The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition by Cook's Illustrated Magazine
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Book Reviews of The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition
Book Review: Our New Family Cookbook
Summary: 5 Stars
I just reviewed many cookbooks (and I mean many hundreds) in order to find ONE that was the BEST. My purpose was to use that one book, pretty much exclusively, for the next 5 years- until both of my kids are out of high school. Why? Because we are now a 'cooking family'. My two teenage daughters seldom helped in the kitchen, except with desserts, which are pretty rare. Now, we are rotating who is cooking each night- one parent- one or more kids. NOBODY complains when they have helped cook!
The kids will both be very familiar with this book- so that when they are out on their own, they will know exactly what they like to cook, where the recipe is, and how to do everything. It is all explained in glorious detail. Both of the kids will of course get a copy of the book. My husband has some things he cooks, and does not like to use recipes for- but reading this book about the techniques, and the HOW to do things better- has even improved his cooking.
I have to say- our first recipe was a disaster- Chicken Marsala. Not because it was a bad recipe- but because I asked the kids to read through the recipe first, then prepare the ingredients, carefully measuring them. They whined and moaned, and even CRIED about how mean I was being to them- so I said ok then- we will just plunge in and do it- so it was a great lesson- we had no idea what we needed next, how much, or what to do. Things were burned and under-done. But we discussed why this had happened (and it was actually pretty good despite our many mistakes), and next time, they can't wait to get it right!
I do love the variety in the book- it has of course, all the basics- and appitizers, rice and grains, chicken, beef, etc. but also baking- pies, bread, and cakes. I wish there were more bread recipes- I did buy the Baking book as well for weekend baking to go along with this (same authors).
My only real complaints are that I wish there were at least some color pictures. I have their Family cookbook- and it is ring bound. It does have wonderful pictures and illustrations- BUT the cheap ring-bound paper is thin and tears at the drop of a hat. What we really need is the two books combined- nice hardback binding, but lots of photos.
My second gripe is that I wish there were a section of main dishes that are vegetarian. I suppose you could say it is covered with the rice, grain, and pasta section, but many of these recipes do have meat.
Book Review: The canonical source for REAL cooking
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a fair cook, of the country meat and potatoes and apple pie variety. Well, include Italian dishes in that. And Tex-Mex. And catfish, and a few other things. I was a charter subscriber nearly thirty years ago to Cook's Illustrated and there's seldom an issue goes by that I don't find one of two things I immediately want to fix. And I always enjoy the methodological and sidebar discussions even for dishes that are not to my taste. When the first edition of this now-hefty volume was published in 1999, I bought a copy immediately and began filling it with post-its. It quickly became my kitchen Bible and its tried and true renditions of all the classic American recipes became the canon. But it contained only ("only"!) 500 recipes. The second edition is twice the size of the first, more than 1,000 recipes, all following the same test-to-destruction methods Christopher Kimball and his staff have made famous. (I should note that some have been reworked and revised/improved, and a few deleted, mostly for updated nutritional reasons.) And "best" is right. It's not just hyperbole. As he says in the Introduction, "We mean simply the best version of a particular recipe (in a particular style) that we can develop in our kitchen through our testing process." Put their version of anything up against one from any other book or magazine, and the CI version will nearly always prove superior. And they'll always tell you why, so the magazine and this book are also an ongoing educational process. Open the volume at random and you'll probably see at least one title on any given page that will start you salivating: Home-Corned Beef Brisket and Cabbage, New England Style. Pozole Rojo. Buttermilk Pancakes. Spicy Sichuan Noodles with Pork. Boston Baked Beans. Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere. Cinnamon-Raisin Bagels. Blueberry Pie. And on and on and on. And nowhere will you find weird ingredients or expensive single-tasker utensils. There are thirty-two chapters, from Appetizers to Puddings and Custards, and there are frequent illustrated mini-lessons on such topics as slicing an onion, rolling out pizza dough, deglazing, and slicing a T-bone steak. And for all this, the price is rather less than two best-selling novels. It's the perfect wedding or Christmas gift for the cooking (or eating) enthusiast; I've given away at least half a dozen copies in the past five years. I own three shelves of cookbooks -- but this is the one I would take to a desert island.Book Review: The King of Cookbooks
