The Bon Appetit Cookbook [Hardcover]

Bon Appetit Magazine (Author), Barbara Fairchild (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 21, 2006

"You can always tell a Bon App?tit recipe: It's a sophisticated twist on a beloved classic, and it's easy to make...our goal is to give you the cumulative expertise of Bon App?tit, with more than 1,200 recipes that will be delicious, first time out."?Barbara Fairchild

First launched in 1956, Bon App?tit is America?s favorite and most widely read food and entertaining magazine, with a circulation of 1.3 million. Now, for the first time, The Bon App?tit Cookbook brings together more than 1,200 of the magazine?s all-time best-loved recipes for every meal and occasion. The book is accessible and user-friendly -- just like the magazine -- and includes clear explanations and exclusive tips from the Bon App?tit test kitchen, along with 59 detailed illustrations of ingredients and techniques.

The recipes have been skillfully selected to represent the very best of the magazine?s sophisticated, foolproof style: easy-to-make dishes that incorporate a variety of regional and international influences -- recipes that are delicious the first time out. From Cajun-Grilled Shrimp to Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna to Hot and Sticky Apricot-Glazed Chicken to Molasses Chewies with Brown Sugar Glaze, there are dishes that will tempt every palate. Complete with a gorgeous 32-page color insert and a simple yet elegant design throughout, The Bon App?tit Cookbook is a must for those who truly love to make and enjoy great food.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

It's high time that Bon Appétit, one of our longest-running cooking magazines, published a collection of its recipes. The Bon Appétit Cookbook offers over 1,200 formulas--a vast selection that includes dishes for every menu stop and occasion, with sections on bread, burgers, pizza and sandwiches. Characteristically, the majority of the formulas--like Chinese-Flavored Fried Chicken with Green Onion Ginger Dipping Sauce, and Spicy Steak with Corn Soft Tacos--reflect an inventive, cross-cultural approach. A wide selection of sweets, such as Chocolate Chunk, Orange and Hazelnut Cookies, and Lemon Blueberry Shortcakes, is also offered; there's even a chapter on drinks.

Though most of the dishes invite good eating, and all are approachable, a surprising number, like Blue and Red Flannel Hash (with potatoes, hot sausage, pickled beets, and blue cheese) are overwrought or of questionable taste. Herbs are sometimes used excessively (a seafood-cake recipe for six calls for 1-1/3 cups of chopped cilantro), or in dubious combination, like rosemary and tarragon. Readers should also know that ingredients are sometimes not named in the methods, but are called for by number--for example, "add the first five ingredients"--obliging cooks to stop, search and count. In addition, recipe yields in a given chapter can vary by four servings or more. Though some of the larger-yield recipes, like that for cassoulet, are obviously meant for groups, others, like Greek Orzo and Shrimp Salad, which yields twenty servings, could be offered as appropriately for a family meal.

These things said, the book, which is photo-illustrated, will make a welcome addition to many cooking libraries, and should be especially handy when guests must be fed. Readers who have long loved and relied on the magazine will be particularly happy to have so many of its recipes in one place. --Arthur Boehm

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Your purchase of The Bon Appétit Cookbook also includes a one-year subscription to Bon Appétit magazine!

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Amazon.com Exclusives

• Read a letter from Barbara Fairchild

• Test Kitchen Tips

Listen to Audio Clips of Barbara Fairchild Discussing:
• How We Cook Today
• Changes in the Food World
• The Approachable, Relevant, and Fun Bon Appétit Cookbook
• Last-Minute Party Planning
• Recipe Development and Testing
• A Great Holiday Meal

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Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from The Bon Appétit Cookbook

Grilled Asian-Style Scallop and Asparagus Salad; Pomegranate, Beet, and Blood Orange Salad

