I warmed slowly to The New Best Recipe cookbook. Initially, it did not interest me because while perusing the index, I found nothing novel to catch my eye. All the recipes were familiar, even basic. And yet on second inspection, this is a great cookbook precisely because the 1000 recipes included herein are canonical and have been perfected through painstaking research.

The America's Test Kitchen has its own PBS show, several cookbooks to its credit and publishes at least two cooking magazines: Cook's Illustrated, and Cook's Country. The approach of the America's Test Kitchen is to select a category of recipe - say for instance, spare ribs - and test every possible variation of ingredient and cooking method until they come up with a spare rib recipe that both trumps all others in terms of taste and is basically idiot proof. They eschew the fancy and the trendy in favor of the basics.

What makes this cookbook stand out for me is the lengthy discussion of the actual testing of each recipe. Quite often, the account of how the recipe was developed takes up more space than the recipe itself. I find these testing notes so very interesting to read because it provides me with a description of results that I myself will never have to experiment to arrive at. The empirical work has been done for me. Failures and flaws are discussed candidly. The reader is told what went wrong and how it was corrected in the next iteration of the recipe. I find it interesting to read the testing notes for even the most basic of preparations, such as baked potatoes. I learn something every time, even though I trained and worked professionally as a chef.

It's true that much (though not all) of the recipe testing comes down to blind taste tests by the professional cooks at the Test Kitchen. It's possible that my tastes might differ from those cooks. But because the blind tasting of the various candidate recipes relies on the opinions of several experienced tasters, I can be reasonably confident in the consensus view.

So the New Best Recipe is not a cookbook to provide inspiration, per se. You won't find creative new ways to serve dinosaur kale, or guidance on vertical haute cuisine appetizers. It's a cookbook to turn to for perfection in the foods we like to eat everyday. Just about any popular American classic you could think of will be found in this collection of recipes. Eggplant parmesan, spaghetti carbonara, brownies, twice-baked potatoes, meatloaf - I've prepared all these foods based on the recipes in the New Best Recipe and have been extremely impressed with the results each time. Only those "foreign" recipes which have been pretty well co-opted into the American arena and somehow made our own make the cut; guacamole, Irish soda bread, and crème brûlée are included, but not borsch. Not much in this book will seem exotic to anyone who likes to eat.

One thing I should note is that most of the 1000 recipes in the New Best Recipe also make an appearance in the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. If you already own the latter, there might not be much sense in purchasing the New Best Recipe. It depends on what you're after and what kind of cook you are. The two cookbooks focus on different things despite the huge overlap in recipes. The New Best Recipe offers much more in the way of high-level analysis of each recipe's parameters, and explains how the published recipe was arrived at. The ATK Family Cookbook is geared more towards those cooks who just want the recipe itself, as well as lots of pictures.

As in the Cook's magazines, the New Best Recipe includes mini-reviews of both kitchen equipment and staple ingredients. It's a bit like the epinions site in pared down form. You'll find out which colander they like best and why, and how it's held up through years of use. You'll also learn which canned tomato and which dried pasta gets the nod from the ATK. These small notes are condensed and yet extremely useful. And they are placed near recipes to which they are pertinent.

To sum up, this is a fantastic book for those who want to learn to make "normal" meals at home that will taste great. The ability to appreciate this cookbook has less to do with one's amount of cooking experience, and more to do with one's curiosity about cooking. Those who want to understand why a recipe is a great one will find much to occupy them in this cookbook. Highly recommended.

Other items from the America's Test Kitchen:

• America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - trustworthy guide to all the fundamentals of home cooking
• Cook's Country Magazine - ideal for beginning cooks, or experienced cooks who want a return to the basics


I can also recommend these cookbooks:

• Indian Cooking - an excellent cookbook by Jaffrey for beginner cooks, includes many meat dishes
• Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - Deborah Madison's compendium of vegetarian cookery - great dessert section
• Cooking with Pomiane - a deliciously nostalgic review of culinary history, narrated by a great wit
• The Boulevard Cookbook - sumptuous recipes from San Francisco's favorite restaurant
• Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America - accessible and delicious recipes for nibbles or a hearty meal
• World Vegetarian - suitable for slightly more experienced cooks & essential for vegetarians
• The Bread Baker's Apprentice - superlative, expert instruction for mastering yeasted breads
• Baking With Julia - Julia Child's award-winning "bakebook", covers all type of baked goods
• Dim Sum - a thorough introduction to these tasty Chinese morsels
• Nigella Express - quick recipes for those who really like to cook
• The Good Egg - fresh & tasty recipes based on the incredible, edible egg
• The Wellness Encyclopedia - an excellent reference guide to the nutritional facts on most anything you could put in your mouth




Recommended: Yes