The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by Americas Test Kitchen

The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook Reviews

• 
  Julie

  The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen is a very comprehensive cookbook, perfect for those who are relatively new to cooking, or to the vegetarian lifestyle.
  
  There is a 'how to' section which explains the best instruments to use when slicing or dicing, and which direction to cut, etc. Great tips, even for experienced cooks, but I did skim through most of these sections in my eagerness to look at all the mouth watering recipes.
  
  When it comes to recipes, the book really is 'complete', as it covers every category imaginable, offering vegetarian staples as well as more involved and unique dishes. I checked this one out of the library, but I've decided it is worth buying, mainly because I think I'd refer back to often and would use it on a regular basis. This cookbook would also make a great gift!
  
  
  This book is chock full of helpful tips and advice- such as, how to avoid watery salsa. There is an explanation for why each recipe works, with detailed instructions on how to chop, dice, seed, core or remove husks using color pictures along with the written instructions.
  
  There is a master recipe listing as well as a conversion chart, and eleven separate sections. This is a well organized and very informative cookbook!! As I said earlier, this is a book beginners will really find helpful, but, even if you are well versed in how to prep or prepare foods for cooking, this is still a cookbook I'd want on my shelf. Not only does it cover all the basics, it offers a great many insider tips and tricks, and would serve as a great reference guide.
  
  4.5 stars
  
  
  
  
• 
  Nancy

  I am not a vegetarian but I am trying to eat healthier. I bought this to work on eating more vegetables and having more whole foods in my diet. This is an excellent cookbook and I learned a lot from it. The recipes that I have tried all came out well and none of the dishes were bland. This will be a go to cookbook for me.
  
  I made the Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas for an Olympic watch party and they evaporated right off the table (gone in less than 10 minutes and not everyone at the party was a vegetarian). The cheddar-beer spread went over extremely well at another Olympic watch party with carnivores and vegetarians alike. I also like the sesame noodle salad, the fennel and saffron risotto, the mushroom bolognese, the flatbreads made with naan bread, goat cheese spreads, the spicy whipped feta, the mushroom pate, the olive oil-sea salt pita chips, the tapenade, the citrus salad, and the arugula salad.
• 
  Disco

  Some cookbooks read like travelogues, and some are basically a memoir - others are a love letter to home. America's Test Kitchen books are much more pragmatic. Luckily, we don't have to choose just one kind.
  
  Full disclosure: I am a vegan, so I can't make the egg-based recipes. I can make most of the others, though, and the vegan and gluten-free recipes are clearly labeled. Many vegetarian recipes can be made vegan simply by omitting cheese or using vegan mayo, butter and/or cheese.
  
  The pictures and how-to instructions are useful even if you have been cooking for decades. You will learn something new, or learn why you were taught to prepare food a certain way. This book is informative without being condescending, and the explanations as to why they do things make sense.
  
  America's Test Kitchen tells you the best knives to use and the best ingredients to buy, based on their extensive testing. There are pictures of how to seed and chop vegetables, whereas some cookbooks can be rather vague.
  
  Useful book and I recommend it.
• 
  Deanna

  Reliable reference for cooking for vegetarian/vegan guests. I tried a few that were hits.
• 
  Janet

  Excellent cookbook. I usually borrow a cookbook from the library and glean a few recipes at most, but this one is so full of promising recipes, I had to buy my own copy.
• 
  Cat

  Holy smokes, this is a really comprehensive cookbook, maybe the most comprehensive cookbook I've every seen. It's full to tips and techniques, and has a series of illustrated guides throughout. It has a nice section of essential ingredients and tools. I also like that each recipe is marked with icons to let you know if it's vegan, gluten free, and even whether or not it's fast. If there's a budding vegetarian in your life (or anyone who could stand to learn how to cook a few more vegetables), get them this book. I suspect that when I return this to the library, I'll be purchasing my own copy.
  
  These recipes are accessible and familiar. It guarantees that you will know how to make the basics really, really well - and a well executed basic is usually better than a more complicated recipe that is poorly executed. This will definitely help build a solid foundation. That's not to say there aren't any recipes that are more exciting and complex, they're in there. I can't even count the number of bookmarks I put in on my first time flipping through and I can't wait to get cooking.
• 
  mairead

  So simple and informative. About half the recipes were vegan. And a good number of those were gluten free too. I really liked the cutting school and inserts on how to prepare certain veggies. At least ten recipes I want to try. This seems like such a good resource and love that they made it more usable and accessible by not just being vegan, though it makes me hesitant to buy it when I can't use a lot of it. Though it would be a good loaner for new veggie friends...
• 
  Crankyfacedknitter

  I'm actually really excited to try the recipes in this book. (I wish I could eat dairy!!) They seem well-tested and researched, and there's a lot of basic information about each recipe that you might not know if you've never made that sort of dish before. (Such as how to choose an ideal artichoke, or rutabaga, or the best kind of flour for pizza bianca, and why.)
  
