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Summary: I keep reaching for this one first...
Review: I found this book listed as a top seller on Amazon. I bought it for a gift and have since purchased several including one for me. Following the Cooks Illustrated format, these receipes are tested down to every last detail to find the very best combination of factors that contribute to a great dish. If you are learning to cook, you will learn plenty. There is a lot in the way of baking but also traditional American Fare, soups, scrambled eggs, creme brulee. This book gives you a solid receipe and lets you know why and how it turns out so great. It may be simple in the meat department but who eats a lot of meat anyway. Bon Appetit.
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Summary: Practical Primer to Cooking
Review: I've tried many "comfort food" recipes to great success and compliments. The meatloaf with brown sugar glaze is awesome. We're not told that we can only cook one way; we're offered a master recipe to follow and adapt to our tastes. One thing about this book's construction that sets it apart from others is that it is made of what appears to be a stitched binding, not glued - so that the book lays flat when opened. A godsend when working with both hands full in the kitchen. The only wish I have for future editions is for an improved Index. The current index is difficult to follow - there are multiple subheadings and the listings are all in a 10pt. print. My request to the cookbook editors would be to move the "Entrees listing" to an Index of its own - better yet, incorporating it into a detailed Table of Contents.
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Summary: No more mistakes in the kitchen!
Review: The writers and reviewers of this cookbook have made all of the mistakes for you! Some readers complained that the recipes in this cookbook are too simple, but that's the point. This book is meant to give you a good basis for dishes you can prepare time and again. It is loaded with useful tips and interesting information that help you avoid preparation mistakes, wrong seasoning and food choices and less-than-perfect meals. For example, it tells you which type of lentil is best for soup versus which type is best in a side dish. Who would have known?? If you only buy one cookbook each year, put The Best Recipe on the top of your list.
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Summary: These really are the best recipes
Review: This is, without a doubt, the best cookbook I have ever owned. If I had to get by with only one cookbook for the rest of my life, this would be it. I have been giving it as gifts to both my cooking and non-cooking friends. The master recipes are fantastic and the explanations are fantastic. Everything I've made has been a success.
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Summary: Cook's Illustrated Produces Again!!
Review: Wow. They never cease to amaze me. This is not just a salt and pepper cookbook. It's a tutorial to everything your Mom and Grandma never were able to teach you. It is a book of techniques. I received this book for Christmas, I looked up the Prime Rib recipe, which yes, calls for salt and pepper. But, also a cooking method I have never heard of before and probably wouldn't have tried if I had seen it anywhere else. I served up the juiciest most delicious Prime Rib dinner thanks to them. I am a really good cook and I still learn so much from them. Every one of their methods I have tried has produced great results. From Prime Rib to poached eggs. They don't have a lot of exotic recipes, but they do tell you how and why to cook many things very well. Next I'm off to try the brine soaked turkey, its supposed to be great!
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Summary: The Best Cookbook
Review: I purchased one of these for myself, then came right back and purchased three as gifts. Everyone loves this book. I am by no means a good cook, this book has helped me to become better. They've already tried every way to cook each item and tell you which way turned out best. I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Best there is!
Review: I have many, many cookbooks, this is the best I have. It can be used as a reference, from how to cook meat to a great recipe for flourless chocolate cake. Great for gifts!
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Summary: Great for those who like to curl up with a good cookbook
Review: I looked forward to getting this after reading all the amazing reviews on this sight. I have hundreds of cookbooks, and was afraid that my expectations were too high. Not so! It's a facinating, educational read. I've tried a 5-6 things: all were very good (and the Fettuccini with Bolognese Sauce as well as the Stir-Fried Asparagus were amazing!), but the best thing was knowing the "whys", and getting a better feel for what works. Only disappointments were: a limited number of pasta recipes and that many of the recipes are for the grill (we have a foot of snow on the ground right now...). No doubt, this will be a great reading and cooking companion for years.
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Summary: Try the chocolate chip cookies
Review: One recipe has convinced me to buy this book -- the chocolate chip recipe on page 419. The only modification I would make is that I never bake my cookies over 300 degrees -- other than that, spectacular! People actually do not believe that the cookies are homemade since they turned out so perfectly....
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great for beginners
Review: A great example of testing and tasting resulting in good food -- and an excellent read for a scientific analysis of recipes. However, while I found that the recipes taste great, I found that the cookbook wasn't that user-friendly. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for beginners. It provides a lot of analysis of different methods of cooking each recipe, but to a novice, much of this information won't mean much. If you are interested in a truly in-depth look at recipes, I recommend this book, especially if you are at the point where you tinker with your own recipes to help them reach perfection. Before that stage -- for someone who is getting started and wants to learn basic cooking methods and great recipes, I prefer books by Mark Bittman.
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