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How to Cook Everything: The Basics: Simple Recipes Anyone Can Cook
"How to Cook Everything: The Basics" gives you essential recipes and easy-to-follow guidance to help you cook with confidence. Mark Bittman, the bestselling, award-winning author of "How to Cook Everything," shows you how to make a good burger or delicious pasta for everyday meals as well as chicken soup on a cold day, lasagne because you love it, and prime rib for company...more
Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
March 25th 2003
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published March 4th 2003)
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I love this book! I was searching for a cookbook for a friend who was lamenting that she wants to learn to cook but felt uncertain of even the basics, so when I saw this at the library, I snapped it up to see if it lived up to its title. Indeed, it does!
I consider myself a moderately experienced, self-taught cook, and what I loved about this book was that it didn't take anything for granted. For example, not sure what the difference is between a "rolling boil" and a "gentle boil?" No worries, Bi...more
I consider myself a moderately experienced, self-taught cook, and what I loved about this book was that it didn't take anything for granted. For example, not sure what the difference is between a "rolling boil" and a "gentle boil?" No worries, Bi...more
Ordinarily the reader should exercise a great degree of scepticism when faced with a book that describes itself with superlatives. How to cook everything? All you need? Yet, this time, such caution might be a tad unnecessary.
This is a book that could be one of those truly great first cookbooks for a younger person, perhaps someone off to college or someone moving out from the hotel of mother and father. Yet probably nobody except top chefs should feel a embarrassed by this book as you might thin...more
This is a book that could be one of those truly great first cookbooks for a younger person, perhaps someone off to college or someone moving out from the hotel of mother and father. Yet probably nobody except top chefs should feel a embarrassed by this book as you might thin...more
Whether you are a kitchen novice, or a seasoned chef in need of a restart, you will be delighted by Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything-The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food"! Both enlightening and elegant in its simplicity, this book does not overwhelm with too much "stuff". Instead, it lets the innate natural goodness of food ingredients combine with useful, useable utensils and soothingly successful cooking techniques. The results: brand new basics that are a blend of the familiar an...more
The nice thing about Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: The Basics is that for a novice cook, everything is spelled out for you. It's a collection of good, basic recipes, but the emphasis in the book is on technique and defining terms that new cooks, and even some more experienced cooks, might not know. There are a lot of pictures that show step-by-step cooking, which is a real plus to me. I've been cooking for a while now and don't need a lot of the explanations, but I also found things in...more
The full-length How to Cook Everything is my go-to cookbook, but I really enjoyed browsing its shorter, illustrated sibling. Unlike the monster original, it would be possible (and very interesting) to cook through this version. Which I would love to do.
Some of these are the same recipes as the other; some are a little different. Mr. Bittman still seems to think you can make barbeque sauce without a sweetener (nope, not gonna work).
Great, illustrative photos. This would be a perfect learning-to-c...more
Some of these are the same recipes as the other; some are a little different. Mr. Bittman still seems to think you can make barbeque sauce without a sweetener (nope, not gonna work).
Great, illustrative photos. This would be a perfect learning-to-c...more
Very helpful in teaching and/or reviewing techniques with which I'd gotten a little lax, like remembering to brown the roast before slow-cooking, or shocking the veggies in ice water after steaming to prevent them from getting over cooked.
The tone is sort of like watching the "Good Eats" host explain the physics (which my education has neglected) involved in carmelizing sugar, making gravy, and so on. It's educational, yet straightforward. The important thing is, if you use the proper technique...more
The tone is sort of like watching the "Good Eats" host explain the physics (which my education has neglected) involved in carmelizing sugar, making gravy, and so on. It's educational, yet straightforward. The important thing is, if you use the proper technique...more
Best cookbook for beginners I have ever read. I am an avid cook, and cookbook junkie, so that should speak volumes! Bittman makes cooking accessible for everyone...don't know how to boil water? Don't fret! There are actually directions and a picture to help you. This book is also great for the seasoned cook for the 'upgrades' Bittman suggests for each dish. I will be buying a copy for myself as well as for all future housewarming/shower/graduation gifts.
Jun 22, 2012
Karen
added it
I think I was actually looking for another book that this author wrote....not this one. The book I was looking for told you how to look everything and it had the most wonderful pictures. I remember it had a picture of how an asparagus spear looked grilled, steamed, fried, etc. Lots of pictures to show basic cooking steps. I think it was white w/ read lettering. (6/22/2012)
A friend of mine gave this to me as a shower gift after I was saying that although I cooked all the time I had no idea how to make basic things like roast beef or gravy. After having this book for 6+ years I still have never made roast beef or gravy but I feel better knowing that if there was ever a need for such culinary fare I'd be prepared.
