Rating: 
Summary: The Basics
Review: I find myself reaching for this cookbook, not for inspiration for an exotic meal, but for the recipes to cover the basics so I can improvise. It has never let me down and I've used something from nearly every section of the book.No doubt there are some errors in the book; but, fortunately, I haven't run into them yet. FF has very clearly written recipes; and, the discussions regarding various cooking techniques are easy to understand. Don't use FF to plan that haut or nouvelle cuisine meal; instead use it to understand the fundamental elements of cooking, but.. when you wake up and can't recall the recipe for pancakes, or you forgot how to make a basic cheese sauce for the covered dish you have to bring to a party.. grab the FF.. you'll be fine.
Rating: 
Summary: For those who don't know how to boil water
Review: This book is terrific at giving a novice chef basic instruction on cooking 101; Including how to boil an egg, bake a ham to cutting an artichoke properly. It is organized so well and so simple to use, making a meal like mom's is easy!!
I could hardly put this book down. {...] My sister-in-law likes so many recipes, I'm giving her this edition for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: Best cookbook, Best gift!
Review: My husband and I were married August 23, 2003. We received this book as a wedding gift. This was the greatest wedding gift! I have always enjoyed cooking. I think it would especially be great for a young couple (especially those that don't cook yet!) It goes from absolute basics like frying an egg to more difficult items like souffles! The recipes are classics! Just about anything you can think of is in this book! GREAT COOKBOOK!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great basic American cookbook
Review: I've been using this cookbook for over 30 years, and have several editions of it. The book has always featured good recipes for basic American cooking that any beginning cook will value. Experienced cooks will also like the book as a reminder for foods they don't cook all the time. I still use it to help me put some variety in my family's meals.
Having said that, I must say that the recipes are a little too salty or sugary for my taste, so I've always had to cut the sugar down to 1/2 to 2/3rds of whatever the recipe calls for, and lower the salt to 1/4 to 1/2 of the recipe amount. Even so, this is one of my favorite basic cookbooks, out of several shelves of cookbooks that I own. (And for those used to eating sugary/salty prepared box foods, TV dinners, and restaurant take-out, the recipes might even be OK as they are!)
New cooks will find this book to be one of the most helpful for good, basic, everyday American cooking.
Rating:
Summary: The Basics
Review: I find myself reaching for this cookbook, not for inspiration for an exotic meal, but for the recipes to cover the basics so I can improvise. It has never let me down and I've used something from nearly every section of the book. No doubt there are some errors in the book; but, fortunately, I haven't run into them yet. FF has very clearly written recipes; and, the discussions regarding various cooking techniques are easy to understand. Don't use FF to plan that haut or nouvelle cuisine meal; instead use it to understand the fundamental elements of cooking, but.. when you wake up and can't recall the recipe for pancakes, or you forgot how to make a basic cheese sauce for the covered dish you have to bring to a party.. grab the FF.. you'll be fine.
Rating: 
Summary: Nostalgia Can Be Deadly or A Compendium of Discomfort Food
Review: I have about forty cookbooks. But, whenever I need to find THE recipe for something, I always end up with this book. Content-wise, I have seen none better. If you own only one cookbook, this should be it. The only thing that could make this outstanding cookbook any better is if it were reissued as a hardcover spiral so that it could lay flat on the kitchen counter!
Rating:
Summary: An encyclopedia-type cookbook
Review: I refer to THE FANNIE FARMER COOKBOOK more than any other cookbook in my kitchen - and I own approximately seventy-five cookbooks. What's so special about FANNIE FARMER? It is a wonderfully friendly book for the beginning cook that also supplies recipes for those who are more experienced. Unlike THE JOY OF COOKING, another basic cookbook, this one has recipes that always succeed. The sections on baking are the most successful. You will cherish many of these recipes once you try them. The cornbread is a snap - my family loves it - while the Cracked Wheat Bread, equally delicious, requires more skill, or at least the ability to scale the recipe to a breadmaker. You'll find great recipes for crepes, old-fashioned gingerbread, and berry tarts. It includes five different recipes for chocolate frosting - and a penuche frosting that will send you into a delicious sugar swoon. The selection of cookie recipes is rather ordinary, but hey, you need recipes for peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies. Want to know how to select a good pineapple and then prepare it? It's here. Confused about the various stages of sugar syrup? You'll find an easy to read table, from soft ball to hard crack. Forget the temperature of a properly cooked turkey breast? No problem. You'll find descriptions of fish and shellfish, various cuts of meats, most fruit and vegetables, and instructional paragraphs about proper technique. The inside cover contains liquid and dry measurement equivalents, a basic pastry recipe, and a scattering of tips about food preparation. Most of the recipes would not be considered gourmet - this is a basic cookbook, after all - but sometimes I am surprised by the inclusion of the out-of-the-ordinary. This book can make a good cook out of anyone.
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