Rating: 
Summary: Nice to have, but not for everyone
Review: The title must have done it: set my expectations so high that the book could only fail. The detailed descriptions of "experiments" are quite educational but after a while get very tedious and tiring. Besides, since people's tastes vary so much, how can anyone claim to have a PERFECT recipe of anything? I tried the perfect pancake recipe - made complicated by having to separate the egg - and my family couldn't tell the difference from a much simpler recipe I used previously. I thought the book was too thick, awkward to use while actually cooking, and lacked a very important element of cookbooks: photographs. Some recipes are too impractical. Andersen claims her bread recipe can be done everyday - sure, by somebody who doesn't work 8-hour days! Nevertheless, one will pick up some good tips, like how to fry chicken, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely the best!!! She needs to write another one!!!
Review: I tried a number of recipes in the book and was amazed that every time they were a success. I love how she explains in detail how she tried all the different methods and finally found "The Perfect Recipe." I'd love to see another book. Is there any possibility that she can write another one soon??!!
Rating:
Summary: What your mother should have taught you (if she could).
Review: For fifteen years I've been struggling with the Thanksgiving turkey, and for the first time ever Pam Anderson's techniques gave me perfect results. I've been reading her book like a novel. I can't seem to put it down. Understanding the how's and why's of cooking has made me a much better (and braver) cook in the kitchen. Ms. Anderson takes the time to explain how she arrived at the perfect recipe and along the way I discovered all the reasons I have failed in the past. Her book reads like a compilation of short food mysteries, all with happy endings. This is the first cookbook I've ever read start to finish! If only Mom sent me to college years ago with this book instead of the Joy of Cooking!
Rating:
Summary: A must in every cook's library
Review: The best thing about this book is that Pam Anderson did all the hard work. All I have to do is read, try and learn. This Thanksgiving, I was in charge of preparing the meal to serve 25. With the help of this book, everything went without a hitch. So impressed was everybody that I was volunteered to do it again next year.The centerpiece of our meal was the turkey. I normally brine poultry before roasting. But that's with small chicken. Anderson provided me with some insight about the differences between roasting a small and large bird. Needless to say, the turkey was perfect. The white meat was as juicy as the dark meat. With the sides, I went with her mashed potatoes and stuffing/dressing techniques. Again, as close to perfect as you can get. I'm planning something for Christmas now, and have decided on a roast beef tenderloin. I can guarantee that this cookbook will be by my side that day and for many meals to come.
Rating:
Summary: If you love to cook, GET THIS BOOK!
Review: I only recently got this book, but just getting her basic muffin recipe is worth the price. I have adapted some of my "additions" to her basic recipe with good results, but her basic recipe is the BEST. Muffins are my speciality for work, church, and family, and her recipe and techiques are unsurpassed. (I must confess I use vanilla flavored yogurt, which to me tastes better.) GET THE BOOK! I can't wait to try the baked turkey!
Rating:
Summary: Very well researched, the food is delicious.
Review: I have sent this book to three different people. The section on Turkeys is facinating, we brined our Turkey this year as did my cousin's family(it is really easy) and it was the best turkey we ever had. The cornbread is a winner too. She approaches this like a scientist and it is very easy to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Pam Anderson has sorted through the cooking maze for you.
Review: This book can benifit even the seasoned cook. I pride myself in everything that comes out of my kitchen, I am always looking for the best, fastest and most delicious way to make every- thing. I love this book so much I have carried it around with me for one week just reading and rereading it. A cookbook imagine, that! I am reading a cookbook! It is a must for all levels of cooks.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book.
Review: This book is great for people who enjoy cooking and enjoy thinking about cooking and food. How many times have I taken a supposed sure-fire cooking technique simply on faith and hoped for the best? Well, Anderson tries every trick and reports the results. A different kind of cook book, but sure to be a favorite for every 'foodie' out there.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a gem.
Review: It contains a collection of wonderful recipes which you will use again and again. Pam Anderson has truly come up with the perfect recipe for whatever dish you want to make - whether it's a flavorful chicken pot pie, a tasty potato salad or a delicious lemon meringue pie. Serve the recipes in this excellent book to your family and it's guaranteed they will be singing your praises and asking for more.
Rating: 
Summary: Good idea that failed completely
Review: What could be more heartwarming than to find a truly successful recipe for brownies, chicken soup, or macaroni and cheese? That is why I bought the book. What one actually finds is a pitifully small number of actual recipes each enclosed in a mind-numbing and self-absorbed description (chapter!) relating the author's taste in food and all the solutions she tried and rejected before coming to what she believes is perfect. Who cares how many chickens, lobsters or whatever she ruined in writing her book? And, for all the detail, essential things are missed for someone looking for a step-by-step, never-fail recipe. For example, what temperature should the ingredients be before being used or mixed together after separate preparation, how long should one sauté onions, etc. An enthusiastic cook, I gave the book a fair try and prepared some of the recipes absolutely faithfully, and find it hard to believe the finished product has been tried out on anyone except a very admiring and tolerant audience: the lemon meringue pie is cloying, the meatloaf tasteless (admittedly it slices easily cold, but who wants it?), the brownies no better than other recipes, etc. A writeoff.
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