Rating: 
Summary: Simple, straightforward, good food
Review: Make the black bean soup with sherry. Basic Yankee cookery. The recipes are good and hearty, not exotic. Mr. Kimball's descriptions and instructions are thorough and direct. Culinary point of view is reminiscent of James Beard and Marion Cunningham (ie treat the best possible ingredients simply and well) but is not derivative.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat snippy but eminently useful
Review: Personally, I find claims to "Master" or "Best" recipes as appear in Kimball's books and Cook's Illustrated rather specious and snobby. Kimball's recipes are clearly written and will work if followed, but taste of course is entirely subjective. For example, I tried his garlic bread recipe from another book and found toasting the garlic cloves as he suggested took all the oomph out of the recipe. On the other hand, most of the recipes are very good and the tips regarding kitchen utensils and reliable name brands are indispensible. In this book alone Kimball saved me hundreds of dollars I might have spent on Le Cruset pots by recommending dirt cheap, well-seasoned cast iron dutch ovens as a sensible replacement. In addition, I found Kimball's constant references to the shortcoming of "city folk" to be extremely irritating. He certainly lacks the warmth and charisma of the truly great cookbook writers, like Julia Child, James Beard and Jacques Pepin. With his copious references to the superior strength, wisdom and courage of "real" Vermonters like himself, Kimball comes across as a bit prissy and holier-than-thou. That said, he and the other Cook's Illustrated writers have provided me with a great deal of learning and enjoyment.
Rating: 
Summary: The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook
Review: The 2-star rating is because of the poor quality of the binding, not the contents. I own four cookbooks written by Christopher Kimball, and all are absolutely excellent - as far as the recipes are concerned. They are clearly written and utterly reliable. However, I now own two cookbooks written by Mr. Kimball which, although brand new, are showing signs of stress or have cracked at the spine almost immediately. Two by the same author is not an accident. The Yellow Farmhouse is one of them, the other being The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles. Many reviews focus on the author's work, but the quality of publishers' workmanship also affects book purchases. This flaw in two of his books makes me hesitate to purchase more. There are many good cookbooks on the market. As a lover of books I consider spines that break to be unacceptable, particularly in a cookbook which, after all, is a reference meant to be opened many times.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous Addition to the Cookbook Collector
Review: The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook first attracted me because of the obvious Farmhouse. I love country cooking. The first part of the cookbook explains pans, cookware, how to buy, which is the best, and so on. You are then drawn into tasty, delightful recipes from soup and side dishes, to bread baking and delectable desserts. Christopher Kimball is a talented cook and story teller. I loved the country tales and bits of history. A wonderful addition to the cookbook shelf. It rests right next to Prairie Home Cooking. My favorite recipes from The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook are: Potato Gratin (page 73) Noodle Casserole (119) Molasses Country Bread (201) Buttermilk Chocolate Cake (267) and so many more!
Rating:
Summary: Very good intro book
Review: The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook is aimed for those with second houses OR startup kitchens. It is complete with what utensils and pots to buy, with reviews right out of the Cooks Illustrated Magagine. It gives lots of information on the science of cooking too. There are not allot of recipes in here but this is a basic book that lets you understand cooking & what to buy to get started. If you get this with the Joy and you'll be okay.
The Cook's bible is the upscale version of the Farmhouse, the pots and kitchen equipment are more top-end; Farmhouse is how to make a kitchen on a budget -- your call.
Rating:
Summary: Very good intro book
Review: The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook is aimed for those with second houses OR startup kitchens. It is complete with what utensils and pots to buy, with reviews right out of the Cooks Illustrated Magagine. It gives lots of information on the science of cooking too. There are not allot of recipes in here but this is a basic book that lets you understand cooking & what to buy to get started. If you get this with the Joy and you'll be okay.
The Cook's bible is the upscale version of the Farmhouse, the pots and kitchen equipment are more top-end; Farmhouse is how to make a kitchen on a budget -- your call.
Rating:
Summary: Entirely dependable and entirely wonderful
Review: There is great comfort for any cook who finds a cookbook author he or she likes: you know what to expect, you trust their judgement and their recipes, you like their voice. That's the case with Christopher Kimball and me. Christopher Kimball founded and still edits COOK'S ILLUSTRATED magazine. I always learn something from COOK'S. Its laconic, thorough approach is Chris incarnate, and this unfussy spirit is echoed in "The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" as well. With its yellow-checked cover, an old-fashioned typeface (Poor Richard, perhaps?), and illustrations reminiscent of woodblock prints by Rockwell Kent or Barry Moser, this is a conscious visual effort to call up the gentle past. The recipes, however, are anything but nostalgic. Chris flatly debunks assumption after assumption about recipes we thought we knew. He is a demon tester, and has charted wonderful new paths to the same old dishes, making them bright and newly delicious in our mouths. Several "Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" recipes have become family favorites in my home (especially the scalloped potatoes, which get requested on practically a weekly basis). This book is a stroke of good fortune for any home cook.
Rating:
Summary: Entirely dependable and entirely wonderful
Review: There is great comfort for any cook who finds a cookbook author he or she likes: you know what to expect, you trust their judgement and their recipes, you like their voice. That's the case with Christopher Kimball and me. Christopher Kimball founded and still edits COOK'S ILLUSTRATED magazine. I always learn something from COOK'S. Its laconic, thorough approach is Chris incarnate, and this unfussy spirit is echoed in "The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" as well. With its yellow-checked cover, an old-fashioned typeface (Poor Richard, perhaps?), and illustrations reminiscent of woodblock prints by Rockwell Kent or Barry Moser, this is a conscious visual effort to call up the gentle past. The recipes, however, are anything but nostalgic. Chris flatly debunks assumption after assumption about recipes we thought we knew. He is a demon tester, and has charted wonderful new paths to the same old dishes, making them bright and newly delicious in our mouths. Several "Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook" recipes have become family favorites in my home (especially the scalloped potatoes, which get requested on practically a weekly basis). This book is a stroke of good fortune for any home cook.
Rating:
Summary: I am leaving the country and this is book is going with me!
Review: This book sums up New England: not the legendary past, but the way I remember the people (& their food) in a little village in Vermont where I used to hang out a few years ago. I have lived in many of America's regional areas, and enjoy travelling and speaking with people about what is American food. There is so much good sense, culinary and spiritual probity, good humor and good food in this book! I have only owned this book for a couple of weeks, but it is already getting its share of spatters and flour between the pages. It is going with me to Japan: there is a lot of great food in Japan, but (sadly) most of the American food is (to put it diplomatically) mediocre. This book will comfort me, keep me cooking American Food and give me something to spiritually uplifting talk about when people ask what "American Food" really is.
Rating:
Summary: Great country cooking, nice stories to go-with
Review: This cookbook is a must if you are into country cooking. The stories that accompany the recipes are also very entertaining. However, I did expect this book to be slightly more informative as it was published by the author of Cook's Illustrated magazine. Also, color photographs would have been preferred.
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