Herb- and Garlic-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Relish

Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust

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From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Mirroring the magazine on which it is based, this collection of 1,200 recipes is accessible, applicable to most home cooks' lives and a pleasure to cook from. Editor-in-chief Fairchild, who started at the magazine in 1978, sums up the classic Bon Appétit recipe as "a sophisticated twist on a beloved classic, and it's easy to make"—qualities illustrated in such dishes as Upscale Macaroni and Cheese, which uses blue cheese, red peppers and celery, and a lighter Chicken Paprikás, which omits sour cream in the sauce but uses both hot and sweet Hungarian paprikas. There's a nice range of dishes, from American to Chinese, Latin American to French, and the introductions to the recipes helpfully offer serving recommendations, notes on ingredients and possible substitutions. Refreshingly, recipes for suggested sides appear alongside recipes for main courses (e.g., Pan-Seared Chicken with Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes). Novice cooks will feel comfortable using the book; "Notes from the Test Kitchen" detail all manner of culinary tools, key pantry items, cooking terminology and techniques like rolling out pie dough. Although the book's approach is more plebeian than, say, that of The Gourmet Cookbook, fans of Bon Appétit will relish this invigorating compilation of greatest hits. 32 pages of color photos, 59 illus. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 816 pages Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (August 21, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0764596861 ISBN-13: 978-0764596865 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 2.2 x 9.2 inches Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

(40)

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“ The recipes are easy to follow and turn out! ” Experienced Baker and Cook  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement

“ I bought this cookbook and i absolutley loved it. ” Anon.  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement

“ The Bon Appetit Cookbook is a great addition to any cook's library! ” Mary Seale  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Comprehensive Cookbook with Amazing Recipes September 8, 2006

By Michael Friedberg

Format:Hardcover

First the superficial: I got my copy in the mail a couple of weeks ago and was immediately taken by how striking the book is. The luminescent orange popping out of the cardboard box really was like a sun coming from behind the clouds. It brightened my day. And now the substance: Over the past ten days or so, it has filled my family and friends' stomachs. I've always loved the magazine, so I knew the type of recipes I would be getting--easy to follow, interesting, varied, and, most importantly, delicious. The breadth of the book is staggering. This weekend I was at a farmer's market and saw some beautiful cherry tomatoes (orange, yum, and red). I didn't hesitate to buy them because I knew that there would be a delicious recipe using them in the book. Of course I was right. There were four different recipes calling specifically for cherry tomatoes. The recipe I ended up making was Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram (though I replaced the marjoram with thyme...still was amazing). It was so easy to make and so good. It will certainly be a new summer staple for me. I could have just as easily picked up any other ingredient at the market and found similarly interesting recipes. I've made 6 or so recipes from the book so far and haven't been disappointed yet. Some of the things have been idiot-proof, like the BLT & G(uacamole), and some more involved, like the the Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mustard-Bourbon Sauce (which was perfect for an end-of-summer bbq). With both recipes, the ingredients and instruction were precise and the flavors flawless.

Look, I've always loved the magazine, so I'm not exactly unbiased, but to have all of the amazing recipes in one place (don't even compare this to the annuals...this is about 10x bigger), and in such a classic, beautiful package, is such a joy. I read Gourmet and Cooks Illustrated, and like them as well, but I've always thought of Bon Appetit as the magazine that you can actually cook from with great results. In other words, it's approachable. That approachability and sophistication have translated wonderfully to this book. The fact that I get to extend my subscription to the magazine for a year (for FREE!!!) is just the proverbial icing on the cake. This is certainly a new classic for my library and I look forward to years of culinary bliss. I've definitely found my gift for the holidays.

127 of 138 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Selection of Entertaining Recipes. Comparable to 'Gourmet' September 9, 2006

By B. Marold HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

`The Bon Appetit Cookbook', with `Bon Appetit' editor in chief, Barbara Fairchild credited as author, is about as predictable as night following day, given the publishing of the `The Gourmet Cookbook' about two years ago, edited by a star of culinary journalism, Ruth Reichl. Not only do the two magazines have almost identical readerships, they are both owned by Conde Nast. They even share a common web site for access to their recipes online. So, we are waiting to hear which of these two great tomes is better.

For starters, both reflect the style of the respective magazines. `Gourmet' aims for more high-end recipes, meaning there is more use of basic rather than prepared ingredients. `Bon Appetit' claims to aim for easier recipes, of course `easier' is a highly relative term. They do NOT mean they are the model for Rachael Ray's '30 Minute Meal' mantra. Rather, they cover the widest range of recipes, but tend to go for the easier recipe with a few `prepared' ingredients.

