Food News: Bon Appétit pulls together some favorite recipes

"Barbara Fairchild has worked for Bon Appétit for 28 of the magazine's 50 years and has been the editor in chief since 2000. These, of course, are not her recipes; a three-page list of acknowledgments at the front of "The Bon Appétit Cookbook" hints at the dishes' actual origins. Maida Heatter, Ina Garten, Wolfgang Puck and various restaurants in this country and abroad are among those given credit.

This hefty book brings together what the publishers describe as "more than 1,200 of the magazine's all-time best-loved recipes for every meal and occasion." A helpful opening chapter, "Notes From the Test Kitchen," offers realistic lists of basic hardware and kitchen supplies a cook should have on hand.

There are also quick how-to's — instructions on procedures such as pitting olives, deveining shrimp, caramelizing sugar — and a don't-miss page of advice titled "Tips for Getting the Most Out of This Book" (if you ever wondered about the difference between "1 cup of olives, chopped" and "1 cup of chopped olives," here's your answer).

A complete list of recipes at the front of the book is an extra navigational aid, supplementing the usual table of contents and index. The recipes' straightforward layout and boldface ingredients lists are user-friendly. One caution: Just because an ingredients list doesn't include salt or pepper doesn't necessarily mean you won't need them; advice to "season to taste with salt and pepper" tends to appear unexpectedly in the instructions."

Full article here.

September 28, 2006

Food News: Bon Appétit pulls together some favorite recipes