The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes

by Ruth Reichl (Editor), John Willoughby (Adapted by), Zanne Early Stewart (Adapted by)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 3,651 ratings · 88 reviews

For the past six decades, Gourmet magazine has shaped the tastes of America, publishing the best work of the foremost names in the world of food. To create this landmark cookbook, editor in chief and celebrated authority Ruth Reichl and her staff sifted through more than 50,000 recipes. Many were developed exclusively in Gourmet's test kitchens. Others came from renowned f...more For the past six decades, Gourmet magazine has shaped the tastes of America, publishing the best work of the foremost names in the world of food. To create this landmark cookbook, editor in chief and celebrated authority Ruth Reichl and her staff sifted through more than 50,000 recipes. Many were developed exclusively in Gourmet's test kitchens. Others came from renowned food writers and chefs and from the magazine's far-flung readers. Then the editors embarked on an extraordinary series of cook-offs, testing and retesting each dish to ensure impeccable results.
This collection, the only one of its kind, spans a vast range of cultures and cuisines. With it, you can go back to the time when Beef Wellington ruled the table or prepare something as contemporary as Crispy Artichoke "Flowers" with Salsa Verde. And whether you're cooking a simple supper for two or throwing a cocktail party for fifty, you'll make every dish with more flavor and more flair using The Gourmet Cookbook. It includes

* 102 hors d'oeuvres, dips, chips, pâtés, and first courses

* exciting vegetable dishes -- more than 120 in all -- using everything from artichokes to yuca

* versatile recipes for every available kind of seafood, with many suggested substitutes

* hundreds of simple but exceptional dinners

* festive dishes for every occasion, including a perfect roast turkey with stuffings, the ultimate standing rib roast, and even a gorgeous (but easy) wedding cake

* definitive versions of all the classics, from Chicken Kiev to Crcme Brulée and from Bouillabaisse to Pad Thai

* more than 50 pastas and risottos, from quick everyday meals to party dishes

* scores of soups, salads, breakfast dishes, and sandwiches, including the editors' all-time favorite pizza

* a wealth of sauces and salsas, to transform ordinary meals into spectacular ones

* more than 300 desserts: cookies, pies, tarts, pastries, buckles, crumbles, ice creams, puddings, mousses, and cakes galore, including cheesecakes and the nine best chocolate cake recipes Gourmet has ever published

With engaging introductions to each chapter by Ruth Reichl, entertaining headnotes, indispensable information about ingredients and techniques, hundreds of tips from Gourmet's test kitchens, and an extensive glossary, The Gourmet Cookbook is the essential kitchen companion for anyone who wants unforgettable recipes and spectacular results every time.(less)

Hardcover, 1056 pages

Published September 22nd 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published September 28th 2004)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by Better Homes and Gardens

The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Best Cookbooks

47th out of 696 books — 663 voters

Favorite Cookbooks

5th out of 32 books — 18 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 29, 2008 Malbadeen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: you and you and you and you and me

Recommended to Malbadeen by: ben

one of my pet peeves is when i'm in a group of women and they start trying to out do each other with their lack of cooking ability. "I can't cook", "who has time to cook?","I can barely manage to heat up a box of macaroni and cheese without burning it", "I don't even know how to fry an egg anymore", "I'm such a cooking retard that I have to read the directions on microwave popcorn EVERYTIME". what?! when did it become cool to not be able to cook? These tend to be the same woman that pride themse...more one of my pet peeves is when i'm in a group of women and they start trying to out do each other with their lack of cooking ability. "I can't cook", "who has time to cook?","I can barely manage to heat up a box of macaroni and cheese without burning it", "I don't even know how to fry an egg anymore", "I'm such a cooking retard that I have to read the directions on microwave popcorn EVERYTIME". what?! when did it become cool to not be able to cook? These tend to be the same woman that pride themselves in their lack of interest in sex with theirs husbands and can recall for you (whether it is requested or not) the details of Survivor, American Idol, Lost, and America's Next Top Model and, ironically, any and every cooking show out there in great detail.
So, I'm not one of those woman. I mean i'm not a great cook but i enjoy it for the most part. If you new me in my high school maybe you were invited to one of Tricia and my naively (and successfully) hosted dinner parties where we served such ridiculous things as stuffed quail 12-14 people at once, if we met in college there was a good chance I made bagels for you at some point, if you knew me when i was first married you most likely had pizza with one of 5 different types of crust at my house at some point. But if you've met me within the past 2 or 3 years you've probably only had the misfortune to be slapped a glob of melted cheese between a tortilla and told to "help yourself" to whatever else you could find in my refrigerator.
when did this happen? when did i decide i, too couldn't cook or that it wasn't worth the effort? oh ya. right about the time i got divorced and decided i was a miserable failure at everything. I can even recall some self talk that led me to the conclusion that i shouldn't bother. the fact that i can't make up my own recipes or adjust recipes on a whim, seemed like clear enough evidence that melted cheese in a tortilla was all I was cut out for.
But then! holy shit! i look up at my kitchen bookshelf and remembered it was lined with these lovely books full of recipes, that it's OK if i can't make it up or adjust it and yes, I may be a little less than detail oriented and i might possibly skip or misread something here or there. I might accidentally use habenero's instead of jalepeno's (rendering the frijollas alla chara inedible) or i might put in 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes instead of 2 teaspoons in the dry cooked beans (rendering it inedible) and it's true that I recently didn't check the lid on the pepper shaker at Sarah's and dumped an entire shaker of pepper in the barley mushroom soup (rendering it inedible) but still, I'm communing with my food again and I'm Loving it (inedible or not).
oh, ya and the book. THIS cookbook. it's awesome. I mean its all sunshiny yellow and happy looking and the recipes are yum-a-licious and while you might not have 5 days to make morrocan style preserved lemons for the Israeli Couscous with roasted Butternut Squash and Preserved lemons but there are sooooooooo many other recipes, EASY ones like the sesame peanut noodles. mmmmmmmmm!!!
So....who's coming for dinner? because I'M COOKING!
(less)

