Rating: 
Summary: good surprises
Review: I like and get cookbooks but was calling a halt until I read these reviews and bought it. I think it might end up my favorite for the many options and variations it adds to a basic recipe, like chicken breasts, for instance, including ideas, sauces, spices, from many countries, for which one would have to buy many cookbooks. The style is homespun and humorous. Good layout, a nice book physically. How did he do it?
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Disappointing
Review: A better name for this book might be "How To Cook Everything Mark Bittman's Way". That's not to say that his way is all bad; however, as much as I enjoyed some of his guidance and instruction, I found myself a little annoyed by the "my way or no way" tone at times. A book such as this should cover all points of view on how to cook everything, not just the author's.This book is worth a look and is a very helpful reference book in many respects, but if you want a true non-biased "How To Cook Everything" book, then buy "The Joy Of Cooking".
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: The cookbook for today's cooks. I gave the book this test: I looked up recipes I've been wanted lately but couldn't find in one place: key lime pie, posole, Thai basil beef, zucchini bread, berry jam, and baked cheesecake. I found them all in this lucid, must-have cookbook. And there's more--how to choose cookware, how to improve canned soups, the basics of knives, the internal temperature meat should properly reach. I am thrilled with every recipe I've tried. This book is clear, easy to use, and indispensible. If you know someone setting up their first kitchen, this would be a superb gift to be turned to again and again. Kudos to Mark--he deserves the James Beard Foundation award he won for this book
Rating:
Summary: The only cookbook you'll ever need!
Review: The Ultimate Cookbook! A must have for both the gourmet cook and the rushed housewife. The recipes are excellent. What I really love about them is that they are simple and Mark Bittman provides tons of ideas for alternative ways to cook things. I have long been a fan of his New York Times weekly articles and am glad that I discovered this book. If I had to have only one cookbook, this would definitely be the one.
Rating:
Summary: Cooking books are great, this one is a gastronomic delight!!
Review: The pictures are appetizing, the directions explicit. There has not been one question I have had from preserving fruits to smoking fish that has not been answered in detail. A book I will give as wedding and shower gifts knowing they will treasure it for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent kitchen reference
Review: I own several general cookbooks (as well as many more cuisine-specific ones) and this is my favorite so far. There are a few (especially the Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook) which have meals which don't seem authentic, healthy, or well described. I can unwaveringly recommend this book as a general reference for experienced cooks (for instance, trying to remember how to cook acorn squash) as well as people just buying their first pan. The recipes are well thought out, described, and the book is very user friendly. The recipes may not all have the exact flavor I associate with each dish, but all have been good so far. Other good just starting out cookbooks are the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and the Betty Crocker Cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply, the only cookbook you will ever need.
Review: This is the best cookbook I have ever read and used. It is unigue in that it serves as a great reference (how long should I steam artichokes?) as well as source of very interesting ideas. Rather than just providing recipes, Bittman teaches you to cook great food. He teaches that there is no need for strict adherence to recipes. He provides the basics and explains why they are the basics. From there, the cook is encouraged to create. After spending a few months with this cookbook, I cleaned off my book shelf. Those old copies of Fanny Farmer and the Joy of Cooking - gone.
Rating:
Summary: Who needs other cookbooks when I can have "How To Cook..."
Review: My wife did almost all of our cooking from the day we were married. Several years ago we were involved in a serious car accident and my wife was left quadriplegic. I was forced to take on the daunting task of cooking for five. Several months ago, my worries ended. How To Cook Everything has been a godsend with a very all-encompassing approach to the duties of the kitchen. Mr. Bittman's effort has resulted in a solid, easy to read (read: easy to follow) book that lets me be successful every time I fire up the stove. The kids, my wife and, I, especially, do not dread the terrors of the kitchen anymore. I highly recommend this work to any and all who have even the smallest need to cook.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and wonderful
Review: I am surprised (maybe chagrined is a better word) at the huffy reviews from some West Coast foodies here saying that this book doesn't really tell you how to cook EVERYTHING. I think they are taking the title too seriously. This book does have a LITTLE of everything, so that you can find something to cook whether you crave something sweet, a bean dish, a fresh salad, etc. There are also quite a number of ethnic recipes here, which are authentic enough but avoid obsessive attention to detail. The author does have a bit of a bias against nouvelle cuisine, but that's a plus in my book. For me the book has demystified such formerly obscure tasks as baking chicken and making Asian noodle soups. Every recipe I have tried, with very few exceptions, is delicious and quite easy, and that's good enough for me. Surely Mr. Bittman is not a xenophobe; more likely his recipe choices are limited out of respect for the limited budget and schedule of most home cooks. Yes, West Coast cooks are lucky to have ready access to more ethnic ingredients and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables than those of us in the rest of the country (although I really missed good Middle Eastern breads when I lived in Seattle - and try finding a decent bagel west of the Rockies!). If you have ample time and money to spend on cooking as a hobby, good for you. There are lots of cookbooks out there to keep you engaged. For the rest of us, though, Mr. Bittman's book is a godsend, a comprehensive guide to the good enough (which, in his own words, is overshadowed by the search for the best). It is a beacon of practicality in a sea of trendy food porn.
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: When it's mid-afternoon on a saturday, and I'm trying to decide what to cook, this is the book I grab. When I have a pound of leftover boneless chicken, this is the book I grab. The recipes are great. I love his approach of presenting a basic recipe plus 20-25 variations. We've had this book for 6 months, and given it as a gift several times also to rave reviews. Buy it, you won't regret it.
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