Customer Reviews

The New Basics Cookbook

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I never realized how much I enjoyed cooking until I got this book, shortly after its publication in 1989. I wanted something that had some real *basics* as well as some more adventurous dishes. I considered myself a reasonably proficient cook, but I was certainly no expert. I needed something that wouldn't talk down to me, but that also wasn't so complex that it would be easy to produce a failure. _The New Basics_ was just what I needed.

Several of the recipes have become staples: the Red Beans and Rice recipe is outstanding (although I do occasionally "spice it up" with some andouille sausage); the Black Bean Salad has made an appearance at many a potluck; I've used the Prosciutto and Mushroom Frittata frequently for brunch when I have overnight guests; Scalloped Ham and Potatoes makes a great late afternoon casual supper; I was making Garlic Mashed Potatoes before they got popular from the recipe in this book; Santa Fe Pork Stew is one of my "winter soups" that I make each year and freeze for lunches at the office. When preparing a menu for entertaining, I almost always choose one dish from this book.

While it's true I haven't tried each of the 875 recipes in this volume, I *have* tried at least 100, and I haven't had a single disaster. Yes, sometimes the ingredients list seems daunting, but this recipe collection is based on strong flavors, which usually means herbs and spices as well as top quality fresh ingredients. I find that if I take the time to read through the recipe, it's not nearly so complicated as it first looks -- and most of the ingredients can be gathered and measured before you ever begin to cook.

With over 2100 cookbooks in my collection, selecting the 10 or so I'd have on a desert island is no easy task, and my list changes from time to time. Other books may come and go, but _The New Basics Cookbook_ is *always* on my list.

This is a great cookbook for anyone with a bit of cooking knowledge and gourmet tastes. The recipes in this cookbook are more inventive than those in Fannie Farmer, but they also generally turn out well, unlike those in some of the other "gourmet" cookbooks I owned prior to this one. I have never had a recipe in this book fail on me.

However, this cookbook should not be seen as comprehensive; if you're looking for a cookbook with all the basics, either in terms of techniques or recipes, this cookbook won't have everything you're looking for (nor, I believe, is it meant to, despite the title). It occasionally mentions technique when relevant, and includes interesting little sidebars, but this is not where you'll learn how to cook from the ground up.

Also, I've had to be flexible with some of the recipes, especially for meat. The cuts of meat called for are often nonexistent in grocery stores -- even gourmet grocery stores in the Boston area. I would imagine they would be even more difficult to find in smaller cities. I even grew up using beef from my grandparents' cows -- direct from the butcher -- and I still have never heard of some of the cuts this cookbook requires. Unless you're on very good terms with a butcher, you'll need to be flexible with the meat recipes.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a bit of cooking experience. I think you'll find it interesting, engaging, and inventive, without being too specialized in terms of cuisine. It's a great tool for planning dinners and learning how to entertain. For beginners, I think this cookbook might be confusing, and for very advanced cooks, it would be neither an adequate reference tool nor sufficiently specialized.

I love the first two Silver Palate cookbooks. I use them all the time and consider them to be the resource of first recourse when I need a new recipe. While "The New Basics" is a good cookbook, it doesn't come close to the originals.

You could tell that The Silver Palate Cookbook and The Silver Palate Goodtimes Cookbook were filled with recipes that Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins had been making for years. I don't get the same feeling from New Basics. Instead, you get a sense that they had to find recipes to round-out their repertoire. Also, even though they do repeat a few recipes from the first two cookbooks, you can tell they really had to stretch in order to keep from completely repeating themselves, in part because the other two books were very comprehensive. For example, the Silver Palate Cookbook has a recipe for creme brulee, but New Basics has a recipe for "Fruity Creme Brulee". You tell me which is the more "basic" recipe.

If you already own and enjoy the other Silver Palette cookbooks, by all means get this one. You will find lots of new recipes and ideas with the same focus on fresh ingredients and practical explanation of techniques that you found in the originals. However, if you're looking for a cookbook with a wide variety of "basic" recipes, I'd recommend getting The Silver Palate Cookbook instead and working your way up to this one.

This is a wonderful cookbook - it covers a huge array of recipes and gives great instructions on how to prepare food. I've been cooking for about 20 years now, and still learned quite a lot from reading this book. The sections on preparing seafood and meat were especially interesting.

The authors are full of innovative ideas and encourage the cook to use his/her own imagination in cooking [something I like]. All of the recipes I've tried from this book have been phenomenal, and they've also appealed to my hard-to-feed picky eater [always a plus!].

I've given this book as a gift to many of the talented cooks I know over the years and they never fail to come back to me with profuse thanks - it is a wonderful book that I'd recommend to anyone who loves to cook!

I bought my first copy seven years ago. This was the cookbook I learned to cook from. How silly was I? I spent nearly two years learning about food from this volume and the Silver Palate series, and if I had to do it all over again, I would have begun my journey with the Joy of Cooking or the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. While I learned a lot about food and entertaining, these books require a certain degree of knowledge. It's like going into Calc II without taking Pre-Calc and Calc I.

