The Best of America's Test Kitchen: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews, and Tastings

by America's Test Kitchen

A virtual yearbook of the most interesting work produced by America's Test Kitchen, this collection of more than 200 recipes is culled from the thousands of recipes the company develops and tests every year.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference

328 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

America's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.

Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.

Reviews

[Keith Moser]

Can't believe I actually read a cookbook cover to cover!

Well, not exactly cover to cover... I did skip several recipes that didn't appeal to me, but even on those recipes I skipped, I read the extra blurbs included that related to something specific in that recipe.

Whether it be choosing the best springform pan or America's Test Kitchen's favorite chicken breast brand, there was always good information in every recipe.

For those who are unaware, America's Test Kitchen prints several magazines every year (Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, etc.) and this annual cookbook is a collection of the best from that year. Each recipe gives a little backstory to how they tested dozens of different recipes to determine the best one. They have tips and tricks from producing an all-beef meatloaf (gelatin is the key substitute for veal) to making the perfect low fat cheesecake (making yogurt cheese overnight produces the thickness and tang lost by using less & light cream cheese)! I enjoy cooking, but add scientific explanations of how things work and I'm ecstatic.

Already made one recipe (Hearty Slow-Cooker Beef Stew) which turned out good, but I think I may have made some mistakes (like draining the beefy oil when preparing the chunks the night before). But that's the great thing about these recipes—now it's my turn to try them again and again until I perfect them for myself! Dog-eared at least 20 recipes I want to try!

[Gwen]

I like reading my cookbooks. This is one that has a lot to read. Each recipe has been tested over and over and sampled by the Test Kitchen taster panels until it is supposedly the best it can be. For instance the Sweet Potato Fries went through several variations before it was discovered that Club Soda was the perfect liquid for dipping in between breadings to accomplish the crispiest crust possible. If you don't like reading the entire story of the testing process for each recipe you might not care for this book even though there are plenty of great (not always easy or fast recipes). The problem with this book is it is big and comprehensive but only covers 2009!! There is another $35.00 book for every year! I don't have the money or the room so I may buy the current volume and use the library for the rest. Another problem: I wish it was in a 3-Ring binder like the family baking book.

[Joelen]

The "Best of America's Test Kitchen" series are just as wonderful as the companion ATK books, however they don't go into as much depth in terms of reviews, tastings and tips for each & every recipe. This 2007 book definitely captures some wonderful failproof recipes!

[Jacinda Literature Babe]

America's Test Kitchen offers the most practical and easy layout style of recipe formatting I have ever used. Each recipe is featured with highlights that include what to do and what went wrong...photos and ready to follow guides.
It's a must have for home chefs.

[Andrew]

I'm not really sure what the justification for this book is. I mean, it's got some great recipes, amazing in fact. Their French onion soup this year is...I don't even have the words. And given that this is the 'best of' of Cooks Illustrated for 2009 it's bound to be worth using. I just don't see why you'd want this book, a glossy collection of recipes from their 2009 magazine, when you could just get their green cloth-bound annual edition and have all of 2009's recipes. Yeah, do that instead.

[Cheryl]

Just bought this book over the weekend after realizing you need to register to read any of their online recipes. However the recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Roast that aired January 30 is not the same as the one listed in the 2010 cookbook. They've left out a key ingredient, cornstarch, in the book after claiming it was a secret ingredient in the coating used to brown the meat. So why was it left out of the book? I wonder how many of the other recipes are different.

[Miss Clark]

3.5 stars

Great cookbook. I especially appreciate that they explain how they developed each recipe and why it works as it does - very nice.

My favorite recipes (and the book is chock-full of delicious entrees and sides and desserts)are:

Boneless Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese Dressing
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Quiche Lorraine
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies


Now I want to check out the earlier years of The Best of

[Susie]

I love American's Test Kitchen! I receive the cooking magazines yearly and make most of what I cook from both the magazines and the cook books. They are great recipes and for the most part pretty easy.

[Gloria]

This is an excellent line of cookbooks that will appeal to both gourmands and most ordinary cooks. Quite a lot of text accompanies each recipe, but the recipes are good and explained well and do-able. Book includes ratings of equipment as well.

[Maggie]

I only came across a handful of recipes that I would consider making myself, but this book is still full of great advice, tips, and tricks. I really like the explanations of how the final recipe was 'discovered'.

[Patricia]

Okay, so it's basically a reprise of the Test Kitchen brand recipes, as parcelled out to their various magazine titles. The volume scoops up the best, adds new reviews, and the photos are just great.

[Marnie]

OOOH so yummy I made the crunchy baked pork chops they were wonderful! Love the instructions and techniques perfect descriptions.

[Judy Perry]

Yum! This was my introduction to Cook's Illustrated. Everything that I have tried in the book was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

[Sarah]

Can't wait to try these out!

[Sarah]

2007 had better recipes

[Andrea]

This is such a great book if you like to know why a recipe works, or too often in my case, why a recipe fails.

[Amy]

Very concise, and the efforts behind each recipe appreciated. I plan to try quite a few, and am hopeful for just as good results.

[Sherri]

I like how they explain the trial and error of the recipes they make. Photos for most items. It's written just like they talk on TV :)

[Julie]

fantastic

[Julie]

Old, but still amazing and relevant recipes. So much writing, though. Corn chowder was good, but really dice those potatoes. I did not like the caprese salad variation...the original is so great that I don't know why they complicated it using a saucepan.

[Tracy]

Great book!

[Sherri]

Fair amount of photos. I like the explanations to the recipes. Written just like the show.