning and crossing my fingers for a nicer copy to give as a gift.

I like that this book is sectioned out by the seasons. The recipes are well written with helpful information. The golden beet soup is simple and delicious. Looking forward to trying more recipes.

Amei o livro da Erin French , tem receitas maravilhosas e facil de fazer, e tudo bem explicado.. Não vejo a hora de comprar o novo livro Big Heart Little Stove..

The Lost Kitchen is a great series on the Magnolia Network. Erin's recipes are delicate and flavorful. Beautiful photography, and a overall great read. Excellent quality for your money, great ideas you can work with. Farm to table series and cookbook.

A beautiful book filled with great recipes!Unfortunately my first copy was lost in the post however Peggy, from Customer Service, was so helpful and courteous to send me a new copy in time for a birthday, top class customer care - thank you Peggy!

Fantastico libro con muy buenas y fáciles recetas y una buena historia detras de esta joven chef americana muy prometedora.

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