英文版 クール・ツールズ - COOL TOOLS: Cooking Utensils fromthe Japanese Kitchen [ハードカバー]

A visually stunning book for the professional chef, the curious amateur-and anyone who appreciates the uniqueness of Japanese design and culture.

What do chefs use to grate wasabi, the eyewatering Japanese "horse radish?" To pick up the delicate cubes of tofu from boiling water? To slice sashimi? Or scoop freshly steamed rice from the pot?

Cool Tools reveals the answers to these questions and much more, as it explores the Japanese kitchen, finding a treasure trove of fascinating and practical items that are used by Japanese chefs in their daily culinary endeavors.

Japanese cuisine is flourishing among the food-conscious all over the world-as are the cookbooks featuring recipes from a wide variety of styles. Now, Cool Tools goes deep inside the kitchen, into the cupboards and the drawers, to the stove tops and wall hangers where all sorts of utensils are stored. Here are the items being manipulated by the hands of the famous in their awe-inspiring kitchens-and the not-so-famous in their homes.

As with so many Japanese creations, the utensils are both functional and artistic. And the pieces that are the focus of this book are treated as both works of art and items of practical interest. The photography, by one of Japan's leading lensmen, celebrates the care in materials and design. The text, by a long-time columnist on Tokyo dining and entertaining, celebrates the history, the usage, the people behind these tools, in brief, informative and entertaining entries.

料理道具は、日本文化の真髄を覗く窓である。英文版 クール・ツールズ

出刃包丁、柳刃包丁、すりばち、おろし金、鍋、ざる、ウロコとり、さいばし、しゃもじ…。日本の職人たちが丹精こめて作り上げてきた日本の料理道具を、アメリカ人の著者が英語で紹介したもの。

Japanese cooking is no longer considered an exotic cuisine, available only in big cities with large Asian popula- tions. Today, many of us can buy ready-made sushi at our local supermarkets along with wasabi-covered peas and frozen edamame. What are not so familiar to us are the traditional tools used to prepare authentic Japanese dishes. Klippensteen, a freelance writer living in Japan, fills this void with a beautiful guide to Japanese cooking utensils. Enamored with the organic quality of these handmade instruments, she considers them works of art. Vibrant photos by Konishi dominate the book and reinforce this belief. Not surprisingly, Klippensteen pays particular attention to Japanese knives: their history, specific functions, and production. Along the way, she explores the less familiar, such as the versatile suribachi (mortar) and the oroshigane (wasabi grater). Kuminabe—stackable, handle-less metal cooking pots—double as measuring cups; the okama, precursor to the electric rice cooker, is made of heavy cast iron to retain heat and make fluffy rice. From the recognizable, such as the makisu sushi mat, to the unusual, such as the oni oroshi, used to grate daikon radish, Klippensteen provides an enjoyable and informative journey through the Japanese kitchen. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"I cannot think where you would find a more beautiful collection of products than the Japanese cooking utensils illustrated and described in this book. If there was ever an example of the form and beauty following function this is it. They make you want to slice, grind, sieve, strain, cook and eat." -Terence Conran
"The esthetics of Japanese food, so evident on the plate, start with often hand-crafted kitchen implements."-The New York Times
.,."A neat package of useful information, elegantly presented." -The Associated Press
"Enthusiastically recommended as a beautiful compilation of photographs and informative briefings for the many decorative particulars of the Japanese kitchen." -The Midwest Book Review
"A beautiful guide to Japanese cooking utensils ... Klippensteen provides an enjoyable and informative journey through the Japanese kitchen." -Publishers Weekly
"This book is a winner and will surely engage many readers." -Library Journal
.,."Well-designed kitchen tools beautifully photographed by Yasuo Konishi. In addition to detailing their use, the text by Kate Klippernsteen...has much to teach about Japanese food. -American Craft
"Cool Tools takes a fascinating look inside the Japanese kitchen." -BookLoon Reviews (Online)

Kate Klippensteen is a freelance writer based in Tokyo since 1986. She contributes features, essays and reviews on gastronomy, photography, film and travel as well as comparative culture to Japanese, U.S. and European publications. She is the author of several books published in Japan; Ganguro Girls, a book on Shibuya youth culture, published in Germany in 2001; and Vanishing Africa-The Samburu of Kenya (working title), a 12-year collaboration between the author and photographer Yasuo Konishi, to be published in the U.S. in the near future.

Currently based in Tokyo, Yasuo Konishi has worked in New York as a fashion photographer and has contributed to a number of books published in Japan.

Ori Koyama is an interior dcor stylist who has worked for magazines, department stores, art galleries and on ad campaigns. She is the author of Inspired Shapes: Contemporary Designs for Japan's Ancient Crafts, published by Kodansha in fall 2005.