A comparison of the recipes for New England Clam chowder in the two books is a perfect example. While `Gourmet' calls for live clams and includes in the recipe the steps required to steam the clams, retrieve the clam juice, and shell the clams. In `Bon Appetit's otherwise very similar recipe, we use bottled clam juice and canned clams. On the other side of the coin, where the pork of choice in the traditional recipe is salt pork (See Jasper White, '50 Chowders'), both recipes call for the much more common everyday bacon.

A second example on this same theme is a comparison of the two recipes for Gazpacho. While `Bon Appetit' asks us to use canned tomato juice, canned salsa, and prepared croutons, `Gourmet' starts with fresh tomatoes and a loaf of country bread. `Gourmet' is also a bit truer to the original Spanish recipe in that it calls for sherry vinegar (a Spanish product) while `Bon Appetit' calls for balsamic vinegar (a strictly Italian product).

Another symptom of the differences between the two books is how they treat their recipes for the great Spanish dish `tortilla Espagnole'. For starters, neither book gives us the unvarnished traditional recipe which you may find in a good book on Spanish food (such as Penelope Casas' `The Food and Wine of Spain'), and both freely state that they are presenting a variation on the classic. However, when you look at the procedure for making the dish, it is clear that `Gourmet' is closer to a traditional recipe. While `Bon Appetit' would have us boil the potatoes before dicing, `Gourmet', like every Spanish cookbook I have read, dices the raw potatoes and sautes the potatoes and onions together. Similarly, `Gourmet' uses the traditional method of combining the raw eggs and the cooked vegetables before the final step of cooking the dish, while `Bon Appetit' cooks the egg separately, almost like an omelet, before adding the potato mixture on top of the egg tortilla and folding the eggy disk over, exactly as if it were an omelet. In fact, `Bon Appetit' names the recipe an omelet, but still claims it is a version of the classic Spanish dish.

Another symptom of where each book falls on the scale of culinary sophistication is the fact that while `Bon Appetit' has no references whatsoever in their index for making stocks, `Gourmet' has at least eight (8) stock recipes.

A fourth symptom is in the way the two books describe the technique for blind baking a pie or tart crust. The salient difference is that while `Bon Appetit' calls for docking the bottom after first baking and after removing the pie weights, `Gourmet' follows what I believe is the better method of docking the unbaked crust before adding the pie weights. This is a small point, but in a book with 1200 recipes, these little points add up.

This brings me to the important point of the way the two great volumes are laid out. This is especially important considering the literally disastrous light yellow fonts used to state the names of the recipes for every single one of `Gourmet's 1000 or more recipes. Needless to say, `Bon Appetit's pages are simply a lot easier to read, and not only because they use black and a very legible dark tan to label the recipes. They also use different fonts for ingredients and procedures, with very nice leading procedure words for each paragraph of the procedure. The Table of contents of both books show us 20 (`Gourmet') or 21 (`Bon Appetit') chapters of recipes, with remarkably similar groupings, albeit in a somewhat different order. There are things I like and things I don't like about both, so I'll call it a tie, except that the `Bon Appetit' Table of Contents is all on a single page and is easier to read.

Both books have simply monstrous indices, so that is also a tie. On organizing `sidebar' procedures, the two books take very different strategies. Where `Bon Appetit' collects all its mini-tutorials in the front of the book in `Notes from the Test Kitchen', `Gourmet' scatters them about throughout the volume. And, I believe `Gourmet' is generally superior in this department (see piece of piecrusts).

I have to give a major credit to both books for the attention both pay to preparing their recipes for entertaining. Since most readers of both magazines probably use the recipes for just that purpose, it is not surprising that both books shine in this department. `Gourmet' however does a much better job of providing time required to make each dish.

