I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but this book is HUGE! I've been wanting to buy a cookbook from America's Test Kitchen (Cooks Illustrated) for awhile now. They have so many great books to choose from, but I finally decided on The New Best Recipe.
(Here it is compared to a normal sized book)
From Publisher's Weekly:
"A literal encyclopedia of recipes (culled from the magazine), this revision to Cook's Illustrated's popular The Best Recipe is almost double in size and includes more than 1,000 recipes. Cook's Illustrated is known for careful (some would say compulsive) testing of recipes with a focus on foolproof technique; detailed line drawings that take readers step-by-step through recipes; and opinionated guides that assert that their way is the best way. This methodology appeals particularly to a specific kind of cook, one with a primarily scientific rather than artistic or intuitive approach to cooking. Though there are a few photographs, readers who buy cookbooks for full-color photographs and personal anecdotes aren't likely to be drawn to this work. Twenty-two chapters cover appetizers to desserts."
Okay, so it may not have the charm of The Pioneer Woman's cookbook or be the most colorful or artistic cookbook out there but it is full of great information. I like how they test out out a bunch of recipes and see what produces the best product! They tell you what works, and what doesn't. Usually when I'm looking for a specific recipe I look at a ton of recipes, read the reviews/comments, see what people have done to make it better, and make a recipe based on everything I've read. I guess that's pretty much what America's Test Kitchen does (they also have the time & money to exhaustively test the recipes!). Now I have a cookbook I can go to and not have to worry about researching anything!
What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
