Weekend Cooking: Review & Giveaway: Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes by Adam Ried

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

_______

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it's officially summer, and oh what a hot one this promises to be. Thank goodness I was invited to participate in the Great Shake 2012; I now have the answer to the summertime blues.

Adam Ried's Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes has revolutionized my view of milkshakes. Open up the book, and you'll quickly realize that you aren't in your mother's kitchen anymore. Ried's recipes help you create sophisticated, ultra-thick, and oh so yummy shakes that haven't forgotten how to be fun and easy.

If you're an America's Test Kitchen (ATK) junkie like I am, then you've likely met Ried on television. Thanks to Ried's background you know you can trust the recipes to turn out perfectly, time and time again. As you've come to expect with cookbooks from the ATK crowd, there is a great introduction that covers everything from brands of ice cream to types of milk, blender features, and shake basics. Do take the time to read the first two chapters because they also include information on how to tweak the recipes to your own tastes and tips on variations.

I think the hardest part about Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes is figuring out which ones to try. Can we have them all, please? Besides incredible variations on chocolate and vanilla, Ried developed shakes with tea, coffee, fruits, and even beer (yes!). He also provides recipes for un-American drinks such as batedos and lassis.

The directions couldn't be simpler, and who knew making milkshakes takes only a couple of minutes of hands-on work? The results are spectacular. Really. The BFR household will never be the same. I'm going to have to up the miles I walk each week because I don't anticipate giving up milkshakes anytime soon.

The photo is of the Banana Foster Shake, which Mr. BFR (a milkshake lover) declared to be the best shake he's ever had, bar none. It wasn't overly sweet, and the balance of banana and rum flavors with the hint of cinnamon blended with the vanilla ice cream was perfect. The other shake we tried (we started sipping immediately, and I forgot to take a photo) was the Chocolate-Hazelnut Shake. It was delicious; again with just the right ratio of coffee and Frangelico added to the chocolate ice cream base.

The Twitter Party: As part of the summertime fun of The Great Shake 2012, W. W. Norton and Adam Ried asked about two dozen bloggers to share their milkshake experiences. For the list of the all the bloggers writing about Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes, check out the The Great Shake webpage. Some posts are already up, and all will be available by Monday afternoon.

To participate yourself and to learn more about making the best milkshakes ever, tune into the Twitter chat on Monday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time and follow the hashtag #GreatShakes. Adam Ried (@modernmilkshake) will be answering our questions and Judy Gelman (@DineLikeDraper) will be moderating. The only question I have right now is which flavor to make for the party!

The Giveaway: Because of a mail mix-up, I ended up with two copies of Thorougly Modern Milkshakes. To help celebrate this must-have summer cookbook, I decided to host a giveaway of my extra copy. Because I'm doing the mailing, I can send the book anywhere in the world. If you don't live in the United States, you'll be happy to know that the recipe measurements are given in three forms: U.S. standard, metric, and by weight, so the book is user friendly to everyone. To enter for a chance to win, just fill out the form. I'll pick a winner on June 30.



Buy Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes at an Indie, at Powell's, at Book Depository, or at bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs
Published by W. W. Norton, 2012
ISBN-13: 9780393342772
Rating: A
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)