Rating: 
Summary: For intermediate or advanced cooks, delicious flavours!
Review: Ive tried about half a dozen recipes- all excellent-
They're not fast food, and they're not low fat, but
ummmmmmmm. The only way it could be improved is with
photographs of the prepared foods, or of some of the
more esoteric techniques.
Rating:
Summary: The best cookbook in my kitchen.
Review:
Too often cookbook recipes look great but don't taste like
much. The New Basics Cookbook, like the Silver Palate
cookbooks by the same authors, has recipes that taste sublime, and food that looks tempting on the table.
This isn't a cookbook for beginners, but most of the
recipes, while complicated looking, break down into simple
steps. The shredded barbecue beef sandwiches were such a
hit that now my family always asks me to bring them to
family dinners. The recipe for berry pie included lemon
peel and cinnamon in the crust--a simple, tasty idea that changed the way I do all my pie crusts.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven, but still a good addition to any cookbook collection
Review: I have owned and used this book for many years, and have found the recipes to be uneven - many are outstanding, and some are not so good. Given the size and scope of the book, this should not be a surprise. I am especially critical of some of the baked items, which do not seem to be carefully tested. However, I think it is worth having simply for the ideas - many of their recipes are quite inventive, and they have lots of fun ideas for entertaining. It is true that they are not low-cal, but you can easily omit much of the heavy cream or cheeses and use lighter alternatives. They also offer a nice range of recipes from easy to somewhat difficult, which makes it a nice choice for beginner to accomplished cooks. If you are the kind of cook who reads cookbooks for fun, and likes to "research" recipes before making things, this is a good one to have - definitely a "basic" essential for entertaining or for making easy haute cuisine at home. This one still ranks among my top choices of cookbooks.
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE
Review: Give this to the person just starting out in the kitchen and the person who has been cooking for 50 years. Both will find it equally enjoyable. Simply one of the best cookbooks out there. Incredibly informative-- you could curl up and read it for hours. The recipes, while sometimes a bit more complicated that other cookbooks, are worthy of your time and efforts.
Rating:
Summary: an indespensible resource
Review: After reading the other reviews, I just had to write a rebuttal. This cookbook is fantastic. I have made literally dozens of dishes from this book and every single one has been delicious and beautiful. Indeed, I have even used recipes from it to prepare meals professionally for clients who have always been satisfied. The wealth of information provided about buying and preparing different ingredients is always on target and incredibly worthwhile. I have never had a problem finding the ingredients as listed in any normal chain grocery store of reasonable size - and I am not talking about the [gourmet specialty stores] here. I love to cook, and I can turn to this book with utter confidence in exceptional results every time. One note, however: some of the cuts of meat they recommend can be very very expensive (ex: Roast Fillet of Beef). Instead of using the more expensive cut, read through their section about that meat and cooking methods for a more than servicable substitution. This book is astoundingly and delightfully complete, neglecting almost no method or ingredient. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: PRETENTIOUS & CUMBERSOME
Review: Whoever came up with the title "New Basics" cooking should be sued. I consider myself a decent cook always willing to try new recipes, but as a working mother, I don't have time for recipes that have page-long ingredient lists (many of which are virtually impossible to find in normal supermarkets). It's clear that these recipes were designed to impress, and in that vein, this is the ultimate '80s cookbook. The 80s were the decade of big puffy hair, clothes and recipes. This is the book that was responsible for the backlash against pretentious, labor-intensive home cooking and back to the real basics - simple, healthy, and delicious food. I received this book years ago, tried a few recipes (some were downright awful, some tasted OK, but none were worth the time and money required). Now that I have a family, I never refer to this book. I do give the authors credit for interesting reading about the different food categories, especially the herb section. But I just could not warm up to this book.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best general cookbook ever
Review: This cookbook has it all. Recipes for everything from stocks and sauces, to fish, meat, grains, vegetables, salads, starters and sweets, all in well-organized categories and easy-to-follow format. The results are also superb. No recipe I've tried has been a clunker and some are among the best ever -- Basil Barley Provencal is a vegetable and grain sensation, and oatmeal cookies are better than any other recipe I've tried or any store bought (and are ridiculously easy, to boot). In addition to the recipes, there are concise and useful summaries of how to work with various ingredients (what types of fish need to be filleted and how to do it, what type can be served as steaks, etc.) and handy charts comparing various types of ingredients and how to work with them. A chart summarizing, for instance, all the different types of rice with a description of their flavors, cooking times and uses is nice. These charts come in very useful when, for instance, your package of barley does not, in fact, tell you how to cook it! Look it up in the handy grain chart and all the info is there. Especially useful when using unfamiliar ingredients. The only thing that could make this book better would be if ingredients were listed in the order in which they need to be handled, and if total preparation and cooking time were stated, but since the recipes are so clear, a thorough reading in advance can solve this problem. If you only have one cookbook, this is the one to have. If you have lots, you will find yourself returning to this one over and over for its ease of use and wonderful recipes.
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