The New Basics Cookbook

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Summary: Adventurous Recipies for
Review: The New Basics Cookbook is definitely the best cookbook I own. It contains recipies for comfort food such as Corn Chowder and roasts to flashy,impressive dishes such as Risotto ala Milinase. There are recipies for all levels of cooks and all types of food. I received the book as a bridal shower gift from my mother(when I had already surpassed her cooking level- mostly comfort food) and have used the contents to impress people left and right as well as develop my own culinary skills. Like the world-famous Joy Of Cooking, New Basics contains detailed sections explaining technique and ingredients, but in a much easier to read format. It provides menus, instruction and most of all, inspiration. If you are a begining cook, you might be a bit intimidated at first but once you have a bit of experience and are looking to develop culinary skills and repertoire, you need this book!!

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Summary: Only cookbook that I have ever worn out!
Review: We own dozens of great cookbooks, from Chez Panise to Vegitarian (Molly Katzen, etc.) and time and time again this is the cookbook that we reference. We have the paperback and it is now in several parts from wear (buying the hardback today). Recipes are fantastic and the introductions to the foods (how to buy, substitue, how to prepare without a recipe, etc.) help one become a cook who can pull great meals together with just what is on hand in the kitchen. The only cookbook you need and one of the best gifts to keep on your list.

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Summary: Gourmet Not Basic
Review: I was disappointed because I was really looking for a meat and potatoes cookbook. I really didn't care for the stories in the book either.

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Summary: Not so basic recipes
Review: This book contains highly detailed information on various food categories, including appearance, taste, how used, and what a specific item is best suited for. It even has a section on edible flowers. It has a complete glossary of cooking terms, conversion charts, and several pages of recommendations for stocking a kitchen and pantry. The recipes however, are not so basic. I found that many of them were were time consuming and required multiple steps. Some of the ingredients are expensive and hard to find. I use this book only occasionally for something special.

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Summary: The Most Useful Cookbook You'll Ever Buy.....
Review: ....from the lamented former partnership of the Silver Palate gurus, Lukins and Rosso. This voluminous cookbook includes the finest of the first two S/P cookbooks, along with innumerable new and wonderful recipes. The reader from Boston who's complaining about how difficult these recipes are, with so many pans, is simply a lazy whiner. Sure, some recipes may take some extra effort and you may not be able to find all of the ingredients for some recipes unless you're in a big metropolis. But for every one of those recipes, there are 40 which are more than doable and stockable. Any time we're having company, this is the first cookbook I'll turn to and I don't think there's ever been a recipe in it that hasn't been wonderful. The only downside is that Workman's binding ain't so great and my copy is in tatters at this point. Like a reviewer said below, try to find the hardcover version!

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Summary: Get the hardback!
Review: I have used this book so much I had to replace it. Sadly, this is the last book the Sliver Palate girls did together, but it is a treasure-trove of their whole experience. On the whole, the recepies are simpler than in the other two books, and much more useful for everyday cooking. Nifty chapter on pizza, lots of advice for the home chef, good information on fish, wine and cheese, and just about everything else you can imagine all accompanied by Sheila Lukins' homey drawings. Still in print after twelve years, it IS a classic. and so is the Wild Mushroom, Garlic and Mint Pizza!

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Summary: One of my "desert island" cookbooks . . .
Review: I never realized how much I enjoyed cooking until I got this book, shortly after its publication in 1989. I wanted something that had some real *basics* as well as some more adventurous dishes. I considered myself a reasonably proficient cook, but I was certainly no expert. I needed something that wouldn't talk down to me, but that also wasn't so complex that it would be easy to produce a failure. _The New Basics_ was just what I needed.

Several of the recipes have become staples: the Red Beans and Rice recipe is outstanding (although I do occasionally "spice it up" with some andouille sausage); the Black Bean Salad has made an appearance at many a potluck; I've used the Prosciutto and Mushroom Frittata frequently for brunch when I have overnight guests; Scalloped Ham and Potatoes makes a great late afternoon casual supper; I was making Garlic Mashed Potatoes before they got popular from the recipe in this book; Santa Fe Pork Stew is one of my "winter soups" that I make each year and freeze for lunches at the office. When preparing a menu for entertaining, I almost always choose one dish from this book.

