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Summary: A Great Cooking Core Book
Review: I come from a restaurant family and am an avid collector of all types of cookbooks from vintage to Martha and I consistently grab Bittman's How to Cook Everything for how to "cut to the chase." His writing style is terrific for: explanations, definitions, useful tips and information, technique and recipes that I can't find in my vast collection of cook books. I must have in anyone's cookbook library.
Rating: 
Summary: If You Cook, Buy This Book
Review: I have a passion about cooking and an even greater one for eating. This cookbook more than satisfies both passions. "Simple Recipes for Great Food" is the subtitle of this excellent cookbook. No more accurate subtitle could have been found.I always loved "The Joy of Cooking" primarily because it made an invaluable reference book on the techniques of cooking. But, I have always felt the recipes dated, old fashioned, complicated & lacking. Enter Mark Bittman's book, "How to Cook Everything." It has what "Joy" doesn't - Great, fun, simple recipes. What makes this book stand out from so many others is that each chapter contains not just techniques & recipes, but numerous simple variations on those recipes. These variations make it very easy to find a recipe that steps outside the norm. "Twenty-Nine Crowd-Pleasing Thanksgiving Side Dishes You May Not Have Thought Of," was a wonderful index that gave me some great ways of making Thanksgiving just a little more special. "Four Simple Ways to Flavor Roast Chicken," made plain old roast chicken different and unique. Every chapter contains pages of these wonderful one-liner recipes. And perhaps the king of variation recipes, "Thirty-One Pasta Sauces and Dishes You Can Make in The Time It Takes to Boil Water and Cook the Pasta," had my family screaming for mercy after a few weeks. When I use this book, I feel like Mark Bittman is standing next to me, coaching me, chatting to me, guiding me through the recipes. The tone of his book, of his voice through it, makes me feel confident and capable of preparing simply great food. "How to Cook" should be in every new cook's kitchen and is invaluable as a beginners cookbook, and yet it's so much more than that. It encourages the intermediate and advanced cook to experiment and to extend their cooking style - to see the infinite variations of their own recipes. Some of my favorite recipes include: Cornbread - a dead ringer for my Oklahoma grandmother's. Basic Pizza Dough - tender and delicious. Chili Con Carne - with numerous variations all pleasing to the palette. Banana Bread - quicker, easier and a cut above any others I've found. The philosophy that pervades this book, is that fast food isn't, and cooking "from scratch" is not only so much better, but can be easier and faster. The point he makes is that "...it takes no more time to cook many meals than it does to call for a pizza and pick it up." This book is so large (over 1,500 recipes), so comprehensive (over 900 pages), it is difficult to do it justice in one review. The techniques are invaluable, the recipes simple and fun, and the tone helpful and encouraging. To say it simply, if you cook, buy this book. It makes cooking a "Joy".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for beginning and experienced cooks alike
Review: Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" contains the greatest breadth and variety of material that you will ever find in a cookbook. Actually, calling it a "cookbook" is somewhat of a misnomer, as it's more appropriately a cookbook slash instruction manual. The chapters cover very basic categories of food--eg, "grains," "vegetables," "meats," etc. Within each chapter, you will get not only recipes but also specific instructions on how to prepare each type of food. Making a chicken dish? Find out exactly how to cut up a whole chicken. Need fresh pineapple? Learn how to cut a whole pineapple into chunks. The recipes which follow are simple, easy to replicate, and best of all, open to a wide variety of adaptions. Once he provides the basic recipe, Bittman makes all kinds of suggestions for minor changes which can majorly alter the dish; this is a wonderful learning tool for novice cooks. There are no pictures here, but helpful illustrations are used throughout. Trust me, you will refer to this book time and time again, whether it's to answer a quick question, to try cooking something new, or simply to go back to the basics (ie, how long to boil an egg for hard-boiled). A great reference book to enhance any kitchen.
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Summary: This book brought "joy" back to my cooking
Review: I love cooking but after years of disappointment, I stopped buying cookbooks for several years. So many cookbooks nowadays are so "gourmet" oriented, their recipes may be fun for weekend cooking endeavors, but did not help an everyday cook like myself. I read the recipe collections put together by church, realtors, and so on, but so many family recipes call for canned cream soups and mayonnaise ... they didn't turn me on either. One day, I went to a bookstore, just to see what is out there, and I fell in love with this cookbook. I cannot agree with the author more about today's misconception of cooking "from scratch" in this country. It can be much more easy and fun than many of us may think and this cookbook teaches us how in plain English. They are so simple, you may wonder why so much fuss was made in other cookbooks. I tried the recipes for "Clam Chowder", "Stir-fry Cabbage", "Brownie", "Apple Pie" and so on within a few days after purchase, they are all so easy and delicious, and my family loved them too. (Especially, I will never buy a box of brownie mix again!) In short, this book brought "joy" back to my cooking and I am thankful for the author. One more factor to mention: the fonts and layout of this book are excellent, it is very easy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Useful and tutorial
Review: The few cookbooks I have offer recipies for things I will never cook as the directions are to time-consuming or confusing. I purchased this book as a wedding shower gift and leafed through it out of curosity. I used it (and liked it) immediately, and had to buy another copy for the bride. Nothing I have has directions as simple as this book does. Every recipie has a basic form. After the basic instructions, is a list of other options to add. Basic sauteed pork (easy by the way)? There is a few sentances on adding apples, vinegar or mushrooms. In every recipie there is room to add your own preferences with plenty of suggestions from Bittman.
