The Best American Classics (Best Recipe)

Additional The Best American Classics (Best Recipe) Information

The Best American Classics features more than 300 recipes that cover the wide range of American cooking. Choose from favorite regional dishes such as Chicago deep-dish pizza, New Orleans’ legendary red beans and rice, or New York cheesecake. Or select beloved family fare like chicken pot pie, glazed meatloaf, and green bean casserole. Restaurant classics are here as well, from Parker House rolls and Waldorf salad to bananas foster. The Best American Classics celebrates the breadth of our cuisine with foolproof recipes that will stand the test of time.

Real Boston Baked Beans that are worth the wait

If you want to make Boston baked beans that are a cut above the tourist variety, you’ll need salt pork and bacon for authentic smoky flavor. And for best results, bake the beans for five hours, leaving the cover off the pot during the final hour to thicken the sauce to just the right consistency.

Stovetop Mac ’n Cheese that’s Silky Not Sticky

This all-around family favorite appears in more guises than just about any other comfort food on the planet. But the best recipe, we found, is made on the stovetop (not baked) and uses evaporated milk in the sauce (not a fussy béchamel).

All-American Meatloaf that’s Crusty and Glazed Not Soggy

For the best meatloaf, use a mix of meats (beef, pork, and veal). Then, select the right binders: cracker crumbs and breadcrumbs don’t mask the flavor of the meat. Lastly, bake the loaf free-form (so it doesn’t get soggy) and give it a double dose of glaze.

Strawberry Shortcake That Tastes as Good as it Looks

For a juicy filling that stays put between the biscuits, choose the ripest berries and then mash some of them into a chunky sauce and slice the rest. Left to sit with a little sugar, the mixture macerates, making a thick filling that soaks into the tender, easy-to-make biscuits.

What Customers Say About The Best American Classics (Best Recipe):

I subscribe to Cook's magazine and have their annuals. The page setup is not user friendly, with everything run together and no clear space definitation between articles or recipes. I purchased this "classic" for a fellow Cook's fan and am very disappointed and am returning it. The type is very small, difficult to read for older eyes. It is mainly text, with minimal illustrations for which Cook's is so well known. The content is top notch, of course; I just did not like the way it was set up.

I was given this book as a gift, and I can truly say that this is the best cookbook I've ever owned. I love reading the background on each recipe. I have other standard, big-name cookbooks that I have made things from, and wondered if they even tried the recipes in there before publishing them. Not so with this book - everything has turned out wonderfully - and on the first try. I have learned so much about the chemistry of food from reading the introductions and explanations. I plan on buying a few more of these books for friends because I know they will be just as satisfied as I am.

I will say this however -- redundant or not, CI books can get very expensive. It is true that there's a fair amount of redundancy between CI books, but I think that's largely a function of making sure each book can stand on its own.

This is the paperback version of "American Classics", with a slightly different title.This book is essentially the ultimate go-to book on the subject of American comfort food. While there are a few regionalisms (lobster rolls, fried green tomatoes), by and large the subject of the book is food that is common to most Americans.

Cooks Illustrated has seen fit to republish some of their older Best Recipe books in paperback form, with a few updates here and there. Macaroni and cheese (very similar to Alton Brown's recipe actually), quick breads, stuffed peppers, meatloaf -- if it's been a blue plate special, it's here.

The downside -- not a lot of ethnic flavor. The upside -- all the comfort foods your mother warned you about.

In that regard, I don't think it's such a bad thing. If you don't already have the hardcover version, grab this and use the money you save towards one of the TV cookbooks.

This review was prepared by Alison Cropley: This book offers simple practical instructions for familiar old recipes--back to basics cooking. It contains lots of advice on topics such as cooking hams, turkey and chicken, as well as on kitchen equipment. It is full of useful tips on practical matters such as "What is it." tips (e.g., what is a fricassee)., "How do you serve it." tips (e.g., appropriate sauces for various dishes), and "Why does it happen." tips (e.g., What makes pastry flaky)., as well as explaining special aspects of particular ingredients (e.g., chocolate).

I do use this book often, not only for the recipes but for the tidbits about cooking. I love the recipes in this book, but I feel a little scammed into buying this "specialty" cookbook that includes limited recipes. Their full version is only a few dollars more, but you get every recipe under the sun, and now I wish I had purchased that one instead. I've learned a lot more about how recipes work, and that has helped me "wing" a few recipes when needed.It's a great concept, but don't be fooled by these incomplete versions of America's Test Kitchen's recipes. Buy the full cookbook and then never buy one again.