Best Recipes

Categories: Cookbooks

It's been almost ten years since The Best American Recipes first appeared.  Selections from magazines, cookbooks, backs of food boxes and other sources were tested and rated by the editors and from these recipes they picked the best of the year and packed them into an annual volume.

The concept is perfect for anyone who doesn't want to buy every new cookbook that is published or clip every magazine they read but wants fresh new ideas for recipes.  

The 150 Best American Recipes:  Indispensable Dishes from Legendary Chefs and Undiscovered Cooks by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens have taken this concept further and culled again.

I have collected the series for years and constantly turn to the recipes in them. The tips and notes from the test kitchens are always helpful and the books draw from a wide variety of sources, particulary the food magazines.   I quibble, but the pool of food writers is a close bunch, and I suspect the editors have their favorites.  This does not detract from the quality of the selections, but perhaps helps to steer their choices.

According to the introduction, the editors selected from over a thousand dishes and winnowed their choices down to the essential 150. Well, most of my favorites from the annual compilations didn't make the top 150, except for the really good roast chicken from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.  I guess the editors and I are not on the same culinary wavelength.    That won't stop me from using this book, however.  It never hurts to get other viewpoints and maybe I'll try something new.  This is a handsome book with quality paper and photos that makes for pleasurable reading as well as eating.  I highly recommend taking a look at it.