Amazon.com: The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry: the Editors of Cook's Illustrated: Books

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The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry is, bar none, the Great Mother Hen of all poultry cookbooks. If it is incomplete in any way, it is only that the editors have not included poultry recipes from absolutely every culture in the world familiar with the birds. But with this book tucked under your wing, you can check out poultry recipes in cookbooks from all corners of the globe and know exactly how to get the results you want. Thanks to the Cook's Illustrated magazine test kitchen, all possible contingencies have been exhaustively covered.

There are 38 chapters in this book, starting with a guide to buying poultry (the more expensive birds are better than their commercial sisters) and ending with a note on smoking. You won't even get to Chicken Salad until chapter 23. You will find nearly 500 recipes, the perfect roast turkey among them. There are 300 pen-and-ink illustrations demonstrating everything from carving a bird to getting the pit out of a mango. Want to know which is the best canned chicken stock? The best countertop deep fryer? The best roasting rack? The best way to sauté chicken cutlets? It's all in here, in meticulous detail. That stir-fry that has always given you trouble? It's a thing of the past. Always felt intimidated by duck? Forget about it.

Plan on getting lost in The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry once you open the cover. You will surface only long enough to go to the grocery store. Your life will never be the same. It's that kind of book. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly
For the moment at least, this is the definitive collection of nearly 500 recipes for cooking chicken, turkey, pheasant, Cornish hens and other birds in a broad variety of ways. While introductory remarks to the 38 chapters (on Fried Chicken, Grilled Chicken Kebabs, Roasted Goose, etc.) echo the somewhat pedantic style of Cook's Illustrated magazine by recounting details of rigorous recipe testing, the recipes are consistent models of clarity and promise meals so boldly flavored that it's difficult to restrain oneself from grabbing a bird to cook. Dishes such as Spinach, Tomato, and Chicken Pot Pie with Parmesan Biscuit Topping and Saut?ed Chicken Cutlets with Rice Wine and Szechwan Peppercorn Sauce exemplify the savory offerings, but also included are such homier dishes as Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls and Stuffed Roast Turkey with Giblet Pan Gravy. Accompanying the recipes are a cornucopia of tips resulting from the editors' extensive testing, including advice on brining a bird before cooking and using a large skillet for stir-frying rather than a stove-top wok because it heats better across the cooking surface. As the title says, this is about as complete as one cookbook can be. Some 300 drawings demonstrate preparation and cooking techniques. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry (Hardcover)

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