• racheljmorgan on January 15, 2021

  If I had to recommend one cookbook to a beginner, this would be it. Cooking though this recipe collection was how I taught myself to cook. It's very comprehensive without being overwhelming. Ingredient lists for most recipes are not lengthy. The book also gives many variations and substitutions for each dish, which is valuable from a learning standpoint but also saves you in moments when you realize you don't have a stalk of lemongrass or some other random/expensive item. The sides and meat recipes are consistently good. Breads are quite good. The desserts section fails for me about half of the time- it's definitely the weakest recipe group. Overall, a decent and engaging cookbook with lots of variety.

• kkmatti on December 13, 2020

  My go-to book for making basic American items. Includes variations for how to change up a recipe. My copy is stained, tattered and well-loved. I've had very few failures with this book and it appears to be very well edited. I also own the vegetarian version and can recommend both. A far better all-around book than "Joy" or Better Homes & Gardens imo.

• Cramnella on January 14, 2010

  This is my first go to for the basic recipes. Less comprehensive than Joy, but Bittman's recipes are better.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Five-minute drizzle sauce

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    A basic sauce that is easy to make and appropriate in many different applications. Besides a drizzle sauce, it can be used as a dipping sauce or a marinade. I like the soy sauce variation, but there are lots of flavor combinations to try. This is a handy recipe to have in one's repertoire. Several variations: spiced, herbed, fiery, sesame-soy, miso and juicy. Time to make: 5 mins. P22.

• Fresh tomato or fruit salsa (Salsa fresca or pico de gallo)

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    P23. Time to make: 15 mins. Good as a dip or a garnish. Several variations suggested, including fruit, pureed, Chilean, Italian, avocado-red pepper, bean and cheese.

• Simplest yogurt sauce

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    This is a useful recipe that can be varied many ways, and if you are a plain yogurt eater, you'll have the ingredients on hand when needed. There are 12 variations given and 7 suggested uses. I mostly use it as a salad dressing. Time to make: <5 minutes. P.24

• Blue cheese dressing

  • sturlington on January 18, 2015

    A variation on the yogurt sauce recipe, this is not quite as good as a traditional buttermilk-based blue cheese dressing, but it will do and I am more likely to have the ingredients I need in the fridge. Replace half the yogurt with sour cream and go easy on the lemon juice.

• Traditional pesto

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    The standard bearer in my house-using walnuts instead of pine nuts since that deepens the flavor.

• Tahini sauce

  • PatriciaW on January 13, 2020

    Straightforward - excellent starting point to make this sauce suit your palate and dish.

• Yogurt tahini sauce

  • PatriciaW on January 11, 2020

    Very nice basic sauce. Versatile!

• Homemade mayonnaise

  • racheljmorgan on December 08, 2020

    I have made this with light olive oil and another time with bacon grease. Both work well. Butter does not work well unless you plan to serve it room temperature. Extra virgin olive oil is very bitter.

• Real ranch dressing

  • damazinah on February 13, 2016

    Too thin & too mayonnaise-y. Next time I'm going to add some sour cream, and perhaps lemon juice, sea salt, and lots of fresh cracked pepper.

• Brewhouse mustard

  • twoyolks on December 27, 2016

    Really strong mustard without any real addition of flavor from the beer.

• Corn and tomato relish

  • sturlington on September 02, 2014

    Simple and easy. To boost flavor, I added a bit of lime juice. Vinegar would also be welcome.

• Grilled peach and corn salsa

  • Zosia on August 15, 2020

    I made this for fish tacos with a few minor changes: nectarines instead of peaches, a Thai bird chile and regular basil for Thai basil. It was very good - sweet and tangy and quite hot. (I didn't seed the chile).

• Teriyaki sauce

  • sturlington on October 07, 2012

    Brush on chicken or fish before grilling.

• Dashi dipping sauce

  • love2laf on February 10, 2010

    I made this with the addition of shallots and wasabi, and it was very flavourful. I would love to add a thai lime leaf to this next time.

• Roasted nuts with oil or butter

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    P80. Time to make: 15 minutes. This is a useful recipe for jazzing up plain nuts. Watch carefully as they can get too brown quickly. There is a variation for sauteed, one for spiced, and a no-fat one. A variation is given for seeds, but the 30-minute cooking time is too long for that one.

• Marinated mozzarella

  • sturlington on May 04, 2013

    This is an easy and adaptable recipe that really punches up the flavor of a mild cheese. Makes a great addition to a cheese board. Other mild, soft cheeses can be substituted, as can other fresh herbs. Infused oil is particularly good. The recipe is quick, only requiring 30 minutes to marinate, although it can stand longer to give the flavors time to develop. Very good. This was a hit at a party I brought it too, made with farmers market mozzarella, garlic oil and rosemary. P83

• Edamame in their shells

  • lorloff on June 12, 2021

    These were simple and great using frozen edamame this time. Don’t miss the Sichuan peppers. We used really fragrant ones from China. Used Mexican chili Pequin small whole chilis. Garnished with roasted sesame seeds and Togarashi seasoning and added some spicy Japanese peppers at the end. Great dish.

• Marinated fennel with preserved lemons

  • minerva on April 07, 2013

    Set this out as a meze item for a party. I was surprised by how quickly it disappeared. This keeps well in the fridge for quite a while.

• Sour cream dip

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    A very good dip for crudites. There are several variations, and I usually have the ingredients on-hand. Also can be used for a salad dressing.

