Customer Reviews

The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Move over Betty Crocker...

I was astounded when I unboxed this brilliantly conceived cookbook (baking book). It is instantly recognizable that this one is near-perfect... and when one gets a chance to really look it over and use it, you additionally discover that, in fact, it's TOTALLY perfect! Here's why:

1. There are 700 high-quality, well-tested recipes.

2. This book is STURDY and lies open to your recipe perfectly.

3. The recipes are bound with 5 strong clasp-type binders, allowing you to remove the individual recipe that you wish to use (or, to add your own!)

4. The text is easy to read.

5. The organization of the text is terrific with "quick tabs" which stick out from the pages so you can go directly to the section that you want (17 of these, and you can read them from both sides).

6. The paper stock is heavy (no ripping of the page holes) and is of a slick texture as to resist stains from spills.

7. There are HUNDREDS of beautiful color illustrations throughout the text which illustrate techniques, "common mistakes," finished dishes, etc.

8. The substitution, equivalency, and conversion charts are all located on the inside of the front and rear covers.

9. There are nice sections on kitchen equipment (illustrated), basic techniques, and ingredients.

10. Beginners' recipes are so noted.

11. There's a beautifully-organized one-page table of contents.

12. The recipes are mostly one per page so there's no hassle with having to flip pages as you try to prep ingredients or bake.


The baking recipes here are comprehensive but you'll be absolutely certain to find every old stand-by that you need such as Banana Cream Pie, Red Velvet Cake, Baguette (bread), Biscuits (multiple versions), Pizza, Calzones, Parker House Rolls, Soufflés, and many more. Trust me, ALL the baking recipes that you'll ever require are found in here.

I do not award stars easily for cookbooks (you can check my reviews of such texts) but this is the first cookbook of any sort in which I can find nothing whatever to critisize -- it's simply marvellous.

I'm a very experienced home cook (I cook from scratch every day and have about 300 of my own recipes posted on Recipezaar ["Bone Man" over there]; I have also been responsible for multiple large restaurant operations and have cooked in commercial kitchens. I can assure you that this fine baking book will fulfill your every recipe need in the home and commercial chefs would notably benefit from owning this fine text as well.

The outer dimensions are 10" x 9 1/4", and the recipe pages are nice and large at 9 1/2" x 6 3/4". The books weighs 4 1/4 pounds and there are 544 pages in all, not counting "tab" pages.

Most highly recommended!

This is one of those cookbooks that you can use forever and then pass down to a loved one. The recipes are classic and anyone, from novice up to experienced baker, can find something new to do or to learn.

A few of the things I found most impressive about the cookbook:

1. It's very solid. The construction is not cheap and will help it last through many years of baking, flying flour and all.

2. There's a terrific pantry section in the front that covers the most common baking ingredients - it describes (and pictures) what the ingredient is, how it's used, and if applicable, any substitutions or ways to make your own.

3. Following the pantry section is one called "Bakeware and More: Stocking Your Kitchen". It shows pictures and describes what to look for in equipment, as well as listing test kitchen favorites and their prices. Each category shows several items, with the "must-have items" having a light yellow background to make them easy to pick out. Then come the specialty items, and just as important, the "10 Baking Gadgets You Don't Need".

4. The recipes cover the whole spectrum from basic to complicated and everything in between. Basic recipes are easy to pick out - they have a spoon and "great for beginners" in red. This would be a great cookbook for those with children to teach them the basics of baking. I plan on using it with my own two kids!

5. There are a TON of photos, hints and tips. Even if you've been baking for years, there will be *something* to learn.

Ok, so there are more than a few reasons I like this cookbook. All the more reason to add it to your collection!

I give it ten stars! Where oh where has this cookbook been all my life? I have been looking for this type of comprehensive baking cookbook for years but have been very disappointed with every one I find. Not any more. I can honestly see myself spending the rest of my life cooking my way through every recipe in this volume.

