Groundbreaking techniques. Compelling voices. One-of-a-kind recipes.
Starred review from October 1, 2018
This dense and satisfying volume commemorating the 25th anniversary of Cook’s Illustrated is packed with the collective results of kitchen experiments—each of which lasted six weeks in the test kitchen. Chatty, informed contributors offer advice on everything from hard-boiling an egg that one can peel cleanly to crafting a brownie with the dense chew of one’s beloved box-mix squares of childhood. Recipes are classics: pulled pork (with instructions on cooking both Texas-style and Mexican), pad thai (with tamarind and DIY dried shrimp), and chocolate chip cookies (use one tray, not two, for even baking). Each recipe includes the original issue date and an empathetic narrative (“Serving pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving is an exercise in futility,” one begins) about how and why the recipe was developed. Additionally, there are illustrated tips galore for chores like breaking down chicken wings (cut them into drumettes, midsections, and wingtips) and folding foil packets. All aspects of cooking are explored, and the exactitude is comforting and never fussy. (The editors, for instance, use a respirometer and a balloon to measure the effects of temperature on yeast.) This volume is sure to be a popular choice as a gift for college grads and others just starting to make their way in the kitchen.
October 1, 2018
Over the last quarter-century, curious and ambitious cooks have followed bimonthly issues of Cook's Illustrated magazine for both inspiration and technical expertise. This latest collection brings together the magazine's most significant and revealing recipes from 25 years of testing and retesting recipes to uncover techniques that bring good sense into kitchens and rate plaudits in dining rooms. Although recipes featured here are in general well reasoned and worthwhile, the real value of each featured dish comes with the chefs' essays on how these recipes were developed, documenting steps and missteps that led to a final, definitive version. Home cooks focused on kitchen originality and culinary science can glean much to unleash their own now well-informed imaginations. Many ethnic traditions appear here, and there are also ideas for classic diner-style burgers and a sampling of pasta sauces, all fundamental to a modern American cook's basic repertoire.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
Starred review from December 1, 2018
Published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of its premier issue, this compilation of popular recipes from Cook's Illustrated magazine is a treat for gourmands and beginning cooks alike. Covering 180 recipes, from scrambled eggs and the original drive-in burger to deep dish apple pie and much more in between, each entry discusses the chef's process and aim, methods they tried that didn't work, and steps that provided the best results and why. Most entries also include useful tips that can be transferred to other recipes, such as how to brown meat (toss with baking soda, which raises its pH level). For readers who enjoy comprehensive cookbooks such as Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything as well as those interested in the science of a delicious meal, such as Robert Wolke's What Einstein Told His Cook. VERDICT A must-have for serious cooks and anyone curious about the science behind a good recipe.--Julie Elliott, Indiana Univ. Lib., South Bend
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.