Americans love pasta. But this doesn't mean we know about its many types, how best to serve it, or even how best to bring it from plate to mouth. Exploring these topics and more, The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles offers a comprehensive introduction to the world's pasta, from spaghetti, couscous, and spaetzle to ramen, udon, rice sticks, and more. Compiled from the pages of Cook's Illustrated, the magazine of culinary investigation, the book is a trove of illustrated step-by-step instructions (on rolling pasta dough, for example), hundreds of pasta and related recipes, tips on buying and storage, and other useful data. In chapters such as "Dried Semolina Pasta and Chinese Wheat Noodles," the book explores a particular pasta type and then provides useful supplementary information. Included, for example, are pasta-tasting results, a "gallery" of pasta shapes, and material on matching pasta shapes to sauces. Offered also are comprehensive saucing chapters that cover such pasta accompaniments as olive oil, butter, cheese, bread crumbs, canned and fresh tomatoes, and seafood, among many others. The recipes themselves are exhaustive and, as one might expect, models of accuracy and good taste. Included are the likes of Macaroni with Spinach and Gorgonzola, Lasagna with Shrimps and Scallops, Potato Gnocchi with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan Cheese, and Cellophane Noodle Salad with Charred Beef and Snow Peas. With master recipes for many of the basic pasta types and more than 300 illustrations, the book should enlighten pasta lovers while whetting their appetite for its many satisfactions. --Arthur Boehm


From Publishers Weekly
Hot on the heels of a James Beard Award for The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry comes this encyclopedic guide to pasta and noodles. While not quite as inspired as the poultry book, this effort is nevertheless a most welcome entryAeven a daring one in these days when carbs are the bad boys of the food world. The recipes are for the most part simplicity itself and, although many of the dishes are familiar Italian classics, are varied enough to merit an enthusiastic response. Such fare as Linguine with Lemon-Dill Pesto and Penne with Ricotta Salata and Black Olives are suitable for side dishes. Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce with Beef, Pancetta and Red Wine appealingly enriches an already flavorful sauce. There are 15 sauces made with raw tomatoes, eight with cooked fresh tomatoes and 16 with canned tomatoes. Macaroni and Pinto Bean Soup with Mussels and Rosemary is certain to please, and undertaking a variety of fresh pasta with or without eggs is less intimidating when guided by the team's customary step-by-step methods. The book truly distinguishes itself with its attention to foods not always found in pasta roundups, such as crespelle (the Italian version of the French crepe) and spatzle. Even better are recipes for Chinese wheat noodles (Stir-Fried Chinese Noodles with Chicken in Szechwan Chile Sauce), Japanese wheat noodles (Ramen Noodles with Roast Pork and Spinach), Asian rice noodles (Rice Paper Spring Rolls with Rice Noodles and Shrimp) and cellophane noodles (Cellophane Noodle Salad with Charred Beef and Snow Peas). These are splendid additions to any pasta repertoire. (Aug.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Although it contains more than 500 recipes, this follow-up to The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry (LJ 6/99) is not quite as impressive as the earlier title. Perhaps this is because there are so many other books on the topic, so that many of the recipes, although good, seem on the familiar side, while the poultry book is wider ranging and more original. Nevertheless, this new book includes 13 chapters of sauce recipes alone, as well as pasta soups and salads, lasagna and other baked pastas, couscous and spatzle, and rice, cellophane, and soba noodles dishes. The emphasis is on Italian and other European pastas, with less than a quarter of the book devoted to Asian noodles. As in the magazine, there are detailed accounts of the testing and retesting involved in finding "the best cooked tomato sauce," "the best pasta salads with vinaigrette," and so forth, along with clear line drawings of techniques and time-saving tips. Sure to be in demand, this is recommended for most collections. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Pasta's popularity has never been greater. It adapts itself to every cuisine and cooking style, and it is just about everyone's favorite comfort food. Cook's Illustrated has brought together information and recipes covering pasta's worldwide range from North America's beloved macaroni and cheese through Italy's sophisticated sauces, across China's exotic rice noodles, and up to Japan's modest Zen noodles in broth. Along the way, recipe notes help cooks invent variations on the basic themes. Beyond the attraction of the recipes, the book's logical structure makes it particularly accessible. Individual chapters treat separate pasta sauces: raw tomato, cooked tomato, meat, seafood, cream, and so on. Then come recipes for salads, soups, and baked pastas. Gnocchi, couscous, and spatzle are treated as specialty pastas. Closing chapters address Asian noodle preparations. Content and organization combine to make this a superior cooking reference book for libraries. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
How do you boil pasta? How much water and salt do you need? Should you add oil to the water? How well should you drain it? (Turn to page viii for the answers.)

One part cooking course, one part kitchen reference, and one part foolproof recipes, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles tells the story of flour and water like no other book on the market. Extensively covering the basics of pasta and noodles, this thoroughly researched and taste-tested guide is dedicated to the home cook who needs practical advice on everything from penne to pad thai. The experts at Cook's Illustrated present their knowledge and techniques in a hands-on way so that each and every step of the cooking process can be understood and easily executed. The authors leave room for interpretation and taste, of course, but you will not walk away from this book without knowing which olive oil to buy, why egg pastas tend to complement cream sauces, or how to mince garlic.

The book is arranged in four sections, exploring first dried semolina pasta, then fresh Italian-style pasta, Mediterranean pasta and European dumplings, and finally, Asian noodles. There are thirteen chapters devoted to sauces alone, and recipes are included with the type of pasta with which they work best -- from the simplest to the complex, but all within reach of the home cook. As a bonus, the book includes excellent photographs of the various pasta and noodle shapes, and impeccable illustrations clearly depict each step of key techniques. Special sections are devoted to such specific topics as "Are Electric Pasta Machines Worth the Money?" and "A Guide to Popular Cheeses."

"Cook's has always been the definitive word on any subject it tackles," says The Post and Courier, and The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles will serve as the definitive reference volume for pasta lovers.


From the Hardcover edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER