The Cook's Encyclopedia of Pasta

The Cooks Encyclopdia of Pasta is an exceptional cook book full of history, tips, tricks, and of course, Grade-A recipes. The introduction starts off with a detailed chronicle of Pasta, from it's disputed origins to it's present day condition. The overall nutritional value of pasta, along with how it can be used in part of a balanced diet is explained is also explained. From there the reader is presented with twenty full color pages clearly showing all the varities of pasta and how they differ from one another. This information is what distinguishes "The Cooks Encyclopedia of Pasta" from other books covering similar material. The next time you're shopping for the pasta to match a recipe, you won't find yourself wondering just what the heck does Pennani or Conchiglioni look like anyway? Three short sections follow on the assorted products association with pasta cooking, the proper methods for cooking and serving pasta, and finally which wines go best with which pasta dishes. Lastly, before the actual recipes are shown, we are given a superb tutorial on how to make pasta both by hand and with a pasta machine. This isn't just a miniscule add-on for a base recipe and a single pasta shape either. The guide is pretty comprehensive, showing how to make several different pasta shapes, stuffed pasta, and flavored or colored pasta. Although a full 64 pages are used up by all the afore-mentioned information, this book is in no way lacking in the recipe department. Ten separate sections are present, ranging from pasta based soups to stuffed pasta, and even a section dedicated solely to seafood based dishes. Each recipe has a picture showing what the finishes product should (ideally) look like, along with several mid-process pictures. All the instructions are segmented off into easy to digest steps, with each recipe having an average of four steps. Most of the recipes have a little blurb at the beginning regarding either the history of the recipe or different ways it can be served, which is a nice added touch. Each section has it's own knock-out recipe, but my own personal favorite is definitely the "Cappelletti with Tomatoes and Cream". It's actually a very simple dish, but it's simplicity is probably it's biggest strength. This one works great any time - from the most elaborate dinner parties to the most simple after work meal. I really don't have anything negative to say here. It's priced right, has a huge amount of excellent information, and the recipes are all very good. If you like Pasta, don't miss out on this book!

I love pasta. This book makes cooking with it a breeze. Every recipe has a full color picture of the finished product...plus intermediate pictures of the preparation. The instructions are extremely clear with easy to follow numbers. The introduction to the book contains pictures with everything you ever wanted to know about pasta. It shows _every_ kind of pasta imaginable. It also explains how to make many of those pastas. Finally, it contains a section on the common ingredients in pasta recipes, what they are why you use them. I accidentally came across this book and it has become a gold mine of information. Every recipe on every page looks better then the last, and every recipe I have made has tasted better then the last.