Rating: 
Summary: A Candidate for the only cookbook you really need category
Review: Reviewing a book which claims to have instructions on how to cook everything seems to be something of a challenge. The way I decided to simplify the task was to compare it to another highly regarded 'how to cook everything' book. The touchstone I chose is 'James Beard's American Cookery', which is his Magnum Opus, and much larger than the more simply titled 'James Beard Cookbook'.My first comparison was to simply see if one had things the other did not. I picked five dishes out of thin air, being things of which I happen to be fond and which are not too unusual to my mind, although several of them may be considered regional specialities. Of the five dishes, Beard outscored Bittman on three out of five dishes, and fell behind Bittman on two dishes. Corn Bread Beard 1 Bittman None
Creamed Chipped Beef Beard 3 Bittman None
Chicken Pot Pie Beard 3 Bittman None
Crab Cakes Beard None Bittman 1
Cabbage, Braised Beard 1 Bittman 2 This is hardly the whole story, but it is certainly a vote for the older book. Beard's book does not have recipes for rabbit or for Chinese noodles, but then, it only claims to be presenting American Cuisine, not 'everything'. My next consideration involves the style in which the two books write their recipes. Beard actually used a style made popular by Julia Child's 1962 publication of 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' where the ingredients are listed in the margins and the procedure is in the body of the text. Unfortunately, Beard did not go all the way in restructuring the procedures, as the textual steps are not broken by punctuation as they are in Child's book. Bittman uses a style more commonly seen in newer books, where the procedure is below the ingredients and steps are numbered. I find this much easier to follow. I give this round to Bittman. On the overall range as given by the table of contents, Beard's book covers a wider range of general subjects, but I still consider this a draw, as Bittman's chapters represent more modern interests, including a chapter on international flatbreads which Beard does not cover. On sheer size, Beard wins with 839 pages of text versus Bittman's 806 pages. Beard has 32 pages of index to Bittman's 52 pages of slightly larger fonted index. Probably a tie. Comparing what the two authors write on asparagus, I find little to choose. Volume of material is equal. Bittman gives more options, but few details on most options. Beard gives more background information. Personally, I find Beard much more fun to read and I refer to his book in preference to Bittman's book when I want a simple recipe using a particular foodstuff. My experience with preparing recipes from the two books is that Beard gives me consistantly more satisfactory results, but that is based on a very small sample, given the length of both books. The bottom line is that I must rate Bittman's book very highly especially for the very reasonable price per page, but I recommend Beard to anyone who asks.
Rating:
Summary: No More Take-Out
Review: I am a reformed take-out addict. Before I "met" Mark Bittman, cooking was a chore--now it's a sport. My husband and I have been using Mark's book for almost two years. At first, we cooked occasionally and followed his recipes exactly. Over time, and with his encouragement, we learned to improvise. Now, we cook pretty much every night and can go for weeks without repeating ourselves. We do have a few staples, like spaghetti sauce and salsa (jars are only for emergencies now). If Mark could just come up with a book that makes doing dishes less of a chore, everything would be perfect. (FYI, I read some complaints about the book falling apart, but mine is in fine shape. It has been through falls off the shelf, hot summers & cold winters, and a lot of use.)
Rating:
Summary: What makes this book so powerful. ..
Review: This cookbook does four things simultanously, and it does an excellent job of all of them. First, as you would expect, the book provides a HUGE number of excellent recipes. Every category (soup to nuts) is covered and in surprising detail, considering that this is a single volume. Regional and international dishes certainly get their due: Bittman is not a chauvanist. Second, Bittman does a very nice job in presenting techniques. His writing is not authoratative, but rather friendly and calm. He seems to be at your side, telling you that this this new technique is going to be no big deal. In point of fact, a close reading of the book shows you that Bittman rarely uses any complex techniques. You really need only know the basic of roasting, frying, sauteeing, and the like. On occasion, a tricky technique is underdescribed. For example, if you know how to carve a turkey after the brief description provided here, you are a mind-reader or very lucky. On the plus side, Bittman is explicit and careful about the importance of time in cooking, a simple but crucial factor that is usually given short treatment in beginning books. Third, the book seeks to help you even before you start cooking. The menu planner is extensive, offering 10 versions of a light lunch (for example). Even better, there are lists throughout the book to help you plan meals. For example,
29 vegetable dishes that are great at room temperature
12 egg dishes suitable for supper Fourth, the book also gets the beginning cook to start thinking of branching out on his or her own, and not just following recipes lock-step. For example, lists such as:
10 simple additions to pork stir fry
8 simple ideas for brownies
make one realize that experimentation can lead to interesting new combinations, and better, seeing a long list of successful combinations might make a reader think about the commonalities among them, and induce rules about interesting contrasts in flavor, texture, and so on. This book is an AMAZING accomplishment. It would make an ideal first cookbook but would be equally valued by an experienced cook.
