Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #831689 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 576 pages

From The Washington Post
This well-photographed, tremendously useful book from the popular 112-year-old magazine mirrors many changes in American cooking and eating in the past decade or so. Start with the notion that the public wanted and needed a (not inexpensive) step-by-step cookbook: "We've been hearing for the past four or five years about culinary illiteracy," says Susan Westmoreland, the magazine's food director and head of the large team that put the book together. "But there's an interest coming back." Why? "We want to be competent at everything we do," she observes, "and one of those things is taking care of your family."

The book's approach assumes: 1) supermarket shopping, and 2) a mostly non-urban reading public that includes young mothers as well as the folks who've subscribed to Good Housekeeping for 30 to 40 years. Good Housekeeping has discovered that today's homemakers, who often hold down jobs as well, are probably different from their mothers: They're afraid of roasts (and therefore need to be taught) but also want to stir-fry and grill (so those instructions are needed too). And they're willing to experiment with ethnic flavorings but are not likely to mail-order ingredients (nevertheless, a small source list is provided).

This book includes information on just about everything a home cook needs: equipment, food safety and storage, solid recipes-the works. There are even unexpected but highly useful non-recipe driven photographs, like what a portion size looks like and how to set a proper table. A glossary takes the reader from "al dente" to "zest" and includes both simple ("simmer") and more sophisticated ("eau-de-vie") terms. Not all the recipes have step-by-step photos, but enough do to promote basic cooking confidence. After she looked at the book in search of pictures for this week's front page, the Food section's art director was so encouraged she bought it on her way home.

The triple-tested recipes, for both gas and electric stoves, range from American standards to ethnic foods made familiar by restaurant eating (think quesadillas, bouillabaisse, Italian seafood salad).

Review
This is the largest full-color Good Housekeeping cookbook ever published, with over 1,000 recipes and 1,800 photographs, giving step-by-step how-to information on every aspect of food. The test kitchens of Good Housekeeping Institute guarantee that all the recipes are top notch: appetizers, meat, fish and poultry, pastas and breads, vegetables, soups and desserts. Nutritional information, menu-planning, food history, equipment and cooking charts are also included. Once you start cooking with this book, you'll wonder how you managed without it. -- Adventures in Dining, Winter 1998

With more than 1,000 recipes and 1,800 color photographs, "The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook" is "not be missed - this book is fabulous," says Kitchen Glamour's Toula Patsalis. The photos are practical and instructive, showing how a dish should look at key points in its preparation. This is great for beginning cooks. -- Detroit Free Press, November 19, 1997

About the Author
For more than twenty years Susan Westmoreland has been working with or writing about food. She has been Food Director at Good Housekeeping magazine since 1995. Prior to joining the magazine, she was Associate Food Editor at Ladies Home Journal for six years and before that, worked for Seventeen, Glamour, and Cuisine. Before entering the magazine world, she was a chef in Massachusetts, New York, and Greece. She received a Certificate of Merit from London's Cordon Bleu Cookery School in 1975. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

Customer Reviews

All wrapped up into one!
I checked this book out of the library and found myself taking it out for an extra 2 weeks until the one that I ordered came in! I would recommend everybody to go out and buy this book! It has made my life in cooking so much easier. I must own about 25 different ones either for different recipies in each, or just for the basics that are spread out amongst them all. With this ONE book, I can get rid of my others. It is the only one that you need for all your information wrapped up into one. The pictures really help me get a quick sense of the recipe, its steps, ingredients, and the time involved. Thank you so much Good Housekeeping!!!

Excellent for experienced chefs and those with no clue!
I bought this book for a friend, but decided to look through it first, just to make sure it'd be good for him (he wants to learn how to cook, but knows nothing). I found out that this book is probably the best book you could buy for a beginner, it explains everything, has a glossary, and many many pictures. It gives information on tools and baking dishes, at the beginning of each section, it tells you basic information on things. When in the actual recipe areas, each right-hand page will feature a recipe for a certain kind of food (for example, I randomly turned to the first page on Broiled Pork, it gave a brief overview of the section, has a recipe for Marinated Pork Tenderloin, with pictures for each step, and on the back of that page, it has three more recipes, all are for broiled pork. The entire book is like that. This book has simple recipes and old standbys that are good for the beginner who doesn't want to experiment too much (for example, I found both plain old mashed potatoes and a few good meatloaf recipes), and more daring recipes for those who've gained some experience. It contains both comfort foods and elegant foods you would prepare for a dinner party. This is a must-have book for anyone who isn't confident of their cooking skills, and also very useful to anyone who simply wants a little variety. This is definately worth the money, everyone should have one!

A must-have cookbook and a great gift
I own dozens of cookbooks, but this particular cookbook is a favourite. It would be a great gift for either a new cook (great shower/wedding gift) or even for an experienced cook. The recipes range from very basic to quite gourmet, and there is something for cooks of every skill level. The layout is clear and easy to read, and best of all, it gives calorie, fat, sodium, etc. content at the end of each recipe, which I really like. The layout is eye-catching and easy to read. I have had good luck with several recipes, including Mahogany Roast Chicken (very good and easy) and Golden Onion Foccaccia.

I am often dissappointed with cookbook purchases, but this one was a great buy and I would highly recommend it.