The Bon Appetit Cookbook [Hardcover]

Barbara Fairchild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2006

"You can always tell a Bon App?tit recipe: It's a sophisticated twist on a beloved classic, and it's easy to make...our goal is to give you the cumulative expertise of Bon App?tit, with more than 1,200 recipes that will be delicious, first time out."?Barbara Fairchild

First launched in 1956, Bon App?tit is America?s favorite and most widely read food and entertaining magazine, with a circulation of 1.3 million. Now, for the first time, The Bon App?tit Cookbook brings together more than 1,200 of the magazine?s all-time best-loved recipes for every meal and occasion. The book is accessible and user-friendly -- just like the magazine -- and includes clear explanations and exclusive tips from the Bon App?tit test kitchen, along with 59 detailed illustrations of ingredients and techniques.

The recipes have been skillfully selected to represent the very best of the magazine?s sophisticated, foolproof style: easy-to-make dishes that incorporate a variety of regional and international influences -- recipes that are delicious the first time out. From Cajun-Grilled Shrimp to Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna to Hot and Sticky Apricot-Glazed Chicken to Molasses Chewies with Brown Sugar Glaze, there are dishes that will tempt every palate. Complete with a gorgeous 32-page color insert and a simple yet elegant design throughout, The Bon App?tit Cookbook is a must for those who truly love to make and enjoy great food.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's high time that Bon Appétit, one of our longest-running cooking magazines, published a collection of its recipes. The Bon Appétit Cookbook offers over 1,200 formulas--a vast selection that includes dishes for every menu stop and occasion, with sections on bread, burgers, pizza and sandwiches. Characteristically, the majority of the formulas--like Chinese-Flavored Fried Chicken with Green Onion Ginger Dipping Sauce, and Spicy Steak with Corn Soft Tacos--reflect an inventive, cross-cultural approach. A wide selection of sweets, such as Chocolate Chunk, Orange and Hazelnut Cookies, and Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes, is also offered; there's even a chapter on drinks.

Though most of the dishes invite good eating, and all are approachable, a surprising number, like Blue and Red Flannel Hash (with potatoes, hot sausage, pickled beets, and blue cheese) are overwrought or of questionable taste. Herbs are sometimes used excessively (a seafood-cake recipe for six calls for 1-1/3 cups of chopped cilantro), or in dubious combination, like rosemary and tarragon. Readers should also know that ingredients are sometimes not named in the methods, but are called for by number--for example, "add the first five ingredients"--obliging cooks to stop, search and count. In addition, recipe yields in a given chapter can vary by four servings or more. Though some of the larger-yield recipes, like that for cassoulet, are obviously meant for groups, others, like Greek Orzo and Shrimp Salad, which yields twenty servings, could be offered as appropriately for a family meal.

These things said, the book, which is photo-illustrated, will make a welcome addition to many cooking libraries, and should be especially handy when guests must be fed. Readers who have long loved and relied on the magazine will be particularly happy to have so many of its recipes in one place. --Arthur Boehm

---

Your purchase of The Bon Appétit Cookbook also includes a one-year subscription to Bon Appétit magazine!

---

Amazon.com Exclusives

• Read a letter from Barbara Fairchild

• Test Kitchen Tips

Listen to Audio Clips of Barbara Fairchild Discussing:
• How We Cook Today
• Changes in the Food World
• The Approachable, Relevant, and Fun Bon Appétit Cookbook
• Last-Minute Party Planning
• Recipe Development and Testing
• A Great Holiday Meal

---

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from The Bon Appétit Cookbook

Grilled Asian-Style Scallop and Asparagus Salad; Pomegranate, Beet, and Blood Orange Salad

