My husband and I have a ridiculously extensive library of America's Test Kitchen cookbooks and we subscribe to their magazines as well. We keep saying that we don't need anymore of their cookbooks, but then they come out with stuff like this and we can't help ourselves. I wanted this as soon as they put it out for pre-purchase. Reading some of the reviews on this, however, made me somewhat unsure how I would like it.
My husband made fun of me for purchasing yet another ATK cookbook, but we when we got it I couldn't pry it out of his hands long enough to look at it myself. Obviously, we like to cook and we are especially interested in DIY. I like to can in the summer, so I was particularly excited about canning recipes from ATK. There is nothing more disappointing than making a giant batch of jelly, going to the trouble of canning it, only to have it turn out...meh. Or worse, turn out awful. But I knew with canning recipes from ATK, they would turn out good. There weren't as many canning recipes as I would have liked, however; so, if you are getting this book specifically for canning recipes then you will probably be disappointed.
My biggest beef with ATK cookbooks is usually the sheer amount of repeats. If you subscribe to their magazine and have their cookbooks, you will know what I mean. Also, some of these recipes are online for free on their blog, as another reviewer mentioned. However, for me this did not detract from the usefulness of this book. I still think there are a lot of recipes in here that are not on their blog and also I generally prefer using a cookbook than using the internet or printing out a recipe. So, I have been quite pleased with this.
I love the explanations of the recipes and, best of all, the step-by-step instructions and full-color pictures. There are so many things in here that I'm so excited to make. I never thought we could make root beer at home, but now I'm looking forward to it. For the last couple of years, my husband and I have been making salted caramels with the intention of giving them away for Christmas gifts, but they just never set up right and were just kind of gloopy globs not great for gifting (but perfectly acceptable for eating, as we did). I just tried the salted caramel recipe from this cookbook last night and they turned out beautifully. Soft, chewy, and they actually hold their shape! I wrapped them up in little candy wrappers and they look professional. Plus, their taste exceeds any other recipe I have tried.
Very, very, very pleased! I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to try making things like root beer, cheese, vinegar, Thin Mints, Oreos, bacon (yes, bacon) etc., on their own and actually having them turn out fantastic. Admittedly, I'm already a big fan of ATK, but I think they hit it out of the park with this one. Would make a great gift, too.
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From the Publisher
Forget Store-Bought Staples
We teach you to make your own homemade staples.
Corn Tortillas
Fun Projects with the Kids & Great Year-Round Gift-Giving Ideas
The Do-It-Yourself Cookbook delivers a wide variety of projects to suit a range of interests and skill levels. We offer recipes for pantry staples like ketchup, sriracha, wine vinegar, and vanilla extract. There's something here for everyone—like Fresh Goat Cheese and Rich Butter Crackers, sweets like Thin Chocolate-Mint Cookies, beverages like Ginger Beer, and cured meats like Pancetta.
100 Favorite From-Scratch Kitchen Projects
Are you an adventurous, curious cook?
If you are, then the Do-It-Yourself Cookbook is for you. Our staff shares more than 100 of its favorite from-scratch kitchen projects, walking you through each process step by step so you can create better versions of many of today's store-bought staples and gourmet favorites at home without missing a beat. Using fresh ingredients and customizing to suit your own tastes guarantees that you'll love the final results.
Chapters and Recipes Include:
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Stocking the Pantry: Staples Made FreshAlmond Butter, Marinated Artichokes, Oven-Dried Tomatoes, and more. |
Preserving the Seasons: Jams, Jellies, and SpreadsRaspberry-Peach Spreadable Fruit, Bacon Jam, Green Tomato Chutney, and more. |
Pickle It: From Cucumbers to KimchiSour Dill Pickles, Dilly Beans, Giardiniera, and more. |
Milky Ways: Cheese, Yogurt, and CurdsNeufchatel Cream Cheese, Greek-Style Yogurt, Cultured Butter, and more. |
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D.I.Y. It is an excellent book to have on hand with exciting things to do yourself. I will add that many of the recipes include different devices that you may not have lying around your house.
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