The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

I choose cookbooks very carefully, I take it quite seriously. If I could only keep one, it would be The Art of Simple Food. The best version of everything. Give it as a wedding or house warming gift.

Love it! Yes it is simple..but that's great because with three kids under seven simple is the order of the day. My favorite thing is it is real food. No processed short cuts. Yet the recipes I've made have been fast-even with beans the actual hands on time was minimal. More importantly my kids love it. Also it is very budget friendly. Her list of staples and the numerous recipes you can make from them are a godsend. It is so great to have a list of dishes I can make from a few different panty.
It is often said that budget friendly and healthy don't go together, however I find with this book the opposite is true. Seasonal foods are often on sale, and because she has so many simple bean and grain based foods I can cut down on expensive meats.

I own several other titles by the author, so I was surprised to see that the contents were somewhat rudimentary by cooking standards. That does not mean is is not an excellent cook book. It would be my first choice to give to a college student or a teenager leaving home to live on their own.
It's a great foundation for someone who is learning about cuisine (mostly French) at an early stage of their life.

A was expecting a lot more Alice and less recipes. And the recipes are all pretty pedestrian, not Chez Pannise uber-recipes. A better title would have been- "Learning to Cook with Alice Waters"

This book is much more than a collection of recipes. It actually teaches you how to cook. From seasoning the meat at least a day in advance to taking its temperature and pressing with your finger to judge how well done it is, this book can make a cook out of anyone, including me. The slow cooking recipes make fantastic winter food. My 8 year old daughter called the braised chicken legs "the best chicken I ever tasted in my life, dad".