Herb- and Garlic-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Relish

Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust

---

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Mirroring the magazine on which it is based, this collection of 1,200 recipes is accessible, applicable to most home cooks' lives and a pleasure to cook from. Editor-in-chief Fairchild, who started at the magazine in 1978, sums up the classic Bon Appétit recipe as "a sophisticated twist on a beloved classic, and it's easy to make"—qualities illustrated in such dishes as Upscale Macaroni and Cheese, which uses blue cheese, red peppers and celery, and a lighter Chicken Paprikás, which omits sour cream in the sauce but uses both hot and sweet Hungarian paprikas. There's a nice range of dishes, from American to Chinese, Latin American to French, and the introductions to the recipes helpfully offer serving recommendations, notes on ingredients and possible substitutions. Refreshingly, recipes for suggested sides appear alongside recipes for main courses (e.g., Pan-Seared Chicken with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes). Novice cooks will feel comfortable using the book; "Notes from the Test Kitchen" detail all manner of culinary tools, key pantry items, cooking terminology and techniques like rolling out pie dough. Although the book's approach is more plebeian than, say, that of The Gourmet Cookbook, fans of Bon Appétit will relish this invigorating compilation of greatest hits. 32 pages of color photos, 59 illus. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Hardcover: 848 pages Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 28, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0764596861 ISBN-13: 978-0764596865 Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 2.2 inches Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

---

More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

---

 