• Flavored cream cheese spread

  • sturlington on March 28, 2013

    I make this recipe a lot when I need a quick appetizer. It is very easy and usually I have the ingredients on hand. It is also easy to vary depending on what I've got to mix in. It seems like I get a smoother, creamier spread if I use the food processor to mix it. Time to make: 10 minutes. Keeps well. Lots of variations, including fruit and nuts, roasted pepper and garlic, anchovy, crab or shrimp, cheese-and-herb, or make up your own. P91

• Refried bean dip

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 20, 2022

    I used Bush's refried beans and some roasted red peppers I had. My chiles didn't have a lot of heat. So, I added a bit of hot sauce to mine. I'm sure homemade refritos would have been even better, but this was pretty good for something so quick to put together.

• Guacamole

  • whitewoods on July 05, 2019

    Fine basic recipe. (This was actually my first time ever making my own guacamole.)

• Chicken wings

  • sturlington on February 03, 2014

    This is an easy recipe that can quickly be varied just by changing up the sauce. For the Super Bowl, I made three different versions--all got eaten. p115.

• Smoky chile lime chicken wings

  • Zosia on February 28, 2021

    I generally don't buy wings but I wanted to try this oven-fried cooking method. The flavour was fine though not very exciting and the cooking technique did result in very crisp skin but the meat was a little dry. If I were to try this again, I would reduce the time at each stage by a few minutes. Also, I'm not convinced the olive oil was required at all as the wings generated enough fat for basting, even with pouring off the excess.

• Puréed butternut squash-coconut soup

  • Rutabaga on February 25, 2015

    Even though I only gave this three stars, it's actually a pretty good base for a butternut soup. I found it to be quite thin when made as written, however, so I would either double the amount of squash or decrease the broth by at least two cups. Adding some additional vegetables, like red peppers, would also help round out the flavor.

• Noodle soup

  • sturlington on December 09, 2013

    A good use for leftover cooked pasta. As with many bittman recipes, the end result is better if you incorporate as many variations as you can.

• Pasta and pesto soup

  • sturlington on December 09, 2013

    A variation of noodle soup.

• Chinese noodle soup with cabbage and ginger

  • whitewoods on June 16, 2019

    I played around with the ingredients on this one a little because so many variations were given in the book. I basically used all of the ingredients listed here except that I couldn't find thin Chinese egg noodles. I found thin Chinese noodles but no egg in them. They were kind of bland--maybe egg noodles would have been better. I guess the only other alterations I did were: adding a few mustard greens and some shredded cooked chicken and using a lot of ginger--or maybe it was the suggested amount. I didn't really measure. But even with real chicken included, the result was just okay. *Edit. This is one of those recipes where the flavor improves greatly in the refrigerator. I wound up really enjoying this one during subsequent lunches.

• Chicken soup

  • sturlington on May 01, 2013

    P129. Time to make: 20 minutes, more or less; suitable for weeknight cooking. This can be made with leftover cooked chicken or rice. It is a very adaptable recipe, with 4 variations plus 9 suggested additions. I made the Chinese-style variation, substituting bok choy for peas. The other variations are: with Vegetables; Mexican-style; and Chipotle. I reduced the amount of broth from 6 cups to 4; it served 2 with leftovers. The soup does need a little flavor boost, as it tastes somewhat bland.

• Chicken soup with vegetables

  • sturlington on October 18, 2012

    Recipe as written doesn't have a lot of flavor. Use as many of the suggested 9 simple additions as possible to build flavor and you will have a really good soup.

• Chicken soup with rice, Chinese style

  • sturlington on May 01, 2013

    This is a variation of Chicken Soup. Good, but a little lacking in flavor.

• Cream of asparagus soup

  • jbuchman on June 08, 2022

    Hint: reserve asparagus tips to mix into soup prior to reheating.

• Tomato-garlic soup 2

  • sturlington on January 19, 2014

    Variation on the Tomato Soup recipe. This is a good soup, although it is a little like eating tomato sauce (particularly reheated--too thick). I liked adding some black garlic, which had the same sweet garlicky flavor as roasted garlic would.

• Thicker corn chowder

  • mfto on August 26, 2014

    This chowder was easy to make. The recipe requires 3 ears for 1/2 recipe but I had only 2 ears but still chowder had good corn flavor. I needed 2 cups half and half, which I did not have, so added non-fat milk to the 3/4 cup of heavy cream which I did have. Preparation is simple. Cut the kernels off the cobs and then cook the cobs in water to make a corn broth and then discard the cobs. After sauteing chopped scallions and a little sugar in butter and then adding flour to make a roux, add the kernels, diced potato, cream and corn broth to the mixture and simmer for about 15 minutes. That's it. I did add a small pinch of cayenne to the salt and pepper. Added a bay leaf to the corn cob broth. I would not use the sugar again because the corn didn't need it and made chowder too sweet. Also I would prefer a lighter chowder, my preference, so would use milk rather than cream.

• Lentil soup

  • ashallen on October 16, 2022

    Very basic and easy lentil soup - my husband's a big fan. Leftovers keep well.

• Lentil soup with sausage or bacon

  • colinpurrington on February 12, 2013

    Made it with chorizo. Family gave it thumbs up. [p 138 10th Anniversary Edition]

• Rice porridge (Congee or jook)

  • PennyG on April 22, 2018

    I made a pot of this today (for the week) taking mjes’s suggestion to use Thai broken rice. I used 3/4 Thai broken rice and 1/4 brown sticky rice. I flavored with reconstituted (from dried) lobster mushrooms and Chinese sausage. My preliminary tastes indicate it’s a winner. Can’t wait for my breakfasts this week!