There is a dictionary in the back of not only cooking terms, but different herbs and phrases used in the book. The phrase 'add to taste' is defined. Bittman describes the flavor of mant herbs and spices that he reccomends to give you (the cook) more room to cook. This is the first cookbook I have had as an adult that teaches. I have Betty Crocker's book, and a few others, but I feel as if I am reading a school textbook. I have no desire to challenge myself or thier sugggestions. Bittman not only wants you to challenge yourself, he makes it easy. The introduction lists all the things you will need to have in your kitchen to cook well. Most of the things you should already have. IThe only thing I didn'thave was a kitchen timer. That's all i needed. Now I cook impressively and have people asking me for my recipies. (The chicken that you make with a brick is a little difficult because it is hot and heavy to prepare, but who cares when others come to your hose just to "try that chicken you made last week"?)
There are no pictures as one reviewer mentioned. While that might deter some, it actually helped me alot. When there is a picture, I worry if my food dosen't look exactly like the photo says it should. Why worry over food??
Buy this book as a starter cookbook (the bride was happy), or if you are bored with 'textbook recipies'. Buy this if you want to know how to make good food and have you house smell like a bakery without a box mix. I had never eaten a made-from-scratch-muffin, they sounded awfully intimidating. Now I don't think I will ever buy a box mix again, and i know my children will never forgive me if I stop making them.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the non-cook!
Review: I thought I was a total loser in the kitchen before somebody gave me this cookbook as a gift. The recipes are really easy to follow and so far have been absolutely delicious. I'm not a total loser now, and can happily cook some incredible poached eggs and pork loin dishes.
If you're a lousy cook like I am, then give this book a try and see if it can help you improve your kitchen experience.
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Summary: IF YOU BUY ONE COOKBOOK, LET THIS BE IT.
Review: The sheer diversity of recipes, all 1500 or so of them, Japanese, Thai, Indian, French, is probably reason enough to get this pronto. By Everything it most likely means "wholesome yet practical meals for the ones you love". Almost all recipes I have tried to date use simple readily-available ingredients for healthy yet finger-licking victuals. As a bonus the writing is chipper than most culinary tomes on the market. My idea of THE cookbook, and a great gift idea too.
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Summary: SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS!!
Review: I love this guy. His approach to cooking is very down-to-earth and not elitist like so many other snooty chef cookbooks.
His recipes are amazingly simple, but turn out so very well.
Check out his creme brulee recipe, doesn't get any simpler than that, and all my friends tell me my creme brulee is the best they have tasted!
Mark Bittman allows me, a bachelor with no prior cooking experience, to really shine in the kitchen.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for when you want to cook everything
Review: The scope of this book, from my non-cook view, is vast. From the most simple dishes (mashed potatoes) to complex ones (mashed potatoes with something complex) this book covers it all.
It's definitely my desert island cookbook - as well as my dessert island cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: A Kitchen Staple
Review: If a person was to have just one cookbook, this would be it. This is the best cookbook and the first one I reach for when cooking, as evident in its now broken spine and food splattered pages... Like the title says, it'll teach you to cook just about anything. Take any recipe and it's a guarantee that it'll turn out delicious. Many times, I have used a recipe thinking, hmmm I don't know about this but OK, I'll give it a try and follow the instructions (instead of meandering away with ideas of my own...), and I always end up with something truly delectable. The only slight criticism I have about the cookbook is that the desert recipes are not up to par with the other recipes. Mark Bittman is a true meat and potato guy. His meat and vegetable recipes are failsafe. His desert recipes, although good, are sometimes too basic and not sweet enough, as deserts should sometimes be. For truly good deserts, I reach first for the Joy of Cooking, which has never failed. For anything else, I reach for How to Cook Everything. I highly reccommend the recipes for Simple Roast Chicken, Sauteed Pork Chops - Eight Ways, Classic Lasagne, Mayonnaise, Prime Rib for a Small Crowd, Full-Flavored Chicken Stock, etc. etc. etc.
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