Rating: 
Summary: Take your cooking to the next level!
Review: I believe this book is well positioned between the beginner and advanced chefs. I have been very satisfied with almost all of the recipies out of it so far and have learned quite a bit about cooking in the process. I wouldn't recommend it for a clueless new chef, but once you have the basics down this book will take your cooking to the next level. It gives a broad overview of multiple culinary styles and leaves you free to investigate them in more depth with other specialized cookbooks. At the same time, the recipes are not overly complex - there's little worry of being frustrated or not being able to find the exotic ingredients (as I have found with some other cookbooks). In my opinion, a much better buy than the Joy of Cooking.
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Summary: Great content but poor binding
Review: First of all, let me say this is the BEST cooking reference around, but if I have to replace it every year due to the bibding breaking, I will stick to the Betty Crocker Cook Book I stole from my mom. That book is from 1961 and still in great shape!
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Summary: A sheepish Follow Up
Review: About 6 months ago I wrote a negative review of this book, and since I can't seem to access it to delete it, I need to write a rather sheepish follow up. I was a very reluctant beginner, and I was initially discouraged with this work, because I found the author's suggestions on doing everything from scratch overwhelming. But another purchase, "How to Cook Without a Book," got me on my feet, and after a few good results, I found myself turning more and more often to this one. I now use it every day. From it I have learned everything, from the basic to the mysterious, and after months of use I can honestly say I have never had a bad result. My family doesn't know what hit them, and their compliments have grown in stature until yesterday my husband announced that I am a better cook than his mother, a small, round Italian woman dedicated to her craft, and someone I hope never reads this. (: I have had so much success from every recipe I have used that I, um, well, I actually kind of like to cook now, which is a minor miracle considering how I felt about it before. This book with the other I mentioned have changed my family and even social life. My family is delighted and eating far better than they were, and I am much more willing now to have people over, knowing I can serve up something warm and delicious, elegant or comforting, without panic and apprehension. So it's 5 stars to my former 3, and a "thank you" to the author to boot.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have
Review: I am a beginner and this book is so easy to use and helps in so many ways that I am buying them as gifts for my family and friends.
Rating:
Summary: EVERYTHING You Need
Review: I have owned this cookbook for over two years now, and it is absolutely one of my favorites. I believe it is a must-have for every kitchen, so much so, that I gave one to each of my bride's maids when I got married. It's practical, accessible, and easy to read. Bittman's writing style is casual and unpretentious, and he lets you know the specifics of his recipes. For example, he states that he does not prefer his muffins to be that sweet, but if you do, add more sugar. This may sound pretty basic, but it's the details such as this that really make this book special. I often find myself reading it when I am not cooking anything at all, and I seem to learn something new every time. I also work at a kitchenware store and have referred this book to many customers-- most of whom end up purchasing it. Some customers lament at the lack of pictures of the finished product, but I have found that I am able to make great food without them. Anyway, the illustrations provided, such as how to carve a chicken, are very helpful and work towards the home cook's success. The bottom line is that you should not ask yourself "Should I buy this cookbook?", but "Why don't I own it?".
