Bon Appetit: Keep It Simple: Easy Techniques for Great Home Cooking [Hardcover]

Bon Appetit Editors (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2002

America’s most popular cooking and entertaining magazine goes back to the basics with more than 175 recipes for simple, satisfying dishes guaranteed to evoke the sheer pleasure of cooking. From eggs to salads to vegetables to side dishes to meats—and, of course, every kind of delectable dessert — each chapter in Bon Appétit: Keep It Simple offers classic recipes, followed by exciting variations. You’ll find hints on how to streamline the preparation process, advice on buying the right equipment, and step-by-step instructions that show you the right way to beat egg whites for a soufflé, degrease a pot of stock, or caramelize crème brûlée. Designed for cooks of all levels and illustrated with beautiful color photography, Bon Appétit: Keep It Simple offers recipes like Wild Mushroom Risotto; Garlic, White Cheddar, and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes; Roast Beef with Root Vegetables; Peppery Fried Chicken; Peach-Pecan Ice Cream Pie with Caramel Sauce; and Sour Lemon Bars. And in addition to the scrumptious recipes, there are tips and techniques even the most accomplished cook can appreciate, whether it’s a refresher course on folding the perfect omelet or a review of the different rises for yeast breads.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This big, glossy volume offers recipes for everything from soup to seafood to pizza, each one user-friendly and appropriate for the busy home cook. Going so far as to provide step-by-step instructions on how to whip cream, the recipes encourage beginners to strive for the sophisticated. Why make vanilla pudding when Panna Cotta with Strawberry-Vin Santo Sauce requires just a bit more effort? And why rely on plain old scrambled eggs when Baked Eggs with Chive Butter, lovingly photographed, look so thoroughly enticing? The editors intersperse the recipes with sections explaining the best way to hard boil an egg, melt chocolate for sauce or carve a chicken. They also include tips on how to select groceries, but these tips are perhaps a bit too dumbed-down; it may be useful to point out the differences between pearl barley and bulgur, but it's probably not necessary to tell readers to purchase vegetables only if they're fresh. Beginner cooks and those with little time on their hands, though, will appreciate the classic and sometimes sophisticated dishes that can be prepared with a minimum of hassle.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

America?s most popular cooking and entertaining magazine goes back to the basics with more than 175 recipes for simple, satisfying dishes guaranteed to evoke the sheer pleasure of cooking. From eggs to salads to vegetables to side dishes to meats?and, of course, every kind of delectable dessert ? each chapter in Bon Appétit: Keep It Simple offers classic recipes, followed by exciting variations. You?ll find hints on how to streamline the preparation process, advice on buying the right equipment, and step-by-step instructions that show you the right way to beat egg whites for a soufflé, degrease a pot of stock, or caramelize crème brûlée. Designed for cooks of all levels and illustrated with beautiful color photography, Bon Appétit: Keep It Simple offers recipes like Wild Mushroom Risotto; Garlic, White Cheddar, and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes; Roast Beef with Root Vegetables; Peppery Fried Chicken; Peach-Pecan Ice Cream Pie with Caramel Sauce; and Sour Lemon Bars. And in addition to the scrumptious recipes, there are tips and techniques even the most accomplished cook can appreciate, whether it?s a refresher course on folding the perfect omelet or a review of the different rises for yeast breads.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140004636X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400046362
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,064,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely delicious!, January 22, 2003

By 

Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bon Appetit: Keep It Simple: Easy Techniques for Great Home Cooking (Hardcover)

Over the Christmas holiday at my parents' house, I came across Bon Appetit's "Keep It Simple" cookbook. Being an avid fan of cooking and the magazine Bon Appetit, I perused the book and devoured practically every picture I saw in the book. I immediately knew I had to get a copy of my own. Unfortunately when I got back home, I wasn't able to find a copy in any of the major bookstores so I bought it here on Amazon.com. Within a couple of weeks, I have already made three of the dishes I found in this book. I particularly loved the recipe for sweet and sticky barbecue sauce. Instead of using beef ribs, I used babyback ribs which are my favorite. The sauce turned out to be great. I loved the combination of sweet and savory flavors. And last weekend, I made the oven-fried chicken. Oh! That was the best oven-fried chicken I have ever tasted. I definitely am looking forward to making more of some of the recipes I see in "Keep It Simple". What I really love about this cookbook is the easy instructions as well as the pictures showing each step for certain recipes. I think this book is excellent for novice chefs like myself. It is straight-forward and unpretentious. Well worth the money and wait for this culinary addict.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A novice-level approach to semi-gourmet cooking, November 30, 2002

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bon Appetit: Keep It Simple: Easy Techniques for Great Home Cooking (Hardcover)

I'm a pretty fair cook, but in the country style. If the cookbook has "gourmet" in the title, or the recipe has a French name, it's probably not for me -- so this book was a very pleasant surprise. I have a feeling the editors have somewhat dumbed down more sophisticated recipes in order not to scare off people like me, but that's okay: I've found some really good dishes here. The "Split Pea Soup with Bacon and Rosemary" was a very tasty variation on an old favorite of mine, and the "Cider-Brined Pork Chops with Leeks and Apples," which I fixed recently for a family birthday, got a lot of compliments. Some others, like "Macaroni and Cheese with Red Peppers" and "Stir-Fried Chicken with Onion and Hoisin Sauce" are definitely on my to-do list. Of course, there are quite a few things here I'm not ever going to fix, but the percentage that appeal to my tastes is pretty high.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, great pictures, May 13, 2007

By 

Susan (University Park, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bon Appetit: Keep It Simple: Easy Techniques for Great Home Cooking (Hardcover)

I checked this book out of the library but had to have my own. Great use of herbs and fresh combinations. I have especially enjoyed the pasta recipes; new ideas for cous cous and polenta seasonings; I plan to try the "sour lemon bars" next, hoping it will be the recipe for lemon bars I have been seeking that isn't too sweet.