  How often do you actually read a cookbook cover to cover? Not that often, if you're like me, but this was an exception.
• 
  Amanda Knox

  This is a solid cookbook. It covers just about every kind of food I would want and provides just enough variations to inspire my own endeavors. However, I regret that I have had this cookbook for YEARS and never looked at it because the format was so overwhelming. There are several recipes on a page and they don't all have photos (I really want photos in my cookbooks). Each recipe comes with a "why this works" section, but it only explains what the cooks did, not the actual food science behind why the recipe works. That is disappointing. So, if you want to have a cookbook on hand for a leisurely Sunday morning look-through, or want to know vegetarian food science, this isn't it. However, if you want a good cookbook (one with some great recipes for fried tofu and tempeh steaks) then pick this up.
• 
  Adrienne Twain-witton

  The tips and tricks are really useful. I've made 5 or 6 recipes from this cookbook, and all have turned out to be very tasty. Well, I had a tofu - frying fail for the Pad Thai, but it still tasted good. There is a nice variety of recipes, from simple to complicated, and many don't involve recipes that necessitate a trip to any hippie health food stores or Whole Paycheck. Just substituting tofu or some other meat substitute for chicken in a meat dish is how some vegetarian cookbooks are built, but this one isn't. this book has a nice selection of filling, vegetarian recipes that are delicious enough to feed my carnivorous friends without them feeling like they are being denied anything.
• 
  Sarah

  everything is super delicious and fool proof. seriously, just do what it says. we're not super obsessed with meat, but we do like it - we do not miss it at all with these recipes.
  
  the only weird thing, I don't know if I picked ONLY recipes so far (i've made a lot though) with this ingredient, but it seemed like a LOT of recipes used heavy cream! we're not vegans but it is an ingredient that is a pain in the butt to just have lying around - as opposed to like 2% milk, or cans of beans. it's just not a staple for us. otherwise, yay!!! meals! food!!
• 
  Lauren

  Update: purchased and cooking with it weekly. Nearly everything I've tried has been great and I would make again. I can now reliably fry tofu. And it tastes great every time.
  
  Definitely buying this one! Interesting recipes, very clear instructions and they factor in ingredient quality (ie - not everyone has an amazing farmer's market 12 mo a year). Very approachable. A great way to encourage vegetarian eating.
• 
  Ratforce

  If you’ve ever watched the TV shows America’s Test Kitchen or Cook’s Country, you’ll love their collection of vegetarian recipes. The recipes range from familiar and classic to unique and exotic, and no matter what the instructions are easy to follow. The book also includes techniques, tips, and tricks for cooking vegetables. You’re sure to end up with a dish that’s both tasty and good for you!
• 
  Terri

  I've tried five of these recipes so far, and they are all good enough that I am sure I'll make them again.
• 
  Paige Erin

  Rating to come after I have complete more recipes from the book.
• 
  Felicia

  I initially checked this book out from the library (e-book). I loved it so much, I bought a copy for myself. I love the recipes and the photos. So far, a favorite is the tomato tart. Yummy!
• 
  Book

  "‘The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook"’ prepared by America's Test Kitchen is great source of knowledge for people who has to adapt their diet in a way to remove meat from their plates.
  
  Though such kind of change can be difficult for those who didnÂ’t choose to do such change but were forced by health problems, cookbooks such as this one will be of great help showing that transition doesn'’t have to be painful.
  
  This is the second cook I read from ATK and impressions are the same combination of nice design with lot of high quality pictures combined with tasteful meat free recipes, made with ingredients that can be found in local grocery shop.
  
  The vegetarian diet, although usually perceived as willing decision of particular person, is often motivated by health reasons, prevention or necessary need. Two years ago I found myself in a similar situation when literally overnight had to change my life because of pancreas problems. The change was especially concerning the food I eat that has previously been dominated by meat, especially fried. So I was forced to seek help on Internet and diet books about this subject that though widespread on the market, are not always of best quality. And though it was not an easy thing to change eating habits overnight, thanks to several great books I found together with my wife this journey wasnÂ’t as difficult as I expected.
  