Customer Reviews

37 Reviews 5 star:  (30) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 58 of 59 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Comprehensive Cookbook with Amazing Recipes, September 8, 2006 By  Michael Friedberg (New York City) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover) First the superficial: I got my copy in the mail a couple of weeks ago and was immediately taken by how striking the book is. The luminescent orange popping out of the cardboard box really was like a sun coming from behind the clouds. It brightened my day. And now the substance: Over the past ten days or so, it has filled my family and friends' stomachs. I've always loved the magazine, so I knew the type of recipes I would be getting--easy to follow, interesting, varied, and, most importantly, delicious. The breadth of the book is staggering. This weekend I was at a farmer's market and saw some beautiful cherry tomatoes (orange, yum, and red). I didn't hesitate to buy them because I knew that there would be a delicious recipe using them in the book. Of course I was right. There were four different recipes calling specifically for cherry tomatoes. The recipe I ended up making was Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram (though I replaced the marjoram with thyme...still was amazing). It was so easy to make and so good. It will certainly be a new summer staple for me. I could have just as easily picked up any other ingredient at the market and found similarly interesting recipes. I've made 6 or so recipes from the book so far and haven't been disappointed yet. Some of the things have been idiot-proof, like the BLT & G(uacamole), and some more involved, like the the Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mustard-Bourbon Sauce (which was perfect for an end-of-summer bbq). With both recipes, the ingredients and instruction were precise and the flavors flawless. Look, I've always loved the magazine, so I'm not exactly unbiased, but to have all of the amazing recipes in one place (don't even compare this to the annuals...this is about 10x bigger), and in such a classic, beautiful package, is such a joy. I read Gourmet and Cooks Illustrated, and like them as well, but I've always thought of Bon Appetit as the magazine that you can actually cook from with great results. In other words, it's approachable. That approachability and sophistication have translated wonderfully to this book. The fact that I get to extend my subscription to the magazine for a year (for FREE!!!) is just the proverbial icing on the cake. This is certainly a new classic for my library and I look forward to years of culinary bliss. I've definitely found my gift for the holidays. 121 of 131 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Selection of Entertaining Recipes. Comparable to 'Gourmet', September 9, 2006 By  B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover) `The Bon Appetit Cookbook', with `Bon Appetit' editor in chief, Barbara Fairchild credited as author, is about as predictable as night following day, given the publishing of the `The Gourmet Cookbook' about two years ago, edited by a star of culinary journalism, Ruth Reichl. Not only do the two magazines have almost identical readerships, they are both owned by Conde Nast. They even share a common web site for access to their recipes online. So, we are waiting to hear which of these two great tomes is better. For starters, both reflect the style of the respective magazines. `Gourmet' aims for more high-end recipes, meaning there is more use of basic rather than prepared ingredients. `Bon Appetit' claims to aim for easier recipes, of course `easier' is a highly relative term. They do NOT mean they are the model for Rachael Ray's '30 Minute Meal' mantra. Rather, they cover the widest range of recipes, but tend to go for the easier recipe with a few `prepared' ingredients. A comparison of the recipes for New England Clam chowder in the two books is a perfect example. While `Gourmet' calls for live clams and includes in the recipe the steps required to steam the clams, retrieve the clam juice, and shell the clams. In `Bon Appetit's otherwise very similar recipe, we use bottled clam juice and canned clams. On the other side of the coin, where the pork of choice in the traditional recipe is salt pork (See Jasper White, '50 Chowders'), both recipes call for the much more common everyday bacon. A second example on this same theme is a comparison of the two recipes for Gazpacho. While `Bon Appetit' asks us to use canned tomato juice, canned salsa, and prepared croutons, `Gourmet' starts with fresh tomatoes and a loaf of country bread. `Gourmet' is also a bit truer to the original Spanish recipe in that it calls for sherry vinegar (a Spanish product) while `Bon Appetit' calls for balsamic vinegar (a strictly Italian product). Another symptom of the differences between the two books is how they treat their recipes for the great Spanish dish `tortilla Espagnole'. For starters, neither book gives us the unvarnished traditional recipe which you may find in a good book on Spanish food (such as Penelope Casas' `The Food and Wine of Spain'), and both freely state that they are presenting a variation on the classic. However, when you look at the procedure for making the dish, it is clear that `Gourmet' is closer to a traditional recipe. While `Bon Appetit' would have us boil the potatoes before dicing, `Gourmet', like every Spanish cookbook I have read, dices the raw potatoes and sautes the potatoes and onions together. Similarly, `Gourmet' uses the traditional method of combining the raw eggs and the cooked vegetables before the final step of cooking the dish, while `Bon Appetit' cooks the egg separately, almost like an omelet, before adding the potato mixture on top of the egg tortilla and folding the eggy disk over, exactly as if it were an omelet. In fact, `Bon Appetit' names the recipe an omelet, but still claims it is a version of the classic Spanish dish. Another symptom of where each book falls on the scale of culinary sophistication is the fact that while `Bon Appetit' has no references whatsoever in their index for making stocks, `Gourmet' has at least eight (8) stock recipes. A fourth symptom is in the way the two books describe the technique for blind baking a pie or tart crust. The salient difference is that while `Bon Appetit' calls for docking the bottom after first baking and after removing the pie weights, `Gourmet' follows what I believe is the better method of docking the unbaked crust before adding the pie weights. This is a small point, but in a book with 1200 recipes, these little points add up. This brings me to the important point of the way the two great volumes are laid out. This is especially important considering the literally disastrous light yellow fonts used to state the names of the recipes for every single one of `Gourmet's 1000 or more recipes. Needless