Let's just say I use this book all the time. Incredible variety, and every single thing I've made from this book came out delicious. Recommended to all kitchens of all levels. ( )

I can't help it I'm a big fan of Cooks Illustrated and I can't stop myself from purchasing their books and add it into my mini library. Again this recipe book has surpassed all of my expectation for it my jaw dropped from the mouthwatering recipes it has and tried it in my own kitchen and voila I am just so proud of myself on being our house' great chef LOL I love most are teh illustrations it gives me comfort to know I am making and cooking everything correctly and every recipe is something new, I am just eager to cook and try a new recipe weekly. This book is one of my favorites and I just so love it. ( )

I used to own The New Best Recipe, but I got tired of it because the recipes seemed long-winded and overly complex, especially since so many simple techniques for cooking meats and vegetables were included. Despite that, quite a few of the recipes were divinely delicious, and I did miss the cookbook for that reason.

That's why I was so excited to discover this cookbook. It has many more recipes, including quite a few of my favorites from the magazine. But the recipes are more compact and only the most relevant details are included in the introduction, i.e., why does this recipe work. So I have regained many favorite recipes, discovered many more to try, and it's all contained in a handsome package with a gorgeous cover. This is definitely an improvement on The New Best Recipe, and probably the only Cook's Illustrated cookbook you need in your library.

Rave recipe: Garlic-lemon green beans with toasted bread crumbs, a great Thanksgiving recipe and easy too.

If I could have only one cookbook for the rest of my life, I really think this might have to be The One!

Yes, 2000 recipes from 20 years of the magazine. This is a pretty big book. A pretty big, lovely book, weighing in at over 4 lbs. Yes, I weighed it.
An 80 page index, 154 Test Kitchen Tips, hundreds of ATK classic black and white drawings, a table of Contents that lists every recipe in each chapter, including the page number and 23 chapters covering everything from Curries to Quick Breads. As usual in the magazine, there are a lot of what might be considered classic American recipes, with an eye to making them a little healthier than your Grandmother might have made them. But there is also a nice mix of ethnic dishes, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Thai...a variety that many now consider everyday fare.
And what I love about these recipes it that they will be as helpful in guiding a novice cook as it will teach something new to even the most serious foodie. There is no one who cooks that could not learn a good deal from this book.

Every recipe, all 2000 of them, begins with one of my favorite ATK things, the "Why This Recipe Works" explanation. Yes, they are certainly shortly than the most extensive explanations in the magazine but still very useful. And so interesting to a Food Geek. And I love how the book, like the magazine, takes one basic recipe and then shoots off from there, with variations that will keep even the most adventurous cook happy.

Now, there is one issue that some might consider a problem.
There are NO photographs.
No lovely pics that often bears little resemblance to my finished product. I did not find that an issue since there are many drawing that, honestly, I find more helpful. And if you like food or like to cook, I assure you there will be more than enough to hold your attention once you start looking through these pages.

Another thing that fans must remember is that these are not new recipes. Certainly most, if not all have been published before in the magazine or other ATK books. So if you own all the other cookbooks or have saved every magazine from the first issue, there is going to be duplication. But I don't, and I love being able to just go to this book rather than try to search out a favorite recipe from my saved copies of the magazine. And as Mr. Kimball, founder of Cook's Illustrated, says in the introduction, this book also contains the most recent, most favorite recipe of many ones that have been improved over the years. Only the Best!

If you are looking for a cookbook to give a novice, you can't go wrong with this one.
If you have been cooking for decades but are still open to always learning something a little new, you can't go wrong either. Want to find a new pasta dish, a new way to cook those pork chops or how to make a perfect roast chicken, this is a book you will want. If you are looking for one great go-to cookbook, I would suggest you take a look at this one. ( )