Last but not least, `Gourmet' lists for $40 for 1000 recipes and `Bon Appetit' lists for $34.95 for 1200 recipes. I suggest that both books are great if you use lots of recipes to entertain and you don't want to own 50 cookbooks. But, neither is a replacement for basic cooking manuals such as `The New Making of a Cook, The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking' by Madeleine Kamman.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful cookbook with fabulous recipes November 2, 2006

By Always Reading

Format:Hardcover

This book is definitely worth the price. The setup is easy to follow and read, and there's even a full year's subscription to the magazine included! The recipes are well-written and plenty of options for a single item are included - for example, instead of just one or two cheesecakes, a whole line of cheesecake recipes is included so you can prepare one for all occasions.

The accompanying photographs are gorgeous (of course) and make you want to cook immediately. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the recipes are a lot less complicated than the ones in the Gourmet cookbook; however, it'd be nice if the active time and cooking times were listed alongside each recipe, as they are in the Gourmet book. On the other hand, it's wonderful to be able to make dinner with only a few ingredients that you already might have on hand - the braised greek chicken with lemon and artichokes is particularly good for weeknights!

All the recipes I've prepared from the book have been good, some better than others. Because the included recipes are all relatively simple and many are easy enough to cook for a weeknight meal, I'm really looking forward to trying them all.

Overall, I have to say that while I like the setup of this cookbook better, I find myself liking the Gourmet cookbook more - even though they're more complicated, the dishes for me have turned out better. However, for everyday meals, the Bon Appetit cookbook is the way to go. If you're a beginning cook, after buying a cookbook for beginners, this is the book you want to expand your repetoire. If you're confident in your kitchen abilities, get both cookbooks to have on hand; they're worth the money.

Bon Appetit!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars like it

I wish it had pictures too. But it is a very good book. Love the simplicity, and it reminds me of my grandma's cooking.

Published 15 days ago by Mara

5.0 out of 5 stars This cookbook has it all

I have been a subcriber of BonAppetit for many years. Many of my favorite recipes are in this cookbook. I have marked many new ones to cook. BonAppetit makes any dish easy to cook.

Published 16 days ago by Deena Karson

5.0 out of 5 stars If you really cook, this is one you need to own.

Love this cookbook for two basic reasons. 1. The recipes have been tested, so as long as you follow them and use the techniques that are spelled out fairly clearly, the recipe... Read more

Published 12 months ago by B Roy

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and yummy

I have been big fan of the magazine for many years and felt overwhelmed by trying to told on to the magazines, so this cookbook really hit the spot. In a word, it's wonderful. Read more

Published 16 months ago by Jane Rosenthal

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recipes

I bought this book for my wife and she loves it. She is a chef herself and has found a lot of great recipe ideas in this book as well. Highly recommended!

Published 16 months ago by JOSH

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bon Appétit Cookbook... Yes! Yes! Yes!

I have been a subscriber to Bon Appétit since the 1960's and have found their recipes to be reliable, timely, and most are relatively easy to make. Read more

Published 19 months ago by Shutterpug

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Must Have!

If you love the magazine you will love the book! My only disappointment is that the pictures are not on the page with the recipe, there could be more pictures. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Ellen Moyer

5.0 out of 5 stars The cookbook to end all cookbooks.

I've been cooking every recipe in this book for about a year straight.

Have had only one (ONE) 'meh' recipe. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Kmrdjanov

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have!

This has become my new favorite cookbook! My fiance slid it surreptitiously onto his book shelf when we were first dating, hoping that someday I'd like him well enough to cook some... Read more

Published on January 31, 2011 by susan jay, author of The House of Yes

5.0 out of 5 stars Great magazine . . . great book

I purchased this lovely cookbook for my daughter-in-law. Learning to cook was a challenge for her when she was younger. Read more

Published on December 21, 2010 by jellybean

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (August 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764596861
• ISBN-13: 978-0764596865
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 2.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Comprehensive Cookbook with Amazing Recipes September 8, 2006

