Author Mark Bittman believes that, “Anyone can cook, and most everyone should.” In How to Cook Everything he provides a guidebook to enable any cook to make good food. With over 1,500 recipes and 250 explicit step-by-step instructions it is comprehensive and thorough—and certainly as big a book as one could ever hold. The emphasis is on fresh, widely-available ingredients, basic equipment, and healthful techniques. And, How to Cook Everything covers, quite literally, everything. He also has a good appreciation for all cuisines making this a good book for those cooks wanting to expand their repretoire and try out new flavors and ingredients. You will turn to it many times for every day meals and special occasions.
Mark Bittman is as wonderful a writer as he is a teacher and experienced cook, so whether he’s instructing you on the basics of cooking whole fish, or the many merits of brussel sprouts, it is done so in a way that is straight to the point, engaging, and easy to follow. Where words won’t suffice he includes handy illustrations.
Firstly, he covers the basics of major food types, followed by a number of recipes, often with useful variations on cooking techniques. He also interjects his own personality and preferences throughout with useful sidebars highlighting such tidbits as, Twenty-Three Pasta Sauces You Can Make in Advance, Three Uses for Stale Bread, Seven Simple Ideas for Grilled or Broiled Salmon. Best of all everything is easy to find, superbly organized, and cleanly laid out. All this is done without dulling the senses—no easy feat for a guide this size! One book that pretty much does it all, pair it with your Joy of Cooking and you’ve got your basics covered.
“Useful to the novice cook or the professional chef, How to Cook Everything is a tour de force cookbook by Mark Bittman. This is a complete, reliable cookbook.”—Jacques Pepin
NOTE > see also “How to Cook Everything: The Basics”
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Posted by Food Junkie on September 15, 2004Categories - All Purpose, General
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My “backup” reference book, along with The Joy of Cooking. Cheers, Michelle.