OK - why am I so in love with this book? Because the baked goods are everyday, homestyle, "like Momma used to make" recipes. Most cookbooks are a variety of everyday recipes mixed with what I call "fantasy" baking - nice to look at but not practical to make - or eat. Not this volume. There's not one intimidating recipe in the entire book. These items are the memories of my childhood. They are also the recipes that I never tried but always wanted to make. Plus there are elegant baked goods and rustic breads that will make you look like a super star instead of a super snob. Everyone will love them.

Where do I start with my praise? The photos. The cookbook is full of color photos - not the occasional giant, glossy photo of finished products - but smaller, relevant color photos for each section, each recipe, each baking food or product recommended, and each process. Almost EVERY recipe has its own set of instructional photos that follow the recipe through it's steps to the finished product. Where has this book been all my life?

Besides the excellent compilation of recipes, another big selling point of this cookbook is its "accessibility." Everyone from the most novice cook to an experienced baker will find something to admire in this volume. A novice baker will find lists of ingredients essential to baking along with photos, explanations about each item, and brand name recommendations. The same is true for a list of the most essential tools used in a baker's kitchen - including a "don't waste your cash" list of over-hyped products. There's even a price list (which will become dated) so you will know what you are getting into before you hit the stores.

Each recipe also has a tip section. These address common mistakes many cooks make BEFORE you make them, with photos of course. There are also remedies and explanations of common mistakes and mishaps AFTER they happen, again complete with photos!

This amazing cookbook is in a large ring binder, which I love. I can take out pages and make copies for family and friends that want my recipes instead of handwriting them or squishing a volume into a copier at Kinkos. As a cookbook freak, this will come in very handy.

What else can I say? There is tons of info, advice, guides, charts, conversion, etc. throughout this thing. If you like to bake, this is FOR YOU. If you've never baked before but want to try, this is FOR YOU.

I've eyeballed the recipes and the proportions and combinations look good. I haven't baked anything from it yet, but I have been baking from scratch for over 40 years - so I think I can recognize a good recipe when I see it. When I start baking from this volume this weekend, I'll come back and edit this review with a critique of the recipes themselves. After all, that's what we buy cookbooks for in the first place.

If you've never seen America's Test Kitchen, stop reading right now, go find your local PBS station listings, and make a note to catch it next week. Their modus operandi is simple--take a dish, find a jillion recipes, test them to find which ones are best, and then experiment to see if they can improve the dish even more. The magnum opus is The New Best Recipe, but they also have cookbooks for quick meals, restaurant classics, light cooking, etc. etc.

The ATK folks have another baking book besides this one (Baking Illustrated), which I own, so I thought I would compare the two. First of all, the physical format is different: BI is a standard, hardbound book--a rather large one, at 8.5 x 11 and over an inch and a half thick. The FBB, by contrast, is delivered in a hardbound five-ring binder, 9 x 10 and two inches thick. They thoughtfully packaged the contents in such a way as to keep them intact during shipping. You do have to insert the tab dividers yourself, but that's just a good excuse to get acquainted with the contents of the book. :-) The pages are printed on glossy paper of a decent weight. The five-ring punch makes it unlikely that these will tear out under normal use, and it stays open more easily than the BI book.

The next difference is the style. BI follows the style of the New Best Recipe--that is, there may be up to a page or more talking about what they tried and the special features of any given recipe before you actually get to the recipe. The potential pitfalls of a recipe or the tricks that make it extra special, all are covered in the "article" before the recipe. The FBB, on the other hand, cuts to the chase. Recipe follows recipe with no exposition. Myself, I really enjoy reading the "article"--if you're in a hurry, you can always skip it, right? The FBB does have sections on baking basics and bakeware, so even if you're a rank beginner, there is hope for you. High-altitude bakers get a page of troubleshooting advice, and there are equivalents and conversions.