By Michael Friedberg

Format:Hardcover

First the superficial: I got my copy in the mail a couple of weeks ago and was immediately taken by how striking the book is. The luminescent orange popping out of the cardboard box really was like a sun coming from behind the clouds. It brightened my day. And now the substance: Over the past ten days or so, it has filled my family and friends' stomachs. I've always loved the magazine, so I knew the type of recipes I would be getting--easy to follow, interesting, varied, and, most importantly, delicious. The breadth of the book is staggering. This weekend I was at a farmer's market and saw some beautiful cherry tomatoes (orange, yum, and red). I didn't hesitate to buy them because I knew that there would be a delicious recipe using them in the book. Of course I was right. There were four different recipes calling specifically for cherry tomatoes. The recipe I ended up making was Spicy Roast Chicken with Tomatoes and Marjoram (though I replaced the marjoram with thyme...still was amazing). It was so easy to make and so good. It will certainly be a new summer staple for me. I could have just as easily picked up any other ingredient at the market and found similarly interesting recipes. I've made 6 or so recipes from the book so far and haven't been disappointed yet. Some of the things have been idiot-proof, like the BLT & G(uacamole), and some more involved, like the the Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mustard-Bourbon Sauce (which was perfect for an end-of-summer bbq). With both recipes, the ingredients and instruction were precise and the flavors flawless.

Look, I've always loved the magazine, so I'm not exactly unbiased, but to have all of the amazing recipes in one place (don't even compare this to the annuals...this is about 10x bigger), and in such a classic, beautiful package, is such a joy. I read Gourmet and Cooks Illustrated, and like them as well, but I've always thought of Bon Appetit as the magazine that you can actually cook from with great results. In other words, it's approachable. That approachability and sophistication have translated wonderfully to this book. The fact that I get to extend my subscription to the magazine for a year (for FREE!!!) is just the proverbial icing on the cake. This is certainly a new classic for my library and I look forward to years of culinary bliss. I've definitely found my gift for the holidays.

127 of 138 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Selection of Entertaining Recipes. Comparable to 'Gourmet' September 9, 2006

By B. Marold HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

`The Bon Appetit Cookbook', with `Bon Appetit' editor in chief, Barbara Fairchild credited as author, is about as predictable as night following day, given the publishing of the `The Gourmet Cookbook' about two years ago, edited by a star of culinary journalism, Ruth Reichl. Not only do the two magazines have almost identical readerships, they are both owned by Conde Nast. They even share a common web site for access to their recipes online. So, we are waiting to hear which of these two great tomes is better.

For starters, both reflect the style of the respective magazines. `Gourmet' aims for more high-end recipes, meaning there is more use of basic rather than prepared ingredients. `Bon Appetit' claims to aim for easier recipes, of course `easier' is a highly relative term. They do NOT mean they are the model for Rachael Ray's '30 Minute Meal' mantra. Rather, they cover the widest range of recipes, but tend to go for the easier recipe with a few `prepared' ingredients.

A comparison of the recipes for New England Clam chowder in the two books is a perfect example. While `Gourmet' calls for live clams and includes in the recipe the steps required to steam the clams, retrieve the clam juice, and shell the clams. In `Bon Appetit's otherwise very similar recipe, we use bottled clam juice and canned clams. On the other side of the coin, where the pork of choice in the traditional recipe is salt pork (See Jasper White, '50 Chowders'), both recipes call for the much more common everyday bacon.

A second example on this same theme is a comparison of the two recipes for Gazpacho. While `Bon Appetit' asks us to use canned tomato juice, canned salsa, and prepared croutons, `Gourmet' starts with fresh tomatoes and a loaf of country bread. `Gourmet' is also a bit truer to the original Spanish recipe in that it calls for sherry vinegar (a Spanish product) while `Bon Appetit' calls for balsamic vinegar (a strictly Italian product).

Another symptom of the differences between the two books is how they treat their recipes for the great Spanish dish `tortilla Espagnole'. For starters, neither book gives us the unvarnished traditional recipe which you may find in a good book on Spanish food (such as Penelope Casas' `The Food and Wine of Spain'), and both freely state that they are presenting a variation on the classic. However, when you look at the procedure for making the dish, it is clear that `Gourmet' is closer to a traditional recipe. While `Bon Appetit' would have us boil the potatoes before dicing, `Gourmet', like every Spanish cookbook I have read, dices the raw potatoes and sautes the potatoes and onions together. Similarly, `Gourmet' uses the traditional method of combining the raw eggs and the cooked vegetables before the final step of cooking the dish, while `Bon Appetit' cooks the egg separately, almost like an omelet, before adding the potato mixture on top of the egg tortilla and folding the eggy disk over, exactly as if it were an omelet. In fact, `Bon Appetit' names the recipe an omelet, but still claims it is a version of the classic Spanish dish.

