'Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It - And Other Cooking Projects'
By Karen Solomon
Photography by Jennifer Martine
Ten Speed Press -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Recession? Schmecession! No matter the country's economic straits, Karen Solomon's guide to DIY kitchen staples and handmade gourmet gifts is a must for crafters, armchair chemists, budget-conscious chefs, curious kids (and their parents) and anyone who's ever popped open a jar of processed preserves, a tub of watery ricotta or a plastic tube of sausage and thought, "I could do better."

The book is jam-packed with simple, flawless instructions for making marshmallows, bacon, cheese, pickles, lard, smoked fish, ketchup, olives and several dozen other edible treasures, entirely worth the effort and for a fraction of the cost of their store-bought counterparts.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Quality of Pictures: Inspiring. They're gorgeous and instructive, without the ethos of Martha perfection. The example photos are appetizing, but entirely attainable.

Takeaway Tips: Get the kids involved. Many of the projects require a time investment of a few hours or less and can be sampled almost immediately. Projects of longer duration -- kimchee, bacon, salt cod -- offer an excellent lesson on delayed gratification. Preserves, homemade crackers and home-cured olives also make for jaw-dropping hostess gifts. "Oh, I just whipped this up at home. It's nothing special. ..." Oh but, it is.

We Tested: Butter and Mayonnaise
We're never buying either again. Not only was it almost ridiculously fun to shake whipping cream past frothed-up mass to the watery divide of creamy butter and buttermilk, and whisk oil and yolks through a mesmerizing emulsification process -- both tasted better than any store-bought version we've ever tried. There's definitely elbow grease required, but the rewards greatly outweighed the slight cases of churner's elbow and whisker's wrist we incurred. On to bacon and ginger beer!

Worth the Investment: You can't afford not to have it. One caveat -- you may go into debt buying jars, shelves and an extra fridge for all your home-crafted fare.