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The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings (Best of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook: The Year's Best Recipes) ReviewI'm a little hesitant these days on rushing out to purchase each and every America's Test Kitchen cookbook. Some are spectacular while others are not of much use to everyday cooks like me. Here's a GREAT one:
The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book
...and here's a lame one:
Americas Best Lost Recipes: 121 heirloom recipes too good to forgetIf you've seen the PBS Television Program, "America's Test Kitchen," then you'll know why people are so attracted to their spin-off cookbooks. Program Host Christopher Kimball's mantra is, "We do the work so you don't have to." And they do. Their recipes are quite excellent, (but not necessarily "the very best" in all cases.)
For this cookbook, we're getting the "crème of the crop" of the organization's best 200 recipes from this past year. The editors have also included information from two of the program's popular cameo features, the culinary equipment reviews and, the "tasting" reviews.
Here are the book chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Starters & Salads
3. Soups & Stews
4. Vegetables & Side Dishes
5. Breakfast & Breads
6. Pasta
7. Meat
8. Poultry
9. Seafood
10. Desserts
11. Test Kitchen Resources
12. IndexI have tried a number of these down-to-earth recipes and they're just great. The average cook will find many old stand-bys in here (much improved in most instances) and a good number of innovative recipes which will spark the family's interest at the supper table.
I have only two so-so issues with this cookbook:
-- Due to some overkill in giving details on recipe background and in the recipe preparation(s), the font size is resultantly pretty darn small. You'll find it difficult to post this cookbook in your kitchen and then read along as you cook -- you'll need to squint your eyes.
-- In the tasting section, I found myself frequently disagreeing with the selections which have been recommended and thus, they do me little good. As an example, they recommend Prego Marinara Italian [pasta] Sauce, a product which practically makes me physically ill when I taste it. Conversely they do not recommend Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, which is one of my big favorites. Whether I'm right or wrong is not the issue -- the fact is that we all have our preferences and these judgments are so very subjective from person to person that I question the value of including this section in the book.The equipment section (a version of consumer reports) is pretty spot-on, these items not being quite so dependent upon our personal likes and dislikes. With kitchen equipment, most folks seem to share their likes for the same good features. In fact, I bought the pepper mill that they recommended and I find that it suits me just fine.
The book, at 360 pages in length and 8 ½" x 11" x 1" in dimension, is very nicely bound with a rugged dust jacket. The pages are of heavy stock and you'll discover a profusion of helpful illustrations which mostly facilitate better culinary techniques. There are also lots of color photographs of the various completed dishes found throughout the book.
In summary, while this is not a foundational, general cookbook, it's still a great supplement to such works. Noting my minor reservations above, I can recommend it but you might want to check it out at the public library first, before buying, to see if it fits your personal needs.
The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings (Best of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook: The Year's Best Recipes) OverviewThere's only one book that brings the best of the nearly 1,000 recipes we develop each year directly to America's Test Kitchen fans. The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009 is a virtual yearbook of the most interesting work produced by the kitchen, pulled together from every corner of our company: Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, our bi-monthly special interest publications, our best-selling cookbooks, and our award winning public television shows. Each test cook's voice comes through clearly in the first-person narratives that accompany each master recipe providing an intimate peek into our testing process. This year's collection of more than 200 recipes includes: Southern-Style Skillet Cornbread (from Cook's Country), Lasagna di Carnivale (The Best International Recipe), and Apricot Almond Bundt Cake (The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book).Notes from the Test Kitchen accompany each recipe where we keep the home cook on the right path - from ingredient and equipment particulars to techniques. We've also created a substantial resource section, complete with six in-depth two-page spreads from Cook's Illustrated magazine featuring how-to guides like Mastering the Art of Stew; and Stocking a Baking Pantry. This major section also features the year's best quick tips, as well as the testings and tastings from both Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines. This popular yearbook has become a holiday favorite for cooking enthusiasts across the country.
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