to say, `Bon Appetit's pages are simply a lot easier to read, and not only because they use black and a very legible dark tan to label the recipes. They also use different fonts for ingredients and procedures, with very nice leading procedure words for each paragraph of the procedure. The Table of contents of both books show us 20 (`Gourmet') or 21 (`Bon Appetit') chapters of recipes, with remarkably similar groupings, albeit in a somewhat different order. There are things I like and things I don't like about both, so I'll call it a tie, except that the `Bon Appetit' Table of Contents is all on a single page and is easier to read. Both books have simply monstrous indices, so that is also a tie. On organizing `sidebar' procedures, the two books take very different strategies. Where `Bon Appetit' collects all its mini-tutorials in the front of the book in `Notes from the Test Kitchen', `Gourmet' scatters them about throughout the volume. And, I believe `Gourmet' is generally superior in this department (see piece of piecrusts). I have to give a major credit to both books for the attention both pay to preparing their recipes for entertaining. Since most readers of both magazines probably use the recipes for just that purpose, it is not surprising that both books shine in this department. `Gourmet' however does a much better job of providing time required to make each dish. Last but not least, `Gourmet' lists for $40 for 1000 recipes and `Bon Appetit' lists for $34.95 for 1200 recipes. I suggest that both books are great if you use lots of recipes to entertain and you don't want to own 50 cookbooks. But, neither is a replacement for basic cooking manuals such as `The New Making of a Cook, The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking' by Madeleine Kamman. 24 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful cookbook with fabulous recipes, November 2, 2006 By  Always Reading (sunny california) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover) This book is definitely worth the price. The setup is easy to follow and read, and there's even a full year's subscription to the magazine included! The recipes are well-written and plenty of options for a single item are included - for example, instead of just one or two cheesecakes, a whole line of cheesecake recipes is included so you can prepare one for all occasions. The accompanying photographs are gorgeous (of course) and make you want to cook immediately. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the recipes are a lot less complicated than the ones in the Gourmet cookbook; however, it'd be nice if the active time and cooking times were listed alongside each recipe, as they are in the Gourmet book. On the other hand, it's wonderful to be able to make dinner with only a few ingredients that you already might have on hand - the braised greek chicken with lemon and artichokes is particularly good for weeknights! All the recipes I've prepared from the book have been good, some better than others. Because the included recipes are all relatively simple and many are easy enough to cook for a weeknight meal, I'm really looking forward to trying them all. Overall, I have to say that while I like the setup of this cookbook better, I find myself liking the Gourmet cookbook more - even though they're more complicated, the dishes for me have turned out better. However, for everyday meals, the Bon Appetit cookbook is the way to go. If you're a beginning cook, after buying a cookbook for beginners, this is the book you want to expand your repetoire. If you're confident in your kitchen abilities, get both cookbooks to have on hand; they're worth the money. Bon Appetit!		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and yummy I have been big fan of the magazine for many years and felt overwhelmed by trying to told on to the magazines, so this cookbook really hit the spot. Read more Published 24 days ago by Jane Rosenthal 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recipes I bought this book for my wife and she loves it. She is a chef herself and has found a lot of great recipe ideas in this book as well. Highly recommended! Published 26 days ago by JOSH 5.0 out of 5 stars The Bon Appétit Cookbook... Yes! Yes! Yes! I have been a subscriber to Bon Appétit since the 1960's and have found their recipes to be reliable, timely, and most are relatively easy to make. Read more Published 3 months ago by Shutterpug 5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Must Have! If you love the magazine you will love the book! My only disappointment is that the pictures are not on the page with the recipe, there could be more pictures. Read more Published 7 months ago by Ellen Moyer 5.0 out of 5 stars The cookbook to end all cookbooks. I've been cooking every recipe in this book for about a year straight. Have had only one (ONE) 'meh' recipe. Read more Published 7 months ago by Kmrdjanov 5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have! This has become my new favorite cookbook! My fiance slid it surreptitiously onto his book shelf when we were first dating, hoping that someday I'd like him well enough to cook... Read more Published 12 months ago by susan jay, author of The House... 5.0 out of 5 stars Great magazine . . . great book I purchased this lovely cookbook for my daughter-in-law. Learning to cook was a challenge for her when she was younger. Read more Published 13 months ago by jellybean 5.0 out of 5 stars A must have cookbook! This cookbook a must have...I love it and use it weekly. The recipes are easy to follow and turn out! I know that there is a lack of photos but it is well worth it. Read more Published 18 months ago by Experienced Baker and Cook 5.0 out of 5 stars The Bon Appetit Cookbook The Bon Appetit Cookbook This cookbook is loaded with easy-to-make recipes. If you are looking for fairly-simple, interesting dishes, this a good, reference volume. Published 21 months ago by Howard Arnold 5.0 out of 5 stars wanted a subscription got the book for free I just wanted to buy my mom a years subscription to the magazine. thanks to amazon i found out to buy this book for $14 and get a free years subscription. Read more Published 24 months ago by Matthew Acuna Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
frozen desserts, test kitchen, process until moist clumps form, cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, heavy large deep skillet, heavy large knife, heavy large roasting pan, rewarm over medium heat, blend until moist clumps form, heavy large baking sheet, cup drained wood chips, fresh dark green chiles, heavy large pot, heavy large skillet, heavy small saucepan, heavy large saucepan, let stand until yeast dissolves, heavy small skillet, cup chilled whipping cream, refrigerated deli case, moist crumbs form, log soft fresh goat cheese, blend until nuts, tent loosely with aluminum foil, boil without stirring until syrup

