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Summary: A great reference book for all chefs, pro or amateur.
Review: As a professional chef there are countless times when I'm in the process of creating a new dish with a contemporary presentation that I still need to reference a book like this. Whether you are creating a towering presentation of your latest culinary fantasy, or trying to impress your friends with your skills as a baker, you need this book. The meat loaf recipe alone is worth the purchase price.
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Summary: quit wasting your time with mediocre recipes!
Review: Tired of spending a lot of time and money on new recipes, only to have a mediocre result? This author has done extensive research to find the BEST way to cook all the foods we love - and explains in great detail what she tried and why this is the "best" way.
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Summary: The Perfect Recipe Lives Up to Its Name!
Review: I am so pleased with this book. The recipes are fabulous, especially the buttermilk fried chicken, burgers, potato salad, banana muffins, chocolate cream pie, and the most dangerous brownies I've come across. I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving, so I can try out Ms. Anderson's brining method for the most moist, flavorful turkey. She also has such an engaging writing style that I've enjoyed reading this book as much as cooking from it. Great recipes, great tips, and great reading in one book--you can't beat it.
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Summary: The Perfect Recipe puts the cook in charge in the kitchen
Review: Ever made from scratch chicken or beef noodle soup that was so flavorless you wonder why you bothered? Ever roasted a turkey that was so dry and bland only a good gravy could save it? Ever wonder how to make big beautiful muffins that taste as good as they look and look as good as they taste? Ever wonder how to make real macaroni and cheese that's almost as simple to make as the kind from a box? Ever decide against making a stir-fry because of the long, intimidating ingredient list? Ever wonder how to make prime rib that's as rosy and juicy as the ones they serve at the great steak houses? In the Perfect Recipe, I have solved the cooking problems for these and other American classics.The Perfect Recipe is filled with all our favorites--strawberry shortcake, chicken pot pie, pizza, brownies, pancakes, fried chicken, potato salad, cheesecake and more. Not only do I deliver great recipes, I show you how I did it.Novice cooks love the foolproof recipes. Veterans love the in! -depth information. Guys like it because I explain the hows and whys of cooking. The Perfect Recipe puts the cook in charge of (not at the mercy of) the recipe, and isn't that what we all want?
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Summary: Necessary for Every Cook
Review: The Perfect Recipe is a /must have/ for anyone who cooks more than 5 times a year. You can cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner with only one book as reference (Turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, bread, apple pie, cheesecake...) or you can make a simple dinner for every day use. I made my first turkey using Pam's brining instructions, and it came out wonderful! It was juicy on the inside and very brown and delicious looking on the outside. My relatives were in awe (and some backstabbing ones were disappointed) that it turned out so well. The recipes are easy to follow, and I enjoyed the "behind the scenes" chapter. I've always wondered the why's in recipes and it's great to have it there. Of course, you can always skip the introductions if this doesn't interest you. I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about quality cooking.
Rating: 
Summary: Great start for beginners
Review: If you are a novice cook looking to add a few American classics to your repertoire, then this is the book for you. All of the (albeit few) recipes it contains are well-tested (no surprises) and taste very good. Still, it must be noted that the recipes in this book are few in number, very basic, and many of them are variations of each other. Furthermore, almost identical versions of these recipes can be found in the much more ample Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen cookbooks- they are better buys for your money and, in my opinion, provide the same quality. But if simplicity and an easy layout appeal to you, then pick up Anderson's book.
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Summary: Good eats
Review: I love the idea of taking basic recipes such as macaron & cheese and trying recipe after recipe until the perfect dish emerges. Not many of us have the time, energy, or incentive to do such a thing on even one dish. I hope Pam Anderson will write a sequel featuring other dishes. Pam's chatty style makes the book fun to read. The format is easy to understand and follow. Given the background and experience of Pam Anderson as well as the price of the book, it's surprising that a major publisher like Houghton-Mifflin would publish such an UGLY book to showcase these recipes. The bound maroon cover would be more suitable for WAR AND PEACE. The few sketches in the book are useful, but this Plain Jane book needs color photos and some fresh ideas to get rid of its dull appearance.
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