Baking Illustrated
by Cook's Illustrated Magazine Editors
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Book Reviews of Baking Illustrated
Book Review: great baking guide
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this book as a gift. It is really great for dessert, with a large variety of baking projects from blueberry cobbler to anise biscotti. The best part about it is that each recipe comes with a prologue where the writers describe in detail their process in choosing the recipe, so that you as a reader know what can go wrong.
The only problem I have with this book is that many recipes are very large, so I always have to halve them. When I halved the (extremely delicious) peanut butter cookie recipe, it still made two baking sheets full of cookies! The default quantity in here seems to be for huge parties, and sometimes the recipes don't divide easily (how do you split three eggs?). It would be nice if they were sized more appropriately for everyday use. A very minor complaint for a really great cook book.
Book Review: Fail-safe recipes and in-depth explanations
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book! For two reasons - first, everything in it is always good. Usually the best I've ever eaten, too - I don't even bother with other molasses cookie recipes any more, for instance.
Second, every recipe comes with two or three pages (!) of in-depth explanation of how they perfected the recipe. This is a excellent learning tool - they tell you what's important in the nitty-gritties for turning out great results, and it's definitely great if you like to improvise in the kitchen.
All in all, fantastic cookbook! Sometimes the writing's a little snarky, but it doesn't matter, not with all the information laid out accessibly and, best of all, the really excellent recipes. I love this book and use it all the time, and it has yet to disappoint me. Highly recommended!
Book Review: Great Cookbook for Classic Baking Recipes
Summary: 4 Stars
Every recipe we have tried from this book has become our new standard. The vanilla pastry cream impressed the former owner of a bakery, and she wanted the recipe. The Key Lime Pie is perfect, just tart enough. The German Chocolate Cake surpasses the original recipe in taste. The format, though, is a little awkward to deal with. I appreciate all the explanatory text, but it often makes the recipes continue onto the next page, so you have to flip back and forth from ingredients to method. The Maple Pecan Pie variation on Pecan Pie is to die for (try it as Maple Walnut pie, too), but I finally wrote the substitutions in the margin of the original recipe to avoid all the flipping. I really do like the content of this book, though, and am giving one to a beginning baker.Book Review: The pefect tone for aspiring bakers
Summary: 5 Stars
For somebody who already spends a lot of time in the kitchen, this book is a revelation. I own several good baking titles, but Baking Illustrated just runs circles around them. The book is literally packed with tips and information. Even the areas I thought I knew something about were covered in such exquisite detail and straightforward instruction that I have all but stopped making the usual dumb mistakes which torpedoed my many attempts at pies, tarts, cakes, brownies, etc. And as always, the folks at Cook's Illustrated have filled the book with clear, simple illustrations that show exactly how to do it--a difference between this and other titles that makes ALL the difference. Baking Illustrated is a gem; it will find a prime spot on my bookshelf.
Book Review: An absolute must have for any baking enthusiast!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a subscriber to "Cooks Illustrated" for a few years now and love it for all of it's great recipes and tips. I received this book as a gift and since I am a baking maniac I was thrilled to have received such a tremendous resource. Within the first week I went absolutely nuts and baked about 5 things from it, each recipe I tried was outstanding and won HUGE raves from all who tasted! I really do encourage any of you who have a passion for baking/desserts to pick it up. It is also a must have for those of you who are aspiring bakers. You can't beat the tips and detailed information, valuable things when you are just starting out... I truely believe that this cookbook is truely the only baking book you will ever use again!