Rating: 
Summary: Haven't Missed Yet
Review: Every recipe in this book that I've tried so far has been a hit right away. The cinnamon rolls, the chocolate cake, the pumpkin pie, the ribs... everything has turned out perfectly. The cinnamon rolls and chocolate cake have even turned into regular additions at my cafe. Pam Anderson writes with a distinctive voice that makes reading her trail and error accounts entertaining as well as informative. As a cook who always wants to know why a recipe works, not just that it does, it was interesting to see on paper the same recipe permutations I tend to go through myself.
Rating: 
Summary: Shame on you, Houghton-Mifflin!
Review: I am probably the No. 1 fan of Pam Anderson's previous book, The Perfect Recipe. I have made many of the recipes and they have all been outstanding. So the minute I heard she had a new book out, I got right on the computer and ordered it.In the book's defense, I have not made any of the recipes yet. My gripe is with the layout and editing. Tonight, for instance, I am going to make the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary-Orange Crust. One of the ingredients is Quick Brined Pork Tenderloins, the recipe for which is on a previous page. O.k., it's not my favorite thing in a cookbook, but not unusual. The instructions, however, refer me back to yet another page that features a recipe for a tenderloin with a different crust. In that recipe the meat is cooked over a gas fire. I am using charcoal. Which means I must refer to yet another page. That's 4 pages I now have to flip through! I'm tired before I've even begun! This just seems like a cheap way to save on pages. Why can't the recipes be presented in their entirety? I also am not enjoying the design of the recipe pages with the very, very pale green alternating numbers. It just seems gimmicky and counter-productive. Ms. Anderson, you are a genius and you deserve better than this from your publisher!
Rating: 
Summary: recipes speak for themselves
Review: i felt compelled to write after reading some negative reviews. i checked this out from the library (as is my habit to do before spending any money on my own copy-much less disappointment that way) and have made already 2 recipes. they were for the broiled salmon and oven-cooked ribs. i do not lie when i say that they were huge hits...the ribs i have done twice due to popular demand. i do realize that is not a lot of testing, but 2 recipes without a hitch the first time around making them has earned this cookbook a must-have. this is not gourmet dinky food, but real good home food . the food most of us choose to eat without resorting to cream-of-you-know-what or worse several hours of gastronomic acrobatics to find that your family doesn't like it. the only reason this did not get 5 stars was due to the low ratio of recipes given the amount of text and number of pages in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Chemist in the Kitchen
Review: I loved CookSmart. As a chemist, I enjoy doing experiments at home in the kitchen as well as at work. The way that Pam described the process that she went through to find the ideal conditions for each recipe mirrors the careful manipulation and recordkeeping that accompanies a scientific experiment. I like knowing why each ingredient was chosen and what happened with other ingredients to make them less than perfect. Even if you don't appreciate the detailed dialogue that precedes each recipe, you will appreciate the results of using each perfected recipe. I tried the Chicken Parmesan, Oven-Fried Chicken, Turkey Burgers and some of the hints for perfect pie crust. All of the food turned out wonderfully and satisfied my need to occasionally prepare gourmet type food for my family. I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes!
Rating:
Summary: A Chemist in the Kitchen
Review: I loved CookSmart. As a chemist, I enjoy doing experiments at home in the kitchen as well as at work. The way that Pam described the process that she went through to find the ideal conditions for each recipe mirrors the careful manipulation and recordkeeping that accompanies a scientific experiment. I like knowing why each ingredient was chosen and what happened with other ingredients to make them less than perfect. Even if you don't appreciate the detailed dialogue that precedes each recipe, you will appreciate the results of using each perfected recipe. I tried the Chicken Parmesan, Oven-Fried Chicken, Turkey Burgers and some of the hints for perfect pie crust. All of the food turned out wonderfully and satisfied my need to occasionally prepare gourmet type food for my family. I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes!
Rating: 
Summary: chili
Review: i made the recipe rotisserie chicken chilli with hominy & chiles.it was the worst recipe i have ever made.we gave it to two of our neighbors and they also did not like it and threw it out. it was not that cheap to make. we tried it for our super bowl festivities and thank goodness we did. i would have been very embarrassed to have served it.we are known in the area for being better than average cooks.people are always asking us for our recipes.sincerely disapointed
Rating:
Summary: chili
Review: i recently wrote a review about chicken chili and am sorry i wrote it. i gave an opinion of a recipe i found in the newspaper and not from her book.i recently spoke to pam and she set me straight about the recipe and evidently i did not puree a certain portion of it properly which caused my problem cooking it. my mistake and i appologize. i reccomend her recipes and will continue to try more of them. sincerely diane
Rating:
Summary: Recipes really please a crowd, again and again.
Review: I've had so many of the recipes in this book and each one is just better than the other. They really are the Perfect recipes, I can see why Pam is so popular. I like to call this my "memory food" book, since all the food taste like I remember it tasting at its best. Chocolate Cake tastes like the best diner chocolate cake. The ribs are better than any roadhouse or bbq I've been in and they are so easy as well. I recently fed a crowd and "everyone" wanted the recipe. The oven fried chicken tastes like fried without all that messy oil! The key lime pie is my favorite and I've eaten a lot. And the peanut butter cookies and the chocolate chip cookies are better and bigger than any mall-cookie seller. Veggie lasagna pleases all my vegetarian friends and meat lovers alike. I could go on and on. I've already given this book as gifts and they have bought the book for presents of their own. Every recipe will quickly become "your" recipe." I'll never make Ceaser salad any other way again. All I can say is give me more. My only complaint is that there are no pictures.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have!
Review: Like her previous book, "The Perfect Recipe" (another must-have by the way), Anderson has made this home-chef very happy. Really excellent recipes, and so well written - it makes cooking even more fun! I especially loved the "Ribs that Taste like you have Slaved all Day" chapter; I live in NYC and even an apartment dweller can make superb ribs thanks to Pam Anderson. I highly recommend this cookbook. It sits right next to my "Joy of Cooking" and is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS COPY- IT IS A BOOK LIKE EVERY OTHER COOKBOOK
Review: Such a copy of what is already out there. No need to say any more!
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