6 likes · like · see review

view all 6 comments

Malbadeen no, no lady with the crisp eyes and the perfect skin NOT "certifiably insane" for making baby food. Save your daughters palet while you can! My son (1...more
01 mag. 06:17

Jes H Audrey too had/has GERD. She is the world's most particular eater and as a result gets pediasure through a feeding tube at night until she catches up....more
01 mag. 21:17

Feb 28, 2010 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting concept. . . . "Gourmet" magazine's "greatest hits" among recipes put together in a large compendium (recipes end on page 935). There is also a DVD that features the author's cooking techniques and some recipes. There are some nice features to this work, including "Tips and Techniques" (e.g., using salt and pepper, toasting spices, and handling chiles), a glossary (with a variety of chiles, fleur de sel, miso, truffle oil), and where to get certain ingredients and cooking supplies...more An interesting concept. . . . "Gourmet" magazine's "greatest hits" among recipes put together in a large compendium (recipes end on page 935). There is also a DVD that features the author's cooking techniques and some recipes. There are some nice features to this work, including "Tips and Techniques" (e.g., using salt and pepper, toasting spices, and handling chiles), a glossary (with a variety of chiles, fleur de sel, miso, truffle oil), and where to get certain ingredients and cooking supplies (e.g., where would you go to get buffalo or Thai basil?). But, of course, the heart of the book is its recipes.

The team involved in preparing this book had the following purpose and method (Page xii): "The concept was straightforward: we would look thro0ugh all the recipes we had ever published, select the best, and retest them. Then we would gather the cream of the crop into a book." I would note that some of these recipes are such that I will not try them (e.g., difficult cooking techniques or difficulty in finding key ingredients), but a large number of these are accessible to people who enjoy cooking their own meals. As such, this is a repository of recipes that are apt to be tastier and lusher than those from my beloved copy of "The Joy of Cooking." On the other hand, recipes are often more taxing on the amateur than are those in "Joy." As they say, a tradeoff. Nonetheless, many, many of these recipes are quite doable. . . .

The book is divided into a number of sections--Hors d'ouevres and first courses, Soups, Salads, Sandwiches and pizzas, Pasta (and noodles and dumplings), Grains and beans, Poultry, Beef (and weal and pork and lamb), Breads and crackers, Breakfast and brunch, Cookies (bars and confections), Cakes, Pies (tarts and pastries), Fruit desserts, Puddings (and custards, mousses, and soufflés), Frozen desserts and sweet sauces, Sauces and salsas, Relishes (and chutneys and pickles and preserves), and Basics. One of the nice things is the recognition in this volume of Americans' changing tastes. For instance, salsa is relatively recent in "Gourmet." By going over decades of recipes, one gets a sense of the changing nature of American tastes.

A word about "Basics," the past set of recipes in this work. Here, we see how to create the fundamental elements in cooking, such as stocks (chicken, beef, veal, fish, and vegetable), herbes de Provence (their recipe doesn't include lavender, but it would be easy enough to add), garam masala, and clarified butter (I have recently discovered how easy this is to make and what a difference it makes!).

There are so many worthy recipes that it makes little sense to try to enumerate some favorites or ones that I intend to make. However, perusing these makes it clear that while some will be challenging for the amateur cook, others are quite within the reach of such an audience--with the promise of some great tasting dishes!

