The Complete Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook
This is so much more than a cookbook. Cook’s Country and the people at America’s Test Kitchen (their parent company) believe in the importance of explaining techniques – and the reasoning behind them – to make you a more skilled and confident home cook. You’ll also learn some history about a wide variety of dishes and ingredients. At almost 1,100 pages, this cookbook is massive.
It doesn’t matter how new you are to the kitchen – you are going to experience success with these recipes. The recipes are easy to follow and will result in foods that you’d actually like to eat. As with most skill-based endeavors, there’s no replacement for hands-on experience in the kitchen. The more you cook, the more confident you become and the more success you ultimately have, but a reference like this 16th Anniversary Edition cookbook is a great companion for the journey.
Everything I have made from Cook’s Country has exceeded my expectations. The recipes frequently include details about how the test kitchen failed dozens of times before getting the precise result they were looking for. You definitely get the impression that multiple real, live people have made the recipes and really care about getting it right.
If you like to try your hand at making a diverse array of dishes from around the world, then you’re going to like the recipes in this book. It’s not uncommon to find recipes for Cuban sandwiches, Gobi Manchurian, and pasta alla puttanesca all in the same compilation. I’m all about trying recipes from far-away places, but sometimes the instructions can be vague due to unclear translations.
While the recipes and the visual appeal of Cook’s Country print and digital copy are both top-notch, I also admire this company’s ethics. I respect a magazine that is willing to come right out and say that they don’t recommend a certain product (or only recommend it with reservations) from a major manufacturer if it doesn’t meet their standards. Unfortunately, this level of honesty is rare in the publishing industry these days. Cook’s Country can do this and avoid conflicts of interest altogether because there is no advertising anywhere in their magazines or cookbooks. I appreciate the fact I can trust what they’re writing in their reviews without wondering whether they’re fluffing up a certain product to maintain or attract advertising revenues.
I credit Cook’s Country for taking my culinary skills up a couple of notches and for giving me the inspiration to try new dishes that are now in regular rotation in our home. Back when I had a print subscription to their bimonthly magazine, it always put a smile on my face to see this waiting for me in my mailbox. I have since purchased an online subscription to America’s Test Kitchen, which includes access to online editions of all three magazines: Cook’s Country, Cook’s Illustrated, and America’s Test Kitchen, as well as every recipe and article in their database. It’s an incredible value at only about $45 per year. Whether you gift this beautiful hardcover cookbook or a subscription, the person who receives it is certain to appreciate it every time they reference it.