| Title | : | The Americas Test Kitchen Family Cookbook |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 193361501X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781933615011 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Spiral-bound |
| Number of Pages | : | 726 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2005 |
The Americas Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Reviews
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After this book saved my Thanksgiving, I felt it deserved a review from me. My husband's family has commented many times on what a good cook I am...and 99.9% of the reason goes to this book! I mean, I am not one of those cooks who can throw a little of this and a little of that into a pot and it turns out marvelous. I am black and white when it comes to cooking, I follow the instructions to the letter. If the recipe calls for white pepper, I go buy WHITE pepper...black pepper isn't even considered! If it says to use parchment paper, tin foil goes out the door! I haven't made all of the recipes but every one I've tackled has turned out great and everyone has loved them! The roast turkey was a overwhelming success this Thanksgiving (my first turkey ever, by the way!), the potato salad is a favorite on the 4th of July, the chewy chocolate chip cookies are always requested, the corn chowder was wonderful and the maple scones for Christmas Breakfast are now a tradition! Now, this is not a low fat cookbook, so I really only use it for special occasion cooking. I love this book! I'm also a big fan of their PBS series, I set aside a half hour every saturday to watch it. If you want to fool everyone into thinking you are a master chef (and you can follow a recipe) then get this book..you won't regret it!
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I read a whole lot of cookbooks, collect masses of recipes, and do an awful lot of cooking and baking. This is far and away the absolute best cookbook I've seen out there--and I was raised on both Betty Crocker AND Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. They take a very scientific approach to developing recipes and testing ingredients/cookware. This allows them to figure out how things could go wrong and use somewhat nontraditional approaches that make food better. Plus, I appreciate that their cookware suggestions take price into account; they'll tell you when something is not worth the price, and often suggest a cheaper alternative. This is the only cookbook I've used where EVERY SINGLE RECIPE I've tried came out beautifully--and even looking like the pictures! This cookbook can truly change your technique in the kitchen.
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I love this cookbook, and don't think I can say enough good things about it. It's great for basics, and has many recipes that I come back to again and again. Most are great for weeknight cooking, and the directions are very easy to follow - many with photographed step-by-step instructions.
This is a great book for beginning cooks as well as more advanced cooks who are looking to add some variety to the rotation of weeknight dinners.
I also like the binder/loose-leaf page format. You can rearrange the pages, putting your favorites in a group in front, or messy chefs can remove the pages and put them in plastic sleeves while cooking. It also sits nice and flat on my counter while in use. Highly recommended. -
If I were to own just one cookbook, it would be this one. It contains a staggering number of recipes, like any good cookbook should, but the best part is the multitude of helpful culinary hints. How should I store lettuce? What is an acceptable substitute for buttermilk? How can I tell if my bread dough is adequately proofed? What the hell does it mean to proof bread dough, anyway? At 700+ pages it commands a sizable portion of the shelf, but the ring binding is perfect for laying open on the bar without risk of flopping shut halfway through cooking. I would have to say its only major flaw is its scope. There's no way one book can be the end-all, be-all of food preparation. But this one comes quite close.
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My stepchildren (who are deathly afraid of any food that looks "different" ie didn't come from a box) will eat everything I've made from this cookbook. The orange chicken & green beans is great (but too much soy sauce & chili paste for me). We have it every Thursday night! DH makes the peanut butter cookies on a regular basis, and they rarely last more than a day.
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I picked this book up at a Costco of all places because it was cheap and I'd tried and liked some recipes from the Cook's Illustrated magazine. I didn't expect it to be by far my favorite cookbook.
I'd consider myself more of a foodie than a cook, which is why I love this book. The recipes are simple, directions easy to follow and for most recipes there are pictures of the end result. Most importantly, the recipes, without fail, turn out delicious. Even my foodie friends that I've turned on to this book or invited over for dinner seem to love them. I can't think of a recipe in this book that I've tried that hasn't turned out well. There have been some, like lo mein, that I personally wasn't a big fan of, but not because of the flavor or the recipe itself, I'm just not a fan of lo mein. And of course, for some, like say the spaghetti sauce, I prefer to add more herbs than the recipe calls for, but the adjustments I make are usually simple, because again, I'm not much of a cook.
