'How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition)' - Cookbook Spotlight

by Sara Bonisteel, Posted May 11th 2009 @ 2:00PM

how to cook everything (completely revised 10th anniversary edition) book cover

'How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition)'
Recipes by Mark Bittman
Wiley -- 2008
Buy It on Amazon

The Minimalist's take on cooking has pretty much become the last decade's go-to wedding present for young couples who haven't yet discovered their culinary chops. In his now Beard-award-winning update, Mark Bittman adds lexicons, reorganizes recipes and focuses on home cooking, "leaving most of that [restaurant food] behind."

In the 10 years since the debut of "How to Cook Everything," Bittman's own fame has grown exponentially as evidenced by his recent PBS roadtrip to Spain with A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow (with Mario Batali along for the ride). Maybe that's why some recipes get a bump up in stature. In 1998, his spicy shrimp recipe was titled "Shrimp, My Way"; in the new edition it's "The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish."

But when you've essentially created a generation's "Joy of Cooking," you can afford to brag ... even if it's only about your shrimp.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.

Takeaway tips: Cooking is not a chore, it's rewarding. So get cooking! In the new edition, Bittman uses a star to label certain recipes as essential, guiding new cooks on a journey to find their own food repertoire. To aid in that endeavor, he adds lexicons to explain the hows and whys of using certain ingredients (anyone who's ever criticized his recipes for not being salty enough will love his salt lexicon, which includes six categories plus "salts for enthusiasts"). The book also points out fast, vegetarian and make-ahead recipes.

Quality of pictures: There aren't any photos here, but Alan Witschonke's illustrations from the 1998 book reappear along with some new ones, guiding cooks on essential how-tos like using a knife and preparing leeks.

We tested: The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish (with a name like that, how could we not?). This update of "Shrimp, My Way" now uses "hot paprika" instead of the "spicy" version. Back in the day, Bittman called this dish "so good that it makes people go nuts ... it pays to look for good, fresh paprika for this recipe."

Today Bittman says "excuse the superlatives; this spin on a Spanish tapa is my favorite, and everyone I serve it to loves it ... it's good with bread, over rice, tossed with pasta or stuffed into tacos."

The recipe, while not the "best" shrimp ever, is pretty darn tasty. The recipe is simple ... tossing shrimp into an olive oil bath spiced with hot paprika, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper for just a few minutes, then garnishing the dish with fresh parsley. And Bittman's 2008 suggestions do add to the "My Way" version.

Worth the investment: Yes. If you own the old copy and don't cook very often, you probably don't need to buy the new edition. But if you like to try new flavors and want to be up on the latest, it's for you. Oh, and don't forget the next bride and groom.

Filed Under: Food News, Books
Tags: cookbook of the day, cookbook spotlight, CookbookOfTheDay, CookbookSpotlight, how to cook everything, HowToCookEverything, mark bittman, MarkBittman

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-13-2009 @10:34AM A Stevens said... I understand how this cookbook of Mr. Bittman's is so highly regarded, having learned to cook many years ago, and having had time to read through it. Yet, I also understand why a panel of teenagers decided they preferred the "The Joy of Cooking" to this book.

I had been trying to decide what cookbook to give to a college student just learning to cook, and had narrowed the choices to the newest New Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, this new edition of "How to Cook Everything", and the 1975 edition of "Joy of Cooking". All three books were presented to a group of college-bound teens. The teens were asked to determine which cookbook they liked most, if they liked any of them. The New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook made the teens nervous, because they were afraid of tearing the pages. The New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and "How to Cook Everything" were deemed "too gourmet-y", and "too complicated". The teens preferred the 1975 "Joy of Cooking"-- they felt the recipes in it were presently in a format that was easy for a time-pressed and unknowledgeable cook to use. They felt they would have to read-- and pull useable bits from-- too much information in "How to Cook Everything" for it to be useable if they were tired, time-pressed, and frazzled. When we discovered that the 75th anniversary edition of "Joy of Cooking" was much like the 1975 edition, that became our gift to the original college student.

So, this spring of 2009, the 75th anniversary edition of "Joy of Cooking" is my favorite to give to a brand-new cook, followed by this 2nd edition of "How to Cook Everything", once the new cook has enough experience and time available to not be intimidated by all the useful (!) variations of recipes in "How to Cook Everything".

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5-18-2009 @1:53AM Dawn Allred said... Thank you for the review! I have picked this book up several times and still haven't bought it.

I wrote a bit about "Cook Yourself Thin" on my blog

www.dawnallred.wordpress.com

Dawn
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