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Bon Appétit Cookbook, Grand Marnier, Middle Eastern, Monterey Jack, Granny Smith, Other Poultry, Yukon Gold, Golden Delicious, North African, United States, New England, Southeast Asian, Old Bay, Meatless Main Courses, Coco López, Three-Chile Rice, Black Forest, Earl Grey, Patrick's Day, Great Northern, New Orleans, Whipped Crème Fraîche, Fruit Desserts, Red Bell Pepper Sauce, Northern Italian

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 2 books:

• Sweet Dreams by Kathleen Smith in Back Matter
• The Four Seasons (First Discovery Look-It-Up Board Book Series) by Gallimard Jeunesse in Back Matter

---

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

• The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh  by Barbara Fairchild Hardcover
  4.8 out of 5 stars (41)
  

  $13.40
• Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen  by Ruth Reichl Hardcover
  4.6 out of 5 stars (64)
  

  $16.00
• Bon Appetit Desserts: The Cookbook for All Things Sweet and Wonderful  by Barbara Fairchild Hardcover
  4.7 out of 5 stars (35)
  

  $26.31
• The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes  by Ruth Reichl Hardcover
  3.8 out of 5 stars (151)
  

  $24.27

› Explore similar items

---

Tags Customers Associate with This Product  (What's this?) Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people. Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.  cookbook(18) cooking(8) cooking basics(7) baking(5) best cookbook(5) food(4) gourmet cooking(3) gourmet(2) old fashioned cooking(1) power rangers(1) Agree with these tags? See all 18 tags... Your tags: Add your first tag

Search Products Tagged with   See most popular tags

---

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Like 1328070744 false 0 2 2 1 (2)

---

Customer Discussions

This product's forum Discussion Replies Latest Post Amazon is selling this book for $7.93 ??? 0 May 25, 2010 › See all discussions...   Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   Guidelines Active discussions in related forums Discussion Replies Latest Post Cooking forum Temple of the 8th Day Twinkiests (Chocolatey Ho-Hoers also welcome!) 5009 1 hour ago Textbook Buyback forum Finding out Amazon received my books 2 8 hours ago Textbook Buyback forum Missed shipping date 1 12 hours ago Cooking forum Your GUILTY Pleasures...... 33 12 hours ago Cooking forum I need recipes! 23 21 hours ago Textbook Buyback forum Is it OK if I used it to nudge several people towards Death Valley with it? 2447 1 day ago Cooking forum Is it me or do few of the cookbook reviewers appear to have actually tried the recipes in the books they review 4 1 day ago Cooking forum What is the worst cooking mistake you ever made? 225 1 day ago Search Customer Discussions Only search this product's forum

Related forums Cooking forum  (677 discussions) Textbook Buyback forum  (428 discussions)

---

Listmania!

Traditional Foods and Great Cookbooks: A list by Seth Dalton   Food & Cookbooks to read and read and use...: A list by Compare Grocery Prices .ORG   The Grand Dame Book List: A list by Grey Lady "book maven and dog lover" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

---

So You'd Like to...

get GREAT RECIPES for Family Get-Togethers: A guide by dot-n-sam   Download Library eBooks to Your Kindle: A guide by J. Ts   read a fun "how-to" books: A guide by Claudia Create a guide

Search Guides

---

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine

---

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:
Cooking / Wine
Cookery
Cooking
Cooking / Courses & Dishes / General
Courses & Dishes - General
Food & Drink / Cookery
General cookery & recipes
Food & Drink: General


i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Get to Know Us Careers Investor Relations Press Releases Amazon and Our Planet Amazon in the Community Make Money with Us Sell on Amazon Become an Affiliate Advertise Your Products Independently Publish with Us › See all Let Us Help You Shipping Rates & Policies Amazon Prime Returns Are Easy Manage Your Kindle Help

Canada China France Germany Italy Japan Spain United Kingdom AbeBooks Rare Books & Textbooks AmazonLocal Great Local Deals in Your City AmazonWireless Cellphones & Wireless Plans Askville Community Answers Audible Download Audio Books Diapers.com Everything But The Baby DPReview Digital Photography Endless Shoes & More Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting   IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities MYHABIT Private Fashion Designer Sales Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands Small Parts Industrial Supplies Soap.com Health, Beauty & Home Essentials Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts Woot Never Gonna Give You Up Zappos Shoes & Clothing   Conditions of Use Privacy Notice © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Product Details

• Hardcover: 848 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764596861
• ISBN-13: 978-0764596865
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Comprehensive Cookbook with Amazing Recipes, September 8, 2006

By 

Michael Friedberg (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover)