  • mjes on April 18, 2018

    I spent nearly 50 years trying to duplicate the texture of Sam Wo's jook. The number of older Chinese diners was evidence that it wasn't just me - Sam Wo's jook was special. Ignore Mark Bittman's choice of rice and get yourself a bag of broken rice from a Thai grocer. That makes this a heavenly recipe.

• Beef and vegetable soup

  • micheleK on June 26, 2011

    Simple, tasty. Satisfied husband's request for "soup with meat in it". Wouldn't change anything.

• Fast avocado and seafood soup

  • colinpurrington on February 12, 2013

    I marinated the shrimp (still shelled) in olive oil, garlic, thyme, oregano, and pepper prior to cooking on the grill. Flash grilled them just to get a char taste. Then peeled and added them to soup. I like the smokey flavor. Also added some cilantro right before serving. [p 153 in 10th Anniversary Edition]

• Gazpacho, fast and simple

  • tarae1204 on August 08, 2021

    Recipe calls for a cup of water. I would start with half a cup, only adding more if wished. I didn’t love this gazpacho but it was very, very low prep.

• Croque monsieur

  • Rutabaga on December 14, 2018

    These are good, basic instructions for a croque monsieur. I used hefezopf bread, which worked well. Surprisingly, the kids weren't into the ham. Maybe they'd like it better if I use prosciutto instead.

• Gert's pepper, onion, and sausage sandwich

  • Rutabaga on March 12, 2016

    These sandwiches are filling and good for a casual family supper. If you've no time to roast the peppers, just let them sautee in the pan with the onions. Some sliced cheddar is also a nice addition.

• Pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella

  • sturlington on December 31, 2012

    This is the standard pizza that is a favorite in my household. I like to prebake the pizza crust a few minutes before adding toppings. There are 3 variations here and a ton of suggestions for other pizza toppings, so you won't run out of ideas. P181

• Cherry tomato salad with soy sauce

  • sturlington on September 16, 2015

    A little bland.

• Cold cooked greens, Greek style (Horta)

  • sturlington on January 08, 2013

    A nice way to use up leftover greens.

• Classic potato salad

  • sturlington on May 27, 2013

    A variation of potato salad with vinaigrette on p189. A very loose, free-form recipe with several suggested additions.

• Vinaigrette

  • damazinah on September 01, 2015

    Great base for a wide variety of vinaigrettes.

• Soy vinaigrette

  • PennyG on July 19, 2020

    This was okay. I used lime juice rather than vinegar and it was a bit too tart so I added a bit of sugar and it rounded it out.

• Chopped salad

  • sturlington on November 04, 2014

    5 variations given. Can be made an entree salad by adding diced ham or chicken. Can also add avocado, cabbage, green beans, snap peas, crumbled cheese, steamed potatoes, tomatoes, corn, jicama, chickpeas or nuts. p204

• Spicy no-mayo coleslaw

  • sturlington on June 01, 2013

    Good recipe for coleslaw. I like the mustardy vinaigrette. A few variations are given.

• Apple slaw

  • sturlington on May 27, 2013

    This is a variation of spicy no-mayo coleslaw on p206.

• Corn salad with avocado

  • sturlington on September 21, 2014

    Nice salad--almost a salsa--that goes well with grilled foods.

  • Zosia on April 14, 2014

    This salad, simply dressed with lime juice, had great colour texture and flavour, even made with defrosted corn niblets. Will definitely be repeated, especially once corn is in season.

• Raw beet salad with carrot and ginger

  • lorloff on October 17, 2014

    Delicious, I used yellow carrots and yellow beets. The ginger was a great idea. I did not have fresh cilantro so I used a combination of fresh parsley and dried cilantro powder. So good I am making more tomorrow to bring to friends. Used taragon mustard.

  • krobbins426 on August 02, 2011

    Great color and super easy to make for a weekday dinner.

• Peach and tomato salad

  • hshubin on August 26, 2014

    Peaches & tomatoes go great together. A little balsamic vinaigrette, salt & pepper is all you need, or nothing -- just the juicy fruit. Or add some dried bread cubes to start making a panzanella. But only in the summer, when it's all ripe.

• Crouton salad

  • sturlington on May 05, 2013

    P222. This is a variation of Fattoush.

• Traditional chicken salad

  • sturlington on July 31, 2014

    This is a variation of Chicken Salad with Olive Oil.

• Lobster salad

  • billcranecos on April 10, 2022

    The fresh tarragon flavor played off nicely with the lobster.

• Quick-pickled vegetables

  • sturlington on March 30, 2013

    This is a good quick method with cucumbers; also tried with zucchini. The vegetables keep ok for about 1 day. I like mixing up the vinegars and adding a little flavor, via soy sauce for instance. Two variations are given: Mexican-style and mango/papaya, but many other vegetables to use are suggested in the headnote. Time to make: <1 hour. P229.

• Puréed vegetables

  • sturlington on October 16, 2013

    Thin with cream or stock for a sauce.

• Breaded fried eggplant (or any other vegetable)

  • sturlington on July 29, 2014

    Page 245. The result are fried vegetables similar to apps on many restaurant menus. Eggplant and zucchini seem the tastiest options. This is shallow frying, not deep frying, but still requires a lot of setup, some salting and chilling time, and then preferably eat as soon as they are fried. This might be a good project for a late Sunday afternoon.

• Sweet potato gratin

  • racheljmorgan on October 10, 2021

    Not really an improvement on plain sweet potatoes. This recipe made them less appealing in taste and appearance.

