Mark Bittman, award-winning author of such fundamental books as Fish and Leafy Greens and food columnist for the New York Times ("The Minimalist"), has turned in what has to be the weightiest tome of the year. There are more than 900 pages in this sucker--over 1,500 recipes! This isn't just the big top of cookbooks: it's the entire three-ring circus. This isn't just how to cook everything: it's how to cook everything you have ever wanted to have in your mouth. And then some.

Bittman starts with Roasted Buttered Nuts and Real Buttered Popcorn, and moves right along, section by section, from the likes of Black Bean Soup (eight different ways), to Beet and Fennel Salad, to Mussels (Portuguese-style over Pasta), to Cream Scones--and he hasn't even reached seafood, poultry, meat, or vegetables yet, let alone desserts. There are 23 sections in this cookbook (!) that reflect directly on the how-to of cooking, be that equipment, technique, or recipe.

Every inch of the way the reader finds Bittman's calm, helpful, encouraging voice. "Anyone can cook," he says at the beginning, "and most everyone should." More than a few college kids are going to head off to their first apartments with Bittman's book under arm. More than a few marriages will benefit with this book on the shelf. And anyone who loves cooking and the sound of a great food voice is going to enjoy letting this book fall open where it may. No matter what the page, it's bound to be a tasty and rewarding experience. --Schuyler Ingle


From Publishers Weekly
There's a millennial ring to the title of Bittman's massive opus of more than 1000 basic recipes and variations as the widely known food writer ("The Minimalist" is a weekly column in the New York Times) and author (Fish) contributes to the list of recently published authoritative, encyclopedic cookbooks. He concedes that most accomplished cooks will find little new here, and indeed the recipes can be as simple as how to pop corn. His voice is a comfortable one, however, so the tone is less tutorial than, say, that of the newly revised Joy of Cooking. While much of the ground covered is familiar, Bittman offers inventive fare (Kale Soup with Soy and Lime) and reclaims formerly abandoned territory?his Creamy Vinaigrette calls for heavy cream. Pastas range from Spaghetti and Meatballs to Pad Thai. Similarly, sandwiches include both old favorites and fresh combinations, e.g., Curried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Chutney and Arugula. Bittman's friends, he says, praise his Chicken Adobo as the best chicken dish in the world. He doesn't linger too long with beef because Americans are eating less of it; he remarks that a well-done hamburger is not worth eating. Vegetables are comprehensively addressed from Artichokes to Yuca, with attention paid to buying, storing and cooking methods well suited to each. Desserts are mostly homey, like Apple Brown Betty and Peaches with Fresh Blueberry Sauce, but there is also a Death-by-Chocolate Torte. The enormous breadth of recipes, the unusually modest price and Bittman's engaging, straightforward prose will appeal to many cooks looking for reliable help with?or reference to?kitchen fundamentals. Illustrations not seen by PW. 250,000 first printing; $250,000 ad/promo; simultaneous CD-ROM; 15-city author tour. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review, William Grimes
This is a cookbook whose pages are destined to become stuck together from constant use.


Book Description
Great Food Made Simple Here's the breakthrough one-stop cooking reference for today's generation of cooks! Nationally known cooking authority Mark Bittman shows you how to prepare great food for all occasions using simple techniques, fresh ingredients, and basic kitchen equipment. Just as important, How to Cook Everything™ takes a relaxed, straightforward approach to cooking, so you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and still achieve outstanding results.

Praise for How to Cook Everything™ by Mark Bittman:

"In his introduction to How to Cook Everything™, Mark Bittman says, ‘Anyone can cook, and most everyone should. Now, hopefully everyone will -- this work is a rare achievement. Mark is in that pantheon of a few gifted cook/writers who make very, very good food simple and accessible. I read his recipes and my mouth waters. I read his directions and head for the kitchen. Bravo, Mark, for taking us away from take-out and back to the fun of food."
-- Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the international public radio show "The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper"

"Mark Bittman is the best home cook I know, and How to Cook Everything™ is the best basic cookbook I've seen."
-- Jean-Georges Vongerichten, award-winning chef/owner of Jean-Georges

"Useful to the novice cook or the professional chef, How to Cook Everything™ is a tour de force cookbook by Mark Bittman. Mark lends his considerable knowledge and clear, concise writing style to explanations of techniques and quick, classic recipes. This is a complete, reliable cookbook."
-- Jacques Pépin, chef, cookbook author, and host of his own PBS television series

"Sometimes all the things that a particular person does best come together in a burst of synergy, and the result is truly marvelous. This book is just such an instance. Mark Bittman is not only the best home cook we know, he is also a born teacher, a gifted writer, and a canny kitchen tactician who combines great taste with eminent practicality. Put it all together and you have How to Cook Everything™, a cookbook that will inspire American home cooks not only today but for years to come."
-- John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger, coauthors of License to Grill


From the Publisher
With more than 400,000 copies in print in less than two years and IACP Julia Child and James Beard Cookbook Awards, Mark Bittman's HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING is the star of the food world. Mark has made numerous media appearances, including the Martha Stewart Living show.