Recipes? Both books cover both sweet and savory baking: breads and rolls as well as cookies, cakes, and pies. The FBB has several recipes that were developed since BI was published, and here's its real edge--they include several must-haves that were developed in the test kitchens since BI was published:

- the best blueberry scone recipe on the face of the earth
- an incredible pie crust that is super easy to roll out and yet bakes up ultra-flaky (secret ingredient: vodka!)
- simple drop biscuits that are easy to make and fabulous to eat
- brown-sugar cookies made with browned butter (beurre noisette) that are scrumptious
- and the fabulous improvement on the famous no-knead bread, "Almost No-Knead Bread"--generally agreed to be just as easy but to taste even better than the original

Alas, like all the ATK books, if you have one, you'll find recycled recipes in the other... it looks to me like about two-thirds of the recipes in BI are in FBB as well. Even so, I found that the new inclusions in the FBB to be worth it. And the recycled recipes are best of class.

So... Two (floury) thumbs up from The Baker of the family for the ATK Family Baking Book!

I have the Family Baking Book as well as the Family Cookbook. My Mom has the "New Best Recipes" version. I bought mine after reading hers and loving the content and the way each recipe is written and the tips and tricks are SO helpful.

People RAVE over the chocolate chip cookies whenever I make them.

However, I Have to give both of these cookbooks a 3 star rating, because the book itself is worthless. The binder is too full and the pages are flimsy. So many of my pages have been ripped out by accident (just by flipping the pages!) The paper its printed on is thin. I saw a nicer version in my local BJ's wholesale that had thicker, coated pages. Why aren't all of them made that way? Made me so mad that I wasted my money on the inferior version.

Watch out and make sure you get the version with the coated pages.

I thought this baking guide may be redundant since I already recieve items from ATK and Cook's Illustrated, but it is a great resource!

I have some magazines and books with some of these recipes and reviews, but they are all conveniently located in one book with this item. There are index tabs to separate sections and make finding the right thing super fast. There is a lighter calorie section for if you have company that prefer or require special dietary requirements -- all delicious looking!

What I really liked the most was the first section, it contains recommendations for a well-stocked kitchen to make cooking and baking a breeze. They list the brands of items that passed their testing, and in many cases it is a VERY reasonably priced choice. I was impressed that they have useful tips throughout the book that pertains the the recipe at hand. There are a lot of color photos to show you what to look for, better than trying to imagine what is correct.

And the recipes themselves? THEY ARE GREAT! I am allergic to gluten and have had great luck with subbing gf flour mixes for the regular flour and not having to modify much further! There are also recipes I have looked for but didn't have until now that don't use gluten flour, like french macaroons and flourless chocolate cake -- these are real winners!

The book lays flat due to the ringed binder design, which makes it easy to fit in a cookbook holder.

The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because the binder rings are very full and hard to open without the typical side release tabs on most 3-ring binders you see in school/office supplies; you have to pry them apart with your hands. The section tabs come in the back of the book and you have to distribute them in the right place, it is tricky to do with VERY full rings without pinching your fingers. You will not want to be taking pages in and out of it on a regular basis. If you have arthritus, just know you will want to enlist someone to help with this step. It is not a deal breaker, but good to know.

I am very impressed with the quality of this book. The author is very down to earth about baking, even comparing it to mythology. There is a mystery as to what actually happens with the ingredients when combined with heat in the oven. I have a scientific background and I enjoy the "chemical reaction" aspect that he talks about - but in regular, everyday talk, not scientific mumbo-jumbo. I have a new appreciation for why the choice of ingredients is so very critical in regards to the final product, and if you change even one ingredient it can have a major effect on how the baking turns out. Even things like selecting the type of flour is very important. I didn't know there were so many types of flour, and that each flour is different. Some have more protein content than others which will change the texture of the baked item. And it depends on what time of year the wheat was grown as to it's protein content! See?!!! This book is like attending a very interesting and fun baking school!

It leaves no baking stone left unturned (I like my pun!). It has loads of useful baking information such as a detailed substitution list, what items to put in your baking pantry, a section on "Quiche, Tarts, Casseroles, and Pizzas (see? It's not all cakes, pies and cookies!), metric conversions, and a very detailed index list in the back to find just about whatever it is you are searching for. I looked to see what they had entered for "spinach" and found 7 items!