• Grilled vegetables

  • sturlington on March 11, 2013

    How-to for grilling various vegetables. Useful. There is a chart listing different vegetables with grilling instructions and serving suggestions. Grilled vegetables keep well. Time to make: 30 minutes or so. P249.

• Roasted, broiled, or grilled asparagus

  • sturlington on March 03, 2013

    P258. Probably my favorite way to eat asparagus. I prefer roasting or grilling. Takes less than 30 minutes to make, and leftovers keep well. 10 serving suggestions are given for variety. Add a fried egg on top for a quick lunch.

• Beet rösti with rosemary

  • damazinah on August 15, 2015

    Really yummy - the butter & caramelised beets are wonderful. Cooked for 6 minutes before turning, and it didn't hold together well - will cook for 8 minutes next time.

• Asian greens, Chinese restaurant style

  • twoyolks on January 26, 2015

    The greens got a nice char and the oyster sauce complimented them well. It took a lot longer and a lot more water to get the stalks to be anywhere close to tender (and I should've let them cook longer).

• Asian greens with thickened soy sauce

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2016

    This is very salty from the soy sauce. The cooking method intensifies the bitterness of the greens. Additionally, if you make this per the recipe, you'll end up with cold greens.

• Roasted broccoli gratin with blue cheese

  • Rutabaga on May 08, 2018

    Broccoli and blue cheese are a great combination, and this is a perfect way to prepare them together with minimal fuss. My six-year-old loved it. I find there is no need to remove the garlic cloves; if you leave them in for the entire roasting time, they will be reasonably soft and mellow and can be eaten together with the broccoli. Next time, I would finish it under the broiler to better toast the breadcrumbs prior to serving.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts

  • Rutabaga on December 10, 2015

    Simple to prepare and tasty. This is a good side dish to prepare alongside a rich main course. Hazelnuts pair very well with the sprouts.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic

  • Rutabaga on November 11, 2015

    Because I needed to use the oven for other purposes, I just sautéed these on the stove, which worked out very well. Unfortunately, I let them sit a couple minutes too long in the hot oil before tossing them, so they were quite charred. Fortunately, they still tasted great - there's just something about burnt brussels sprouts, I guess. They only needed about 20 minutes total cooking time this way.

• Sautéed cabbage with balsamic vinegar

  • Rutabaga on October 18, 2016

    The flavor here is great, and it comes with minimal effort and ingredients. I think I prefer my cabbage a little more well-cooked, however, so would allow for up to about 20 minutes of cooking time rather than just 10.

• Cabbage braised with beer and kielbasa

  • damazinah on June 07, 2015

    Great cold weather meal! I made the variation with kielbasa, but still added some onion. I also threw in a little caraway seed. Next time I might try adding some peeled, diced apple to the braise.

• Quick-glazed carrots

  • sturlington on October 23, 2013

    Very easy and tasty. I like the variation with the walnuts and a little brown sugar added.

• Quick-glazed carrots with orange and ginger

  • sturlington on February 05, 2013

    This was tasty and easy. I was surprised my picky preschooler didn't like it more.

• Roasted cauliflower with roasted red peppers and balsamic vinegar

  • crandall57 on August 09, 2015

    Had it without the almonds and it was delicious. Will try it again and add the almonds.

  • Rutabaga on May 20, 2015

    Roasted cauliflower is always good, and this is an easy way to dress it up a little. I didn't have already roasted peppers, so just added diced red pepper to the pan in the beginning with the cauliflower. I added the pine nuts about three minutes prior to removing everything from the oven to further simplify the dish. Be sure to let the cauliflower blacken and crisp up on the edges for the best flavor.

• Baked chard with Gruyère and bacon

  • krobbins426 on June 25, 2011

    Sprayed 9 in square pyrex with cooking spray. Full recipe of bechamel sauce but forgot to double the cheese. Used soy milk and soy cheese to make it dairy free.

• Grilled or broiled radicchio with balsamic glaze

  • Dannausc on August 09, 2018

    Fine; bitter

• Slow-cooked green beans

  • sturlington on March 06, 2015

    I did not cook these for a whole hour. I think the cooking time can be varied depending on how much time you have. The tomato broth flavor still infused the green beans even at the shorter cooking time.

• Slow-cooked green beans with bacon

  • PennyG on April 25, 2021

    Mmmmmmm ... was trying to match the green beans from Bill Miller BBQ (South Texas thing) using fresh, not canned, green beans. These are VERY CLOSE. I used quite a bit of bacon - cooked it not quite until crispy, then added the onion and cooked low and slow but didn’t quite caramelize. Then I added everything else and cooked for 1 hour-ish. Yummy!

• Flash-cooked kale or collards with lemon juice

  • sturlington on April 07, 2013

    This recipe is fine but I think I prefer the Joy of Cooking's recipe for sauteed kale with garlic. p308.

• Flash-cooked kale or collards with fermented black beans

  • KarenS on November 23, 2011

    A fast & easy side dish. I soaked the fermented beans in a bit of water for 20 minutes then mashed them with a pestle before adding. I skipped the soy sauce because the beans were salty enough.

• Collards or kale with peanut butter

  • Lindalib on October 17, 2012

    We subbed peanut butter for the tahini, and the cook who shall remain nameless added a little too much salt, but overall it was better than we expected.

  • krobbins426 on June 02, 2011

    Simple to make. We made it with bok choy. J didn't care for it. Too mild. He thought it needed fish sauce for more depth.

