Product ReviewsNew Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated Magazine Editors (2004, Hardcover, Revised edition,Expanded)

The PERFECT Cookbook

I received a copy of this as a gift many years ago, and it's my #1 go-to, never-fail, cannot-mess-it-up kitchen BIBLE. I give copies as gifts and it's always well-received. Easily the best cookbook I own, it contains everything from food prep & safety to how to choose a mandolin slicer to how to prepare dehydrated peppers to storing flour to the RIGHT way to roast a whole chicken. I tell everyone "It's literally IMPOSSIBLE to get it wrong if you follow the recipe", and I encourage recipients to read the detailed explanations if they want to understand why and how yeast breads rise, how to cut up a duck for roasting, how to store anything in the freezer and for how long, what a Maillard reaction is and what it does to steak, how to make tortillas from scratch and how to make succulent, smoky-sweet barbecue ribs and how to make everything you touch come out perfect every time. Not only can I make the BEST chocolate-chip cookie now, but I can sharpen my knives, baste a turkey and choose the best cuts of pork too!Read full review...

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Must-have. Go-to. Benchmark reference.

BEST descriptions, technique, and thorough descriptions of their trials, failures, and successes. Lengthy preludes allow you to see what is workable, and prevent you from making the same mistakes they did.
Their Mac & Cheese has totally spoiled my wife, a life-long mac & cheese lover. It is a bit time and stirring intensive, but the results are unmistakable and TOTALLY WORTH THE EFFORT. Unless you are feeding an army, I'd cut this one in half and still get 4-6 portions out of it. Reheat w/ a bit of milk.
They fail to mention r.e. Biscuits the value of lower protein soft wheat. And while they mention White Lily, they omit the Self-Rising Flour, which is worth freight to try once. If you ever want a true Southern Cooking style of biscuit this is the absolute sh!t. But, they cover buttermilk, cream, scones, muffins, corn bread, etc. with more than adequate style.
Their only other failure IMO is how some things take enough effort that you might do multiples. If you want the best pumpkin pie ever, you need to process your own sugar pumpkins vs. canned. You might as well do as many as will fit into your oven in 2 batches and freeze pie portions. Hands down, best pies ever. I have no idea why that one photo turned out upside down. Look for Isaac Hayes Sweet Potato Pecan Pie for the ONLY squash pie that comes close. Paul Newman's Orange Chocolate Angel Food Cake isn't a pie, worth trying once.
I started off with the intent of doing their hardest, following as closely as I could, to see if they had anything to teach me. First was my own cheat, as I could not find Burgundy in the price range they mentioned... not cheap enough to taste like cheap wine, not expensive enough to break the bank. I made Beef Pinot Noir (same grape, sue me). I also started too late, and argued a bit with my wife that I had to finish on day 2 (MY mistake alone). This was THE BEST MEAL I EVER COOKED, until that point. AND, we ended up w/ more portions that froze perfectly. The method of BROWNING the meat, creating a fond in the Dutch Oven, deglazing to save that flavor. It was beyond great. Words do not do it justice.
The 1st edition's section on Turkeys mentions, 'we started w/ 64 Turkeys'. This NEW BEST RECIPE has a discussion of assessing the end product basting/not basting, "...Both were cooked to 170 degree in the leg/thigh. Despite the fact that this was 10 degrees lower than recommended ... breasts registered a throat-catchingly dry 180 degrees. ...
"Because white meat is ideal at 160 degrees and dark thigh meat just loses its shades of pink at about 170 degrees, you might conclude, as we did, that roasting turkeys with their breasts up is a losing proposition." They have several methods, all of them work amazingly well. Do brine, if you can't get a fresh kill Kosher bird.
Just the information on brining Poultry, buying cheaper whole birds, and keeping bits in a freezer bag for making stock is return on investment the first month (IF you actually cook). I tend to do a double stock batch, put them in zip-loc snack bags at 1 cup per, and use them for recipes that call for it.

Amazing resource.

This is my wedding go-to gift, with a short brace of cast iron cookware for young folks starting out on their own. I've done this at least a dozen times. Most have thanked me, and realize that cooking at home is a financial game changer, and it can taste pretty amazing too.
They also have a short library of other books, Slow and Easy (braises +), Meals in under 30 minutes, meals for two, Vegetarian for Everybody, Soups and Stews. This is the most comprehensive, though. Buy them while you can.
Bon appetit.Read full review...

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Best cookbook! The science behind what works...

This copy is for my daughter. I have the original Best Recipe cookbook. This cookbook details techniques that you KNOW will give the desired results. Never could make a pie crust that I was happy with.....have been making perfect crust for years with my copy. Best sautéed mushrooms aren't sautéed but baked--who knew??Read full review...

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Outstanding Cookbook

This massive cookbook from the editors of Cook's Illustrated have given you a personal invite into America's Test Kitchen.....one of the most popular PBS cooking shows. It is an encyclopedia of foolproof recipes and practical information. I was amazed by all the answers to baking and cooking problems. I found out why my cheesecake had a fault line running through it each time....and it wasn't due to tremors! The test kitchen has done all the work for you and as they say, sometimes testing recipes up to 50 times! I also like all the comparison information on pots, pans and even ingredients. It takes the guess work out of which one to buy. If you are a beginning cook this is the book to start with. You can't go wrong and it is worth the extra money.Read full review...

OMG! The best!

I own beaucoup de cookbooks and haven't felt the need to buy a new one in at least 10 years. A friend loaned me a copy of this book. OMG! I had to have it and it had to be this edition, not the later one with 2,000 recipes. Got it. I'm a happy camper.Read full review...

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New Best Recipe

I bought this to update the original book that I had. I have to admit, I haven't taken the time to compare the two.

The one thing I would say is that it's much heavier than the original volume and that makes it less handy. I'd prefer having it in two volumes.

If I had only one cookbook, The Best Recipe would be THE one. It teaches you WHY you perform the steps and include the ingredients in recipes. I love the explanations - particularly the scientific ones - why brining works, why aging beef works. I also enjoy reading the ways the researches alter recipes to get the best one.Read full review...

Great recipes tested and approved. Explanations and techniques for cooking them.

this book has always been my go-to cookbook. Not only filled with great recipes, but it teaches how to cook.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: immnyc

Excellent cook book

This is basically a compilation of all the Cook's Illustrated magazine recipes that appeared prior to the book's publishing date. as such, it is an efficient way to buy all that information.

Cook's Illustrated uses science and trial and error to understand and perfect recipes and it shows. Lots of good information and explanations of why things work in cooking. Excellent book. Only thing is I wish the paper were magazine quality. Pretty cheap paper that may not hold up in a kitchen environment.Read full review...

It's a classic recipe book

This book is more informative than any other recipe book I have owned. I also like how they truly test the recipes before deciding to include them. I also have found I don't care for cookbooks in eletronic versions & much prefer hardbacks or paperbacks.

Originally thought I'd scan for interesting recipes & then pass it on but will keep this one.Read full review...

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The New Best Recipe by Editors of Cook's Illustrated Ma

I bought this book for my husband and son-in-law last year. It turned out to be such a hit that I bought it for my brother-in-law this year as a Christmas gift. This book explains how to make the perfect dish for everything from deviled eggs to New York Cheesecake. It also explains why sometimes things go wrong, like the egg yolks turn grey, or the cheesecake cracks in the middle. I will continue to buy this book as a gift for the cooks in my life.Read full review...