From the Inside Flap
Great food is simple to prepare. Mark Bittman has written a comprehensive book for every cook—aspiring and experienced—who longs for simple recipes that yield delicious food. It is for first-time cooks who want to learn the basics of good cooking from a reliable, contemporary source. It is for cooks who are time-pressed and need to get healthful meals on the table with a minimum of fuss. It is for old pros who yearn to brighten their repertoires with innovative recipes and tempting flavors. This is the cookbook of today's generation of cooks, setting new standards in good home cooking. How to Cook Everything™ was written for you. Here are more than 1500 recipes and variations for all occasions that reflect the way you cook today. The recipes are simple to prepare. More than half can be completed in less than 30 minutes, and many more in less than 60 minutes. The emphasis is on fresh, widely available ingredients, basic equipment, and healthful techniques. How to Cook Everything™ covers, quite literally, everything. The recipes are accompanied by sound advice on serving suggestions and time-saving techniques. More than 250 explicit step-by-step illustrations make preparation easier than ever. If you want to prepare healthful, delicious food with confidence and ease; if you are searching for a collection of reliable recipes that reflect the pure flavors and simple techniques of contemporary cooking; if you enjoy a cooking experience that is both pleasurable and creative; How to Cook Everything™ is the book you will want to own. You'll find these special features and many others in this extraordinary book:Over 1500 inspired recipes and clever variations for all occasionsCooking times for every recipeRoasting times and temperatures as well as measurement conversionsMore than 250 detailed drawings of food preparation techniques, plus a list of the illustrations for easy referenceNumbered steps in every recipe for ease in keeping your placeHelpful sidebars, such as "Twenty-Three Pasta Sauces You Can Make in Advance"An exhaustive menu-suggestion sectionA vast glossary of terms and techniquesA comprehensive index that makes finding what you need a snapA selected list of mail-order sourcesA list of recipes that take only 30 minutes or less to completeA list of recipes that take 60 minutes or less to complete.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
For all the wonderful cookbooks that abound, I don't know of many from which I would really want to cook every night. Sometimes I'm in the mood to duplicate a complex dish created by a famous restaurant chef; other times I'm interested in searching out uncommon ingredients to experiment with an authentic ethnic dish. But like most people, most nights, I don't have all the time or energy in the world, and what I want is something simple, wholesome, and tasty. This is exactly what Mark Bittman brings us with Hoe to Cook Everything a reliable, relaxed, realistic, utterly comprehensive collection of 1,500 recipes and techniques that reflect what home cooking can and should be today: "good everyday cooking, one of the few simple, routine joys of everyday life."
— Kate Murphy Zeman

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This exceptional package combines Mark Bittman's award-winning blockbuster cookbook with an interactive CD-ROM and takes cooking to a whole new level! It's a must-have resource that lets you more easily apply Bittman's expertise to your cooking. Winner of an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award and the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award.

About the CD-ROM: 1,500-recipe database of both classic and contemporary recipes, plus a guide for cooks to create their own recipes Search option to find specific categories within seconds! Mark Bittman narrative for 80 interactive cooking techniques, from making bread to carving a turkey Instant create-and-print menu plans, recipes, and shopping lists

FROM THE CRITICS

Redbook

For a no-stress, low-fuss kitchen bible, it's hard to beat Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food. Its nearly 1,000 pages include crystal-clear instructions for everything from pancakes to pot roast to porcini risotto. How to Cook Everything is the only cookbook you'll ever need.

Publishers Weekly

There's a millennial ring to the title of Bittman's massive opus of more than 1000 basic recipes and variations as the widely known food writer ("The Minimalist" is a weekly column in the New York Times) and author (Fish) contributes to the list of recently published authoritative, encyclopedic cookbooks. He concedes that most accomplished cooks will find little new here, and indeed the recipes can be as simple as how to pop corn. His voice is a comfortable one, however, so the tone is less tutorial than, say, that of the newly revised Joy of Cooking. While much of the ground covered is familiar, Bittman offers inventive fare (Kale Soup with Soy and Lime) and reclaims formerly abandoned territory — his Creamy Vinaigrette calls for heavy cream. Pastas range from Spaghetti and Meatballs to Pad Thai. Similarly, sandwiches include both old favorites and fresh combinations, e.g., Curried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Chutney and Arugula. Bittman's friends, he says, praise his Chicken Adobo as the best chicken dish in the world. He doesn't linger too long with beef because Americans are eating less of it; he remarks that a well-done hamburger is not worth eating. Vegetables are comprehensively addressed from Artichokes to Yuca, with attention paid to buying, storing and cooking methods well suited to each. Desserts are mostly homey, like Apple Brown Betty and Peaches with Fresh Blueberry Sauce, but there is also a Death-by-Chocolate Torte. The enormous breadth of recipes, the unusually modest price and Bittman's engaging, straightforward prose will appeal to many cooks looking for reliable help with — or reference to — kitchen fundamentals.

Peter Kaminsky - Fast Company