• Mashed potatoes

  • Rutabaga on February 12, 2020

    My husband made these using the ricer, and they turned out very well. The recipe is basic, but using just butter and whole milk with russet potatoes helps keep the potatoes full and fluffy, while still rich in taste. Our eight-year-old is a big mashed potato fan, and he devoured them.

• Oven-roasted potatoes

  • sturlington on November 18, 2012

    Needs more time in the oven.

• Crisp panfried potatoes (home fries)

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    A basic recipe but a very good technique that does result in diner-style home fries. I use the faster variation quite often whenever I want to repurpose leftover cooked potatoes. Time to make without precooked potatoes is 45 minutes. Two variations are given and leftovers reheat well. p341

• Beer-braised potatoes with horseradish and cheddar

  • Rutabaga on January 31, 2019

    These were OK, and it's an interesting cooking technique I haven't used before with potatoes. I used a winter ale, and in retrospect, I think a pilsner or other relatively light beer would have been better. Although the winter ale wasn't especially strong, the beer flavor is very prominent here, and it was a little too bitter, especially paired with the horseradish. I could see this being good if the beer flavor was more mellow and let the cheese shine a little more.

• Potato rösti

  • lorloff on May 30, 2022

    Very good potato rosti or potato latke recipe. I needed to make a version without eggs because we ran out and I also had a leek in the house I needed to use. This came out great. The only change I would make is to squeeze out more of the water from the grated potatoes so that they get even crisper. I use the approach my mother in law took to roll the shredded potatoes in a clean thin kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Good basic vegan approach for both rosti and latkes.

• Potato gratin 2

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    Absolutely delicious. I cut the potatoes very thin with my mandoline, and they basically melted into the cream and cheese. This would make a great side for a holiday dinner. Time to make: 1 hour. 3 simple variations are given, and other vegetables that can be added are suggested in the headnote. Leftovers reheat well. P346.

• Rich spinach pie

  • PinchOfSalt on June 06, 2023

    Do not be tempted to substitute an equal amount of frozen chopped spinach for the spinach in the recipe. It will be too much for the custard mixture to hold together. Guess how I know. Yeah. Another recipe (different author, different book) recommends 10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach as a substitute for 1 pound of fresh spinach. I'll try that next time.

• Crisp-cooked sunchokes

  • Rutabaga on December 04, 2014

    This method really brings out the subtle artichoke flavor of the sunchokes, but the best part are the crunchy, caramelized bits that need to be gently pried from the pan. It's a delicious and somewhat uncommon vegetable side dish that would pair well with almost anything.

• Preserved lemons

  • cooking_Jan on December 28, 2021

    Very good, detailed recipe, this is more of a lemon pickle by way of adding lots of spices.

• Cooked beans, the quick-soak way

  • Globegal on April 05, 2016

    Made 4-5-2016. I used a slow cooker & soaked over night. It took about 12 hours to cook. Added milk powder (~1/2 cup) and ~2 Tbsp butter to liquid. Added salt about 10-11 hours in. May just want to try the quick-soak way. Beans turned out creamy & good.

• Vegetarian baked beans

  • Rutabaga on May 24, 2014

    As Bittman notes, despite being vegetarian, these beans are still full of flavor. Because of the molasses, they are quite sweet, but many people enjoy that aspect of baked beans. I had cooked my beans more fully than intended before baking them with the remaining ingredients, but that proved to be no problem. Although my pan was very full, I added a little boiling water as interacted, but I'm not sure that was necessary. With the addition of canned tomatoes and their juices, the beans were already quite saucy, and I ended up cooking off some of the extra liquid on the stovetop after removing the beans from the oven.

• Real refried beans

  • jkreiman on March 22, 2014

    I always make this with black beans and I use canola oil, not lard. They're completely wonderful.

  • mfto on September 06, 2014

    Now that I am a semi-pro at cooking dried beans in my slow cooker and keep cooked beans in my freezer, there is no excuse for buying canned refried beans. Since I cook for two, I made half the recipe. Bittman lists several fats to use for frying the beans. I used half leftover bacon fat and half corn oil but next time will only use corn oil. I drained the beans and reserved the liquid as directed but did not need to use it. Half recipe lists 1/8 tesp cayenne but I decided to sub ground chipotle pepper because I wanted the smokiness of the chipotle. I added a minced garlic clove with the 1/2 cup chopped onion but next time will use 2 cloves. Also I will up the amount of ground cumin. All in all, the recipe is very easy, fast and tasty.

• Beer-glazed black beans

  • bargererin on September 13, 2011

    If you use the variation with bacon, it's extremely tasty. Also, be sure you don't use hot chili powder unless you want it to be REALLY spicy. This recipe is good alone, but it's better mixed with mashed potatoes or rice.

• White beans with cabbage, pasta, and ham

  • damazinah on December 03, 2016

    This was just OK. I love sauteed cabbage, so I sauteed it along with the onion and celery rather than boiling it. If I made this again, I'd cut back on the pasta & increase the cabbage.

• Flageolets, French style

  • damazinah on January 23, 2016

    I tried this recipe with both with the cream and sour cream. It was a bit soupy with the cream, and very rich with sour cream. I suggest using half of each for the perfect balance.

• Miso-baked tofu

  • IsaSim on May 02, 2014

    Flavorful, delicious alongside "Chinese Broccoli in Sesame-Sichuan Vinaigrette" from Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini.

• Simplest fried rice

  • sturlington on March 30, 2013

    Always seem to make this when I have leftover rice. Yummy and very adaptable. I just throw whatever other leftovers I have in and it works well.

