Bittman starts with Roasted Buttered Nuts and Real Buttered Popcorn, and moves right along, section by section, from the likes of Black Bean Soup (eight different ways), to Beet and Fennel Salad, to Mussels (Portuguese-style over Pasta), to Cream Scones--and he hasn't even reached seafood, poultry, meat, or vegetables yet, let alone desserts. There are 23 sections in this cookbook (!) that reflect directly on the how-to of cooking, be that equipment, technique, or recipe.

Every inch of the way the reader finds Bittman's calm, helpful, encouraging voice. "Anyone can cook," he says at the beginning, "and most everyone should." More than a few college kids are going to head off to their first apartments with Bittman's book under arm. More than a few marriages will benefit with this book on the shelf. And anyone who loves cooking and the sound of a great food voice is going to enjoy letting this book fall open where it may. No matter what the page, it's bound to be a tasty and rewarding experience. --Schuyler Ingle

Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.5

Rating - 3 Date: 2009-01-07
Content: This book has a great variety of recipes and useful information about different foods. I have a found a few recipes I liked but I was disappointed the bread recipes assume the reader is using a food processor for everything. It leaves out any information one might need for doing things by hand and neglects to mention within the recipes that an atypical type of yeast is called for (this is only in the bread intro section).

The book did help me to perfect popovers.
Summary: Not everything it should be

Rating - 5 Date: 2008-12-22
Content: I love this cookbook and I've used it at least weekly since I got it, about 10 years ago. Just tonight, I made the recipe for potato pancakes (to go with his sweet-and-sour brisket recipe from NYT). And, yes, it was a pretty simple recipe: grated potatoes and onion, eggs, matzoh meal, salt and pepper. But that is exactly why I love this cookbook -- most of the recipes are simple! And Bittman always gives you enough info on technique -- like medium heat, 1/8 inch oil, 5 min. on a side for the pancakes. And they were pefect -- a friend for dinner said so! That said, there are a few stinkers in the book, such as pork chops with orange and fennel. However, they are SO many more winners, and I do appreciate Bittman's general cooking philosophy, which is good quality ingredients, simply prepared. The spine on my book is cracked and pages are falling out, so I'm sure I'll eventually get his 10th anniversary edition.
Summary: My fave!

Rating - 3 Date: 2008-12-03
Content: 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.
Summary: Best as a reference for technique

Rating - 5 Date: 2008-12-03
Content: 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).

Summary: Excellent Basic Cookbook for the Home Cook

Rating - 4 Date: 2008-11-26
Content: 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.
Summary: Wonderful book, badly constructed