The Complete Americas Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

Product Description
Since its debut in 1999, America’s Test Kitchen has been public television’s most-watched cooking show. This new comprehensive cookbook captures ten seasons of the show in a lively collection featuring more than 500 foolproof recipes and dozens of tips and techniques. You’ll learn the secret to rich-tasting Weeknight Bolognese and Cheesey Garlic Bread in Bringing Home Italian Favorites. Prepare a platter of the best-tasting nachos you’ve ever had in Tex-Mex tonight. And discover a new way to cook the Thanksgiving turkey in Talking Turkey and All the Trimmings–choose among nine different recipes for the holiday bird–from Classic Roast Stuffed Turkey and Crisp-Skinned Butterflied Turkey to Herbed Roast Turkey, Grill-Roasted Turkey, and more.

Want to learn how to be a better cook? Throughout the book you’ll find a special behind-the-scenes feature highlighting the most important test kitchen techniques from the past decade. In addition, we take you behind the scenes of the show for a fascinating look at how recipes are developed, why our equipment and ingredient ratings are different, what’s involved in putting together an episode, and more. And assembled just for this collection, The America’s Test Kitchen Guide to Recommended Ingredients and Equipment unites all our important tastings and testings into an easy-to-navigate buyer’s guide so you can be a savvy consumer whether you’re investing in a new gas grill or picking up a can of tomatoes. This new volume gives you a decade of great cooking and expertise from America’s most trusted test kitchen.

Recipe Excerpts from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook

Cheesy Nachos with Guacamole and Salsa

Chocolate Cookies

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Next Best Thing to The French Chef
I love this book, it’s the next best thing to The French Chef

I also love the Shopping Guide in the back of the book

5 Stars terrific — with one exception
I almost didn’t get this book. I subscribe to the ATK magazines and have many of the cookbooks, which often repeat the recipes from the magazines, so the last thing I needed was a book that had all the recipes again. But I’m glad I got it. Up til now I’d kept a database I made from the magazines, or I had to remember which cookbook a particular recipe was in. But now it’s very easy — I just head to this (relatively) comprehensive tome. At 646 pages it’s hefty, but it’s great to find things organized and in place whenever I want.

The recipes are fabulous and the commentaries informative. I have made many recipes from here and 95% turn out brilliantly. The apple pie and pie dough are real keepers, the strawberry cream cake is a gorgeous crowd pleaser, and almost every poultry recipe is superb; sauces are wonderful and the buttermilk waffle recipe is delicious. ATK also does a great job of making ethnic recipes do-able, with ingredient lists that most cooks should be able to fill without too much trouble. The commentaries tell you how the ingredients work together, and what variations work (or don’t) and why. Chapters cover: soup. salads, skillet suppers, one pot dinners, chicken, turkey and trimmings, steak, pork, roasts & loafs, fish, diner food, pasta, Italian favorites, French food, Tex-Mex cooking, takeout (Chinese, Thai and Indian food), grilling, side dishes, brunch, breads, cookies, cake, puddings & souffles, fruit desserts, and pie.

The negatives: not ALL the recipes are here. There’re at least two I looked for after watching the show but couldn’t find, and other reviewers seem to have had the same problem. Also, as usual with ATK books, the index is bad. MANY times I can’t find something in there but after leafing and browsing, there it is! There is also a shopping guide which shows all the winners of the shows’ equipment testings (from knives and bakeware to pans, utensils and appliances) as well as winners from taste testings (such as cheese, meats, spices , pantry items etc). There is a rudimentary index to the 2010 tv shows, also, but none for the other seasons.

Despite the index and incompleteness flaws, I love this book.

5 Stars Don’t quibble over quantity of recipes – this is a great cookbook!
A number of the negative reviews fault this book for not including every single recipe from 10 years of shows. I think that instead, one should look at the high quality of what IS included, which are superb recipes for just about every kind of food you would want to cook. The organization is logical, in categories (e.g., chicken dishes, breads, etc.) rather than divided by season.

In my opinion, these cookbook writers do what few others do – they tell you the very best ways to prepare dishes and give clear, detailed explanations of why they do things the way they do. They are also specific in recommendations about products, and there are many tips of things not to do or buy that are just money-wasting.

I think that perhaps the authors would have been better off not emphasizing the TV show in the title but just call this the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, which is really what it is. My copy is already well-used and I have purchased several copies for friends.

A tip: much cheaper to get it on Amazon than directly from Cooks Illustrated (of course!).

5 Stars the most complete cookbook ever
I purchased The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook recently. I am overjoyed…I enjoy reading it, looking at the product reviews and of course, cooking with it. It is so nice to have all of my favorite ATK recipes in one beautiful book. The recipes are easy to understand with readily available products. This would make a perfect gift for a new Bride or your favorite “foodie”. The America’s Test Kitchen staff tirelessly tweak recipes so you get an easy to follow recipe with perfect results. Family and friends don’t even ask me anymore where I got the recipe…they know ATK!!!! The Chicken Francais recipe turned out better than our favorite Italian Restaurant. The Banana Bread was phenomenal! I look forward to picking out more recipes…the only problem is what to make first!

5 Stars What I expected and more
I love the show so this book is a great reference source for not only recipes but for products too.

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