Customer Reviews

Williams-Sonoma Simple Classics Cookbook: The Best of Simple Italian, French & American Cooking

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As an avid cookbook collector and frequent shopper at the Williams-Sonoma retail stores, I was especially pleased when my husband bought this as a gift for me. I often take cookbooks to bed at night for inspiration to plan parties and this has become a favorite. As the title states, the recipies are simple and classic with wonderful photographs to show the finished products. While some of the ingredient lists may seem a bit intimidating, the results are worth it. The Potato and Onion Gratin is delicios as well as the Chicken Salad with Apples and Walnuts.The desserts are amazing, the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake is decadent and the Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake will take your breath away. The final chapter has a list of basic recipies and techniques that even the most advanced cooks would be likely to use as a reference. This is a wonderful book.

Great simple classic recipes. I'm no chef and hardly cook but find the recipes clear and easy to follow. The recipes are classic basic dishes like risotto and crab cakes. Some of the recipes are a bit bland but buy Emeril's if you want spicy. This book is a great classic simple cookbook. Just like Williams-Sonoma great and classic charm.

This book blows my breath away! Fabulous pictures on every page, Delicious recipes (especially the vegetables) and most recipes take only 15-35 minutes to prepare with simple-to-find ingredients. I love this book and hope they will one day do another like it.

This cookbook demostrates that combining good ingredients with simplicity can result in wonderful dishes. I have an extensive cookbook collection, some are beautiful to look at and some are a great resource for recipes; this is both a joy to browse and a pleasure to cook from. The instructions are clear, the lists of ingredients and number of steps are reasonable, and the results have always been very rewarding. As an indication of how highly I think of this book, I purchased copies for both my mother and daughter. This is a great book to have in your kitchen library.

I have collected some very interesting and promising cookbooks over the years, and all of them combined could not teach me what this one book has. I literally went from Novice to Gourmet when I started making some of these recipes. I rave about it and give it to everyone on my gift list.
You can make any of the recipes everyday and not feel overwhelmed because they are truly simple! My favorite is the Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and Leeks served with mashed potatoes. Although it takes 2 hours to make, your actual work time is less than 20 minutes. Just leave it to simmer and check on it every half hour, and Viola you are a gourmet chef!
I have such confidence in the kitchen because of this book! I hope, if you decide to purchase this book or put it on your wish list, that it will give you half the joy it has given me because even that would be heaven sent!

My husband bought me this book and so far have already tried a few of the recipes. They're easy, ingredients are not too difficult to find (from where I live at the moment) and they're marvelously good!!!

As a newlywed, I have purchased several books to enhance my cooking skills recently. This book stood out because of the beautiful presentation of each item and promise of simplicity. Although I did have to call my mother-in-law aobut how to tie up a chicken (not explained) this book has turned some excellent entrees for myself and my husband. One complaint, the book is so large it is difficult to keep nearby while cooking without getting in the way or accidently becoming part of the cooking process. Overall it is a book that has taught me a lot about beautiful presentaion of simple dishes and is beautiful too look at.

I have collected some very interesting and promising cookbooks over the years, and all of them combined could not teach me what this one book has. I literally went from Novice to Gourmet when I started making some of these recipes. I rave about it and give it to everyone on my gift list.
You can make any of the recipes everyday and not feel overwhelmed because they are truly simple! My favorite is the Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and Leeks served with mashed potatoes. Although it takes 2 hours to make, your actual work time is less than 20 minutes. Just leave it to simmer and check on it every half hour, and Viola you are a gourmet chef!
I have such confidence in the kitchen because of this book! I hope, if you decide to purchase this book or put it on your wish list, that it will give you half the joy it has given me because even that would be heaven sent!

This is a true must have. This is an elegant and beautifully crafted book, that contains best simple recipes from the Chuck Williams Collection: Simple Italian Cooking, Simple French Cooking, and Simple American Cooking.

The book includes nearly 200 recipes, beautifully formatted and at a great price. I say it again, a truly must have.

I own close to 300 cookbooks, and this one has been there since near the beginning. The recipe for Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce is probably in the top ten best tasting dishes I've ever cooked. I immediately gave the recipe to several family members, and it became a top recipe in their households, too. I also really like the Curried Chicken Breasts with Basmati Rice recipe. Both of these, like the title suggests, are Simple Classics. When my husband and I were young, broke newlyweds, this was our once per week fancy dinner cookbook. I'll admit, looking through it now, it's starting to look a bit dated. Although my copy is dated 2000, it says that it was first published in 1994, and it looks it. It's a large book, with lots of photos so it's very pleasant to sit and look through. I have some lamb shanks in my freezer, that other reviewer has convinced me to make her favorite recipe from this book with them! Ooo, and the saffron risotto with crab looks so rich and decadent, just right for this chilly fall weather and the seafood cravings I've been having. Sorry for rambling. Worth the price they want for used copies.