This book is a great reference. I love how he gives you a basic recipe (scrambled eggs for instance), and tells you 7 things that you can do to make it different. For example - add cheese, or herbs, or cooked, drained salsa. I love to bake, but am not the most creative cook. This book would really help me think "outside the recipe."
Amazing pictures that aren't included in the regular How to Cook Everything. I have some super serious love for the egg section. Maybe, with the help of this, my fried eggs won't bust and my poached eggs won't be way overdone. It was definitely more technique-based, which is helpful if you REALLY don't know your way around the kitchen.
The best cookbook ever. I've used this a ton, and find it a very helpful reminder for things I make infrequently. It has everything you need in the way of basic recipes, as well as explanations of ingredients, procedures, etc. Excellent for the beginning cook. We give this book as wedding gifts.
This is a must for anyone starting out. It covers all the essentials. I 've been cooking for a while, but I just moved. It helped me to settle into the new kitchen and gave me different ways to cook things I've been making for a while. It also gave me ideas on some new things to make.
Best cookbook I've ever picked up. Although I wasn't very happy that there were so many references to 'discarding' perfectly useable items. It would have been nice to have little sidebars for uses for the extra materials. Other than that tiny thing, this was awesome.
Oct 11, 2012
Carrie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
all-time-favorites
love love love this cookbook! it is giving me soooooo much confidence in the kitchen and really inspiring me with the basics so i can branch out into other stuff!! i have checked this out from the library on a continuous basis for about 5 months now!! haahahaa
As the title says this book covers "the basics." BUT, while my cooking skills are beyond the basic level, there were still enough recipes & tips that I'd like to have my own copy one day. Two recipes which jumped out at me are for the quick pickles and quesadillas.
I'm trying to get back into cooking, and I really appreciate this book. Instead of thumbing through recipes with exotic ingredients and complex procedures, I think "hmm...I want mashed potatoes." And there's a no-nonsense mashed potatoes recipe. He often offers a few simple variations, such as mashing tools that will produce creamy vs. chunky mashed potatoes, or alternate cheeses and mix-ins for a mac & cheese. Besides being good options in their own right, these variations help show how the...more
Exactly what it says, it does. Mark Bittman, the original minimalist, will teach you how to make virtually anything with just a few simple ingredients and tools. Perfect for the new chef or the old, looking for classic recipes that will stand the test of time.
May 31, 2012
Aspasia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cookbooks,
non-fiction
If your mamma never taught you to cook, this would be an acceptable substitute to start you on your culinary journey. Fortunately for me, my mom did teach me to cook. I checked this book out because of the layout and the 1,000 color photographs!
The latest release has SO many pictures, it's unbelievable. Great book for those folks who are new to the kitchen or Intimidated in the kitchen. I use mine to pare down recipes and make simple, tasty food :)
Beautifully photographed and brilliantly organized, Mark Bittman's tome on basic cooking breaks down the mystery and mystic involved in food storage, preparation and cooking technique.
A great cookbook for a beginner or someone who wants some help with techniques and basic flavors. The recipes are simple, and the techniques adequately explained with beautiful color photographs.
I wouldn't mind owning this one!
I wouldn't mind owning this one!
So far I'm not very excited by this book. It is very basic. I am going to use it this summer while cooking with my kids. It may prove more useful in this way?
A good overview of the basics on everything. I can maybe cook a little better than this, now, but not much... Maybe I need this book after all.
I'm a pretty experienced cook, but I found many good hints in this book and some recipes that will become my go-to favorites. Taboulleh being the first one.
A great book, really showed me the basic spices, cookware, and the all around way to cook, bake, grill, and everything about cooking
For this our I'd the library but am considering buying to add to my considerable cookbook collection!
Jan 15, 2013
Mel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
baking-and-cooking,
nonfiction
This is a very basic cookbook with lots of photos. It would make a great gift for anyone learning to cook.
Gorgeous photos and simple recipes. I love this book and will be cooking a lot of these recipes.
Probably a good beginner cookbook for thos who find cooking absolutely terrifying.
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Mark Bittman is an American food journalist and author. He writes a weekly column for The New York Times dining section called The Minimalist.
In 2009 Bittman published Food Matters discussing the topics of environmental challenges, lifestyle diseases, and the overproduction and over consumption of meat, simple carbohydrates, and junk food.
Bittman is married to New York Times graphic designer and a...more
More about Mark Bittman...
In 2009 Bittman published Food Matters discussing the topics of environmental challenges, lifestyle diseases, and the overproduction and over consumption of meat, simple carbohydrates, and junk food.
Bittman is married to New York Times graphic designer and a...more
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Oct 20, 2012 08:55am