How to cook everything : simple recipes for great food

by Mark Bittman

1998

Publication

New York, NY : Macmilllan, c1998.

Library's rating

Status

Available

Description

Today's Favorite Kitchen Companion--Revised and Better Than Ever Mark Bittman's award-winning How to Cook Everything has helped countless home cooks discover the rewards of simple cooking. Now the ultimate cookbook has been revised and expanded (almost half the material is new), making it absolutely indispensable for anyone who cooks--or wants to. With Bittman's straightforward instructions and advice, you'll make crowd-pleasing food using fresh, natural ingredients; simple techniques; and basic equipment. Even better, you'll discover how to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen as you prepare delicious meals for every occasion. "A week doesn't go by where I don't pull How to Cook Everything down from the shelf, so I am thrilled there's a new, revised edition. My original is falling apart!" --Al Roker "This new generation of How to Cook Everything makes my 'desert island' cookbook choice jacked up and simply universal. I'll now bequeath my cookbooks to a collector; I need only this one." --Mario Batali "Mark Bittman has done the impossible, improving upon his now-classic How to Cook Everything. If you need know-how, here's where to find it." --Bobby Flay "Mark Bittman is a great cook and an incredible teacher. In this second edition, Mark has fine-tuned the original, making this book a must for every kitchen." --Jean-Georges Vongerichten "Throw away all your old recipes and buy How to Cook Everything. Mark Bittman's recipes are foolproof, easy, and more modern than any others." --Isaac Mizrahi "Generous, thorough, reliable, and necessary, How to Cook Everything is an indispensable reference for both experienced and beginner cooks." --Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook "I learned how to cook from How to Cook Everything in a way that gives me the freedom to be creative. This new edition will be my gift to new couples or for a housewarming; if you have this book, you don't really need any others." --Lisa Loeb, singer/songwriter… (more)

Media reviews

''How to Cook Everything'' is a title with some swagger to it, but Mark Bittman... delivers the goods... This is a cookbook whose pages are destined to become stuck together from constant use.

User reviews

LibraryThing member laurablackwell
We used to get an organic "surprise box" every week, and this book always had at least one recipe for whatever oddity we found there. It offers many suggestions for variations and substitutions, which makes it easier to throw together a dish that works--even if you don't have the "ideal"
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ingredients. Unlike most cookbooks, which seem rigid, this one encourages me to experiment.
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LibraryThing member Othniel
Apples and Onions.

Suppose you live with someone who Can Cook Everything. Now you want to cook something for him. This is where you go. He was so surprised and delighted the night I cooked the apples and onions to go with the pork he knew we were having.

I can work with this cookbook, even though I
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can burn tomato soup. It simply has the best organization of any cookbook I have ever tried. And Bittman really does tell me everything I need to know.

Unfortunately he does not turn the burner off. You still have to manage that on your own.
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LibraryThing member msmalnick
As basics go, I use this book & the Joy of Cooking almost exclusively. It's a good book, well-organized, with clear, concise recipes for almost everything. The subtitle has proven to be correct: when compared to other books, the same recipe will be simpler, with fewer steps and/or ingredients in
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this one, and the dish is just as good if not better.
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LibraryThing member snickerpants
This is the most used book in our house - everything from chocolate to chicken fat splotched all over the pages. If you're looking for a good all-purpose reference cook book that really does list recipes for d*mn near everything I suggest you buy this book. Make sure to get a hardbound version
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though because I'm not sure a paperback will hold up to the constant wear and tear.
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LibraryThing member joxn
This book and the "Joy of Cooking" are my two standard references. "How to Cook Everything" excels when you need a simple, no-frills recipe from the standard American repertoire; but it is also invaluable when you need simple, good-tasting ideas for dinner. Bittman specializes in "minimalist
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cooking", and this comes through to great effect in "How to Cook Everything". "Joy of Cooking" recipes can be quite involved -- these recipes never are. Highly recommended for beginning cooks or anyone who wants a fast, no-nonsense reference cookbook.
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LibraryThing member lesadee
I love this one because it lives up to its subtitle: simple recipes for good food. 'Nuff said!
LibraryThing member neontapir
I've never managed to go very wrong with a recipe out of this book.
LibraryThing member janemarieprice
This is a great reference in the vein of The Joy of Cooking. It covers each food item one at a time followed by some recipes which include it. There is great information for beginners such as how long to bake a potato as well as simple recipes which always work. It is a must have for anyone who
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loves to cook.
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LibraryThing member swinebass
Essential for the home cook.
LibraryThing member ShawnMarie
We arenot yet sure if we will keep this book since about two-thirds of the recipes we've made have been awful. It does give you a lot of basic recipes to use as starting points, but that means you have to have a bad meal first to know what you need to change. We'll see if it stays on the shelf.
LibraryThing member LaurelMildred
This excellent book quickly became my "go to" basic cookbook, comprehensive and easily accessible with consistent and outstanding results. It's become the book I give to young people to encourage them to learn to cook. Unfortunately, this year I have watched the PBS television show "On the Road to
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Spain" and felt a real and growing distaste for Bittman's television persona, which has slightly tarnished the important place this book has in my kitchen. Nevertheless it is undeniably the best basic all-around cookbook I've ever used.
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LibraryThing member rhymeswithtequila
Bought this for my husband when he was first learning to cook and it became my absolute favorite cookbook ever. Everything works perfectly the first time, and for a beginner the way he first sets out a simple recipe and then lists variations is spectacular. One of the things on my "to do" list for
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at least 10 years was to start shifting from meat to legumes [I just really want to be that kind of person], only I hated almost every legume dish I tried to make. Not anymore....
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LibraryThing member Earth619
My go-to cookbook for everyday meals. I was introduced to the cookbook by a housemate who would refer to the author by his first name so that has become a habit for me as well. "Mark says that you should..." is not an uncommon phrase.