The book itself is big - but not too big. It's a sturdy 5-ring book with large rings so it opens easily. The pages are slick but I would still try to keep them dry, and it has tabbed sections for such things as, "Getting Started", "Rustic Breads", "Fancy Cookies", and many more sections. I have never even heard of the word, "rugelach" and now I know that it is a rolled up pastry that looks delicious and easy to make. The six colored pictures that come with this recipe show me exactly what I'm supposed to do and what it's supposed to look like in every step. I like that a lot. There are many, many clear, pictures showing every step, (at least the important steps) in most of the recipes you are using. It even has pictures and directions on how to disassemble a wedding cake!!!

I love this book already! Being the naturally horrible baker that I am (worse than Ellie Mae Clampett), I need this book in a bad way. Last month I managed to ruin a cake mix by monkeying around with ingredients. It was one of the worst birthday cakes I ever made, almost inedible. But it was great if you're into rubber cakes. My first project is going to be baking a simple cake from scratch. I think I can do it with this book. I have confidence in it and the fact that the author stressed the point many times that every recipe has been tested many, many times in their test kitchen and they have selected and refined the best of the best recipes.

And this book is so reasonably priced! I would expect something of this quality to cost twice as much.

O.k.....let's get started on this cake.....
Go to yellow tab towards back of book that clearly says, "Layer Cakes".
It says to go to page 280 for an all-purpose buttery yellow layer cake.
O.k.....flip to page 280...has pictures and information on "trouble-shooting layer cakes on page 279...great!
Page 280 - here is my list of ingredients, amounts and detailed steps along the way. It even tells me where to adjust the oven rack, and how to whisk the wet ingredients in one bowl and the the dry ones in another. Yep. I think even I can handle this one (as long as I don't monkey around with the ingredients!).

I have to start this by admitting that I've never been much of a baker. I love to cook, but I always found baking to be almost more trouble than it is worth, especially when there are wonderful bakeries nearby.


Well, I'm proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, and this new cookbook from America's Test Kitchen is the teacher.

First, it's a book meant to be used. It's ring bound with a sturdy cover, heavy high-quality pages, and tabbed dividers.

Chapters include Quick Breads & Muffins, Breakfast & Brunch (including those wonderful breakfast casseroles, quiche, coffee cakes, etc.), Rolls & Loaves, Rustic Breads, Flatbreads & Pizza ... and 18 more. There are over 700 recipes with over 1200 photographs, many in color.

As is always the case with America's Test Kitchen recipes, each one has been thoroughly tested. Many are marked with a red spoon "great for beginners." There are special "Don't Make This Mistake!" segments that show you what happens when you use both the right and wrong techniques. Where it matters, they recommend specific cookware to use. The "At a Glance" segments show you with step-by-step pictures how to put together a particular recipe. This is all beautifully presented and easy to read.

The only thing missing from this book that would make it my absolute dream baking book is nutritional info for each recipe (calories, fat grams, etc.). It's a minor quibble, though.

I've already made a few of the recipes: German Apple Pancake (easy and delicious!), Peanut Butter Pie (rich and great for company), and New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding -- total yumm! I'm now going through the book putting together the recipes I want to make for my family when they come to visit at Christmas this year.

If you can invest in only one baking book this year, THIS is the one to get. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. It's really that good.

I am very impressed with the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. America's Test Kitchen is famous for exhaustively tested, extremely reliable recipes and this book is no exception.

This is a great book for a beginning baker. At the beginning of the book ingredients are discussed. There are different kinds of flour and you need to use the proper one for the best results. Sugar, leavening agents, and butter are also discussed. In some cases brands are recommended. Eggs are also discussed. Did you know what size egg is usually used in baking? How do you separate an egg? How about beating egg whites? This book will tell you how. There are all small points but by paying attention to the details you will have far better products.

Equipment is also discussed. In many cases America's Test Kitchen has tested equipment and gives information on the best equipment.

