The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook

I've always wondered why sometimes you use baking powder and sometimes you use baking soda, and sometimes both. Now I know! This book explains cooking theory in little side articles that are easy to find (and easy to ignore if you don't care about them). It has lots of recommendations, for things like cooking equipment (I bought a new grater & love it) as well as ingredients. And there are a couple of recipes that have... Read Full Review

I've enjoyed the cooking show, America's Test Kitchen, for several years. Their web site ... includes the current season's recipes -- but not the full list. If your local PBS station is running a show from an earlier series, then the recipes are not readily available. Well this book has all of the information. It has the recipes (plus usually one or two that weren't included in the show because of time constraints). It... Read Full Review

This companion volume to the PBS series is presented as 26 chapters that correspond to the individual shows and include recipe analysis, equipment recommendations and illustrated techniques. Christopher Kimball and his rigorous cohorts define their goals, talk to experts, test dozens of recipe variations and then let you know what works and what doesn't. For example, Shrimp Classics includes recipes for Herb-Crusted Shrimp,... Read Full Review

I found this book a fascinating read. I can easily spend a couple of hours immersed in this book, learning new techniques and observing the art and science of cooking. It is a plainly written, unpretentious guide to doing things better in the kitchen, and I can't think of another book I own that comes close to the engaging tone of this one. I learn something new every time I pick it up!

This cookbook, and the associated magazine "Cook's Illustrated," try hard to discover the best methods, equipment and ingredients for cooking in the home. And they do so by exhaustive (at least it would be for me!) comparisons. They then explain the results and why they were achieved. If you have a scientific bent at all the explanations will suck you into trying the recipes. Then the tastes will hook you forever. For... Read Full Review