I assume the reason the recipes all work so well is because they're tested by the Test Kitchen. If you're not familiar with Cook's Illustrated and the Test Kitchen, they test recipes every possible way it has been done or can be done to come up with the simplest and best way to prepare a meal.
I used to subscribe to the magazine, but found many of the recipes fairly complicated for a newbie cook like myself. The recipes culled together in this book are for the most part very simple to understand and do, even if you don't know cooking jargon. Like the magazine, there are tips throughout on best brands for certain recipes and basic cooking techniques, and how to choose the right cut of meat.
The emphasis here is on using real, unprocessed, full fat food, though not necessarily fried and unhealthy. They do have some light versions of recipes that I've also found to be tasty. The recipes cover all the bases in American cooking from appetizers like salsa and guacamole to main courses ranging from lasagna to steaks to dessert. While simple American food can seem, well, simple, don't let that scare you away if you're looking for a good all-around cookbook. They even make meat loaf taste good. -
Wow. This cookbook is amazing. Everything is so well thought out and well done. This is THE way to make everything! When I want to make something that I know will be excellent (although possibly a lot of work) I go to this cookbook. The great thing about this cookbook is that the authors have tested so many different ways to make the same dish and they present the easiest, best tasting way.
Because the authors are so precise, the timing of these recipes is not for those living at 8500 feet (like me). For most of these recipes, I have had to adapt the cooking time more so than with other cook books.
My favorite recipe for meatloaf is in here - All-Anerican Meatloaf. It's fantastic. There is also a great recipe for Weeknight Skillet Fajitas.
Other good ones - Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes (they seemed to go over well for a family Thanksgiving dinner), Sauteed Summer Squash, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise Sauce, Fast and Crunchy Baked Cod, several different chicken recipes,
I've only made a fraction of these recipes, but I've been pleased with the ones I have made. -
So far, all the recipes have come out very tasty. Some of the recipes are a little fussy, and a few seemed like they created way too many dirty dishes. I'm going to be trying more of them, I haven't found one I wouldn't make again yet.
Highlights:
The tomato sauce that accompanies the lasagna recipe is fantastic, and really easy!
The meatloaf is the best I've eaten. -
The book just arrived in the mail this morning, so I haven't had time to actually try any recipes, but coming from America's Test Kitchen, the recipes tend to work every time (I've had ONE recipe fail, from the American Classics cookbook).
Here's what I've noticed so far: it's big, it's heavy, but because it has a ring binding, designed to stay open flat where you want it, you won't care. The book is divided up into chapters on appetizers, salads, meats, breads, desserts, etc., but the first chapter is the most helpful to a beginning or novice cook: Cookware 101.
Cookware 101 gives color pictures and good descriptions of the cookware one needs - or wants - to be successful in the kitchen, complete with an explanation as to why one wants the particular knife or pan. There are also handy tricks and cleaning suggestions, along with a buying guide for finding the equipment that will work the best, along with being the best buy they could find. Myself, I think some of their choices are a bit expensive, but if one can afford to buy what they recommend, she'll never be disappointed. The buying guide is also color coded: yellow for what they consider necessary; white for optional, but nice to have. (Some of what they consider necessary, I don't.)
Once into the recipes, there are many places where a base recipe is given, for example, muffins, and quite a few variations are given for that recipe; for example, lemon blueberry muffins, or cranberry orange muffins. A lot of the recipes have color photos of what the finished product should look like, and the method with each recipe often includes not just what to do, but why to do it.
Some of the things the Test Kitchen does go a bit extreme, to my thinking, because they've been known to toast spices or nuts before adding them, just to give an extra "bloom" of flavor. If that floats yer boat, follow their directions to the word, but for myself, some of their more persnickety steps can be omitted with no discernible effect on the finished product. They tend to take their recipes to the High Foodie/Gourmand level. Someone with particularly fine-tuned taste buds will love what you make by following every step in any of the recipes.