• Simple risotto

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    This is a bood basic recipe that can serve as a blank palette for whatever you want to serve with it. I like topping it with a mixture of sauteed mushrooms and bacon. Time to make: 45 minutes. 5 variations given: milanese, herbs or pesto, lemon, cheese and seafood, and the following recipe contains even more suggestions for varying the recipe. P466.

• Risotto with dried and fresh mushrooms

  • Aggie92 on October 28, 2013

    Delicious! My father thought it rivaled any restaurant risotto he had ever had. Only change I made was to substitute baby bella mushrooms for the shiitake.

• Fried rice with shrimp and pork

  • Dannausc on April 03, 2020

    Fairly quick and easy. Good, but I’ve had better.

• Paella with chicken and chorizo

  • Zosia on January 31, 2015

    Perhaps not authentic but a tasty one-pan rice dish nevertheless. Baking it in the oven was new to me and worked well and I appreciated the directions for achieving the bottom crust. I changed the protein proportion a little based on family favourites (6 drumsticks, 227g chorizo, 300g shrimp) and added the shrimp 10 minutes into the cooking time. Serves 6-8.

• Quinoa with roasted corn

  • Cheri on June 16, 2011

    Combined this with the sauted leeks, and chopped fresh thyme. Excellent. Served with steamed fresh zucchini and grilled tenderloins.

• Wild rice pilaf

  • TrishaCP on February 21, 2022

    This was ok. I personally find wild rice to be too strong on its own, so I did add additional (leftover) white rice once the wild rice was cooked. I did need to drain the wild rice- I didn’t need all of the liquid that was specified.

• Fast tomato sauce, with or without pasta

  • Zosia on March 26, 2014

    Large surface area and med-high heat transform an onion and a can of tomatoes into this delicious, fresh tasting tomato sauce in 20 minutes.

  • sturlington on May 14, 2013

    P502. This is an all-purpose tomato sauce for pasta, pizza, sandwiches and baked dishes. Quick to make, and if you make an extra large batch, leftovers are easily frozen. 20 simple variations are given. A very useful recipe.

• Pasta carbonara

  • sturlington on February 03, 2013

    The recipe was fine but not great. I would like to find a better one. Made 1/2013.

• Baked macaroni and cheese

  • minerva on March 01, 2014

    This is the best way to make mac, in my opinion.

  • bargererin on September 13, 2011

    It was a little bland. Not sure how to fix that other than adding lots of salt...

  • kgmom on March 01, 2020

    I made this for a party recently. I had many compliments, everyone loved it! I did add a small pinch of cayenne for a double batch.

• Cold noodles with sesame or peanut sauce

  • PennyG on July 19, 2020

    This was good - the sauce was DIVINE albeit a bit thick; I should have thinned it just a bit more. I added chicken and sliced carrots to bump it up to a more hearty main dish for a hot evening.

• Pasta with eggplant, anchovies, olives, and capers

  • Dannausc on April 03, 2020

    I omitted the pancetta/bacon because I didn’t have any. Fairly easy; good. Worth a repeat.

• Pasta with broccoli, cauliflower, or broccoli raab

  • sturlington on May 02, 2013

    P516. Made many times, usually with the sausage variation. Good with broccoli or greens. Bittman suggests 13 ways to vary it, making this a very adaptable weeknight recipe. Time to make: 40 minutes. Leftovers don't keep.

• Pasta with broccoli, cauliflower, or broccoli raab and sausage

  • sturlington on November 06, 2012

    Variation of pasta with broccoli. I prefer making this version.

• Pasta with corn, zucchini, and tomatoes

  • Dannausc on July 02, 2018

    I made it with peas, green beans, and shishito peppers from my garden. It was good and easy — a great way to use up extra veggies. I topped it with grilled shrimp. Yum!

• Orzo, risotto style

  • sturlington on October 16, 2013

    To make a complete meal, you can add other vegetables or pre-cooked meat. This can be made with any kind of pasta, not just orzo. p525

• Saffron orzo, risotto style

  • Zosia on September 30, 2018

    This was a surprise hit. It required the attention of a risotto but cooked in a fraction of the time. I used ditalini and everyone loved the way the cheesy sauce filled each little tube. I omitted the butter and used only 1.5 cups pasta for 4 people.

• Baked ziti

  • sturlington on March 06, 2014

    Easy enough to sub other veg for the mushrooms. I used cauliflower. Everyone liked. Can also add cooked meat to make the dish more hearty. p535.

• Baked ziti with ricotta

  • sturlington on December 28, 2014

    Rave reviews from family for this easy dish. It makes a lot. I would only prepare for dinner parties and potlucks. But with three cheeses, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. Instead of making the quick sauce from the recipe, I substituted homemade marinara, which ups the flavor profile I lot.

  • Cheri on February 12, 2012

    This was easy to prepare, but bland. Needed some salt (which I never do, and omitted from original sauce preparation.) It makes alot. I even amped it up sauce with a bunch of herbs and garlic.

• Sweet potato or butternut squash gnocchi

  • Zosia on March 10, 2018

    A delicious way to overcome winter squash fatigue. Made with butternut squash, the dough was very wet as warned and seemed to have an infinite capacity for flour; I stopped adding it when the dough was still sticky but firm enough that I could roll it. They seemed a tad dense and flavourless just out of the water but once they were browned in olive oil they were wonderfully crisp with a tender centre and the sweet flavour of squash came through nicely.

• Spaetzle

  • hmorrell on May 22, 2015

    Add nutmeg.

