Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments: A Step-by-Step Guide to Fermenting Grains and Beans

This is a book filled with a wealth of wisdom and experience. I have never made any of these before but do dabble with anaerobic fermentations, kombucha , kefir etc I really liked the idea of having a go at this and having one clear source to turn to . This book is it. It clearly sets out everything you need to know and in a couple of weeks I am producing impressive quantities of fermented quality products. Fresh tempeh is delicious ...gentle, nutty with a hint of mushrooms. It freezes really well too ! As I write I have "soya tempeh with chestnuts" fermenting happily away! I live in the UK and have had no problem at all buying lab quality starters cheaply for Tempeh ,Natto and Koji all online. And of course Non GMO organic beans . It really is a step-by -step guide but also a generous sharing of years of experience and experimentation. There are over 400 pages with background and hugely interesting information on every bit of the subject and recipes to get you started and familiar with the basics. I was apprehensive at first thinking it would be too difficult to do at home but I am smitten after instant success with tempeh with no special equipment at all in my kitchen at home. I have since made an investment in a folding bread proofer which will more consistently allow control of the incubation temperatures and allow me to more confidently work my way through the other tasty ferments on offer here ie natto,koji,miso (in so many forms ..who knew !) and other umami pastes and sauces. This book empowers you to go beyond the basics by being so warm,encouraging but most importantly clear in its instruction and bountiful in its advice. If you are interested in this area of fermentation I cannot recommend this book enough you will need no other. Its also has a really attractive layout and is well bound with good quality finished paper. I'm delighted with it:)) Thank you to the authors who give up their advice and experience so enthusiastically.

Having successfully started making Tempeh at home based on hints, tips and method from the internet I was in two minds as to whether it was worth buying this book as well. It really was. Compared to internet articles which are often "do this then that" and then some other article is "do this different thing and not that" this book brings together and discusses the various alternatives plus making clear recommendations. I got the most value from the discussion on non-soy-based tempeh's. Highly recommended. (note: I only read the tempeh sections).

This is my go to for everything Miso & Tempeh (I'm not a fan of Natto) It's very detailed with comprehensive instructions and cool little stories from experienced fermenistas and ferment business owners. I thought this book 3 years ago and I still use it all the time. It's my fave "cook" book!

This book is knowledgeable and bursting to the Bronn with information and ideas about fermented goods. This will be a go to in anyone’s library who want to get into giving this a go.

While this looks like a great technical resource for ferments, the book is really spoiled by the inclusion of animal experiments throughout. It's even complete with highlighted "Science Says" boxes containing descriptions of cruel experiments conducted solely to find out whether a ferment produces more protein in rats or other relatively trivial curiosities. The text is also peppered with examples and reads something like "You can enjoy making this tasty ferment at home using this nice method and it will be good for your health, for example some scientists cruelly tortured some animals to find out exactly how. Here is a description of how they did this. Now, once your ferment is ready, there are so many possibilities..." It's nasty and jarring in what otherwise could have been a really nice book. There was no reason why any animal experiments couldn't have been aggregated without graphic descriptions and paper titles provided in an index, or at least confined to one chapter (I still would find that in hugely poor taste for a cookbook but it would be an improvement) as opposed to throughout. Add to that, cherry picking one or two studies to make a point isn't entirely scientific. I'm halfway through an Msc, so I'm used to reading this kind of crap, I just wouldn't expect it in what I thought would be a nice cookbook and relaxing read. I'm not even vegan and I found it pretty gross on the whole. To my mind the authors will probably alienate the biggest group of people who would be interested in such a book, namely vegans and vegetarians who are searching for a decent CRUELTY FREE meat protein alternative. Bracing myself for the "Sorry you feel" response to this but then again I'm pretty sure plenty of other people feel exactly the same and will avoid this book.

very detailed

Totally brilliant. A must have for anyone interested in healthy eating. A treasure trove of information on every detail of the fermentation process. A treatise!

Good, book, interesting to read. However, reading is not eating. I have had Tempeh (it's OK, nothing to write home about). I love tofu and soy. I love Miso. I had never tried Natto. After reading this, I tried Natto. Here is what you should know. 1. Miso is quite tasty. It is also quite high in salt. If you dilute it enough reduce the salt flavor, well, there isn't much other flavor left. It is very subtle. Probably the best use is AS a salty seasoning. 2. Tempeh has very little flavor, and it is NOT probiotic. You must heat it and kill the bacteria before you eat it, for safety. This is because it doesn't HAVE all that salt as a preservative. In order to make up for the lack of taste, it is frequently used with soy sauce and other flavorings to make it interesting. 3. I dropped the $50+ on some New York Natto that is suggested in the book. They are a good company to work for (except that their minimum order is $50 !) and the product arrived well packaged with cold blocks. The natto, out of the jar, is one of the most disgusting, intimidating foods I have every tried. The flavor is quite mild, and not too bad. The texture is, well, awful. Not just sticky, but extremely gooey. It is so gooey that if you put some natto in your mouth, it is extremely diffcult to chew the soybeans because they just slide around in the goo. I tried it several times, and I almost threw up the last time. I will never eat natto like that again. The only way I could get it to work for me was to make up a batch of Miso soup, like 2 cups (16 oz), then after it has boild but is still hot, add a tablespon or two of Natto. Stir the Natto on in thorougly (so there sticky stuff disperses through the broth) and then it is edible. If you don't add too much Natto, it makes a nice filling Miso Soup with a little bit of heft to it. The problem is, if you buy NY Natto, you have 4 jars which will take me a year to use up, and they don't last that long, even in the fridge.

Absolutely fantastic book. Gives lots of information to help you understand the process and why it is done a certain way, as well as a lot of historical information. Great easy recipes to follow and help execute with success. Highly recommend, even if you are just starting out on this adventure.

Bien que le livre soit écrit en anglais et que je ne maitrise pas cette langue, j'ai vite été conquise. On ressent que les auteurs maîtrisent parfaitement leur sujet, les explications sont claires, très fournies, les différents domaines sont suffisamment bien expliqués pour que l'on puisse se lancer et surtout, réussir. Je ne connaissais rien à la fabrication du miso, du tempeh et autres. J'ai ce livre depuis quelques mois, et j'ai déjà réalisé plusieurs misos, du tempeh, de l'amazaké et tout a été réussi. Le petit plus, c'est les recettes données en fin de livre, qui nous fournissent des exemples d'utilisation pour qu'ensuite on puisse libérer sa créativité. Honnêtement, le seul point négatif qui m'avait arrêté au prime abord, c'est le fait que le livre soit écrit en anglais mais, à notre époque, nous pouvons traduire le livre sur le net alors, cela n'est pas un handicap. Au contraire, à voir comment j'arrivais à m'en sortir, cela m'a permis de découvrir la littérature américaine sur des sujets aussi variés que la fermentation et bien d'autres. Au final, un super bouquin qui permet d'aller loin dans la compréhension de la fermentation, de mettre en pratique facilement et surtout suffisamment bien expliqué pour que l'on puisse réussir. Les astuces sont aussi présentes, ce qui rajoute au plaisir de cette lecture. Ce livre est devenu une bible pour moi.

This is an amazing book, a must have if you are interested in fermentation. Very detailed information yet not overwhelming. Highly recommended