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an avid home cook and baker and I LOVE Cook's Illustrated. I subscribe to their magazine, their website, I watch their show "America's Test Kitchen" on public television, and I own several of their cookbooks. This cookbook is one of my favorites, as it's a very comprehensive book of their very best and most sought after recipes. You will find sections on Starters, Main Dishes, Vegetables, Grains, Breads, Pastries, Pies, Cakes, etc. What I like about Cook's Illustrated is that it doesn't just throw recipes at you, but instead exhaustively tests a recipe to arrive at what they feel is the very best version before they publish it. Along with the recipes they provide a detailed write up of their test kitchen experiments and how and why they arrived at a particular recipe. For some people this may seem extraneous and needless, but for anyone who is serious about cooking and baking and wants to better their skills in the kitchen, this is a wonderful tool. It provides valuable information about the science behind the cooking, which is very useful knowledge. In the two years that I have been reading their material, I have learned so much about cooking and baking, and my skills in the kitchen have been much improved as a result. This book also contains countless tips and useful tools scattered throughout the book that I find very welcome. For example, product reviews, equipment reviews, cooking tips etc. If you could only own one cookbook, then this one would surely be a contender. It is a trusted, comprehensive and well-rounded source. I must admit, however, that in my opinion, Cook's Illustrated is much better at baking than at cooking. I have made a couple dozen baked goods recipes and every single one has been UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. (By the way, if you are more interested in baking than in cooking, then spring for "Baking Illustrated" instead of this book. It is THE BEST baking book.) I attribute this to the fact that baking is way more of a science than cooking, and is much more exacting, whereas cooking is a more subjective art. I have never had any "flops" with their cooking recipes, but my tastes are not always on par with theirs. I do think that is common since individual tastes vary so much. That being said, I still think they are the best source around for trusted recipes and helpful kitchen information. I can honestly say that Cook's Illustrated has made me a much better cook and baker. And for that I am thankful.Book Review: Ideal for both beginners and experts!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a new cook. I was introduced this cook book by my fiance. To be frank, I was rather disappointed by the book at first. Other than it's colorful and glossy book jacket, the entire 1028 pages worth are all in black and white. And what more, it doesn't include pictures of what the dish that you are about to try out for the first time will look like.
Then, the turning point came the day when I wanted to learn how to make Chinese fried rice. Curious about what this book has got to offer, I flipped to the glossary, looking for 'rice, fried'. To my surprise, the book does not simply throw you a list of ingredients and a few statements on what you have to do, all the time assuming that you already know what fried rice is, how it should look and taste like and what equipment should is used to make the dish. Instead, the book gave an introduction on what is and where does fried rice comes from, how it should look and taste like and all the details of what had been tested by the test cooks. The incredible test cooks tested steps right from the top, starting from the type of grains to use, the texture of the cooked rice, how to get the correct rice texture, what to do and what not to do when frying rice, the type of wok/skillet to use for the best results, the amount and type of fat/seasoning to use and best of all, WHY; why do they work!
In addition, this book also includes illustrations on how to perfect the various cooking techniques: poaching an egg, preparing an omelet, oiling a grill grate, grilling and craving steaks, choosing(knowing the differences between the different cuts of meats, seafood and poultry), deboning/cutting and preparing meats, seafood and poultry, assembling strudel and linzertorte, frosting layer cakes, shaping cookie dough etc...
It also shows pictures of tools used for different cooking methods like grill brush, skillet, steak knives, tart pans etc...
Truely, this book is great for a beginner like me, who's interested in becoming a decent cook and for an expert like my fiance to simply whip up an excellent dish for our enjoyment! I'm totally satisfied. Try it!
Book Review: they've made the mistakes so you do have to
Summary: 5 Stars
I LOVE IT! I'm excited about getting into my kitchen again. I have not had a failure since I bought it. I'm Australian, so American fare is not always my favorite style of cooking, mac and cheese and meatloaf? But living here, I have to deal with American ingredients, and to be honest I've had some spectacular failures since I've moved here. I can't totally blame having to work in oz and F.
I was skeptical about the title and I'm really glad I overcame my bias. This book is good - REALLY good. Most people consider me a good cook, and I have a veritable library of cookbooks and recipes. While I did not really need 1000 more, I was intrigued enough to open the book - it fell open at a meat page which "finally" I was able to find a diagram to tell me what the various local meat cuts equated to what I was used to. I started flicking though earnestly. I stumbled across the Pork area, I'd just made pork chops that turned out the equivalent of industrial brake pads. Cooks test kitchen pointed out that today's leaner cuts of pork, needed to be treated differently. Cooked on a medium heat. I figured that what I just wasted in meat, the investment would be worth it, so I bought it home. Since then I've had tender meat, superb roasts, great pancakes, a fabulous summer pie. The book sits on my kitchen counter - it is the ultimate resource. I still use other recipes, but I find myself always coming back and consulting it and ultimately using the techniques it teaches.
It explains the process of recipe building and talks about recipe variants, a great knowledge to go forth with if you are prone to substituting as I am. I've since subscribed to their magazine, bought their baking illustrated and look forward to their new barbeque and grilling book. I'm more confident than ever in my American kitchen, and I have the America's test kitchen to thank for it.
I think the greatest compliment is I've come back to Amazon to buy a copy for a friend that is about to get married. A true gift of domestic harmony.