Rating:
Summary: Great Cooking
Review: My mother is a fantastic cook and has a catering business. I am an amateur but love to cook and love to try new things. Often (practically daily) I call my mom (she lives in Georgia) to ask her a question about the finer points of some recipe or food. Inevitably she asks, "Have you looked in Mark Bittman yet? Because if you haven't, go look and call me back later if he doesn't have an answer." He always has the answer and explains it in a way that is not intimidating for us lesser mortals to the kitchen world!! I still talk to my mother, but less frequently!! This is the best cookbook that I own and would recommend it to anyone who wants to cook.
Rating:
Summary: An Essential Cookbook
Review: I rarely find a cookbook I like, but this is one I can rave about. Mark Bittman has taken some of the most basic elements of cooking and combined them into delicious results. From soup to nuts (try the Nutty Vinaigrette on page 93), Bittman has brought together some of the best (and easiest) recipes that you can reproduce in your own kitchen given minimal skills and talent. As the title suggest, these really are "simple recipes for great food". The sections are broken up into sensible chapters that doesn't have you looking aimlessly. Illustrations for some of the techniques, such as filleting fish, are easy to follow and understand. I have tried several recipes in this book. Every one was a success. That to me is higher praise that stringing together adjectives that fall short of giving Mark Bittman's book justice. You will not be disappointed. Guaranteed.
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.
Rating: 
Summary: After having used this book for over a year...
Review: I'm still amazed by how much is in this book. The other day I wanted to try making Pho and there it is! (under Vietnamese beef soup). As a day to day reference, this book excels. I turn to it first thing if I need to know how to deal with a certain type of vegetable. There a plenty of great recipes in here, however, as I've gained more cooking knowledge, I've found alot of them to be less than exciting. Take things like the brownie recipe or the death by chocolate cake. I've made both and they are very underwhelming (to the point of wondering how Bittman could have thought to use these particular recipes). This book is an essential purchase that will get you going in the right direction and always be there as a needed reference, but I feel it's best as a jumping off point.
Rating:
Summary: Great first cookbook !
Review: This is a basic book with plain and simple recipes. It also has explainations so you can understand why things are done a certain way. If you are a beginner or expert cook, this book will be very usefull. I refer to it often.
Rating:
Summary: A wedding present--from my mom!
Review: When Mom gave me this book at a wedding shower, she joked that she hoped it would cut down on the "how-to" phone calls as I finally started cooking more frequently. Four years later, I have to let you know that most of my best "company" recipes--food that's easy to make for a lot of people--come from this book. In fact, the one thing my mom asks me to make most when we have something we both need to cook for, poached and roasted chicken, came from How to Cook Everything. It's that great and that simple. What this book lacks in pictures it makes up for in reliability. Happy cooking--and eating!
Rating:
Summary: not a great "browsing" cookbook, but great reference
Review: If you're like me, than you love to curl up with a cookbook and browse it, salivating at the color photographs, marking recipes that look exciting and interesting, and getting inspired. This is not the cookbook for that sort of thing. No color photographs, and way to heavy to just leaf through for fun. That said, this IS a great reference. I turn to it whenever I get the urge to make something specific (like fried catfish, or steamed asparagus), and for that, it's wonderful. The index is wonderfully laid out and comprehensive, pretty much guaranteeing that you'll be able to find some variation of what you're looking for. I love his little pop-up boxes (for lack of a better descriptor) with labels like "Twenty-Two Salads You Can Eat as a Main Course," the black and white technique illustrations (2 different ways to prepare artichoke!), and the "Basics of..." sections. I never owned a copy of the Joy of Cooking, but from what I hear, I use this the same way a lot of people use that classic. Plus, the recipes I've made have all been precise, easy to follow, and delicous. (Only 4 stars because it lacks the visual appeal I love in other cookbooks.)
edit : one thing to note - buy this instead of Bittman's multitude of other, specialized "How to Cook Everything" cookbooks. I compared the index from this to the full index pictured here for those books, and most of the recipes in those books are here! Looks to me like he's just trying to make more money repackaging these recipes, and for me, that was almost enough to knock one star off this reveiw.
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