Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.