Particularly good are the stir fry with chicken and broccoli, the
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fastest yeast bread, and the roast chicken parts. Enjoy!
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LibraryThing member natb71
If you can only have one cookbook, this might be the one to get. Mark Bittman really does show the reader how to cook nearly everything in this heavy tome but does so in a manner that is accessible to beginning cooks as well as the seasoned gourmet. This is an indispensable reference for every home
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kitchen.
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LibraryThing member chicklit
This book earns two of its stars simply for being the only place I could find a recipe for sauteed apples two years ago. True, I wasn't terribly familiar with the epicurious and allrecipes websites at the time, but I turned here and its recipe has been my method of choice ever since. How to cook
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everything is a great reference for novice cooks. The recipes aren't terribly fancy schmancy and the instruction is simple and straight forward. Great book to have around.
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LibraryThing member Autodafe
An ambitious title that doesn't deliver. The "Joy of Cooking" is more thorough.
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
'How to cook everything' - as long as you can find it in your typical American supermarket.
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
I still think the title is more than a little pretentious, but it is certainly one of the most useful cookbooks I've ever had and there are recipes in it that I make over and over again.
LibraryThing member billiecat
The title is probably meant as a joke, but this book's breadth does make it indispensable to the home cook. Written by one of the best food writers today (in my opinion), Bittman's no-nonsense, minimalist approach is non-threatening while giving the reader confidence that he or she can cook a good
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meal. This book does not pretend that it will turn you into a five-star restaurant chef - such efforts would only frustrate the average cook. Instead, Bittman focuses on making good food accessible to everyone. You don't need fancy, expensive equipment or years of training to entertain your friends or feed your family. "Anyone can cook, and most everyone should," says Bittman in his introduction. By paring down recipes to a few ingredients and fewer steps, good food is in everybody's reach.
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LibraryThing member sumik
Really useful. Although, I recommend getting a hardbound edition as my paperback started to fall apart right away.
LibraryThing member EllenAvondale
Great book. Not a pretty cookbook, just practical and doable and full of recipes and techniques instead of purty, purty pics. Mark Bittman is the greatest for cutting down to the essentials of taste/technique. Loved all he did for NYT and continue to enjoy his online presence. Will say that a ton
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of family favorites are in this book. Very glad we got it
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LibraryThing member magst
This cookbook never fails. I can always find a basic how to in this cookbook. And then I can elaborate on the recipe to make it my own. Great ideas!
LibraryThing member Ellen1213
Great book. Not a pretty cookbook, just practical and doable and full of recipes and techniques instead of purty, purty pics. Mark Bittman is the greatest for cutting down to the essentials of taste/technique. Loved all he did for NYT and continue to enjoy his online presence. Will say that a ton
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of family favorites are in this book. Very glad we got it
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LibraryThing member AnnB2013
Meh. I refer to it in a pinch, but I've never made one recipe in this book that I felt I had to make again.
LibraryThing member BreanneG
This is my go-to cookbook. I've learned so much from it. It's made me a more confident cook, and some of the introductions are just fun to read.

Language

ISBN

0028610105 / 9780028610108

UPC

021898610102

Original publication date

1998
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