Customer Reviews

The Best Make-Ahead Recipe

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you don't own "Cover & Bake," this a five-star book; skip down to "Here's What I Like ..."

I think this may be the lowest rating I've ever given to a CI book (I own seven in the Best series and a handful of others.) If you own "Cover & Bake," you have many of the recipes in this book, hence the low rating.

Some of the shared recipes include:
Slow Cooker Favorites (5 of the 17 are shared with C&B)
-Pot Roast
-Beef Stew
-Brisket
-Chili
-Beef & Barley Soup

Sides (There are two shared recipes)

Casseroles (There are more variations of the recipes in this book) both books share:
-Baked Ziti
-Lasagna
-Manicotti
-Mac & Cheese
-Chicken Enchiladas
-Chicken Pot Pie
-Beef Pot Pie
-Tamale Pie
-Shepherd's Pie
Lamb & Eggplant Moussaka
-Chicken & Rice Casserole

Breakfast & Breads (only the bread recipes are unique to this book. What irks me is that the same photo is used for the start of the breakfast chapters in each book.) Shared recipes are:
-24-Hour Omelet
-French Toast Casserole
-Breakfast Strata

Here is what I like about the book
-TOC in each chapter
-The Double-Duty Cooking Chapter is great -- cook a little extra now for tomorrow's dish that won't taste like leftovers
-All of the stews and the majority of the casseroles can be made ahead and frozen. Outside of those categories, you'll find maybe 10 additional recipes that can be frozen.
-Desserts
-Make-Ahead Holiday Menus

If you don't have "Cover & Bake" get this book. When reviewed in isolation, it is a five-star book. If you're deciding which to choose, this book has a range of recipes across appetizers, sides, main courses and desserts. If you're looking for a complete make-ahead meal, this book is the way to go.

I have purchased other make-ahead cookbooks, such as Once a Meal Cooking and Frozen Assets. This cookbook is the best I've found. This cookbook teaches you how to prepare dishes so that they test fresh when reheated.

I have tried several recipes in this cookbook and they have been great. I was skeptical that it was possible to freeze pasta dishes and reheat them without the pasta tasting mushy. But to my pleasant surprise, the pasta dishes were very good.

Some of the recipes in this book are not recommended for freezing. They are considered "make ahead" since they can be stored in your refrigerator for a few days before cooking or baking.

Once a month I get together with a friend and we make 10-12 meals to freeze for future use. I purchased this book with the understanding that there would be lots of recipes that I could make ahead and freeze. This book was not helpful for this purpose. There just weren't enough recipes that fall into the true make ahead and freeze category.

This book is well-organized, has good details/descriptions and some good recipes (some may be repeats from other publications). If you are a person who likes pictures, this book is not for you. I am a big fan of the publisher's other books. Sad that this one was such a disappointment!

Though I have used the book a few times and had good to medium results, only 1 recipe I have connected with the freezer. I find it easier to cook once a week and freeze the meals, but most of the meals in this book don't lend easily to freezer cooking. Since freezer cooking was in the description when the book was available for pre order I expected a little more in that category.

I have only had this book a few weeks and have made several recipes with amazing results. The Shepherd's Pie is the best I have ever had, and the freeze and cook directions are perfect. Cook's Illustrated does it again!

Busy cooks who want to prepare meals ahead have plenty of cookbooks to choose from, but the advantage to The Best Make-Ahead Recipe is that all these dishes are fail-safe and have been tested by the professionals. Another advantage: chapters are divided by cooking method, from 'Open-Ready Entrees' to 'Slow-Cooker Favorites' and 'Baked Goods That Go From Freezer to Oven'. Some 300 recipes suitable for entertaining or daily meals are presented with accompanying color photos: all have been streamlined with the busy cook in mind. An exceptional purchase any public library or busy cook must have.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Many of the recipes in this book were not only the best make-ahead recipes I've used, but some of the best recipes I've used. Pureed butternut squash, baked ziti, chicken and rice casserole, macaroni and cheese, and baked fish provencal are very good recipes whether you make them ahead or eat same day.

A unique feature of this book is the straight from freezer to oven approach for some of the baked goods. I have not previously seen a muffin recipe that goes straight from the freezer to the oven. This halves the time of making muffins, eliminates clean-up and results in warm fresh muffins for breakfast.

I used the make ahead mashed potatoes recipe for Thanksgiving. The recipe is too complicated to do if you have enough time to mash same day, but for a day when you're making 5 side dishes at once, it was great to pull these from the refrigerator, microwave and serve.

Like many Cook's Illustrated recipes, the recipes can be a little fussy and time consuming, but in most cases the results are worth it.

It was so interesting the trial and error of each recipe. They make suggestions why you use one product over another when you refrigerate or freeze your food. Great information regarding kitchen gadgets as well. I have several recipes marked to whip up and have made several things already. Some I didn't care for and others where very time consuming. The manicotti recipe is great fresh or from the freezer. It was hard to tell the difference between the two. I can't wait to make the chocolate molten cakes and the apple turnovers. You can freeze both of these and have them ready for company.
The roasted chicken filled my kitchen with heavenly smells yesterday and it tasted yummy. So tender and juicy!

"The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" is amazing. Hands down, this tome is a fascinating read and loaded with mouthwatering do-ahead recipes plus a highly entertaining and informative narrative on culinary techniques and processes.

If you were looking for one of those cookbooks where you repurpose elements of a meal for next-day use, sort of a premeditated leftover chicanery, this is NOT the book for you.

A good way to encapsulate the philosophy would be the mid-week, casually elegant dinner party with delicious, well-made food pulled together with a minimum of fuss. The recipes are for diverse things like empanadas, chocolate soufflés, casseroles, meat entrees, etc., that you do indeed make ahead, store, and then can enjoy easily later.

Cookbooks in this Internet era are evolving and I am hesitant to commit the money or counter space to a new cookbook without a lot of consideration. I went to the library to review "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" and instantly knew that I needed my own copy.

I received this book as a Christmas gift. My husband knows I love Cook's Illustrated, and I like trying to cook ahead (since making dinner is a bit nuts with 3 little kids), so he picked this out for me. I'm almost done reading it cover to cover, and I love it!! It has CI's normal thorough explanation of how they created the recipe, plus the recipes are written very detailed & concise (helpful for a perfectionist like me!).

Now as for this book specifically, I like all the recipes they've given. The chapters are: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Double-Duty Cooking, Slow-Cooker Favorites, Stews, Chilis, and Sauces, Casseroles, Oven-Ready Entrees, Breakfast and Breads, Desserts, and Make-Ahead Holiday Menus. They range from basic, kid-friendly foods, to fancy, dinner party recipes. Some are a little too "out there" for me (I'm a little picky), but I'd say at least 75% of them are ones I'd like to eat.

The recipes I've made so far are: Classic Scalloped Potatoes, Chicken Enchiladas, and White Chicken Chili. They have 2 things in common- they were all time-consuming, but they were all the BEST version of those foods I have EVER eaten!!! They take a bit of time to make, but the payoff is that on a future date, I get to enjoy an awesome dinner with little to no preparation. I can't wait to make more of these recipes!