Product Description
Repackaged to be easier to use and expanded to include a whole new chapter of healthy, light recipes, this revised edition of one of last fall's bestselling cookbooks remains the one and only basic cookbook you will ever need. Beautiful step-by-step photos illuminate every conceivable technique from chopping shallots and skinning salmon to cutting up a chicken and tying a roast. In fact, just about anything you want to do in the kitchen is explained in these pages in America's most popular test kitchen's approachable, no-nonsense voice.

These recipes will keep you busy (and your friends and family happy) for years to come, since we've included hundreds of easy weeknight dishes (like Skillet Lasagna and One-Pot Chicken and Rice), company-worthy dinners (like Beef Burgundy, Roast Leg of Lamb, and Fresh Fruit Trifle), equipment ratings, shoppings tips, and more.

Amazon.com Review
Over time, twin enterprises Cook's Illustrated magazine and America's Test Kitchen have published many books dedicated to providing exhaustively tested recipes--"best" versions of traditional dishes plus definitive takes on kitchen equipment and ingredients. Some series readers have complained of endlessly recycled or rejiggered recipes; others take each book at face value, finding the formulas and cooking insights good and helpful. America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, which calls itself a cookbook, cooking school, and kitchen reference in one, offers over 1,200 approachable recipes for a very wide range of dishes--from "weekday" fare like Creamy Rice Casserole, Cheesy Nachos with Spicy Beef, and Skillet Lasagna, to dressier recipes, including Pan-Seared Lamb Chops with Red Wine Rosemary Sauce, Roasted Trout Stuffed with Bacon and Spinach, and Chocolate Marshmallow Mousse. There are "specialty" chapters devoted to sandwiches, drinks, and slow cooker and pressure cooker dishes; a grilling section is a tutorial in itself.

Unorthodox, "better-way" approaches abound. For example, a fried chicken formula instructs the cook to wet the bird's dry coating slightly before it's applied for an extra-crunchy crust. Predictably, side bars feature equipment and ingredient evaluations, on bottled salsa, for example; "good food/bad food" photographs show readers what to aim for when producing fare like holiday cookies; and there are tips, charts, and "Cooking 101" sidebars galore. Step-by-step photos offer more direction still.

Though the majority of recipes are sound and yield tempting results, readers poring through the book will note gaffes and curiosities. The recipe for poached eggs, for example, offers the option of extra cooking for "firm yolks" (hard-boiled poached eggs, anyone?) and hamburgers receive an indentation before cooking to avoid "puffy" domed burgers, a novel problem that could, in any case, be solved by proper shaping. The addition of sugar to some savory dishes--for example, a pan sauce for steak--is misguided. Readers should also know that the book, which comes in loose-leaf form, requires some assembly, and that the pages themselves are quite thin, making them vulnerable to spills and tearing in daily kitchen use.

These things said, the book delivers solid, family-friendly dishes with enough fully orchestrated "how- to" to make even novice cooks feel secure when tackling the basics or more ambitious fare.

What's New in the Revised Editon?
First out in 2005, America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook was praised for its recipe ease, inclusiveness, and wealth of helpful information, but was also criticized for its physical production. A loose-leaf book with its pages included separately, readers found it inconvenient to assemble and its paper impractically thin. The revised edition is printed on heavier stock, and arrives with its pages already on its rings (there are two more now, for sturdiness) with only chapter dividers to insert, a simple task.

In addition, new inside front and back covers provide information on emergency substitutions, roasting guidelines, equivalent measures, and more--and a "Light Recipes" chapter has been included. Without defining precisely what "light" means--fewer fats and carbs, or a combo?--the section offers attractive all-course recipes, such as turkey chili, veggie burgers, meat and cheese lasagna, and chocolate bundt cake. Some readers will welcome the "slimming" of familiar dishes while others will find some of the manipulations--using cornstarch to thicken the sauce in fettuccine alfredo or ricotta to add body to a reduced-fat pesto, for example--unappealing. The book, however, remains a valuable kitchen tool--and one with greater convenience and durability than before. --Arthur Boehm

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (Revised Edition)

Butternut Squash Soup

Light Chicken Parmesan
Classic Apple Pie

More from America's Test Kitchen

The Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007

Cook's Illustrated

The Best 30-Minute Recipe

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 122 reviews)

Believe in it! These recipes work, plain and simple.

I actually purchased the original edition in 2005, but would love to have this newer version with the heavier paper- several of my pages have ripped out of the binder. Either way, I have not had a SINGLE bad meal using this cookbook. They really and truly test the heck out of each recipe and it shows. There are times when I read a recipe and think that maybe "my way" is better, but I forge ahead in the name of science and do it their way. Guess what? Their way is better every time. We used their meatball recipe last night and they were FANTASTIC- tender and yummy. My meatballs are usually dense and a little dry. I made fried eggs this morning following their recipe (and thinking "low heat? really?" the entire time.) Again- awesome eggs. Trust me, you will not go wrong following their recipes. Do it their way, even if it seems like there are extra steps and you've never done it that way before. It just works.
November 30, 2008

Great resource!

This is a fabulous cookbook to have on hand!! There are great recipes (divided in sections) with wonderful tips on the best tools and techniques to use. A priceless resource to keep close by!
November 21, 2008

Easy on the eyes, tough on the tastebuds

I have several cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen, and loved them. The New Best Recipe, in particular, is my favorite. I received this cookbook as a gift, and loved putting in the dividers and looking at all of the colorful illustrations (normally most of their cookbooks are illustrated in pen-and-ink drawings). It has a 1950's retro feel to it, which I like.

However, I must agree with another reviewer that while some of the recipes are straight out of their episodes and other cookbooks, there are several I've tried so far that seem "safe" and therefore bland. The blueberry muffin recipe turned out dry and crumbly. The chili had to be kicked up a notch with some additional spices at the last minute, and the spinach dip was watery and unremarkable.

But there are lots of recipes and I like the way they're organized, so I would say it's worth purchasing, but not worth the honor of the "go-to" cookbook that never fails you.
November 21, 2008

Great "go to " resource

I am an experienced cook who has enjoyed other America's Test Kitchen books. This is a perfect cookbook for any kitchen as it provides all the basic, time honored favorites as well as countless other helps and pictures and how-to's that are fully tested for great success. I bought it for a gift and kept it for myself, buying three more for gifts.
November 16, 2008

Best. Cookbook. Ever.

I have tried a dozen different recipes out of this book in the two months I've owned it, and every one was One Of The Best Things I Have Ever Cooked.

These are not recipes that you will have to tweak a little the second or third time you do them. They are fabulous exactly as written, which makes sense considering they are based on a show that tries to come up with "the best" way to cook whatever they are making.

The flavors are surprisingly rich and sophisticated for recipes that generally have fairly simple ingredients. Those labeled "fast" are appropriate for weeknight meals. Their product suggestions have also been spot-on.

These guys are the perfect balance between "foodies" and practical, normal cooks making dinner for a family. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
November 09, 2008

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