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Summary: Hot Buttered New Year's
Review: I bought this book several years ago and the cashier at Border's laughed at me. In a snide tone she said something like, "Does it really teach you how to cook everything?" The answers is, yes (with very, very few exceptions). Mark Bittman's book explains how to boil an egg on one page and makes the idea of home made puff pastry sound appealing on another. He has taught me how to make a great tomato-bay-cinnamon sauce, the best biscuits I've ever had, and hundreds of other interesting items. My husband and I don't eat meat, and this book is still one of my most used (for more vegetable items nothing beats "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison). I give this book to everyone: my brother in celebration of his first appartment, my best friend because I watched her try to make pasta (she filled the pot completely full with water before putting it on to boil), and every bride I know. Mark Bittman makes cooking approachable and interesting. This book is some of the best money you will ever spend because it will improve the quality of your life. The reason I'm writing this review tonight is that I'm sitting around drinking the best hot buttered rum of my life and the recipe came from "How to Cook Everything". Several years later I'm still finding recipes that I fall in love with.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Reference for the Moderately Accomplished Cook
Review: This book is a terrific addition to just about any cookbook collection. Its great strength is its breadth. No matter what you're trying to do, chances are you'll find yourself reaching for this book. Bittman doesn't just cover the usual categories, such as meat entrees, fish, vegetables, pastas, etc. He also provides techniques... measurement conversion tables (imperial -- what Americans use -- to metric)... doneness temperatures for meats. And one of the best aspects of the book is Bittman's expansive, eclectic approach to tastes. There are basics from the French and Italian schools -- for example, how to bake fish with parsley and garlic, how to prepare steak -- but also Asian-inspired dishes such as a beef short ribs with anise that has become one of my winter staples. If you can't find something to cook in this book, your exhausted palate needs a rest. My one quibble -- and it's my husband's, not mine -- is that the usability of the recipies is in the eye of the beholder. With more than 1,500 recipies over more than 900 pages, the recipies are fairly compact. If you have a bit of experience and confidence, you'll sail through these recipies with good results. If you like your hand held every step of the way, you may find yourself guessing from time to time. All in all, an invaluable reference book you'll use often. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Do you love me now that I can cook!?!
Review: Raised by culinary spider monkeys in the frozen food isle of deepest GreenGoop, I was deprived of truly good, simple, but wonderful food. Rescued now these last ten years by my husband, native of that great food capital New Orleans, I learned the difference between steaming carrots and absent mindedly charring them to the bottom of his now dearly departed AlClad pot.(Killing two other AlClad pots while trying to sterilize my breast-pump was a terrible accident, but wholly unrelated to cooking. So I think you can still trust what I say ;) ) Being able to one day cook food that would rival his was a faint and unlikely scenario that made me giggle. But I was watching and learning, and then one day he presented me with 'How to Cook Everything' and, voila!, I had gained the partner I didn't know I needed. You can believe all the wonderful things people have been writing about the ease of use, the helpful nature, and the educational qualities of Bittman's style. I even consult this book when I'm cooking a recipe from some other source, just to get a better feel for what I'm doing. Please, on behalf of the culinarily-challenged everywhere, buy this book and use it to rescue some other poor soul from a lifetime of overcooked, oversalted, underconsidered, and generally abused "food". Act quickly, there are others out there and they need us.
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Summary: for the new or seasoned cook
Review: I have been cooking for decades and consider myself a knowledgeable and creative cook. I refer to cookbooks, but most of the time invent my own recipes. Mark Bittman's book is the only cookbook to which I regularly refer. I might have forgotten the best way to cook beans,or just need a tip or idea to enhance my thinking. Mark is a brilliant writer, clear and precise, with a homey, approachable feeling. I recommend this book for beginning cooks, such as all of our children, as well as for those experienced in the kitchen.
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Summary: Do not buy this Cookbook with CD-Rom
Review: Preface: I love the cookbook. The book itself gets 5 stars. The following review is in regards to the CD-Rom that is included in the Special Edition of this cookbook that cost $15 more. I received this book as a gift when my previous copy fell apart. I was more then happy to get the edition that included the CD-rom. I quickly attempted to install the program to see what wonderful things would be included in the program. Well I installed it and it says that it need 3MB of memory to run. I have 1 gig of ram and had shut down every program on my computer. So I had 900 MB of memory available but the program could not find 3 of those 900. And do not think that you can get an answer from the book publishers. They will send you a form e-mail stating that the issue is with your machine and not the software itself. I have a brand new machine that more then surpasses their recommended specs to run their software; but alas and alak it does not run. So in short save your money and get the cook book minus the CD-rom since it does not work. Also as a side note, since I opened the CD-rom envelope in the back of the book, I cannot return my copy so as to buy the cheaper non CD-rom book. So there is another $15 down the drain this holiday season!!!!
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