And now on to the recipes... Recipes that are good for beginners are noted. The recipe has hints for the best results. In most cases a basic recipe is given and then variations are given. For example you are given a recipe for The Best Buttermilk Biscuits and then Fresh herb biscuits; Black Pepper and Bacon biscuits; Cheddar and Scallion; and Rosemary and Parmesan There are also recipes for Cream biscuits and Sweet Potato Biscuits. There are also muffin recipes, with variations, popovers and scones. And this is only in the first 12 pages of recipes!

There are recipes for Strata - a savory bread pudding, Pizza (with many variations), Calzone and Stromboli. There are yeast breads, multigrain and white, rustic breads, and french bread. Also "my first sourdough".

Then there are cookies, bars, pies and crackers. There is even a graham cracker recipe. And cakes... Simple snack cakes, jelly roll cakes, more elaborate cakes culminating in wedding cakes. There is a minnehaha cake - a cake with an almond and raisin filling and a caramel frosting. And cheesecake, new york, and lemon.

There is also a section of shortcut quick recipes and a section of lighter recipes. The shortcut section has a recipe for a chocolate torte that uses a brownie mix, a pina colada layer cake that sounds delicious and a raspberry coconut cloud cake. Also an easy cobbler recipe and an easy fresh fruit tart, as well as a ricotta raspberry tarte. And an icebox cheesecake... And no bake rocky road bars... The light recipes include cakes, cheeecake, cookies and muffins.

This review could go on and on but I think I've given you some idea of how great this cookbook is. I'm looking forward to trying more of these recipes. It is great to have a baking cookbook as reliable as this one.

Joy of Cooking - move over! I have a new instruction manual for the last of my kitchen mysteries - Baking!! This big binder of baking is my ticket to the world of chewy chocolate chip cookies, Crunchy Artisan breads and quick as a snap coffe cakes. The recipes cover a huge selection of the baking world including pies, cakes, delicate pastries, rolls, artisan breads, custards, souffles, wedding cakes and cupcakes.

Here's what I particularly like about this book in comparison to the other books on baking that I have tried in the past.

1. It assumes you are a baking ignoramus. Everything is explained clearly and the recipes are as simple as possible.There are techniques and temperatures that can make all the difference in a recipe and this book lays them out clearly.

2. The 'don't make this mistake' boxes that are scattered throughout the book show you pictures of what often goes wrong with a recipe and explains how to avoid it.

3. The "At a glance" section goes through certain techniques step by step with clear explanations of what to ensure or avoid at each step. Not all the recipes step by step instructions are accompanied by photographs but whenever there is a new technique or a complicated method, then the step by step pictures are there to clarify things. E.G making pastry dough, Putting together an Apple Strudel, Making Yeast Bread, Creaming sugar and butter - and my biggest surprise - how to roll up the dough before you tuck it in the bread pan to ensure a nice fluffy rise!!

4. Substitutions : Ok this may not be a big deal for many people but I am very impressed by the section on emergency substitutions (easily found on the inside cover) which not only goes over things I am often out of ( buttermilk, baking powder, heavy cream, etc) but also tells you in which applications a substitution will work and where it will not.

5.The 'All About' Sections : No more asking around to see what brand of flour or sugar or bakeware is best. The cookbook covers the options on the market (and most of these are available at supermarkets) and gives an opinion on which brand the authors preferred and why. This is not a book which recommends cookware that will swallow your budget. The test kitchen favorites are reasonable purchases that are easily available.

6. Test Kitchen tips: These little yellow info boxes include things I would never have dreamt of trying. Melted butter instead of softened will keep your cookies chewy, Dry your bread in the oven before making french toast to ensure it doesn't get mushy inside, use VODKA in your pie dough to prevent gluten formation!! Seriously now, that sounds like Happy Pie to me!

In brief, this hefty book will be getting a goood workout in my kitchen. Besides the extremely well thought out organisation of information, the recipes have all come through well for me. I've already tried three recipes and they all turned out perfect! I very highly recommend this book to anyone out there still trying to figure out the mysterious universe of baking.