Rating: 
Summary: Great recipes and tips, but all the pages are falling out.
Review: To echo what other people have said, this is a very good cookbook. However, after less than a year of use, all the pages began falling out. Cookbooks are supposed to last for years so that you can pass them on. I don't really want to buy another copy of this book because it will probably just fall apart too.
Rating: 
Summary: An Inspiration To Cook.... Everything!
Review: Bittman's book is an inspiration to cook… everything! Its clean layout and step-by step instructions make it easy to find one’s place, mid-recipe, even while busy in the kitchen. Each section is prefaced with the concepts behind the recipes to follow. Even an amateur cook can adjust recipes without creating food-disasters. Recipes begin with a brief description by the author as well as any important preparation information a cook would need before her or she begins. It also notes the number of servings and average preparation time. Often following the instructions, Bittman will list a number of variation ideas to enhance the recipe. Although there are no end-result pictures, the pages are sprinkled with helpful diagrams. A detailed index and glossary follow the recipe section, as well as several pages on menu planning. Dishes turn out delicious every time. This is one complete cookbook no kitchen should be without. It would make an excellent gift. ...
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book for yourself and all your friends!
Review: I can't imagine ANYONE who loves food not loving this book, regardless of how experienced (or not) they are in the kitchen. For those who are just beyond boiling water, Bittman's tone is encouraging and his instructions clear. For those who are already comfortable in the kitchen, his novel ideas, easy preparations and multiple variations make this book a pleasure. I've only owned it for a month, and already it has been used more than other books I've had for years. In addition to the recipies, the book is a pleasure to read.
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Summary: The most useful gift I ever received
Review: This book is excellent. What can I say? It has introduced me to a whole new world of cooking -- allowing me to make dinner every night on a busy student schedule, yet without resorting to canned or boxed foods (his emphasis on pure ingredients has given me a whole new appreciation for things like real Parmesan cheese and extra-virgin olive oil). My favorite thing about it is that I hardly ever have to buy more than a couple of things to cook one of his recipes -- he relies on basic pantry staples, no weird ingredients to go out and search for. If you enjoy cooking but feel overwhelmed by the time and effort usually required, this book is for you. The food is fresh and delicious, yet easy to prepare. Miraculous.
Rating: 
Summary: Great guide for the ungifted cook
Review: I'm essentially a cooking klutz and I just finished making a delicious roasted duck w/apricot chutney dinner, complete with eggplant and seasame dressing salad and crepes suzette! This book is perfect for those types that are reluctant to pick up a pan for fear that they won't know what to do next. Bittman's introduction to each section, with very helpful commentary throughout, is ideal for beginning cooks that don't know much about anything, yet yearn to make and eat good stuff!
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Summary: Fabulous cook book for beginners!!
Review: For those just getting started in learning how to cook with basic
foods instead of processed foods, I highly recommend "How To Cook
Everything" by Mark Bittman. Many recipes and cookbooks out there call for such "convenience" items as canned soups or pre-processed foods. Bittman's recipes, on the other hand, draw on the idea of a basic "pantry" of plain, pure foods, supplemented by fresh vegetables and fruits in season. Many of his recipes combine vegetables that come in season at the same time, and so are appropriate for those living off a garden. In addition, he gives step-by-step instructions, aimed at the inexperienced cook, on how to cook, well, everything-- soup, bread, beans, grains, vegetables, meats, seafood, fruits, cakes, etc... (Except armadillos, as my father keenly pointed out. There are no recipes for armadillos.) Detailed illustrations finally made it clear to me exactly how to chop up a whole chicken. There is even a frank discussion about beans and gas. Bittman draws on the home cooking traditions of almost every world ethnicity. Tangy Middle Eastern recipes sit right next to spicy Thai ones and savory French ones. There is a whole chapter on pasta. You will never serve it with canned spaghetti sauce again, once you have tried his quick and easy recipes. Every dish has fresh bright flavor, with very little work. He has definitely earned his nickname, "The Minimalist." Cooking with this book has opened up a whole new world for me. It is helping my family transition from processed foods to pure foods. I now make a lot of foods I would have bought processed, such as chicken broth. My chicken broth in particular has proved extremely useful. I freeze it into broth cubes which I put in my kids' soup to cool it. I also give it to a friend of mine who is often sick and who is allergic to soybeans. (You'd be surprised how many processed foods have soybeans in them, even bread crumbs! Read the labels.)
Rating:
Summary: Best Cookbook Ever!
Review: I used this book to cook a Thanksgiving dinner last year. Every recipe that I needed was in there, even the random appetizers I decided to make. I have been using this cookbook for all of my recipe needs ever since. I highly recommend it for all levels of chefs.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST - WORTH A UNIVERSE OF STARS!
Review: There are cookbooks with hit and miss recipes, some with exotic recipes, some that have ingredients one could not possibly find, some that take days to prepare and others than can put the finished meal on the table in thirty minutes and taste like microwaved cardboard! None of that will be found here. This book contains straight-forward, down-to-Earth, delicious recipes that taste like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours but are easy to prepare. If I had to make a list of the five greatest cookbooks in existence, this one would rate among the top five. Why? It is so thorough and complete. Everything you will ever need is found here, and if you do not have some of the ingredients on hand, there is a list of variations that can also be used. These recipes are definitely tried, tested and true! The French Onion Soup is a staple and all-time favourite in my home. This is not just a cookbook, it is the cook's saving grace!
Rating:
Summary: It comes pretty close to having EVERYTHING!
Review: This is the first book review I've written, and I'm doing it because this book is great! When I want to know how to cook something, it is here. This book is more complete than my Fanny Farmer cookbook, and much more down-to-earth than the Joy of Cooking. Gives some great shortcuts. Written clearly and simply. If I had to throw out all my cookbooks except one, this would be the one!
Rating:
Summary: Not quite everything, but close enough
Review: "Everything" is an exaggeration, but I'll give Mr. Bittman a pass on that. I consider this one of the better cookbooks I own, and it's the one I turn to most often. It covers all the major food groups and a number of cooking styles, although it does lean heavily towards "modern" cooking; low(er) fat, olive oil everywhere, and lots of trendy veggies. Old fashioned "home cooking" gets little play, here, but that seems to be true of most new cookbooks, so I really can't fault Mr. Bittman for that, either. The recipes are relatively easily prepared, for the most part. And the ones I've made have turned out to be quite good.
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