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Summary: The Best Recipe
Review: For years I have depended on Cook's Magazine to teach me the right way to do so many things. It is not hard for me to give a round of applause to this book which puts everything right at my fingertips. Hurrah! Cook's Magazine and The Right Recipe,,,what a team.
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Summary: I go to bed dreaming about what I'll make tomorrow
Review: No kidding. Anyone who has made their lasagne or meatloaf knows what I'm talking about. They REALLY are the best you've ever tasted. My husband even took a third helping of broccoli (the one with the black olives and garlic)-- before last night, he's claimed repeatedly to abhor the vegetable. I am by no means an experienced cook, but THE BEST RECIPE makes me seem as though I missed my calling as a chef. Am anxious to work my way through this book, one by one.
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Summary: Even though the title bothers me...
Review: At this point, Cook's Illustrated Magazine has overused the words "best" and "perfect" to the point of irrelevance. Nevertheless, this is a great cookbook. It's well-organized -- so much so that the index is almost unnecessary. The recipes are solid and, most importantly, their development is well-documented. The latter helps you learn and grow as a cook, which is really the whole point, n'est-ce pas? A nice gift for any cook, armchair or otherwise.
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Summary: The Best Recipe
Review: The Best Recipe Cookbook is undoubtly the most valuable cookbook I've ever used. Do you want to know how to make a pie crust that looks as good as it tastes? Read up on why Best Recipe's method works. Have you ever had anyone exclaim that the oatmeal raisin cookie they just devoured was absolutely perfect? Turn to page 422 and your cookies will receive praise too. Ever spent $50 bucks on a prime piece of meat, and had it turn out the texture of shoe leather with less flavor? Use the suggestions in this book, and it won't happen again. The how-tos and well-written explanations make this a perfect reference as well as a source of recipes for all cooks. Buy the book--you'll be so happy with the results!
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Summary: A Seminal Work
Review: If ever there was a book that deserved six stars, this is the one. "The Best Recipe" is for people who love cooking enough to want to do it well. Readers of "Cooks Illustrated" magazine will recognize the method. Each recipe is the result of an extensive comparison of various versions, an investigation into the component ingredients to determine those most fundamental to the final result, and the careful assembly of a final version that is optimized for both flavor and ease of preparation. Along the way lessons are learned (and myths dispelled) about food science, cooking tools, techniques, and ingredients. Be advised, however, that the book is directed at the middle American palate. Though there are versions of more exotic dishes, they have been 'Americanized' to take advantage of ingredients most likely to be found at the local supermarket. An occasional trip to the spice boutique might be desired, but it won't be required. Nor will the stocking of 17 different types of flour or any other staple. The editors frequently compare products and end up recommending one that has been on the shelf, right next to the one you've been using for a long time. I really can offer only one criticism, but it's an important one -- flour measures are expressed in terms of volume, not weight. There is a big difference between one person's version of a cup of flour and another's, but an ounce is an ounce in anybody's hands. There really is no excuse for a book that attempts to find the best way to do things not to express flour in ounces or grams. Admittedly, there are casual text references to their version of a cup of bread flour being "about" 130 grams and a cup of cake flour being "about" three ounces. But, if these are the true equivalents used throughout the book, they are much less than the values quoted by others, and the difference would greatly affect the outcome of a recipe.
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Summary: Salt & Pepper - what's the big secret?
Review: I was expecting a recipe book full of the best recipes for both baking and cooking. What I got was a book full of great baking, but extremely simple, cooking recipes. The Best Recipe is innovative in that it explains why the authors choose to use particular cooking methods. As a beginner, I learned quite a bit from these explanations. While The Best Recipe does do a fabulous job of teaching you how to cook various types of dinners, the recipes left me wanting in flavor. Almost every recipe looks like this: "<Type of meat>, salt and pepper". Here is their prime rib recipe: "1 3-rib standing rib roast, salt and ground pepper". I hope I didn't breach any copyright laws there. Seriously, almost all of the cooking recipes look like this. Granted, some have a "master" recipe of salt & pepper, and include "variations" that have actual ingredients in them, but this was less common. I really don't understand how everyone can give The Best Recipe 5 stars. I suppose everyone else is using the book for baking, for which it does excel - their coconut chocolate chip recipe was indeed the best. I was quite disappointed with buying a "best recipe" book full of salt & pepper recipes. The Best Recipe should be renamed "Modern Cooking Explained", or some other educationally-focused title.
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Summary: Heavenly chicken stock
Review: I have to appologize in advance to my beloved mother who taught me how to make chicken stock. The stock produced by Cook's recipe was the best I've ever tasted; rich and deep were the flavors. Having been a subscriber to Cooks magazine since the first issue, I am never disappointed (try the recipe for slow cooked prime rib roast - yes it will cook - just be patient). You cannot go wrong with this book. It is essential.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book but...
Review: Truly excellent cookbook. I love reading all the how's and why's and research that went into all the recipes. The big question is why, why, why did they "forget" to put in a list of recipes at the beginning of each chapter or in the table of contents. Duh. Makes it rather difficult to find what you are looking for.
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Summary: Great Cooking Tool
Review: If the Joy of Cooking is the first step for cooks, then The Best Recipe is the entire staircase! This book tells how and why recipes work and gives the complete thought process behind the final result. A definite must for those who like to cook.
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Summary: Simply Outstanding
Review: I have been a collector of cookbooks for a number of years, and the best ones become dogeared and well worn for their wonderful recipes. This book is quickly working its way into becoming the most heavily used of the lot. It reads like a novel, the recipies are simple to follow and I have not been disappointed with the outcome of any that I've tried! It's worth it for the Chicken Soup stock and the master duck recipes alone. Highly recommended.
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