The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's

The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook: 2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine [Hardcover]

Product Details

Hardcover: 928 pages
Publisher: Cook's Illustrated (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933615893
ISBN-13: 978-1933615899
Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.1 x 2.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Customer Reviews

I've been a big fan of Cook's Illustrated for a while and I own a bunch of their cookbooks. Here's the scoop on this one.
It offers more recipes than any other book they've got.
Many of the recipes appear in other books.
This one offers a short "Why it works" intro to each recipe, but unlike Cook's Illustrated "Best Recipe" book, it doesn't give a detailed explanation of all the things they tried on the way to the final recipe.
Should you buy this? Here's a little decision tree:
Do you already own Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe cookbook?
-- If yes, then don't buy this -- too much duplication.
-- If no, then are you interested in the the recipe development process?
---- If so, then buy Cook's Illustrated's Best Recipe cookbook.
---- If not, then buy this book (The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook) -- it's more complete.

Summary - A Great cookbook for someone who wants to cook, not look at pictures of someone else's cooking.
For those of you unfamiliar with Cook's Illustrated, it is this great magazine dedicated to making it easier to cook great food. This cookbook keeps up that tradition by compiling and modernizing recipes from the magazine without loosing the informative method of presenting not only the recipe but the background about why something works, what to use to get the best result, and what tools work the best. This is not a cookbook full of glossy pictures of professionally photographed prepared dishes, it is the cook's cookbook, with the necessary illustrations (done as line drawings) to get the job done. Those of you familiar with the magazine will feel right at home, since the cookbook is done in the exact same style. Typical sidebars include:
Illustrated guides to complete a task (i.e. - Trimming a chuck-eye roast, Folding Bread Dough, Slicing a Soft Cake so it looks perfect, etc.)
Test Kitchen Tips (i.e. - Key Tips to perfect Pasta, Buying Scallops, etc.)
Why A Recipe Works (i.e. - Why the recipe is structured a certain way to get the best result)
Index - The book is adequately indexed, but indexes never quite think the way you do, so a little logic is still required to find what you are looking for (i.e. - Coffee Cakes is under Cakes and nor cross-referenced under Coffee and Cakes themselves are sub-grouped in the index (Cakes, Cakes - Chocolate, Cakes - Savory).
Negatives - The book's pages could be of a heavier weight for my liking. I understand that this is a big book already with so many recipes, but the paper feels fragile in my hand. Also, the binding seems thin and only time will tell if this binding will hold up to the heavy use I plan on putting it through. Lastly, I really it when cookbooks include bookmarking ribbons to allow me to quickly flip through multiple recipes quickly when I am preparing a couple of recipes simultaneously. For these reasons, I subtracted a star.
Value - This is a great value even with my few negatives.
Ideas for Making it Better - In the way of improvement, I wonder why a book like this is not offered digitally. I have a Pad Computer and a Kitchen Computer, both of which I use while cooking, so having a cookbook that offers me the ability to thumb through for recipes digitally would be nice. I would like to see companies offer both, similar to what they do now with textbooks, so you can have the paper and the digital at one lower combined price.
Contents - The compilers waste no time with long introductions or discussions on what cooking is about. They dive right into recipes, a lot of recipes, and spread the information throughout the book teaching you why something is the way it is when you need to know it. The style of this cookbook is to get you to dive right in and start cooking, not admiring the professionally prepared dishes or reading endless text on how to separate an egg. Organized logically, it includes:
- Appetizers
Nuts, cheese, and eggs
Shrimp and Salmon
Dips, Spreads, and Salsas
Nachos and Quesadillas
Bruschetta and Tarts
Spring Rolls and Dumplings
-Salads
Vinaigrette and Dressings
Green Salads
Vegetable Salads
Deli Salads
Chicken Salads, Tuna Salads and More
-Soups
Stocks
Chicken and Beef Soups
Vegetable and Bean Soups
Chowders and More
Croutons and Other Garnishes
-Chilis, Stews, and Braises
-Curries, Stir-Fries, and Asian Noodles
Curries
Vegetable Stir Fries
Chicken, Meat and Shrimp Stir Fries
Fried Rice and Noodles
-Pasta
Pasta Sauces
Pasta with Olive Oil or Cream Sauces
Pasta with Tomato Sauces
Pasta with Meat Sauces
Pasta with Chicken or Seafood
Pasta with Vegetables
Whole Meat Pasta Dishes
Fresh Pasta and Filled Pasta
Manicotti, Lasagna, and other Baked Pasta Dishes
-Rice, Grains, and Beans
-Vegetables
Potatoes
Stuffed Vegetables and Vegetable Mains
-Poultry
Chicken Cutlets and Breasts
Bone-in Chicken Parts
Fried and Stuffed Chicken
Whole Roast Chicken
Chicken ; Rice Dishes, Pot Pies, and Enchiladas
Turkey
Cornish Game Hens and Duck
-Meat
Beef
Pork
Lamb
-Fish and Shellfish
-Grilling
Poultry
Pork and Lamb
Fish and Shellfish
Vegetables
Barbeque Sauces
-Eggs and Breakfast
Eggs and Egg Dishes
French Toast, Pancakes, and waffles
Oatmeal and Granola
Bacon and Potatoes
-Quick Breads and Coffee Cakes
Biscuits, Scones, and Muffins
Popovers, Doughnuts, and Buns
Coffee Cakes
Quick Breads
-Yeast Breads and rolls
-Pizza, Calzones, and Flatbreads
-Cookies, Brownies, and Bars
Cookie Jar Classics
Shortbread and Other Butter Cookies
Madeline, Biscotti, and More
Brownies, Bar Cookies, and Candy
-Cakes
Classic Layer, Sheet, and Snack Cakes
Chocolate Cakes and Occasional Cakes
Cakes with Fruit
Pound Cakes And Bundt Cakes
Angel Food and Chiffon Cakes
Cupcakes
Pudding Cakes
-Pies and Tart Crusts
Fruit Pies
Custard and Cream Pies
Tarts
-Fruit Deserts
Shortbread, Cobblers, Crisps, and More
Simple Fruit Desserts
-Pastry
-Puddings, Custards, and Frozen Desserts
Puddings and Custards
Souffles
Ices, Soberts, and Sherberts
Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
Desert Sauces and Whipped Cream
-Beverages
Recommendation - I would recommend this Cookbook and plan on giving it as a gift to several of my friends.