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4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Have you ever felt a little besieged by recipes? Ever opened up the newspaper to the food page and found yet more recipes that may or may not taste like anything you might want to have in your mouth? Ever longed for simplicity, for that one recipe you know is going to work time and time again? And not a recipe for some weird combination of foods that don't belong together on a plate, but for the kind of dishes you put on your table over and over again? Ever wondered what cookbook to send off to college with your child, the one who has been eating you out of house and home but for whom cooking is pouring milk on cold cereal? Pam Anderson, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated, has your answer.

"I wanted a stir-fry formula that I could commit to memory and make with meat, vegetables, and flavorings I had on hand, and a number of different sauces," Anderson writes. "I wanted a chicken pot pie that I'd actually have time to get on the table on weeknights, and macaroni and cheese that both my kids and I would eat. I wanted foolproof coleslaw and potato salads that would go with all sorts of dishes.... I wanted answers to questions that had been dogging me for years. Which cut of beef is best for stew? When mashing potatoes, which comes first: the butter or the milk?"

The Perfect Recipe answers these and many, many more questions. Anderson sets herself the task of finding the perfect recipes for, say, chicken stock, and explains how she got to her result. You end up learning a little bit about the science and chemistry of cooking. Then she gives you several delicious, and perfect, recipes for chicken soup. Or clam chowder. Or beef onion soup. She walks you through chicken and, after having roasted 40 turkeys, she shows you how to get perfect results every time. Her brownies are every bit as fudgy, chewy, and cakey as she claims. Her muffins are divine.

While most of these recipes are for everyday foods (and what could be more important?), there are a number of recipes dedicated to entertaining--how to cook the perfect prime rib even though you only do it once a year, for example. Anderson truly delivers the building blocks of good, sound, flavorful cooking--the kind of cooking you can always count on. --Schuyler Ingle --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Anderson, executive editor of Cook's Illustrated, follows in the footsteps of Christopher Kimball, CI's editor/publisher and author of The Cook's Bible, and Shirley O. Corriher, author of 1997 James Beard Award-winning CookWise. All detail their efforts through trial and error to find the best way to prepare specific recipes and rightfully claim considerable authority. Anderson's quest began as a personal mission to find the best way to cook "dishes I prepared frequently." Starting with 34 recipes for favorite American foods, from chicken soup and meat loaf to potato salad and strawberry shortcake, she recounts her attempts at perfection and then offers her tested variations of some 150 recipes. She is generous in paying credit to cooks from whom she learnedAe.g., Corriher, Edna Lewis, Betty FussellAand imparts valuable tips along with her own conclusions. Low-fat yogurt used as a moistener adds a nice tang to Meat Loaf. Brining brings out the best in Oven-Roasted Turkey with Giblet Pan Sauce. To achieve lush, large Muffins that rise right and overhang their cups, triple the recipe. For a non-weeping Lemon Meringue Pie, reheat the filling before piling on the beaten egg whites. While covering territory mapped by others, Anderson offers distinctive guidelines on her route to reliable, speedy kitchen success. Line drawings by Judy Love. BOMC Good Cook selection; author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 380 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Reprinted from edition (April 25, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0618132694
  • ISBN-13: 978-0618132690
  • Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

69 Reviews
5 star:
 (51)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (69 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. However...., August 18, 2000
By A Customer
This is virtually the same book as "The Best Recipe" by the editors of Cooks Illustrated. I think that "The Best Recipe" is more comprehensive. "The Perfect Recipe" does seem to be laid out in a manner that would be easier to follow as you cook. You don't need both, in any case. The recipes are the SAME!
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Cookbook, June 9, 1999
By Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This is an excellent cookbook for someone who wants to get their recipes "just right." As a novice cook, I learned a great deal from this book, which explains in detail the processes the author went through in trying to create the "perfect recipe" for staple dishes such as prime rib, fried chicken, meatloaf, apple pie, and muffins.

This cookbook, like all cookbooks, isn't perfect (despite the title). In fact the worst thing about this book is the title, becuase it creates impossibly high expectations for all the recipes. For example, the meat loaf recipe is decent, but hardly "perfect." On the other hand, the basic muffin recipe is marvelous and is indeed the best recipe for muffins I have ever tried. The pancake and brownie recipes are similarly magnificent.

So, on the whole, an excellent cookbook written by a chef who knows her stuff. Just lower your expectations and try more than one recipe before giving up.

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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Problem-solving comfort foods, September 22, 2000
By A Customer
Having cooked for a family for the last 30 years, I have several cookbooks as well as recipes I've printed off the web in my cooking library. It was refreshing to see that in this book I could now find the answer to some age-old problems I've encountered with basic comfort foods, like roast turkey (getting MOIST white AND dark meat), (evenly-cooked) prime rib and (crisp, not weepy and soggy) lemon meringue pie. I also found it interesting to read about the processes performed to find the "perfect" recipe. This book is a find for the new or beginner cook. As a more experienced cook, I was thrilled to find solutions to those cooking "nightmares."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect fun book
If you love cooking this is for you. I just love reading her cookbooks. What a great Gift this would be. And great recipes too.
Published 19 months ago by E. A. McIntyre

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best cookbook you will ever buy!
This book is full of test kitchen recipes that you really can use daily. The ways that they are explained and the mistakes they have made and show you how to avoid are priceless... Read more
Published 21 months ago by C. Spencer Reynolds

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice "entry level" book for potential "Cook's Illustrated" fans
This book's style and editorial format has a lot in common with Shirley Corriher's "CookWise" and the output of the Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen group, which isn't... Read more
Published on February 17, 2007 by Lemon Magic

3.0 out of 5 stars Get the "Best Recipe" instead from Cooks Illustrated.
Pam Anderson was the editor at Cook's Illustrated for years. Her 1998 book, while it won the Julia Child Award, has identical recipes in "The New Best Recipe" and also in "The... Read more
Published on November 22, 2006 by I. Seligman

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorites from this book
This book is easy to read and follow. There is enough information without being overwelming. I haven't tried all of the recipes, but the ones I have tried are now THE recipe I... Read more
Published on December 22, 2005 by Kathi of Nyack

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to follow, clever, and delicious!
Some of my favorite recipes came from this book. It's well-written, well-designed, and most of all USEFUL! Makes a great starter cookbook. Read more
Published on August 6, 2005 by Gordon M. Wagner

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary for Every Cook
The Perfect Recipe is a /must have/ for anyone who cooks more than 5 times a year. You can cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner with only one book as reference (Turkey and gravy,... Read more
Published on May 13, 2004 by derketchup

4.0 out of 5 stars Great start for beginners
If you are a novice cook looking to add a few American classics to your repertoire, then this is the book for you. Read more
Published on October 22, 2003 by OrthodoxMama

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommened Highly
I have only made a few of the recipes in this book. All have been outstanding. The brownies are the best I have ever had, period. Read more
Published on January 12, 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Cookbook and Friendly tone
I subscribe to CI and have one of their books as well. Yes, the recipes are the same in many cases, but what makes Anderson's book a bit better is the friendly tone. Read more
Published on January 2, 2003 by LaChina

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