How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Disclaimer: I've been working out of the older edition (yellow) and I know there is a newly revised one (red) that's now on the shelves. So all my comments will have to refer to the older copy and someone will have to let me know how the new one measures up. 

I have somewhat mixed feelings on this book.  I'm likely to keep this one on my shelves for some time, but while it really does include instructions for how to cook (almost) everything, I don't feel like the recipes themselves were all that noteworthy. There was also one glaring omission that I found rather annoying. Broiled steak. Isn't that something most people eat? Bittman extensively covers how to grill a steak, but really doesn't broach the subject of cooking one in the oven. So you know, if it's raining or freezing out and you don't really feel like going outside to cook yourself a hot meal, you'll have to find another book. I'm sad to say, I had to call my mother for instructions on how to broil a steak. Bittman failed me. I certainly hope they've fixed this in the new edition. 

I have somewhat mixed feelings on the recipes I did cook. They were: Minestrone, Brown Rice with Lentils and Apricots, Corn Stuffed Peppers with Spicy Tomato Sauce, and Quick and Easy Waffles. For all you sticklers, yes I did make a fifth recipe, but I can't remember which one and can't be bothered to flip through 808 pages of recipes to find the missing link. Technically, all of the recipes were successful, but with the exception of the Minestrone soup, none of them are ones I'll be craving to make again any time soon. The waffles were fine, but simply that...just fine. Same for the stuffed peppers. The rice and lentils were a total fiasco. Bittman instructs to cook the lentils and brown rice in the same, uncovered pot for 30-45 minutes. Well, mine ended up cooking for close to an hour and a half that way, and I had to add about 2 cups more liquid than called for in the recipe. Highly inconvenient if you were planning on serving dinner at a set time. Again, the end product tasted just fine, but it wasn't something I'd be dying to make again. 

All in all, I don't know that the recipes from this book are going to be ones I go back to again and again, but the book does hold solid instructions on how to prepare and cook many foods successfully (with the sole exception of brown rice). It's great to use as a jumping off point....he gives you just enough to go on to spark your own creativity. In that sense, I think it's a valuable tool...say you go to the farmer's market and find some kind of fantastic deal on a beautiful vegetable. Well, come home and look it up in How To Cook Everything. More than likely, you'll see some sort of recipe for your find, and usually the ingredients are loose enough that you could easily substitute whatever you have on hand and voila, you have a new creation.