The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition by Cook's Illustrated Magazine
|
List Price: Our Price: $22.63 You Save: $12.37 (35%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $16.96 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition
Book Review: Absolutely a must-have for any type of cook
Summary: 5 Stars
THE NEW BEST RECIPE
The editors of "Cooks Illustrated" magazine
BC Press/America's Test Kitchen $35.00
When first released a few years ago, THE BEST RECIPE became a household staple. Now, the book has been completely revised and updated with a total of 1000 recipes, along with complete step-by-step instructions on the best way to prepare each recipe.
The book also goes out of it's way to make sure the user is completely informed about how each dish should turn out. Information from Cook's Illustrated on the best equipment to use for each dish, as well as exhaustive information on taste tests to guide even a novice in the kitchen in choosing the best possible ingredients, almost push the book into the realm of cooking encyclopedia rather than just a cookbook.
The book also includes 800 illustrations to represent many of the steps in preparing each recipe.
Coming in at just over 1000 pages, double the size of the original edition, THE NEW BEST RECIPE is quite a hefty and extremely valuable addition to any cookbook library. Whether you're a novice new to the kitchen, or an experienced cook who loves trying new ideas and new ways to prepare an old favorite, this is the book to have.
It's my guess that where our mothers and grandmothers swore by classic basic cookbooks like those published by Better Homes And Gardens or Pillsbury, or by the culinary classic Joy Of Cooking, today's generation of cooks will turn to this updated tome time and again as THE new standard for a cookbook in the 21st century.
Book Review: A tome of useful information for the cooking lover.
Summary: 5 Stars
I love to cook. I love it so much, I will sit and peruse my cookbooks often, looking for new things to try, menus to plan, different ingredients to sample, etc. So a cookbook with diagrams and explanations on how to use different food items, how to vary recipes, and information on what has already been tried and hasn't worked is like a dream come true to me. I had heard about this cookbook, but had somehow forgotten about it. Then I went to a friend's party some time later, and when I heard meatloaf was being served, I thought uh oh, I don't like meatloaf at all. Not a single one I've ever tasted. With an open mind I did try the meatloaf, and it was superb! I couldn't believe it. Could not believe it. Neither could my friends! And then I was told - the recipe came from a cookbook called The Best Recipe. Ahhh yes, I remember hearing about that book. I went out immediately and bought it. What a treasure trove of information!!!! It is quite a large book and somewhat awkward to handle, but the information inside is well worth it. I made a quick Penne Vodka from the cookbook, and my husband about fell over with delight.
I would like to inform those interested that a new book is out...The Best LIGHT Recipe, for those that are trying to cook a little healthier. I ordered but haven't gotten it yet so I don't know to what extent the recipes overlap yet. One might prefer that version of the book if trying to make a decision on which to order, depending on what your dietary restrictions are.
Book Review: Perfect Creations Everytime......Almost Foolproof!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First I will start by saying that I have never followed Cooks Illustrated or understood the belabored recipe-testing involved for this book. I have passed it up many times because the recipes looked too basic, and not gourmet or innovative. Boy, was I wrong! I was lucky to find a copy of this little gem at a discount store at third off the cover price, and it was worth every cent! The detailed journey taken by the test kitchen beginning each recipe is so helpful, and I enjoy learning what didn't work, and why. This book is loaded with helpful hints that are easy to follow. The chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe was truly amazing, and I've made three batches already! I've never had blueberry muffins that were memorable, until I tried the ones in this book. Amazing. The double chocolate chunk cookies were equally superb. I can't wait to try some of the entres. If they are as tried and true as the baked goods, then this volume will become a standard reference in my home. I have also purchased The New Best International Recipe and Baking Illustrated. I have many cookbooks, and few are as reliable. This book saves you the time of making something that comes out mediocre and money for ingredients that inevitably get thrown away. As an avid cookbook collector, I can honestly say that it's been a long time since I've bought a book that makes me this enthusiastic about trying every recipe cover to cover. If the entres turn out as fantastic, then I will be posting many of my old cookbooks for you on Amazon!Book Review: Its not as if this book needs anymore praise, but here it goes...
Summary: 5 Stars
I left for college not knowing how to even hard boil an egg. My mom didn't know a thing about cooking, and subsequently, neither did I. But I wanted to start making dinners for my boyfriend and I, and I happened to come across this cookbook at a Lowe's of all places. I bought it and without fail, EVERY recipe I've tried has been amazing. We've only tried maybe 12-15, but they consistently please. And for someone like me that has zero knowledge base in this arena, it really helps to have instructions for things like cutting up a chicken, how to choose pots and pans, and a slew other things that people that are as "by the book" as I am (and uneducated in) can find helpful. Even topics like "how big is a small vs. medium vs. large garlic clove" and when a recipe calls for a medium onion, what should that translate to as far as cup size.
I love their explanations of the science behind what they do. I now have 7 of their cookbooks and belong to their website (which for a small yearly fee you get access to all their magazine archives, and all recipes and tips). Some reviewers are pretty harsh about them, calling them mass manufacturers of cookbooks, etc, but if their recipe collection was that poor, would they really have a 5-star avg rating with over 100 reviews? I think the book would still be a steal at over triple the price.
Its an awesome cookbook, and I think my drastic improvement in cooking (and subsequent marriage proposal) was thanks to them ;)
Book Review: My new all-time favorite!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. I never thought anything would supplant my grandmother's copy of the Joy of Cooking as our most treasured resource for basic cooking, but this one has left it in the dust (sorry, Grandma Jean). Including many of the more recent additions to the mainstream "American" diet such as hummus, bruschetta, creme brulee, stir-fry, etc., this book shows you how to easily make the best of the comfort food mainstays like mac & cheese, fudge brownies, home fries, cornbread, etc. etc. The editors of this book have an unerring sense for which qualities make a certain dish "the best," and have done all of the trial and error to figure out how best to obtain those results. And unlike the Joy of Cooking and other books, which present the recipes and the theoretical information in different chapters, The New Best Recipe offers up insightful information with each recipe. You don't just learn the "what" and the "how," you learn the "why." It's not just a source of surefire, to-die-for recipes. It's a valuable learning tool as well.
I think I'm a lot like other cooks in that I usually cook a lot of the same basic things, and every once in a while I'll get inspired to cook something more exotic. Well, for that 5% of the time I might still refer to Alice Waters, Thomas Kellar, or even Martha Stewart. But for 95% of what I make at home, The New Best Recipe is an incredible resource for learning how to make good food great.