The recipes make for good food, and it's great for dinner parties and large gatherings, since the attendants truly enjoy the end results. However, the method is time consuming and not for the faint of heart.

All that said, going from this cookbook to the Cook's Illustrated series, The Way to Cook, Joy of Cooking, and all the fancy restaurant cookbooks (some of them VERY good!) was an ABSOLUTE BREEZE! Now, I don't even refer to New Basics too often since if I want an explanation of something, I go to Joy and if I want something fancy but not frivolous, I read Cook's, Alfred Portale, or Julia Child.

I tend to use this book for summer and fall parties, when I have more time and inclination to find the ingredients.

Living alone and trying to cook for the first time at the age of 24 (rice-a-roni was a stretch), I bought this book looking for the basics. The REAL BASICS. Great book, wrong title. I ended up buying lots of expensive ingredients & pans & spending six hours on sauce just to fix lasagna for friends spur of the moment. As a non-cooker but a "regular fine diner," it did not occur to me that using a jar of good store sauce was just fine if you are in a hurry. I was that "basic." But I learned so much more by reading this book than I have in several expensive NYC cooking classes. The cleverly-drawn pictures, specific explanations of herbs, meat cuts, etc., and anecdotal commentaries helped me make up for lost time. I can read a menu at the chi-chi-est of places with comfort, an even try to duplicate the foods at home (though never as good >:) ) . I have since read many a cookbook looking for something that is basic enough for a beginner but sophisticated enough for a person who dines out five nights a week and "knows food" from the eating perspective - not to be found! So although I learned how to clean leeks and roast peppers before I could make scrambled eggs or broil a chicken, the journey was well worth it, and, in retrospect, I guess I am glad I was baptised by fire. I now know how to make a great Spicy Italian Tomato Vegatarian sauce and some very creative Eastern chicken dishes, but I still want to know how to cook for one without too much trouble, and also, what about Taco Salad and Pot Pie like Mom made?...... SUMMARY: A great cookbook for people who know and enjoy food and appreciate spending time and money on it - and also want to learn more. These ideas are not especially pricey, but this is not a good choice for those on a very strict budget or those who do not derive lots of Joy From Cookin!

This book may not have been published until 1989, but it is the quintessential 80's cookbook: the recipes are way too fussy, too expensive, too pretentious, just too... too. The motto of the Silver Palate gals could easily be, "Why dirty one pan when Miguel can wash five?" These recipes are fine for caterers, or for amateurs with plenty of staff, whose idea of fun is running around all day after chanterelles, golden raspberries, and obscure fish. But with a few exceptions (I still make the Beet Vichyssoise and the Tarragon Pea Soup) these recipes just are not useful for your average weekend hostess, let alone everyday cooking. It's not that I'm scared of these recipes, although some of them are tricky - I am a cook with lots of experience and my friends consider me a foodie. It's just that I've found the regular old (American and ethnic) basics are as good or better than this silly nouveau stuff, and they're cheaper and faster too. If money and time are no object, then you might call this a basic cookbook. Otherwise you should look elsewhere.

Some previous readers/reviewers claim that this cookbook is snooty, requires you to have a personal staff on hand, requires you to get expensive kitchenware, and forces you to go on expeditions for pricey, obscure ingredients. Well, I have found none of those things to be true. I am a destitute grad student who couldn't boil water until last year. Yet somehow, even I can manage to cook recipies from this cookbook on my crappy $40 pot and pan set from Kmart. And with great success. All the recipies that I have ever tried from this cookbook have been hits. My friends are under the impression that I am some master chef. But really, all I did was read this book.

As much a revolution in American cooking as Julia Childs' first cookbook, this book is full of useful charts such as types of fish, their texture, flavor and substitutes. This is invaluable information given the limited selection of fresh fish at most grocery stores! And apples, who else will tell you which apple to use for pies, sauce, or salad? It is NOT Betty Crocker or Joy of Cooking, nor does it try to be. You won't necessarily find all those old favorite recipes, but some old faves with a new twist, like the apple of her eye pie - Without a doubt the best I have ever made. This book encourages the use of fresh ingredients and does not offer shortcuts with mixes or soup cans, and this is a much healthier way to eat, not to mention delicious!! If you are a microwave mom, this may not be for you, but I encourage you to give it a read and try some things on a Saturday night... you may eventually find yourself eating better all week long.

Like some of the other reviewers, I just bought my second copy of this book because the first one, which I have had since its original publication, was worn out. Although some of the recipes are "dated" in that they are overly fussy, there are so many recipes in here that have become staples over the years and that get consistent raves every time I prepare them. The carrot and squash puree, the black and white bean salad... even the Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing recipe... I have made over and over and never get tired of them. That is more than I can say for some of the dozens of other cookbooks that are collecting dust on my shelves. The recipes are not "beginners recipes" by any means in the same sense as the Fanny Farmer cookbook, and yet when I first got this book, I was in my 20's and not at all experienced in the kitchen. But the recipes were clear and easy to follow, and I credit this cookbook with helping to move me up to the "next level" in my cooking all those years ago.