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Summary: "The Best Recipe" is really "The Best Cookbook"
Review: Ordinarily we think of a great recipe as being the one with the best combination of ingredients. Even those of us whose results are sometimes and sometimes off have learned that it's not just what you've got, it's what you DO with it. HOW do you add the butter? WHEN do you stop beating the batter? WHY do you roast at low temperatures for a long time, rather than at high?In other words, "The Best Recipe" is actually a fascinating and informative set of lessons on critical cooking skills and techniques, not just a list of ingredients. Oh yes, the recipes themselves are top-notch and delicious, but even more enlightening are the stories that precede each recipe about how each recipe was tested and derived. Why it makes a difference to add a teaspoon of water when you want your cookies extra-big but still chewy, for example. In case I've made it sound like a college textbook, I'll add that it is truly a FUN read. I am envious of the authors - what a great time they must have had, learning the way to do things right! There are hundreds of recipes here, in every category. This is going up into my pantheon next to Joy of Cooking. The recipes cover much of the same ground but The Best Recipes tops even my beloved Joy in helping me know what to do next.
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Summary: I'm single and I don't cook...BUT...
Review: I LOVE this cookbook. Not only does it give you the recipe, but it also gives you the science, background information, and testing methods that reveal why that recipe is "The Best". I don't usually cook, but when I'm having guests for dinner, I turn to this book because I know that it will turn out delicious and get me lots of complements. Be forwarned, the recipes are multi-step, and sometimes a bit complicated, but the results are amazing! Try the meatloaf with mac and cheese, with lemon bars as a desert and watch the complements roll in!
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Summary: This has become my cooking Bible!
Review: I *love* this book - and I find myself turning to it again and again, even for old "classics" that everyone thinks they have down pat, like French toast, pancakes, or basil pesto. What I particularly love are the mini-essays they write on just how they arrived at "The Best Recipe" for each dish -- the countless trials of butter vs. oil, yogurt vs. buttermilk, ratios of flour to eggs, etc. By the time you're done reading a little blurb, you're *convinced* that there's no better way to do it, and from the reactions of my friends when cooking from these recipes, I'd have to say they're pretty straight on. I've found all sorts of neat little tricks that I wouldn't have thought of on my own -- like lightly flouring chicken breasts before sauteeing them so they don't stick, or adding some flour to the egg batter for French toast so they don't get soggy. The great thing is that I can even convince my stubborn fiance to try out new (and often better!) versions of old standby recipes based on those fun and interesting essays -- they're scientific enough (and tasty enough) to win over both the geeky and the foodies...
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Summary: The one to own!
Review: As cooking and baking are more than a hobby for me (I'm an aspiring chef with a background in food science), I find this book to be very well written with loads of information for both the amateur and experienced cook. The recipes I have tried so far have been foolproof. I have a fair collection of cookbooks on the shelf, but this one holds an esteemed place right on my kitchen counter next to the Kitchen-Aid appliances. Breakfasts have never been so good with the perfect scrambled eggs (some cookbooks have you use water instead of milk, but thankfully not this one) and french toast that wins raves in my family.
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Summary: Fail-proof recipes
Review: Everything we have ever made from this book turns out incredible. I constantly have people raving about my cooking and asking for recipes thanks to this book!
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Summary: Great book for the basics
Review: I love this book and use it frequently as a reference book. Its usually the book I turn to first when trying something new because its got pretty basic instruction that most people with ordinary skill level can pull off. I like the Cook's Illustrated approach of thoroughly testing variables in recipes to come up with the best approach. (When I try this myself, my husband is tired of whatever it is long before I feel like I've "perfected" it).
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Summary: a must have
Review: This book almost replaces the joy of cooking. It's delicious home cooking and to cook for company. I have had vacations where we've rented a house and done our own cooking and I always take this book with me. It's the only one you will need. The crab cakes with tartar sauce are memorable, the sweet and sour sauce for chicken breasts is delicious, and I also adored the warm balsamic vinaigrette for flounder (which I never knew what to do with, my mother used to stuff it with frozen spinach and bake it with cheddar cheesse soup,) that recipe brings it to the 21 century. This is a great book to own or give as a gift, for a novice cook to an advanced cook.
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Summary: Best of the Best
Review: Loved this cookbook. I love to cook, have many cookboooks & subscribe to Food & Wine & Bon Appetite. This cookbook is a joy to read & use. I have owned it for 2 weeks now and have made more recipes from it than from any of the other 52 cookbooks I own. Everything I made was just perfect.
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Summary: A Must for the Perfectionist
Review: Baking is my hobby & I read cookbooks the way most people read novels. I've been doing this for quite a few years & a good cookbook is few & far between & a great cookbook even further. This one truly is great. It is as informative as a text book, but as easy to read as your favorite magazine. It's straightforward enough for the cooking novice, but informative enough for the more experienced cook. If you've ever "tweaked" a recipe trying to get it to turn out the way you were hoping, this book is a must. It'll save you the guess work & give you a real explanation of why methods do or don't work.
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Summary: Reap the benefits
Review: Wow. You would not believe what the staff of Cook's Illustrated went through to find the perfect way to roast a chicken or cook an egg. The great news is of course you get to reap the benefits of their wisdom and testing. Before each section (Roast Chicken, for example), there is a summary of their test efforts. What they went through, what the result was, what they found. All this just so they can show you the perfect roasting method. If you don't care to know, just skip to the recipe and follow the instructions. If you do care to know, read the sections and understand the directions. There aren't a lot of "recipes" per se. That's because the book concentrates more on cooking method rather than a straight-out recipe book. Again, in the example of roast chicken, they suggested butter, salt, and pepper for seasoning. But it's their method that insures the chicken will be moist and delicious, whatever seasoning you add, yourself.
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