The Bon Appetit Cookbook
by Barbara Fairchild
(Click here)
Book Summary Information
Author: Barbara FairchildBrand: Koen Books
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-28
ISBN: 0764596861
Number of pages: 816
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Bon Appetit Cookbook
Book Review: Are you a browser or a searcher?
Summary: 4 Stars
Epicurious... an interesting website indeed. It's one of the leading English-language recipe databases on the web, containing the collected wisdom of years of Cond? Nast food magazines, and is likely the largest collection anywhere of New American cuisine and the influences that have shaped it. Overall, if you're a serious cook, you've probably checked their database at least once or twice for a recipe. But Epi has a few problems -- for one thing, it can be complicated to surf, as like many such websites it's got a lot of frills to it. It's also a resource hog to load -- even if you have a fast connection, it will behave strangely and slowly on a system without enough memory. So the question is, is having it in print a good thing?
Because that, at least in part, is what this is, or at least the Bon App?tit magazine section. Most if not all of these recipes will be found on Epicurious, and they all seem to be pretty yummy and diverse -- like I said above, mostly New American and the influences thereof. Don't mistake it for a general kitchen bible -- there's a lot of material in here, but it's more a browsing book in the vein of the CIA Cookbook than a replacement for something like The Joy of Cooking or The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. The recipe intros are expanded from what's shown on the website, and the pictures it includes are typically impeccable food porn.
It certainly does make a nice print book. The real question is whether it's a good value proposition. I think that depends on two factors: first, whether you're a browser or a searcher, and second, whether you have the bandwidth to get these same recipes online reliably. For the browser cook and the pleasure reader, then, this is a great choice (and, possibly, might include a magazine subscription, if Cond? Nast hasn't withdrawn the promotion by the time you read this). If, on the other hand, you want just the recipe as quickly as possible, Epicurious is much cheaper. Up to you, really.
Summary of The Bon Appetit Cookbook
"You can always tell a Bon App?tit recipe: It's a sophisticated twist on a beloved classic, and it's easy to make...our goal is to give you the cumulative expertise of Bon App?tit, with more than 1,200 recipes that will be delicious, first time out." Barbara FairchildFirst launched in 1956, Bon App?tit is Americas favorite and most widely read food and entertaining magazine, with a circulation of 1.3 million. Now, for the first time, The Bon App?tit Cookbook brings together more than 1,200 of the magazines all-time best-loved recipes for every meal and occasion. The book is accessible and user-friendly -- just like the magazine -- and includes clear explanations and exclusive tips from the Bon App?tit test kitchen, along with 59 detailed illustrations of ingredients and techniques.
The recipes have been skillfully selected to represent the very best of the magazines sophisticated, foolproof style: easy-to-make dishes that incorporate a variety of regional and international influences -- recipes that are delicious the first time out. From Cajun-Grilled Shrimp to Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna to Hot and Sticky Apricot-Glazed Chicken to Molasses Chewies with Brown Sugar Glaze, there are dishes that will tempt every palate. Complete with a gorgeous 32-page color insert and a simple yet elegant design throughout, The Bon App?tit Cookbook is a must for those who truly love to make and enjoy great food.
It's high time that Bon App?tit, one of our longest-running cooking magazines, published a collection of its recipes. The Bon App?tit Cookbook offers over 1,200 formulas--a vast selection that includes dishes for every menu stop and occasion, with sections on bread, burgers, pizza and sandwiches. Characteristically, the majority of the formulas--like Chinese-Flavored Fried Chicken with Green Onion Ginger Dipping Sauce, and Spicy Steak with Corn Soft Tacos--reflect an inventive, cross-cultural approach. A wide selection of sweets, such as Chocolate Chunk, Orange and Hazelnut Cookies, and Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes, is also offered; there's even a chapter on drinks.
Though most of the dishes invite good eating, and all are approachable, a surprising number, like Blue and Red Flannel Hash (with potatoes, hot sausage, pickled beets, and blue cheese) are overwrought or of questionable taste. Herbs are sometimes used excessively (a seafood-cake recipe for six calls for 1-1/3 cups of chopped cilantro), or in dubious combination, like rosemary and tarragon. Readers should also know that ingredients are sometimes not named in the methods, but are called for by number--for example, "add the first five ingredients"--obliging cooks to stop, search and count. In addition, recipe yields in a given chapter can vary by four servings or more. Though some of the larger-yield recipes, like that for cassoulet, are obviously meant for groups, others, like Greek Orzo and Shrimp Salad, which yields twenty servings, could be offered as appropriately for a family meal.
These things said, the book, which is photo-illustrated, will make a welcome addition to many cooking libraries, and should be especially handy when guests must be fed. Readers who have long loved and relied on the magazine will be particularly happy to have so many of its recipes in one place. --Arthur Boehm
