The Perfect Recipe: Getting It Right Every Time Making Our Favorite Dishes the Absolute Best They Can Be

by Pam Anderson, Judith D. Love (Illustrations)

Which comes first when mashing potatoes--the butter or the milk? How do you roast a turkey so the breast is as moist and juicy as the legs? Is it possible to create a fudgy, cakey, chewy brownie all in one? Pam Anderson, executive editor of the highly successful magazine COOK'S ILLUSTRATED, painstakingly conducted test after test to arrive at not only the best recipe but frequently the most convenient and sensible one.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

372 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 1998

About the author

PAM ANDERSON is the author of the best-selling The Perfect Recipe, Perfect Recipes for Having People Over, and the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great. She has been the food columnist for USA Weekend for the last eight years, is a contributing chef to Fine Cooking and Runners World, and writes a weekly blog for the Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times.

For more about Pam, please visit www.threemanycooks.com."

Reviews

[Mardel Fehrenbach · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating of this book would really between 2 and 3 stars. I was not really impressed with this cookbook and will not be keeping it. Yet the recipes were not bad and would be perfectly acceptable to many other cooks. It is not bad, but I have books that are better and there is nothing new in the book from my perspective.

Her technique for soup and stock is probably good if you otherwise would be using a canned stock or none, but I find that I get better tasting results by using the classic techniques of stock-making (although the author claims not to). The technique for roasting chicken works at high heat works well, but can be found elsewhere and I prefer Barbara Kafka's book on Roasting. The other recipes are good and work, but again nothing special.

The recipes do work however and yield acceptable, if not outstanding, results. I would recommend this book to someone who was learning to cook, or not particularly interested in spending time cooking but who wants good basic recipes.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVE this cookbook. While it doesn't have a million recipes, it takes a few serious favorites, offers several ways to make each, and hones each down to the perfect recipe. My two absolute favorite recipes in this book are the lemon meringue pie (perfection!) and the strawberry shortcake biscuits. I turn to this book first and hope it has what I'm looking for. I love the commentary on each recipe on why you should use certain ingredients instead of others.

[Mishqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is fashioned in the same style as America's Test Kitchen (and she happens to work for them, I believe). It takes the most common recipes and perfects them. AND EXPLAINS THEM!! Which is just great for a novice like me.

[Rada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's dedication to her craft and making a recipe; sometimes even forty times. This book had a lot of good recipes that anyone could make and be a good cook. I especially liked her section on stir-fry.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very meticulously researched. I'm sure all the recipes will turn out remarkably well. Sadly, there are no photos to inspire you. Still, I will hang on to this so that I have the best basics when I need them.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful- similar to her How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart.

[Eh?Eh! · Rating 4 out of 5]

like A.Brown without the puns

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chicken pot pie is excellent, as well as her stuffings.

[Angela Forister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I bought it years ago and I still use it several times a month. Some of our family favorites come from this book.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

My "search is over" perfect brownie recipe came from this book. I love Pam's intro to each recipe.