The Best Recipes in the World
by Mark Bittman
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Book Reviews of The Best Recipes in the World
Book Review: Warning: NOT a companion book to the Bittman PBS series of the same name
Summary: 1 Stars
I ordered this book because I thought it would be the companion cookbook to Bittman's PBS cooking show of the same name "The Best Recipes in the World With Mark Bittman of the New York Times." I was dissapointed to find that was not the case. Specifically, I was looking for the paella and the ravioli recipes I'd seen cooked on the show. The paella contained rabbit, chicken, tomato, rice, rosemary and beans. The rabbit and chicken version is considered to be the true original Valenciana paella by purists. The ravioli recipe was made by Paola Di Mauro containing a simple ricotta filling and a sauce made only from tomatoes and basil. Neither recipe is in the book. Instead "the original" paella in Bittman's book contains is a shrimp version, and there's second paella recipe with chicken and mushrooms. The two ravioli recipes are a spinach/ricotta and a vegetarian version. I'm stymied why that's the case, and why create a cooking show with the same title as the book only to have completely different recipes. I find this inexcusable since the book is advertised on the show. I feel cheated. I had to find the Di Mauro ravioli recipe and the paella recipe by googling. One star for false advertising.Book Review: Big and beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
I started using Mark Bittman's Best Recipes in the World and How to Cook Everything when my sister gave them to my daughter for her college graduation, and then my daughter went to East Timor where she could obviously not take two cookbooks that weighed 50 pounds each. She's now back (!) after four years and took the cookbooks with her to her new apartment. There was a brief painful period between their departure and the arrival of their replacements from Amazon, but now they're here and I'm perfectly happy again.
I have to say his recipes are either good, great or fabulous. I've never made anything that came out badly. They're not so complicated that they're intimidating -- everything seems doable. I'll be retiring in about five years and I can see myself cooking my way through both books, ala Julia and Julie.
One thing -- sometimes I think his instructions say to cook things longer than I think they actually need. Some day I'll try cooking things as long as he says (i.e. saute for 10 minutes -- I might saute for 3) and see if it's even better.
Book Review: terrific cookbook with an interesting challenge
Summary: 5 Stars
I think the cookbook is great and very useful. We've been able to go to an Indian restaurant, or a Malaysian restaurant, or a Mexican restaurant and try something we love, and then find a similar recipe in this book...at least enough for an inspiration. The recipes we have tried have been top-notch.
My only small complaint with this book is the organization. It is laid out like a normal cookbook: appetizers, soups, meats, poultry, desserts, etc., which is fine, but I think makes this book hard to get through if you're reading it as a source for new things to try. For example, it's not normal for my girlfriend and I to decide that we want to make "poultry" for dinner, we usually decide we want "italian" or "Thai" food, or whatever. In this book, since it is organized like a regular cookbook, you need to look through "poultry" recipes, the first might be Korean, the next from France, etc. It just makes things a little tricky for planning. Other than that, we love the book. If you want a book that you can use to find classic recipes from around the world, this is a good start.
Book Review: Great Recipes, But Know Your Stuff
Summary: 4 Stars
I love this cookbook - I've made over 15 dishes from it so far, and only one had issues - the Chicken B'Stilla. It's not so much the recipe, as it is the fact that not every step is spelled out for a novice - so I didn't know how to blend cold eggs into warm stock - and ended up with a very interesting texture! There are SO MANY recipes in here that some techniques are not mentioned, things you can find in the Joy of Cooking, or elsewhere - so cross referencing might be helpful for a real novice (like me).
That said, I have never seen a cookbook with more diverse ethnic cuisine, more interesting dishes, or better descriptions of new flavors for an American palette. Favorites include - Spinach and Chickpea Soup, Peanut Soup, Garlic Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Batrik, Dal, and Torta di Melanzane. And I will definitely be trying Chicken B'Stilla again - now that I know more about eggs!
Book Review: A great book for ideas
Summary: 4 Stars
The Best Recipes in the World has given me a perspective on cooking that I did not previously have. Other cookbooks may have done similar things to other people, but this was it for me. We enjoy cuisines from throughout the world, and this serves as a diving board to get into making the food of various areas. I initially thought that the book needed more pictures, but I have come to find that the paragraph description of each dish that Mr. Bittman provides is more valuable that a glossy photograph. I cannot give the book 5 stars, as the recipes do not always turn out great. Some of the recipes have been excellent, but others don't seem to be missing something or have too much of something else.
Good:
Chicken Biryani, Rajma, Miso Soup, Mexican Rice, some of the Southeast Asian dishes
Not as good:
Chicken with Almond Garlic Sauce, Coconut Rice