Anyhow, a fine resource and one that I will be using in tandem with a precious few of my cookbooks that are workhorses in my kitchen library. . . .
(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman added it · review of another edition

I want to write this on the day that I found out that Gourmet was going to close down. My only complaint about this cookbook is that the color they chose for the recipe titles is so hard to read that it really compromises the utility of the cookbook, but the recipes are outstanding, and this is a general cookbook that would be an excellent cookbook if you only had two or three--with the Joy of Cooking, and How to Cook Everything, as well as the Cook's Illustrated cookbook, you would be able to c...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 24, 2009 Dave O'Neal rated it 5 of 5 stars

What's great about this cookbook: The recipes can mostly be trusted to be top-of-the-line. Gourmet has a reputation to maintain, and Ruth Reichl is a good steward of that rep, while introducing innovation. The other great thing is that the recipes are precise. You never find any annoying reference to, say, "juice of one lemon," which is exactly the kind of thing that drives me insane (juice of one lemon can be one to three tablespoons, guys. Ingredients and techniques are precise. You can expect...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2009 Clare rated it 4 of 5 stars

For a cookbook enthusiast such as I am, this book is great fun to peruse. I took it out of the library and it weighs about 40 tons but it was worth lugging it home. Reichl, the editor (maybe former?) of Gourmet magazine writes entertainingly. I have read some of her previous books and enjoyed each one. In this hefty tome, she presents lots of interesting and well-researched recipes that have either stood the test of time or are made with now readily available and more exotic ingredients in a del...more

like · see review

Aug 15, 2009 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: food

When people ask me to recommend a cookbook, I unequivocally blurt out, "The Gourmet Cookbook". Then I have to describe it. This isn't any gourmet cookbook, this is a compendium of recipes culled from sixty years of Gourmet magazine's finest. My copy is battered, wine-spattered, laced with flour and sugar, and covered with notes. Everything that I've cooked from this cookbook has been delicious. I'm curious about what the DVD offers (I bought mine when it was first published, sans DVD), but doubt...more

like · see review

Jan 16, 2012 Emmeri rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I occassionally go to this book for recipes none of the ones I've tried have any "wow" factor for me (and some recipes do not sound good "pecan pumpkin pie"?). The pizza crust is ok but really it's about the same taste as a very basic pizza dough that doesn't require you to only pull (not roll) out the dough. The sugar cookies are again ok but nothing that distinguishes them from another recipe. However, this book does have great tips included on the history of an item, how to do do things...more

like · see review

Nov 09, 2008 Cyndi J rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a great cookbook - but THERE ARE NO PICTURES! I know they were probably trying to save money and all that, but what's a cookbook without the dream that you can create the beautiful art in front of you?

1 like · like · see review

Sep 08, 2009 Ken-ichi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: food, cookbooks

Pretty much everything in here is a winner. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is sort of my go-to book for basics, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is my go-to for veggies, but this book is my go-to for awesomeness.

like · see review

May 08, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, cooking-and-baking

Still the book I reach for time and time again. I'm nowhere near an advanced cook, but I do love food and to make somewhat interesting food in the kitchen, so this is the perfect day to day resource. I normally like having photographs with my cookbooks for inspiration, but I honestly don't even miss it in this one. The recipes are so good (and so concisely yet enticingly written) that I don't even miss them. Well...not much, anyway.

like · see review

Jul 14, 2007 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-own-library

This is my favorite cookbook. I know the light yellow print wasn't the best choice for the book, because it is hard to see, and some of the recipes can be intimidating. However, I'm an intermediate cook and I use this book all the time. The Pumpkin Apple Bread is awesome, and both my parents and in-laws love it. I gave loaves of it out for Christmas (very little money means baking presents instead of buying) and everyone raved, asking for the recipe. The Irish Soda bread was delicious in a uniqu...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman rated it 5 of 5 stars

The only bad thing I have to say about this is that the titles of the recipes are impossible to read because they are in this light yellow that really detracts from the ability to read through the cookbook in a browsing fashion, which is too bad because it is really an outstanding cookbook, with depth and width that is impressive

like · see review

Feb 15, 2013 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an excellent selection of recipes culled from Gourmet during Reichl's tenure. So if cilantro is your thing, there is plenty of it. The font is on the small size and can be hard to cook from. And what were they thinking when they decided to use yellow ink for recipe titles? Talk about hard-to-read!

like · see review

Aug 30, 2011 Stephanie Bostic rated it 5 of 5 stars

I asked for this cookbook one Christmas and was delighted to receive it. It is a comprehensive book with many interesting classic dishes. Every recipe I followed faithfully has turned out well, and reading the recipes provides inspriration for everyday suppers even when they are too involved.

like · see review

Feb 01, 2010 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well, I didn't read it cover to cover but had to buy it since Gourmet is now no more. So sad. I had this book before I started Garlic & Sapphires. The bonus, if the book was purchased last fall, you'd get a year of Bon Appetit magazine; it was suppose to be Gourmet before they pulled the plug.