  • hmorrell on May 22, 2015

    1. Spätzle is German, not French. 2. It's pronounced "Schpets-leh" not spay-tzul.

• Cold soba noodles with dipping sauce

  • love2laf on February 10, 2010

    Good, simple, and easy udon noodle dish. The flavour combination is very similar to Dashi Dipping Sauce.

• Oven-"fried" fish fillets

  • lesorelle on July 04, 2011

    - great for fish tacos; use pollock soaked in cumin spiced buttermilk, and breaded in mix of cornmeal and breadcrumbs

• The simplest and best shrimp dish

  • kath on November 11, 2018

    We loved this! So easy and lots of flavor.

  • lizwinn on October 12, 2010

    This is great, fast, and easy.

  • Zosia on March 19, 2018

    I wouldn't say this was the best, but it certainly was simple and very tasty.

• Salmon roasted in butter

  • Rutabaga on February 11, 2020

    Very simple, very good, this was a great easy dinner to share with my boys, who love salmon. The butter helps keep it moist, but as always with salmon, be careful not to overcook it.

• Grilled marinated swordfish, tuna, or other fish steaks

  • sturlington on June 01, 2013

    Very simple marinade, just lime juice and soy sauce. Could use more pizzazz.

• Hard-rubbed grilled swordfish, tuna, or other fish steaks

  • sturlington on September 21, 2014

    There is a misprint in the name of the recipe--it should be herb-rubbed. This is a great treatment for any fish--very fresh and flavorful.

• Baked clams with wasabi bread crumbs

  • minerva on March 31, 2013

    Use garlic chives if possible. Wasabi paste works instead of powder, add with the soy sauce. I used mussels.

• Grilled or broiled boneless chicken with tarragon mustard

  • jbuchman on September 23, 2019

    Delicious and easy.

  • TrishaCP on June 14, 2020

    Very easy and very nice flavor. I used olive oil instead of butter and marinated the chicken breast a few hours before grilling.

• Grilled or broiled boneless chicken with soy and lime

  • sturlington on June 02, 2013

    I enjoyed this much more than the tuna marinated with soy and lime. The chicken seemed to absorb the flavors better. Perhaps it was the addition of sesame oil. This an easy, simple recipe that should be a staple.

• Lemon-roasted chicken

  • Laura on December 19, 2012

    Pg. 645. This is a sub-recipe under the 'Simplest Whole Roast Chicken, Six Ways.' I find his technique with these recipes to be a great way to roast chicken. There is so much less mess than when using a roasting pan. These are extremely simple recipes. I added rosemary sprigs to the interior of the chicken. It turned out very, very well.

• Chicken and lentils

  • whitewoods on March 18, 2019

    They described this as spicy--so I was a little wary because I don't really like spicy food. However, I do like garlic and ginger--so I doubled the amount of those two. But then I was afraid to use a whole teaspoon of coriander--so I just put in about 3/4 teaspoon of it, but I needn't have worried. The end result wasn't anything that I would refer to as spicy. Did smell nice though, thanks to the coriander. Maybe I didn't really use enough salt and pepper either.

• Chicken and garlic stew

  • aniawl on May 29, 2010

    for a chicken and garlic stew it forgets to mention garlic in the ingredients....

• Oven-"fried" chicken

  • Zosia on January 12, 2014

    This would never be mistaken for fried chicken but it's not a bad way to add flavour and texture to boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I turned them half way through baking since the oiled baking sheet seem to play a role in browning the panko and keeping it crisp. Baking time was 20 minutes.

• Grilled or broiled chicken with Provençal flavors

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    I always forget that broiling chicken dirties my oven and sets off the smoke detector. This is a better recipe for grilling, but for that, it works very well. There are many variations beyond provencal. I like the Asian-influenced soy marinade the best.

• Grilled or broiled chicken with cilantro and lime

  • Zosia on June 04, 2016

    The ingredients didn't add much flavour to the chicken meat itself but did make a fresh and bright sauce for drizzling at the end.

• Fried chicken made easy

  • sturlington on June 01, 2013

    This is a terrific recipe for someone like me who's afraid to fry. It's simple and easy, it's not too messy, and the results are fantastic. Works with boneless breasts too--just reduce the cooking time a bit. p665

• Herb-roasted chicken cutlets

  • sturlington on March 24, 2013

    This is a good method for preparing herb-flavored boneless chicken breasts for use in sandwiches or tacos. However, it does take a lot longer than the sauteed method, which is necessary so the herbs don't burn.

• Chicken cutlets roasted with tomatoes

  • sturlington on March 17, 2015

    Experiment with different spice combinations to vary the flavor. I prefer using fresh or cherry tomatoes to canned for this recipe.

• Cheesy roasted chicken cutlets with bread crumbs

  • sturlington on March 06, 2015

    I don't think the egg whites are necessary. The coating adhered to the chicken fine without them. This was tasty and easy for a weeknight.

• Stir-fried chicken with kale or collards

  • Cheri on May 18, 2013

    Blah.....I did add some other veggies, and sauced it up with some chicken broth as an option. This was boring and bland. I'll stick to some of my other recipes for chicken/veggie stir fry next time. Also, to make it worse, I served over Korean rice noodles which were gummy and also very bland. Total disappointment.

• Sautéed chicken cutlets (Chicken meunière)

  • sturlington on April 02, 2013

    For preparing spiced boneless chicken breasts for sandwiches, salads, etc. Breading is not necessary but provides a nice crust. If the chicken pieces are very big, it may be necessary to brown first, then lower the heat and cover the pan to finish cooking, to prevent them from drying out. Time to make: 20 minutes. Several variations are given. Plain leftover chicken keeps well for use in other recipes. P678

• Simplest poached chicken

  • nikkichic on November 06, 2011

    Extremely simple - was able to show my husband how he can cook a batch of simple poached chicken on the weekend. Then we can make many varieties of salads and lunches for the week.