Another symptom of where each book falls on the scale of culinary sophistication is the fact that while `Bon Appetit' has no references whatsoever in their index for making stocks, `Gourmet' has at least eight (8) stock recipes.

A fourth symptom is in the way the two books describe the technique for blind baking a pie or tart crust. The salient difference is that while `Bon Appetit' calls for docking the bottom after first baking and after removing the pie weights, `Gourmet' follows what I believe is the better method of docking the unbaked crust before adding the pie weights. This is a small point, but in a book with 1200 recipes, these little points add up.

This brings me to the important point of the way the two great volumes are laid out. This is especially important considering the literally disastrous light yellow fonts used to state the names of the recipes for every single one of `Gourmet's 1000 or more recipes. Needless to say, `Bon Appetit's pages are simply a lot easier to read, and not only because they use black and a very legible dark tan to label the recipes. They also use different fonts for ingredients and procedures, with very nice leading procedure words for each paragraph of the procedure. The Table of contents of both books show us 20 (`Gourmet') or 21 (`Bon Appetit') chapters of recipes, with remarkably similar groupings, albeit in a somewhat different order. There are things I like and things I don't like about both, so I'll call it a tie, except that the `Bon Appetit' Table of Contents is all on a single page and is easier to read.

Both books have simply monstrous indices, so that is also a tie. On organizing `sidebar' procedures, the two books take very different strategies. Where `Bon Appetit' collects all its mini-tutorials in the front of the book in `Notes from the Test Kitchen', `Gourmet' scatters them about throughout the volume. And, I believe `Gourmet' is generally superior in this department (see piece of piecrusts).

I have to give a major credit to both books for the attention both pay to preparing their recipes for entertaining. Since most readers of both magazines probably use the recipes for just that purpose, it is not surprising that both books shine in this department. `Gourmet' however does a much better job of providing time required to make each dish.

Last but not least, `Gourmet' lists for $40 for 1000 recipes and `Bon Appetit' lists for $34.95 for 1200 recipes. I suggest that both books are great if you use lots of recipes to entertain and you don't want to own 50 cookbooks. But, neither is a replacement for basic cooking manuals such as `The New Making of a Cook, The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking' by Madeleine Kamman.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful cookbook with fabulous recipes November 2, 2006

By Always Reading

Format:Hardcover

This book is definitely worth the price. The setup is easy to follow and read, and there's even a full year's subscription to the magazine included! The recipes are well-written and plenty of options for a single item are included - for example, instead of just one or two cheesecakes, a whole line of cheesecake recipes is included so you can prepare one for all occasions.

The accompanying photographs are gorgeous (of course) and make you want to cook immediately. Like other reviewers have mentioned, the recipes are a lot less complicated than the ones in the Gourmet cookbook; however, it'd be nice if the active time and cooking times were listed alongside each recipe, as they are in the Gourmet book. On the other hand, it's wonderful to be able to make dinner with only a few ingredients that you already might have on hand - the braised greek chicken with lemon and artichokes is particularly good for weeknights!

All the recipes I've prepared from the book have been good, some better than others. Because the included recipes are all relatively simple and many are easy enough to cook for a weeknight meal, I'm really looking forward to trying them all.

Overall, I have to say that while I like the setup of this cookbook better, I find myself liking the Gourmet cookbook more - even though they're more complicated, the dishes for me have turned out better. However, for everyday meals, the Bon Appetit cookbook is the way to go. If you're a beginning cook, after buying a cookbook for beginners, this is the book you want to expand your repetoire. If you're confident in your kitchen abilities, get both cookbooks to have on hand; they're worth the money.

Bon Appetit!