like · see review

Mar 13, 2012 Lizzyjk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes these recipes are very complicated and are obviously geared towards the professional chef, but I love Ruth and Gourmet Magazine (RIP) and this compendium is a must for anyone who likes to make a nice meal. Sometimes leafing through the real thing is better than Epicurious...

like · see review

Mar 24, 2009 Anika rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is billed as a sort of must-have cookbook. Although there are a lot of really excellent recipes, you can't rely on it exclusively. Of course, the other, modern, high-tech issue is that you can find most of these recipes (for free) on the fabulous epicurious website.

like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have about 20 cookbooks and this is my go-to reference (more so than The Joy of Cooking).

As far as I'm concerned, Ruth Reichl is a genius and the Food World has an open gap now that Gourmet is no longer in publication. RIP Gourmet.

:(

like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Purplepaperreader rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: yum

This book has pretty much any recipe you could imagine, the instructions are great and detailed, but there are no pictures and I just haven't had much success with anything I've tried from the book. I can't say it's a favourite, but it is a useful resource

like · see review

Sep 12, 2011 Lesli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbook, 2011

Like Gourmet Today: More than 1,000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, this one is also worthy of a spot on my cookbook shelf or as a gift.

like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Leif Erik rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

Got this about a year ago remaindered at the PSU bookstore. Like the recipes a lot. Only drawback is the ingredients can get kind of obscure and pricey. Still, the pan-browned brussels sprouts alone is worth the price of admission.

like · see review

Nov 07, 2011 Judith Kerr rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bought this cookbook as soon as it was released and was not disappointed. This publication has since disappeared, unfortunately. This is a major go-to cookbook. Anything you wish to cook is probably in this book. I love it!

like · see review

Sep 13, 2010 Astraia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love it!!! Recipe's are clear with fabulous results. (Note: cookie and cake recipes are not as consistent but I have still given in 5 stars as the desert section is small and the remaining recipes more than make up for it.)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 15, 2010 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cooking

Another huge cookbook on my shelf at home, I received this from an event that I went to where I got to meet Ruth Reichl and get the book signed by her. It was definitely a great experience.

I've made some recipes in here which have come out to be delicious. Though, I do think the recipes are a little more difficult with ingredients that are harder to find. It's definitely not for a beginner cook.

There are great sections in the book where they discuss different cuts of meat and various different...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Linda Sunderland rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cooking

This is the standard and required advanced level cookbook, with a collection of well-considered and classic recipes for the intermediate to advanced cook. I couldn't cook without this book.

like · see review

Mar 07, 2008 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've never had one of these recipes fail - just make sure you follow Reichl's instructions to a tee (if she says, "it will look like it is not fully baked, but don't leave it in the oven" she means it - my one failure was a birthday cake that had that editorial comment with the recipe. I didn't believe her...if there's such a thing as bad birthday cake, this was it).

Cooking and prep times are accurate, and if you want to find out how to cook something, chances are good it's in here.

No photos......more

like · see review

Nov 06, 2011 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

The format and set up of this book ruins all of the excellent recipes and content. Why did they make the font yellow? I had to strain to see any of the writing, and I have 20/20 vision.

like · see review

Jan 18, 2011 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

one of my faves. my most-used recipes containing meat come from here. there is one recipe having to do with a chicken roast and forty cloves of garlic that is outstanding.

like · see review

Apr 10, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Except for the yellow typeface, it is a good cookbook. The recipes I followed were straightforward and successful - even if it ended that I didn't like it!

like · see review

Jan 18, 2009 John-Bryan Hopkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my "Must Haves" in the kitchen. Complex recipes and not as easy to follow as others but still a great book and resource to have handy.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Food And Drink > Cookbooks

139 users

Food And Drink > Cooking

49 users

Food And Drink > Food

35 users

Non Fiction

13 users

Reference

5 users

Food And Drink > Foodie

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl is an American food writer, the editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and culinary editor for the Modern Library.
Born to parents Ernst and Miriam (née Brudno), she was raised in New York City and spent time at a boarding school in Montreal. She attended the University of Michigan, where she met her first husband, the artist Douglas Hollis. She graduated in 1970 with a M.A. in art history...more

More about Ruth Reichl...

Books by Ruth Reichl

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise

Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table

Not Becoming My Mother: and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Gourmet Cookb...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes
avg rating	preview: The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes Goodreads rating: 4.10 (3651 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53617.The_Gourmet_Cookbook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348607396l/53617.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53617.The_Gourmet_Cookbook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes by Ruth Reichl[/url]

The Gourmet Cookbook: More than 1000 recipes

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website