The New Basics Cookbook [Paperback]

Sheila Lukins (Author), Julee Rosso (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1989

It's the 1.8-million-copy bestselling cookbook that's become a modern-day classic. Beginning cooks will learn how to boil an egg. Experienced cooks will discover new ingredients and inspired approaches to familiar ones. Encyclopedic in scope, rich with recipes and techniques, and just plain fascinating to read, The New Basics Cookbook is the indispensable kitchen reference for all home cooks.

This is a basic cookbook that reflects today's kitchen, today's pantry, today's taste expectations. A whimsically illustrated 875-recipe labor of love, The New Basics features a light, fresh, vibrantly flavored style of American cooking that incorporates the best of new ingredients and cuisines from around the world.

Over 30 chapters include Fresh Beginnings; Pasta, Pizza, and Risotto; Soups; Salads; every kind of Vegetable; Seafood; The Chicken and the Egg; Grilling from Ribs to Surprise Paella; Grains; Beef; Lamb, Pork; Game; The Cheese Course, and Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. Not to mention 150 Desserts! Plus, tips, lore, menu ideas, at-a-glance charts, trade secrets, The Wine Dictionary, a Glossary of Cooking Terms, The Panic-Proof Kitchen, and much more.

Main Selection of the Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service and the Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

While it won't tell you how to boil an egg, Lukins and Rosso's The New Basics has proved itself a modern classic, fit to reside on your shelves next to The Joy of Cooking and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Aspiring chefs can use this 850-page tome to plan their next cocktail party (try the Raspberry Dip with Crudites), make brunch for the in-laws (how about Smoked Salmon and Leek Frittata and a Chicory and Bacon Salad?), or even bake up a batch of Pinwheel Cookies for the office. The "basics" include tips for entertaining, a glossary of cooking and wine terms, suggestions for a well- stocked pantry, and instructions on how to pick the best seasonal ingredients. Menus and delightful culinary quotes are sprinkled throughout the book, and the chatty tone will inspire confidence in every kitchen.

From Library Journal

Since they have sold the store, Rosso and Lukins could hardly call their new book The New Silver Palate Cookbook , but that, in essence, is what this is. It's a huge cookbook/reference work, filled with information on new ingredients and styles of cooking, practical advice on such subjects as entertaining and choosing wine, and more than 900 recipes. There are all sorts of dishes here, family favorites as well as company food, recipes that seem fresh and new but not, in general, overly trendy. An essential purchase, sure to be in demand.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (January 10, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894803417
• ISBN-13: 978-0894803413
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my "desert island" cookbooks . . . June 26, 2000

By L. Mountford TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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. Read more ›

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but the title can be deceiving September 8, 2001

By ockeghem

Format:Paperback

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.

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the originals. March 2, 2001

By mirope VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Cookbook! October 31, 2001

By Kelly TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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!