About this title: This is the bible for today's home cooks - now completely revised and updated. Hailed as 'a more hip Joy of Cooking' ("The Washington Post") and 'a tour de force' (Jacques Pepin) when it was first published a decade ago, "How to Cook Everything" won both James Beard and IACP Awards - and quickly established itself as an indispensable kitchen ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: 10 ANV REV
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780764578656ISBN:0764578650
Description: Ten years after the first edition, this complete revision features more than 50 new recipes, fully updated to reflect contemporary eating habits, and presented in a navigable, user-friendly layout. Mark Bittman's recipes are foolproof, easy, and more... read more
Description: New. A Brand New Copy. Never Read. Buy with confidence from an Independent Bookstore where the owners, a husband and wife team, have over 30 years of combined bookselling experience. read more
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"When I got this book, it was being billed as the new Joy of Cooking (maybe it still is), a basic cookbook that covers everything from how to cook to what to cook. And, for the most part, it is. The directions are simple, Bittman clearly explains everything from the type of pots and pans you should have to the basics of cooking meat. At the same time, I find that I rarely use this book, unless I'm looking for a simple recipe for vegetables or salad dressing or something else that is to serve as a complement to the main course I'm making. There's a fine line between simple and bland and unfortunately, Bittman seems to have crossed over to bland for many recipes. The recipes I've tried all turn out just fine, but they're usually in need of much more flavor. I find it's best to use these recipes as a base and then to add to it, according to your taste. That said, I wouldn't want to do without this book. It's handy to have in the kitchen since it truly does seem to have a recipe for anything I've needed. Except tea sandwiches..."
"On page xi, Mark Bittman lays things out: "Anyone can cook, and most everyone should. It's a sorry sign that many people consider cooking 'from scratch' an unusual and even rare talent. In fact, cooking is a simple and rewarding craft, one that anyone can learn and even succeed at from the get-go."
There are the usual features in this cookbook (and welcome for all that): ingredients that ought to be in your kitchen (page xiii),equipment, techniques (such as grilling, broiling, roasting, sauteing, etc.).
Then, to the recipes. . . . The first section here focuses (as one might guess) on appetizers. One of these is stuffed mushrooms, which provides a recipe close to that of my wife's family. I can say that the end result is delicious (the key: making sure that it does not get too dry when being cooked). Next, soups. The section starts out nicely with a description of how to make stock. You use bouillon cubes? Bittman says (page 44): "As for bouillon cubes, forget it. You're better off with water and a few extra vegetables." Late on, he addresses meats.
He begins by nicely identifying where the different cuts of beef and pork are, and the characteristics of each (with beef, from chuck to round, from brisket to loin). The recipes for beef are straightforward. This is not Emeril Lagasse or Martha Stewart (each of whom plays a useful role in providing information on cooking). The recipes are "everyday" stuff. For example, his "Grilled steak, American-style" could not be easier to make. Pork chops? On page 457 and after, he describes how to sautee pork chops eight different ways. With apples or with sherry and garlic or with dried fruit or. . . . He discusses stir frying and how to make it work.
Vegetables? He describes the different ways of cooking them and then provides recipes. I have come to really enjoy veggies, after spending my first two decades resisting eating them. There are a series of nice recipes for, to illustrate, asparagus, which is one of my favorites.
All in all, then, a nice cookbook for people who want to cook for themselves and may not be interested in more complicated recipes and cooking."
"There is nothing that, together, The Bittman and I can't cook together. Ice cream, black beans, beets, quiche, chickpea dishes of all sorts, roast chicken... it's easy enough for someone still learning her way around the kitchen to understand, but the flavors and concepts and flexibility of the recipes lend themselves well to someone with more skill. And he covers, really, EVERYTHING. It's great! I can buy random stuff at the grocery store and not worry in the slightest, because MB and I will tackle it together and all will be delicious."
"This book is awesome for basic how-tos. Once you master the basics you can more stuff to it and improvise. Ok, it doesn't have EVERYTHING but what it does have are very nice.
I LOVE the pancake recipe from this book. I've changed some measurements based on the results and now I have one DELICIOUS, easy, and super cheap pancakes for the weekends.
I use to love going out to breakfast but now it's tough... esp. if I order pancakes. Homemade from scratch is the way to go!!!"
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