First the superficial: I got my copy in the mail a couple of weeks ago and was immediately taken by how striking the book is. The luminescent orange popping out of the cardboard box really was like a sun coming from behind the clouds. It brightened my day. And now the substance: Over the past ten days or so, it has filled my family and friends' stomachs. I've always loved the magazine, so I knew the type of recipes I would be getting--easy to follow, interesting, varied, and, most importantly, delicious. The breadth of the book is staggering. This weekend I was at a farmer's market and saw some beautiful cherry tomatoes (orange, yum, and red). I didn't hesitate to buy them because I knew that there would be a delicious recipe using them in the book. Of course I was right. There were four different recipes calling specifically for cherry tomatoes. The recipe I ended up making was Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram (though I replaced the marjoram with thyme...still was amazing). It was so easy to make and so good. It will certainly be a new summer staple for me. I could have just as easily picked up any other ingredient at the market and found similarly interesting recipes. I've made 6 or so recipes from the book so far and haven't been disappointed yet. Some of the things have been idiot-proof, like the BLT & G(uacamole), and some more involved, like the the Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mustard-Bourbon Sauce (which was perfect for an end-of-summer bbq). With both recipes, the ingredients and instruction were precise and the flavors flawless.

Look, I've always loved the magazine, so I'm not exactly unbiased, but to have all of the amazing recipes in one place (don't even compare this to the annuals...this is about 10x bigger), and in such a classic, beautiful package, is such a joy. I read Gourmet and Cooks Illustrated, and like them as well, but I've always thought of Bon Appetit as the magazine that you can actually cook from with great results. In other words, it's approachable. That approachability and sophistication have translated wonderfully to this book. The fact that I get to extend my subscription to the magazine for a year (for FREE!!!) is just the proverbial icing on the cake. This is certainly a new classic for my library and I look forward to years of culinary bliss. I've definitely found my gift for the holidays.

121 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Selection of Entertaining Recipes. Comparable to 'Gourmet', September 9, 2006

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover)

`The Bon Appetit Cookbook', with `Bon Appetit' editor in chief, Barbara Fairchild credited as author, is about as predictable as night following day, given the publishing of the `The Gourmet Cookbook' about two years ago, edited by a star of culinary journalism, Ruth Reichl. Not only do the two magazines have almost identical readerships, they are both owned by Conde Nast. They even share a common web site for access to their recipes online. So, we are waiting to hear which of these two great tomes is better.

For starters, both reflect the style of the respective magazines. `Gourmet' aims for more high-end recipes, meaning there is more use of basic rather than prepared ingredients. `Bon Appetit' claims to aim for easier recipes, of course `easier' is a highly relative term. They do NOT mean they are the model for Rachael Ray's '30 Minute Meal' mantra. Rather, they cover the widest range of recipes, but tend to go for the easier recipe with a few `prepared' ingredients.

A comparison of the recipes for New England Clam chowder in the two books is a perfect example. While `Gourmet' calls for live clams and includes in the recipe the steps required to steam the clams, retrieve the clam juice, and shell the clams. In `Bon Appetit's otherwise very similar recipe, we use bottled clam juice and canned clams. On the other side of the coin, where the pork of choice in the traditional recipe is salt pork (See Jasper White, '50 Chowders'), both recipes call for the much more common everyday bacon.

A second example on this same theme is a comparison of the two recipes for Gazpacho. While `Bon Appetit' asks us to use canned tomato juice, canned salsa, and prepared croutons, `Gourmet' starts with fresh tomatoes and a loaf of country bread. `Gourmet' is also a bit truer to the original Spanish recipe in that it calls for sherry vinegar (a Spanish product) while `Bon Appetit' calls for balsamic vinegar (a strictly Italian product).

