Emily Reviews: The New Best Recipe

The New Best Recipe, by the editors of Cooks Illustrated magazine

Are you ready for an adventure? This book is exactly that. If you are serious about cooking and are looking to enhance your skills in the kitchen, dive in. This cookbook is cooking school in a book. A comprehensive and well-rounded source, it includes detailed scientific explanations about why ingredients are used, how ingredients interact and why they are best for each specific recipe. This may seem extraneous to some, but if you are interested in deepening your knowledge of all things culinary, then this is a great resource for your kitchen.

Each of the 1,000 recipes is extensively tested in their test kitchens to determine whether it is the BEST recipe for the book. Chapters include recipes, but also textbook-like material to give you background on that topic.

Topics include: Soups, Salads, Vegetables, Pasta, Beans and Grains, Poultry, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Grilling and Barbecuing, Stews, Fish and Shellfish, Pizza, Focaccia, and Bruschetta, Yeast Breads, Muffins, Biscuits, and Quick Breads, Eggs, Cookies, Brownies, and Bars, Cakes, Pies and Tarts, Crisps, Cobblers, and Other Fruit Desserts, Puddings, Custards and Soufflés.

Just to give you a glimpse into the book, the Beef chapter goes over topics such as:

• Eight Primal Cuts of Beef
• Science: Do Marinades Work?
• Steaks-generally come from six places
• Grilled Steaks
• Equipment Review: Cast-Iron Skillet
• Science: Deglazing a pan
• Ingredients: Flank, Skirt, and Hanger Steaks
• Ingredients: Cuts for Roast Beef
• Science: How Roasting Works
• Science: Aging Beef
• Equipment: Food Processor as Grinder

Several Recipes (of the approx. 30) from the Beef Chapter:

• Charcoal-Grilled Strip Steaks
• “Oven-Grilled” London Broil
• Classic Fajitas with Chunky Guacamole
• Slow-Roasted Beef with Red Wine Pan Juices
• Roast Beef Tenderloin

My only criticism: Sometimes the cooking recipes lack a little flavor. This can easily be overcome by adding appropriate herbs or by using flavorful side dishes.

Without a doubt, these recipes are great, easy to follow, and wonderful for the person who is a little overwhelmed by preparing an entire meal from start to finish.

Buy The New Best Recipe on Amazon.

(Emily notes: Cooks Illustrated magazine is a great resource for recipes and reviews of equipment and techniques in the cooking world)