Rating: 
Summary: Lives up to its promise
Review: I haven't tried the recipes in this book yet, but I like to read through my cookbooks from start to finish when I receive them, and this one looks like it is what it claims to be: a book that describes the basics of cooking meat, poultry, pasta, seafood, eggs and vegetables. There's also a section on baking. It's very straightforward and I understood more from the exceptionally realistic drawings describing step by step how to (for example) dice an onion than I did from the actual photographs in "The Professional Chef" which says a lot right there. Definitely buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really so simple...
Review: Whether or not this book is worth the money for you depends on what your goal as a cook is. I am a mom who recently gave up my career to stay at home with my daughter. I have never really had an interest in cooking, but I wanted my family to gather together at the table around something more than takeout boxes every night, so I bought a couple cookbooks to get me started. But honestly, this one really discouraged me. The recipes are more long and involved than the title suggests (the preparation times listed are often deceiving, as they include time consuming, pre-made ingredients), and the author's condescending attitude towards anything not started from scratch is kind of disheartening for someone who just wants to serve up something healthy and tasty, not impressive and gourmet. He rolls his eyes at precut vegetables, coughs delicately over store bought curry powder, and downright sneers at bullion cubes ("as for bullion cubes, forget it. You're better off with water and a few extra vegetables"). I'm sure homemade stock or his recipe for "vastly improved canned stock" really is much better, and all in all his recipes and methods seem to be rich and varied, but, though Bittman would probably consider me a culinary lowbrow, cooking just isn't something I want to take up a major part of my. I was much happier with my other purchase, "How to Cook Without a Book" by Pam Anderson. It offers a completely different philosophy on cooking that I found much more doable. So if your goal is to become a master cook and you have the time and inclination to make every meal from scratch, I think this is the book for you. But if your heart or schedule is not devoted to much more beyond the preparation of good but simple food, you probably want to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great core reference book
Review: This book has become the first source I look to when I need to look up a basic recipe. If you already have a source like this (Joy of Cooking, Betty Crocker) this book may not be a valuable addition for you. I have my own recipes for some favorites I make often, such as crepes, but I hardly ever make potato salad, for example, and it's nice to have a source for just about any standard American fare you can think of.To its detractors - if you view the title as some sort of challenge to try and find something not included... well did you REALLY think it would have "everything" when you bought it? It's just a catchy title, lighten up. Yes, it's slanted toward the American kitchen, with the exception of a heavy nod toward the Italian. I'd suggest a Vietnamese cookbook if you're looking to prepare authentic Vietnasmese food. Especially amusing was the reviewer who lamented the lack of recipes for chicken's feet. Again, did you REALLY think you'd find this in a general cookbook? There really isn't any lack of sources for anything you'd want to cook, through the Internet or the huge number of cookbooks published each year. Judge this book on what it has, not what's "missing". And, at nearly 1,000 pages, it has quite a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Bittman is NOT a baker
Review: I've had this cookbook for a couple of years, and I use it often. Because it is so comprehensive, it is often the first book I grab from my shelf. But I have learned (the hard way) that Bittman's weakness is baking. His recipes for meat, poultry, and other savory items are good (although not perfect--I've had a few clunkers), but all of the recipes for baked items I've tried have turned out poorly. The "basic" muffins were dry and and lacked flavor, the Irish soda bread was bland (where are the raisins and the carraway seeds?), and the rice pudding was too much rice and too little custard. One exception was the blueberry sauce, which was the best I've ever tasted and is quite simple to make. Serve it to your guests with vanilla Breyer's ice cream and they will lick their plates when you turn your back.(I substituted brown sugar for white just to add a little more flavor.) Buy this book for cooking dinners, but when it comes to dessert, pick a baking-only cookbook such as The Cake Bible.
Rating:
Summary: My default cookbook for everything!