If one is new to the kitchen and wants to expand beyond following directions on boxes, this cookbook is a good place to start. It won't take the place of my old and well-loved Joy of Cooking, which has never failed me, but this is an excellent addition to the kitchen. -
I have tried about 50 recipes from this and most I have cooked or would cook again. The book doesn't have a gimmick-it is full of good, solid food that would please crowds of people with varied tastes. Some of my favorite recipes include weeknight chili, stuffed bell peppers, creamed spinach, cream biscuits, sugar cookies, molasses spice cookies, and snickerdoodles. Once in awhile you'll come across a recipe too fussy for the family chef, but the overwhelming majority are realistic and have a good effort/quality balance. And they come out as they're supposed to! Even if you're just bumbling along like me. I love the sidenote lessons and product/equipment recommendations, too. This is by far my favorite cookbook I've owned.
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i am so excited to have found the joy of cooking/betty crocker cookbook of the 21st century. you can't really beat the nerd chef's appeal of this cookbook. the test kitchen TESTS ALL THE RECIPES and then tells you how to do it just right... with fabulous little hinty-bits about techniques AND they also test products and give recommendations about the best things to buy. now, as one that doesn't necessarily appreciate product placement, this part was a little weird and it definitely dates the book as time passes, but all the same, it does influence me as i think the america's test kitchen really is an authority source (i am sway-able).
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probably totally nerdy for me to add this, but seriously, this book answers any questions for the everyday cook. I sometimes just sit and read it. Way good recipes with explanations as to why they did certain things. It's full of good tips and photos and ratings for different brands of what to buy and things like that. Anyone who likes to cook should get it and read it!
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Again, this is a book I return to again and again to get information or to look up standard recipes. A must have for any kitchen.
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One of my favorite cookbooks. I love ATK. The recipes are very detail oriented, ingredient heavy, and labor intensive, but so delicious! Not your calorie counter cookbook.
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This is one of my go to books for basic recipes.
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I have read this cookbook cover-to-cover countless times. I have made nearly every recipe (minus the wedding cake) and each recipe has been 10/10 success. Do all the tiny steps seem daunting and slightly annoying? Yes. Worth it in the end? Definitely.
I would recommend to any and everyone. -
I'm a huge fan of America's Test Kitchen. I'm pretty big on cooking and it's just about the only cooking show I like to watch. Great tips, recipes, and explanations of why things are done the way they are. I was super excited to get this cookbook as a gift for Christmas last year (I literally carried it around for several days) and it has pretty much taken over as the only cookbook I use. It is a great cookbook to have on hand for the everyday basics and has tons of info such as equipment recommendations and the best tasting brands of various food products. A lot of the recipes include a wide range of variations you can use depending on your taste and/or mood which increases the overall amount of recipes you can make.
I do have to say that I wish this book were a bit more updated as I know some of these recipes have been revisted and improved. And not everything in the book was the absolute best version of that recipe that I'd ever tasted. Not bad, but definitely some average stuff. On the other hand, there are a few gems such as the Beef Burgundy, Big Beautiful Muffins, Chicken Piccata, Dutch Babies, Corn Chowder, and New York Cheesecake. Even their recipe for quick baked potatoes rocks! I highly recommend this cookbook, especially if you're looking for a book that has a lot of basics and regular everyday meals. I really want to get some of the other America's Test Kitchen cookbooks now! -
Literally my kitchen bible. I wish there were more photos, and the looseleaf format hasn't held up well, but this is my kitchen go-to for.... so many things. The biggest downside is that when there is a choice between fat and lean, this cookbook always picks fat; and the recipes are often not naturally kosher - I have to adjust them. Otherwise, it's a great basic. I find the recipes less complex in here than in the Cook's Illustrated recipes, so this is a more suitable basic cookbook for someone who just wants to cook and get out of the kitchen than some of the other books produced by America's Test Kitchen.
