The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook Author: Editors at America's Test Kitchen | Language: English | ISBN:
1936493527 | Format: PDF
The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook Description
- Hardcover: 822 pages
- Publisher: Boston Common Press (October 15, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1936493527
- ISBN-13: 978-1936493524
- Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 6.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook is my favorite cookbook of the fall so far. It is chock full of culinary know how and is an absolute pleasure to leaf through on these autumn evenings. It has something to offer everyone whether they are a beginning cook or an advanced cook.
This is one heavy, well-made book. They didn't skimp on binding it either. This 822 page beauty should stand up to years of heavy use in the kitchen. Toss it on the counter and use it as a reference as you cook--it will stay open on its own.
The chapters are as follows: cooking basics; how to cook: eggs; vegetables; pasta; rice, grains, and beans; meat; poultry; seafood; grill; stocks and soups; salads; quick breads; yeast breads and pizza; cookies; cakes; fruit desserts; pies and tarts; custards, puddings, and frozen desserts; appendix; and index.
I'm going to answer a question that many of you have. Those of you familiar with America's Test Kitchen are wondering about the recycling of recipes from book to book. The answer is yes, they did recycle recipes. I own the America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2010 as well as ATK Family Cookbook. The first item I compared in the index is "eggs". I came up with repetitions from one book or the other for eggs benedict, some deviled egg recipes, several frittata recipes, huevos rancheros, omelets, quiches, a salad, and scrambled. Next I cross referenced "sauces" between the three books as came up with as generous an amount of overlap and then got modest overlap once more when I searched "potatoes, mashed" in the index. So why am I giving this book 5 stars?
I'm giving this book 5 stars because I feel that it offers something not many other books do.
Wow, do I wish I had this in college when I was trying to teach myself to cook - I could have saved myself literally years of frustration and trial and error. This is technically a cookbook, but honestly it's a reference manual and a textbook for the home cook who wants to get serious about doing the best job they can. The recipes seem like they are there to demonstrate techniques or set a standard.
The arrangement of the book is unusual for a cookbook, too. It starts with a whole chapter of just egg techniques. That's an odd place for a regular general-interest cookbook to start, they tend to start with appetizers, salads, or soups. But it makes sense for a manual, because egg cookery has long been a starting point for professional cooks, and that gives the reader a good sense of what this book is and where it is going.
I won't say this book is perfect. My 13-year old daughter, who has been working her way through Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: the Basics for the last several months, was at first interested, but quickly got overwhelmed. I don't know that I'd want to give this to an absolute beginner, there is SOOOO much here that it could be intimidating. And it does seem a little heavy on the 'buy buy buy' - for instance, it lists a stainless steel kitchen ruler as a 'must-have'. I've been home cooking for 3 decades now, and I don't think I've ever run into a situation where I thought, gee, I really need a ruler. Even for pie crusts or cinnamon rolls, it's really not that hard to fit things to the pan and adjust. And if you really needed a ruler, I'm not sure why I need a dedicated $7 ruler when I could borrow a plastic one from my kids & just wash it before and after use.
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