Customer Reviews

The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings (Best of America's Test Kitchen Cookbook: The Year's Best Recipes)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a little hesitant these days on rushing out to purchase each and every America's Test Kitchen cookbook. Some are spectacular while others are not of much use to everyday cooks like me. Here's a GREAT one:

The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

...and here's a lame one:

Americas Best Lost Recipes: 121 heirloom recipes too good to forget


If you've seen the PBS Television Program, "America's Test Kitchen," then you'll know why people are so attracted to their spin-off cookbooks. Program Host Christopher Kimball's mantra is, "We do the work so you don't have to." And they do. Their recipes are quite excellent, (but not necessarily "the very best" in all cases.)

For this cookbook, we're getting the "crème of the crop" of the organization's best 200 recipes from this past year. The editors have also included information from two of the program's popular cameo features, the culinary equipment reviews and, the "tasting" reviews.

Here are the book chapters:

1. Introduction

2. Starters & Salads

3. Soups & Stews

4. Vegetables & Side Dishes

5. Breakfast & Breads

6. Pasta

7. Meat

8. Poultry

9. Seafood

10. Desserts

11. Test Kitchen Resources

12. Index


I have tried a number of these down-to-earth recipes and they're just great. The average cook will find many old stand-bys in here (much improved in most instances) and a good number of innovative recipes which will spark the family's interest at the supper table.

I have only two so-so issues with this cookbook:

-- Due to some overkill in giving details on recipe background and in the recipe preparation(s), the font size is resultantly pretty darn small. You'll find it difficult to post this cookbook in your kitchen and then read along as you cook -- you'll need to squint your eyes.

-- In the tasting section, I found myself frequently disagreeing with the selections which have been recommended and thus, they do me little good. As an example, they recommend Prego Marinara Italian [pasta] Sauce, a product which practically makes me physically ill when I taste it. Conversely they do not recommend Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, which is one of my big favorites. Whether I'm right or wrong is not the issue -- the fact is that we all have our preferences and these judgments are so very subjective from person to person that I question the value of including this section in the book.


The equipment section (a version of consumer reports) is pretty spot-on, these items not being quite so dependent upon our personal likes and dislikes. With kitchen equipment, most folks seem to share their likes for the same good features. In fact, I bought the pepper mill that they recommended and I find that it suits me just fine.

The book, at 360 pages in length and 8 ½" x 11" x 1" in dimension, is very nicely bound with a rugged dust jacket. The pages are of heavy stock and you'll discover a profusion of helpful illustrations which mostly facilitate better culinary techniques. There are also lots of color photographs of the various completed dishes found throughout the book.

In summary, while this is not a foundational, general cookbook, it's still a great supplement to such works. Noting my minor reservations above, I can recommend it but you might want to check it out at the public library first, before buying, to see if it fits your personal needs.

I got the book entirely based on the tiramisu recipe on the front. It's the BEST tiramisu I've ever tasted. These cookbooks, all of them, are phenomenal. If you want something tried and tested, you won't go wrong with anything here. This book only lives up to the fine reputation that ATK has.

I have had the earlier version of this cookbook for years and love it. It is actually as much fun to read as it is to cook with. The show on PBS is also fun. Anytime I am thinking about adding a piece of equipment to my kitchen-I always reference this to see if there is a type or brand they recommend-like a new cake pan or roasting pan. It is a treasure and very easy to use. IT is great for the novice cook or a foody like me!

Amy

Bought this for my wife for Christmas after reading a very good review in the WSJ. She loves it and I am really impressed as to how honest or" opinionated" they are about kitchen equipment and some of the processed foods available at your store. Terrific hints on how to cook some things a lot easier and delectable choices to serve your family.
Chuck Gates

Love to learn what makes a recipe work and what doesn't. I may not always agree that the test kitchen has come up with the best combination of ingredients but I learn the approach and can then modify to suit our tastes.
I've been a fan of their magazine for years. As other reviewers have stated it isn't necessary to purchase all the books as there is some repetition. This is my favorite one.

If you want a cookbook so foolproof that it recipes have been tested time and again to assure consistent quality, paired with high-quality color photos, then you can't go wrong with Best of America's Test Kitchen 2009, a gathering of recipes both unique and traditional, simple great comfort food. BEST OF AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN 2009 offers a diverse collection, from dishes suitable for entertaining to quick weekday fare for working cooks.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I subscribe to both magazines and own quite a few books, all four or five star ratings. When I bought Best of America's Test Kitchen 2008, it became not only my favorite ATK book, but also one of the best cookbooks I own. It didn't take long for for me to buy the 2007 edition and although not as good as 08, it's still worthy of five stars.

When I got this 2009 edition, I was immediately disappointed. They obviously wanted to save money by limiting how much color ink they used so gone are the pictures of the magazines and books that were above the recipe from where it came. There's generally less photos of the food as well. Then of course there's less recipes. I compared it with the other ones and found that there were generally around two to eight less per section.

The most disappointing part are the recipes themselves. Some absolutely stand out like: Skillet-Baked Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, French Onion Soup, Restaurant-Style Hummus (very good), French Style Pot Roast, and Chicken Tikka Masala. The rest are lazy and uninspiring. For example there's four stuffed meat recipes. I'm sure they taste great but four is a lot when you're getting less recipes overall. Then there's the lazy recipes such as one entirely dedicated to grilling a t-bone steak and another for broiling. That's not the same recipe with a variant, but two entirely different ones.

Pros:
Same level of excellence and quality when it comes to their recipes.
New kitchen equipment and products reviewed in the back.
New kitchen shortcuts and guides added to the back.

Cons:
Less photos and recipes.
Quite a few uninteresting recipes.

I would recommend getting the 2008 edition.

Cook's Illustrated is our favorite cooking magazine and this book sums up an entire year of recipes. Easy to follow, explanatory, scientific - takes all the guess work out of cooking. I gave the book as a gift and it was much appreciated.

Once again, these folks have outdone themselves in detailing recipes that turn out great every time. I like reading about the different approaches to testing each recipe-helps me avoid making the same mistakes. I have no qualms about trying a recipe from them for the first time and serving it to unsuspecting guests-it is always a hit!

There are more pictures than others by test kitchen. Less duplicates are in this one as well. I like the cookbooks that test kitchen narrows down to select their best ones of the year. Some of the recipes are better than you can get eating out.