Another symptom of the differences between the two books is how they treat their recipes for the great Spanish dish `tortilla Espagnole'. For starters, neither book gives us the unvarnished traditional recipe which you may find in a good book on Spanish food (such as Penelope Casas' `The Food and Wine of Spain'), and both freely state that they are presenting a variation on the classic. However, when you look at the procedure for making the dish, it is clear that `Gourmet' is closer to a traditional recipe. While `Bon Appetit' would have us boil the potatoes before dicing, `Gourmet', like every Spanish cookbook I have read, dices the raw potatoes and sautes the potatoes and onions together. Similarly, `Gourmet' uses the traditional method of combining the raw eggs and the cooked vegetables before the final step of cooking the dish, while `Bon Appetit' cooks the egg separately, almost like an omelet, before adding the potato mixture on top of the egg tortilla and folding the eggy disk over, exactly as if it were an omelet. In fact, `Bon Appetit' names the recipe an omelet, but still claims it is a version of the classic Spanish dish.

Another symptom of where each book falls on the scale of culinary sophistication is the fact that while `Bon Appetit' has no references whatsoever in their index for making stocks, `Gourmet' has at least eight (8) stock recipes.

A fourth symptom is in the way the two books describe the technique for blind baking a pie or tart crust. The salient difference is that while `Bon Appetit' calls for docking the bottom after first baking and after removing the pie weights, `Gourmet' follows what I believe is the better method of docking the unbaked crust before adding the pie weights. This is a small point, but in a book with 1200 recipes, these little points add up.

This brings me to the important point of the way the two great volumes are laid out. This is especially important considering the literally disastrous light yellow fonts used to state the names of the recipes for every single one of `Gourmet's 1000 or more recipes. Needless to say, `Bon Appetit's pages are simply a lot easier to read, and not only because they use black and a very legible dark tan to label the recipes. They also use different fonts for ingredients and procedures, with very nice leading procedure words for each paragraph of the procedure. The Table of contents of both books show us 20 (`Gourmet') or 21 (`Bon Appetit') chapters of recipes, with remarkably similar groupings, albeit in a somewhat different order. There are things I like and things I don't like about both, so I'll call it a tie, except that the `Bon Appetit' Table of Contents is all on a single page and is easier to read.

Both books have simply monstrous indices, so that is also a tie. On organizing `sidebar' procedures, the two books take very different strategies. Where `Bon Appetit' collects all its mini-tutorials in the front of the book in `Notes from the Test Kitchen', `Gourmet' scatters them about throughout the volume. And, I believe `Gourmet' is generally superior in this department (see piece of piecrusts).

I have to give a major credit to both books for the attention both pay to preparing their recipes for entertaining. Since most readers of both magazines probably use the recipes for just that purpose, it is not surprising that both books shine in this department. `Gourmet' however does a much better job of providing time required to make each dish.

Last but not least, `Gourmet' lists for $40 for 1000 recipes and `Bon Appetit' lists for $34.95 for 1200 recipes. I suggest that both books are great if you use lots of recipes to entertain and you don't want to own 50 cookbooks. But, neither is a replacement for basic cooking manuals such as `The New Making of a Cook, The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking' by Madeleine Kamman.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful cookbook with fabulous recipes, November 2, 2006

By 

Always Reading (sunny california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bon Appetit Cookbook (Hardcover)

This book is definitely worth the price. The setup is easy to follow and read, and there's even a full year's subscription to the magazine included! The recipes are well-written and plenty of options for a single item are included - for example, instead of just one or two cheesecakes, a whole line of cheesecake recipes is included so you can prepare one for all occasions.

The accompanying photographs are gorgeous (of course) and make you want to cook immediately. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the recipes are a lot less complicated than the ones in the Gourmet cookbook; however, it'd be nice if the active time and cooking times were listed alongside each recipe, as they are in the Gourmet book. On the other hand, it's wonderful to be able to make dinner with only a few ingredients that you already might have on hand - the braised greek chicken with lemon and artichokes is particularly good for weeknights!

All the recipes I've prepared from the book have been good, some better than others. Because the included recipes are all relatively simple and many are easy enough to cook for a weeknight meal, I'm really looking forward to trying them all.

Overall, I have to say that while I like the setup of this cookbook better, I find myself liking the Gourmet cookbook more - even though they're more complicated, the dishes for me have turned out better. However, for everyday meals, the Bon Appetit cookbook is the way to go. If you're a beginning cook, after buying a cookbook for beginners, this is the book you want to expand your repetoire. If you're confident in your kitchen abilities, get both cookbooks to have on hand; they're worth the money.

Bon Appetit!