  For sure, "‘The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook"’ with its almost 500 pages of great recipes, meat free dishes, vegetarian substitutes and modified versions of meat dishes, will certainly become part of that company of books. Therefore, if you are searching for nicely designed, detailed and extensive book full of great ides, I can advise to browse through it, to look for yourself because in my opinion this is a worthy choice to help one enter into the world of vegetarian cooking.
• 
  Candy

  I REALLY liked the vegetable preparation section, showing how to take the vegetables like they look when you buy them, and how to get them recipe ready.
  On the holidays I cook for a gluten free daughter and a vegetarian daughter, so I picked this book off of the new book shelf at the library.
  There is a bean casserole I will make for our Pumpkin Show gathering ( a festival in Circleville, Ohio) that fits the bill for these 2 girls, plus my bean loving granddaughters!
  I have already made the Parmesan polenta. It was yummy topped with the fresh tomato topping suggested (with our garden tomatoes!)
• 
  Gloria

  I have a fascination with America's Test Kitchen books. They are very simply...a cut above. A bit too analytical at times, but the recipes are simple and simply good. They always put a twist on standard recipes that makes a remarkable difference. This book supplies a wonderful way to cook a baked potato which I found humbling since I have baked a few million potatoes in my lifetime. This is a great introduction to vegetarian cooking and will help both new and experienced cooks handle vegetables in confident ways.
• 
  Amy

  This is a great, comprehensive cookbook full of vegetarian meals and side dishes. The hearty main dishes work in a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan sources of protein for a balanced meal. There are also tons of tips from selecting the best vegetables to how to cook rice to the best way to chop each vegetable. The book also offers many variations of each recipe (well, most of them) to appeal to many different palates.
  
  This would be a great resource for anyone on a vegetarian diet or for the Catholic (like me) who gives up meat on Fridays during Lent.
• 
  Abigail Olsen

  I'm generally hesitant to buy cook books in order to keep my kitchen free of books I'll only look at once in a blue moon, but this was an exception. A must-have book for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. I've really enjoyed it and think it gives creative and delicious recipes for anyone who wants to cut back on meat. The shepherd's pie, stuffed naan, and Indian-style vegetable curry are some of our families favorites, but there are so many good ones. Plus, there are so many recipes to choose from (over 700)!
• 
  Mel

  This is the best cookbook I've ever read! Seriously it's fabulous, I can't say enough about how well it is structured and the recipes are easily made in your home kitchen. I downloaded it from my library and then bought it after reading two sections. I've made two of the recipes in the last few days....the potato tomato gratin and the black bean enchiladas, holy moly absolutely delicious. The book is on sale at America's Test Kitchen website....BUY THIS BOOK!
• 
  Susie

  I like every cookbook that I've tried from America's Test Kitchen, but this one is my favorite and I've used it regularly for years. I've made over 30 recipes from it and they've all been great. Some favorites include the vegetable gratins, stuffed portobello mushrooms, butternut squash chili, pad thai, shepherd's pie, and French potato salad. As with every ATK cookbook, it's full of pictures, useful tips, and an enormous range of recipes.
• 
  Mary Ann

  I've been a cookbook reader and collector since I was a teenager and have a good number of vegetarian and vegan books. This is one of the best; it's comprehensive and clear with great illustrations and explanations based on science. America's Test Kitchen publications set the standard for excellence, and this one is no exception. My only complaint: it's poorly bound.
• 
  Sarah Furan

  This is a great cooking resource, period. There are excellent tips on preparing and cooking many staples, as well as comprehensive chapters on eggs, bean dishes, pasta, etc, and even variations on many of the recipes. I only wish all the recipes were accompanied with photos. Some dishes I'd like to see before I tried the recipe.
• 
  Faith Tydings

  I loved this book. I'm a vegetarian and a food lover. Sometimes I get into ruts where I just don't know what I want to eat and I'm hopeful that there is variety without adding meat to everything. This book proves that you can eat well with variety and great taste. I borrowed this from the library but there are so many recipes that I want to try again, I will definitely be purchasing this book.
• 
  bumblethunderbeast

  Rarely can I say that I read a cookbook, but I spent hours going through this one. It reaffirmed some of the tidbits I knew (roll lemons and limes across the counter before you juice them) and added new ones about everything from cutting a green pepper to cooking greens.
• 
  Tina

  I'm not a vegetarian, but I want to eat everything in this cookbook. The recipes are very appealing and seem achievable. I loved the detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations. It's a wonderful book on preparing vegetables in a variety of ways for any cook!
• 
  Natasha Chesterbrook

  Love this book so much I bought it. Wonderfully detailed with a rich variety of dishes - each one giving a short discussion on why the dish "works". This cookbook is quite possibly the perfect cookbook!