How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food

Since Mark Bittman emphasizes 'simple,' recipes often turn out bland or ho-hum. It seems that recipes were not always thoroughly tested, as cook times are frequently off, especially in regards to baked goods. Sometimes, Bittman's tone is condescending. He dismisses canned chicken broth over "water and a few vegetables" and insists that cream should be consumed unpasteurized and curry powder ground at home. While such observations may be true, they are not always realistic for the average cook without time to make absolutely everything from scratch.

Where this book does shine, however, is in the amount of information it provides on techniques, tools, and ingredients. I purchased this book when I first married and had little experience cooking. Since then, I've spent many hours reading this book and learning about cooking techniques. Often, I'll uses Bittman's book for reference on method, but follow a tastier recipe found elsewhere.

This book is best for those who are just starting out in the world of cooking and who need to familiarize themselves with basic recipes and methods. If you have years of experience in the kitchen, you'll likely find the recipes so-so and redundant with ones you already know, and the information on technique will hold less value.

Every home cooking library needs at least one basic cook book and this is the one that I always recommend. I have been happily using this cookbook for 10 years. I love to cook but I work long hours and Bittman is amazing at producing simple delicious recipes that make it easier, more healthy and better tasting to create your own dinner from scratch than to eat out or pick up frozen dinners or prepared food. Even my extremely reluctant home cook friends - i.e., those who feel they should cook for their families but would really rather not - love this cookbook and in some cases it has modified their attitudes towards cooking. For me, in addition to being a great basic resource for quick and easy every day cooking, this cookbook has forever modified the way I cook today's leaner pork chops. Mr. Bittman recommends a braising technique which is perfect and I will never broil or pan fry another pork chop again (unless I have time for brining which some other cookbook writers recommend).

We're on our third copy of this book. After the first two hardcover copies fell apart, we bought the paperback. Now that shows 1) that this book has become indispensable in our kitchen, but also 2) that the hardcover version is shoddily made. We sent a note to the publisher but got no response. The publisher is not serving the great MB well.

This is an excellent cookbook for a starting cook, and it is the first one I turn to when I have a pile of one type of vegetable. The recipes are very easy to follow, and it has clear and useful techniques.

That being said, quite a few recipes (especially baking) are very bland. Oatmeal cookies turn out with excellent color and texture, but almost no taste. I've had this experience multiple times for this cookbook, and neither my wife or I have any desire to bake from it again.

A great cookbook for today. However, I am now buying my 3rd copy because the binding keeps falling apart.

Just a disgusting practice. Shame on them.