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So I like to read cookbooks. Front to back. I really enjoyed this one because of all the side notes. I learned a lot of useful things about the science behind cooking. I'm a bit of an applied science junky anyway and my current labratory is my kitchen. Sorry kids - you and Dad are my test subjects!
I've liked most of the recipes I've tried so far. Those that I didn't care for turned out fine, I just didn't like the seasoning. We aren't very adventureous around here so things like curry didn't go over very well.
I'd highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who cooks. Knowing the "why" behind the methods has really improved my cooking and the chemistry gives me something to think about besides all of the dishes I'm dirtying! -
My second favorite cookbook (only coming up second to "The Flavor Bible"), and my most favorite cook book of recipes. We received this as a wedding gift from one of my parents sweet friends, and we've been in love (with each other and the book) ever since.
I've always wanted to know 'the best' recipe for this, that, and everything in between. Oh, and what size egg is best, and who makes the best ingredient for that, and what makes this come out flat?
Favorite recipe so far: Eggplant Parmesan...HUGE family favorite. It's now a tradition to get to the farmer's market every fall, buy fresh eggplant, and spend an entire weekend making enough of this to fill the freezer.
LOVE.
Thanks to Laura D for the spectacular gift! -
I think I might need to get my hands on the newer edition of this cookbook. I'm generally not a fan of new editions b/c often my favorite recipes have been changed. In this case, though, the design of the cookbook needed serious improvement. ATK's recipes are tried and tested to ensure they always work. And they do. This is a very user-friendly cookbook which contains lots of helpful pages like "good salad combinations" to provide endless variations. The recipes are delicious and many are family and weekday friendly. However, many of the front pages in my binder have ripped out and the book is hard to use/operate. That one single factor keeps me from using it as much. I hear they've fixed that in the 2010 edition, so look for that one.
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Received this as a bridal shower gift from a friend who loves to bake and insists that late one night she wandered into her kitchen to discover this book kicking Betty Crocker's ass.
I haven't made much from this book yet, but so far, the recipes I have made have been mighty tasty. Unfortunately, there is a large meat section filled with tons of gross dead animal pictures. The seafood section is especially creepy. Otherwise, it seems to be a good cookbook. The recipes use a lot of fresh ingredients ~ which is why everything turns out so tasty, but it can be expensive to make an item from this book if you don't have everything on hand. -
I just discovered the convenience of checking cookbooks out from the library, and this was the first one I did. This is a great general cookbook, and if I didn't already have my dog-eared Joy of Cooking, I would buy this one. I also own the Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe book, and I like that one better for the detailed explanations of why they selected certain ingredients and methods in one recipe over another. This book was a simplified version of that, which I didn't really need. But this is definitely a cookbook I'd give as a housewarming gift to friends who were still novices in the kitchen.
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Is it weird to have a signed cookbook? Well, if it is or not, mine is signed. I was living in Boston (where ATK is located) when this one came out, so I went to the book signing. Very interesting listening to the cooks interact and explain what they do and don't like about the book, and about their customers! They all seemed quite frustrated that people don't tend to follow precisely the recipes that they work so hard on. A great book but, to be honest, recipes do tend to be a bit too exact for me; I like to experiment and take shortcuts. But this is a good one if I do ever feel like being so detail-oriented. I'm sure the final product would be fantastic.
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My mom gifted me this in 2006, when I was a grad student living on my own and desperately needed to learn to cook. This cookbook taught me to cook, along with cultivating a better sense of taste and an appreciation for fine food made from normal ingredients. In 6 years, only a handful of recipes have been deemed "never cook again" - and that's out of hundreds of recipes I've tried (yes, I counted up every recipe I made out of this particular book). Whenever I cook from this book for company, everyone wants the recipe. You can't go wrong! I especially am fond of the entire slow-cooker section (it saved my sanity as an employed full-time newly married woman).
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Great slow cooker recipes!