While it's true I haven't tried each of the 875 recipes in this volume, I *have* tried at least 100, and I haven't had a single disaster. Yes, sometimes the ingredients list seems daunting, but this recipe collection is based on strong flavors, which usually means herbs and spices as well as top quality fresh ingredients. I find that if I take the time to read through the recipe, it's not nearly so complicated as it first looks -- and most of the ingredients can be gathered and measured before you ever begin to cook.

With over 2100 cookbooks in my collection, selecting the 10 or so I'd have on a desert island is no easy task, and my list changes from time to time. Other books may come and go, but _The New Basics Cookbook_ is *always* on my list.

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Summary: Didn't live up to the hype...
Review: I have heard so much about silver palate cookbooks, so I bought this one based on reviews. I must say that it did not meet my expectations, particularly on the entrees. Every chicken dish that I tried was bland. The vegetable section offers no new ideas. I did however, really like the lasagna recipe-basic, hearty, and easy to prepare.

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Summary: Tread carefully.
Review: First, the title: _The New Basics Cookbook_. Basic? I think not. I'm not not necessarily intimidated by these recipes, but they are not dishes to whip up for dinner for the family. Second, the attitude about animal cruelty: I am not vegetarian, but one must draw the line somewhere, and Russo and Lukins' attitude, not just here but also in _The Silver Palate Cookbook_, about the production of foie gras and veal gave me the impression that the women could care less how their actions affect anyone or anything outside their narrow worldview. Third, this cookbook claims to care about healthy eating. I know I can make a parsley sauce for pasta that does not involve half a stick of butter per person! Fourth, this is too intimidating for a beginner. The listing of "necessary" kitchen equipment, for example, is absurdly detailed. And I mean *absurd*! Finally, the gourmet attitude is a bit much. For years our family has made the Pasta Sauce Raphael recipe from _The Silver Palate Cookbook_, only modified for canned tomatoes, and with quite a bit less dried basil. Well, what do you know? The "updated" version of Pasta Sauce Raphael in this cookbook calls for canned tomatoes and less basil! The problem, of course, lies in the fact that the first version of the recipe expected one to peel, core, and seed fresh tomatoes. I'm sure the results are terrific, but our family could care less when it's time for dinner and dinner's not ready!

Look, this cookbook must have its place. Among trendy young adults, for folks who entertain regularly, whoever. But it's not a basic cookbook, certainly not a beginner cookbook, and its attitude is just too much.

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Summary: Too fussy!
Review: I bought the New Basics before I bought Joy of Cooking, several Italian cookbooks and the several Moosewood cookbooks, all of which have proven superior. I love cooking and I am surrounded by people in my neighborhood who also love to cook and what bothers us about New Basics is that many of the "basics" that the authors try to turn into something "new" are really better in the basic form! For instance, broccoli rabe, which is delicious steamed and sauteed with olive oil and garlic is instead turned into a casserole in New Basics. I was hoping to find the best way to make it the basic way but no they had to fool around with it! And putting broccoli rabe into a casserole is akin to making a cake out of peanut butter and jelly.

I have also had the experience of buying a whole bunch of ingredients and spending a long time and making a mess doing some of the recipes only to find them pretty lousy. (I do however love the whole wheat walnut raisin bread) And remember when you, the reader, make the recipes, you do not have anyone to clean up the mess unlike the authors who have assistants!

The bottom line is: Joy of Cooking is a far superior book. It just suffers from being around forever and has a bland cover and no cute little quotes in the margin. But most of the recipes from "Joy" are fabulous and do not go overboard with too many ingredients. As many of my friends and I think, "New Basics" is just too fussy. It appeals to the warm desire in people to set up a gourmet kitchen with racks of cute spices and an oven brimming with yeasty scents and extra virgin olive oils, etc, etc., but after about 10 years on my shelf, I find I don't use it much. Try the others! Also, "Simple French Food" by Richard Olney is perfect for learning the basics of French cooking and includes loads of instructions.