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Books: Cooking by Cuisine -> Cooking French
The Cook's Bible : The Best of American Home Cooking
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by:
Kimball, Christopher
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Publisher:
Little, Brown
Published: October 1, 1996
ISBN: 0316493716
Format:Hardcover
Pages:464
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Book Description
From Publishers Weekly
What Gideon is to the hotel room, Kimball will soon be to the kitchen: inspirational, informative and probably ubiquitous. In this compendium of facts and firm opinions, the founding editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine details
the research that informs his positions on the best pots, thermometers and knives and the value of pasta machines, microwaves and ice-cream makers. This evaluative approach extends to the 400 intensively tested recipes that advocate preferred methods for
cooking rice, grains, fish, meat, poultry, sweets and more. Kimball dispels many widely held misconceptions as he asserts that an overnight soaking of dried beans is "vastly preferable" to a quick-soak and that a tightly trussed bird will roast unevenly.
It took 33 tries in Kimball's count before he achieved the perfect pie crust; following his progress is like solving a delicious mystery. Some bread bakers may question the author's praise for rapid-rise yeast and his declaration that saltless bread is
"inedible" (thereby dismissing a tradition of Tuscan bread-making), but these are quibbles about a highly personal book that tells not only how to prepare specific foods but why. For many, Kimball, who comes across as a purist's Martha Stewart, will be
the ultimate source for such kitchen basics as the best method for roasting beef (a speedy 400 degrees for tenderloin; a more leisurely bout at 250 for tough bottom round). Kimball's experiments demonstrate that even experienced cooks don't know all the
answers, although everyone will know more after reading this impressive compilation. 200 halftone illustrations not seen by PW. 40,000 first printing; BOMC/Good Cook selection; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information,
Inc.
Product Description:
Whether you're a kitchen novice or a veteran home chef, Christopher Kimball has written the one cookbook you absolutely must own - an indispensable guide to the best in American home cooking.
As the founder,
publisher, and editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine, Kimball has perfected a new way of writing about food: take a classic dish, meticulously test all possible variations, and then present the recipes proven best. Now, with THE COOK'S BIBLE, Kimball at
last gives you a cookbook based on the same rigorous methods. From the ideal way to cook a turkey to perfect chocolate cake, you get foolproof master recipes for hundreds of favorite dishes - and one of the best basic cookbooks every published.
THE COOK'S BIBLE takes the mystery out of preparing a great meal. What's the ideal ratio of oil to vinegar in a vinaigrette? Kimball gives you the answer: 4 1/2 to 1. What's the secret to perfect roast chicken? A 375 oven and a 170 internal
temperature for the thigh. How about the toughest kitchen challenge of all, piecrust? Kimball makes it easy with the right ingredients (including Crisco and butter) and illustrated step-by-step instructions. For these and the rest of America's best-loved
dishes - vegetable soup, poached salmon, roast beef, grilled ribs, homemade pizza, waffles, chocolate chip cookies, and many others - Kimball has tested and retested to deliver the definitive recipes.
In addition to these master recipes, Kimball
also serves up a generous helping of appealing variations - nearly 450 recipes in all. You can start off with his Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup or Winter Red Cabbage Salad with Bacon and then follow with a main course of Beef Tenderloin with Marsala and
Balsamic Vinegar or Braised Tuna with Ginger and Soy. Pastas, beans, and grains dishes - Squash and Sage Ravioli; Barley with Spinach, Parsley, and Chives; and Marinated White Beans - provide intriguing accents. And Sauted Green Beans with Lemon and
Walnuts, Baked Carrots with Maple Syrup and Nutmeg, and Rustic Country Bread make perfect accompaniments. For deserts, you can indulge yourself with The Best Angel Food Cake, Buttermilk Fruit Cobbler, or a simple dish of poached Peaches with Ginger.
Throughout, Kimball elucidates kitchen procedures - butterflying a chicken, for instance, or dicing an o
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