Review: This deserves the awards its won! It's a fabulous combination of tested techniques, common and unusual ingredients and great recipes. All the basic stuff is here (e.g. roast chicken) but he provides guidance for more sophisticated variations from a variety of ethnic cuisines as well. For example, the banana bread recipe is simple, but the inclusion of coconut makes it fabulous. The japanese noodle salad is a regular dish for me now too. This is a resource I turn to again and again and it is even more valuable with the addition of pages of practical menu suggestions in the back. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: Beginners' Guide to Cooking
Review: Not really having the home training from my parents, this book gave me the basics to everything. It covers pasta, rice, soups, salads, poultry (chicken to even game birds), pork, beef, deserts, and even mixed drinks. I would recommend it to any young adult or student that is willing to learn to cook. My favorite is the extra crispy parmesan chicken with mozzerella cheese!
Rating:
Summary: The very best for beginners
Review: I am 50 and only got interested in cooking a year ago. This cookbook and Fine Cooking magazine are the reasons it finally took....
This book will tell you with clear explanations and drawings how to cut something up... or whatever you want to know about a particular food. All the stuff that I didn't know and didn't seem to be able to find out easily.
For instance, I was eating bing cherries tonight, wondering if they could be used in a pie. I don't bake - how should I know, right? Duh... :) So I read all about cherries. Then I got into fruit compotes and mousse...Then I read all about pastry... this cookbook is fun, and you can end up surfing it just like that.
Even if I use a recipe from some other source, I go to this book to bone up on the ingredients - how to buy, how to prepare, etc. So far I have always found what I was looking for. He really must have included EVERYTHING. :) In addition to this, it also has very good recipes.
Finally, I love the intelligent way it's organized, because you can find the item alphabetically in the index and then go either to THE BASICS OF... sections for techniques and basic info on the item, or directly to the recipes containing the item.
Rating:
Summary: Back to basics book a wonderful gift for beginning cooks
Review: As college students with our own kitchen for the first time, my roommates and I found ourselves sinking into the Hamburger Helper - frozen pizza - mac and cheese slump in trying to prepare meals for each other. For us, many of the cookbooks we found called for ingredients or techniques with which we weren't familiar, and really, who wants to buy saffron or fresh chives if you only know one way to use them and don't know how long they'll last? This book takes things down to the basics - how to do all those simple techniques no one seems to explain, which pans and utensils to use, how to tell when things are done or turning out right. Thanks to this book, I am much less scared to try breaking away from recipes as I understand better how certain ingredients and techniques change the finished product. I also admire the author's stance that cooking a decent meal can happen in the same time it takes to order a pizza, so there really is no excuse not to cook. This definitely would be a welcome gift for high school or college graduates, or anyone learning to cook for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: The first cookbook I reach for
Review: "Hmm, let's see. Pork chops are on sale. I've never made pork chops before. How does Bittman say to do them? Oh, that seems easy. Wow, that came out great. Oh, pork chops are on sale again. I want to try something different this time. How about if I try one of the variations listed after the basic recipe? That one looks good and is still pretty easy. Well, another success. I haven't had time to go shopping. What's this in the back of the freezer? Pork chops, again? I don't have any wine to make them the way I usually make them. I do have some hard cider; I bet that will work. Who knew I'd be coming up with tasty variations of my own?" This is the best cookbook I've found for teaching people how to cook. Bittman starts with a basic recipe and then suggests variations. By seeing how the variations change the original recipe, it is easy to see how to make additional changes. I can't tell you how many recipes from this cookbook have been added to my basic repertoire, and how easy they are to modify to whatever ingedients I have on hand. If you are a busy cook, who values making good food, and doesn't have time for recipes that require special shopping trips and ingredients you will never use again; this is the cookbook for you.
Rating:
Summary: A novel for casual cooks
Review: I've owned this book for about a year now, and today when I realized how often I consult it for cooking and baking, I had to write a review. This cookbook offers far more than recipes! It offers basics of food preparation, suggestions and ideas for alternatives to standard recipes, some background information on where particular dishes originated, and just general helpful hints. I use this book whether I'm creating something on my own in the kitchen, trying a recipe from a friend or another cookbook, or preparing one of Mark Bittman's dishes. Today I was looking for a recipe for pizza dough, and found myself caught up in reading an entire section! The instructions are clear and concise, and the language draws in even cooks with the most casual interest. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys food preparation - regardless of their skill level. This is a fantastic reference and cookbook, and would make a great gift!
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