• Braised duck with apples and Calvados

  • Zosia on December 28, 2015

    Having just cleaned my oven, this method of stove-top cooking held great appeal. The skin wasn't edible (nicely browned but not crisp) but the duck meat was tender and flavourful and the recipe yielded some duck fat for future cooking projects. I omitted the apples and calvados.

• Grilled, pan-grilled or broiled steak, many ways

  • Dannausc on August 17, 2019

    I broiled rib eyes and it worked fine. Good, easy method for when you don’t want to fire up the grill.

• Stir-fried spicy beef with basil

  • sir_ken_g on June 10, 2016

    A classic that Bittman improves by marinating the beef and basil together. It would be even better if additional basil was added just after it came off the stove,

• Skillet pork chops with mustard

  • rachaelwalker on September 14, 2011

    Careful not to add too much oil

• Meat loaf

  • bethihearyoucalling on July 07, 2011

    Skipped the carrots, added tabasco sauce, used fresh breadcrumbs. 50 min. at 350 degrees, then 3 minutes under the broiler.

• Beef (or other meat or seafood) kebabs

  • sturlington on April 28, 2013

    Good adaptable recipe. I liked the marinade but would have liked the flavors to be a tad stronger. Used on steak and tuna plus assortment of summer vegetables.

  • Cheri on August 23, 2011

    This was good, easy, tasty. Veggies didn't need as quite as long as recipe called for, grill at 400 deg. - they really needed about 10-12 min max. to be a bit al dente. I used zucchini, baby creminis and red bell pepper. Also used sirloin filet (didn't have tenderloin) which at 5 minutes was perfect. Bumped up marinade with a little more olive oil to stretch, 1/2 lemon, soy, fresh thyme and fresh parsley. The lemon gave a nice contrast. Marinade coated 1 lb sirloin cubes, 1.5 zucchini (med size) 8 mushrooms and 1/2 med. red bell. Served over rice.

  • Zosia on April 21, 2020

    This was a good all-purpose marinade that I used with pork loin. I broiled the kebabs so didn't follow the cook times.

• Prime rib roast for a small crowd

  • kkmatti on December 27, 2020

    Quite good! I seared the roast first in a hot cast iron pan.

• Corned beef (or roast beef) hash

  • racheljmorgan on March 29, 2023

    Stuck to the pan, but still tasty

• Sautéed medallions of pork with lemon and parsley

  • Cheri on March 23, 2013

    Quick, easy, very tasty. Nice weeknight meal.

• Roast pork with garlic and rosemary

  • ebalk02 on May 10, 2022

    More flavorful than I was expecting but the danger of burning sugar and regular basting requirements are probably not worth it for me.

• Roast pork shoulder, Puerto Rican style (Pernil)

  • whitewoods on December 10, 2019

    I was a little out of my depth on this one. I'm still very inexperienced when it comes to roasting meat. I cooked it until the internal temperature reached 155 degrees, but when I carved it I could see that it definitely should have cooked more. I probably should have stuck with boneless pork shoulder instead of the pork shoulder callie (including the skin) that I bought.

  • jsmith on July 21, 2012

    p 755 1-24 hr marinade, 3 hours cooking.

  • Zosia on January 09, 2014

    Flavour was good but a 2kg bone-in pork shoulder wasn't anywhere near done in the cooking time given. I'm sure opening the oven door every 30 minutes to turn and baste it, lowering the temperature each time, didn't help. I left it alone and cooked it for an additional hour. It was moist but not fall-off-the-bone tender. The recipe didn't specify if roast was boneless or bone-in.

• Braised pork with horseradish sauce

  • damazinah on October 04, 2015

    Good, but nothing exceptional. I served the shredded pork over mashed potatoes, and if I make it again, I'll reduce the cooking liquid down for a sauce.

• Sesame spareribs

  • sir_ken_g on December 10, 2016

    Excellent - added a few whole Thai chilies and a TBS of Chinese black vinegar - made it even better

• Grilled or broiled lamb chops, Italian style

  • TrishaCP on June 01, 2012

    So simple but succulent and perfect. The anchovy adds umami and savoriness without an overpowering fishiness.

• Hunter's stew (Bigos)

  • zorra on July 04, 2015

    Said to be the national dish of Poland, I first had it in Australia. Tried this for someone whose late mother made it. No idea how authentic this version is, but it was tasty in mid-winter. Based on other recipes & whim, I improvised freely. Substituted smoked turkey thigh for bacon, used turkey sausage, just 1 pound beef plus 1/2 pound pork. Skipped the caraway, swapped sweet wine with dry red, added bay leaves & 2 tart chopped apples. Doubled the onion & the cooking time. Might make it again some chilly day.

• Everyday scrambled eggs

  • et12 on October 23, 2022

    Easy and straightforward recipe for excellent scrambled eggs. Added one tablespoon of skim milk to four eggs and it ended up really creamy.

• Scrambled eggs aux fines herbes

  • et12 on January 16, 2021

    Very clear instructions on how to arrive at creamy and perfectly cooked scrambled eggs.

• Crispy French toast

  • racheljmorgan on July 18, 2021

    I'm here to tell you the flour method does not work. It formed a flat, pancake-like coating over the toast. Not crispy at all, but edible.

• Baked (shirred) eggs

  • sturlington on March 26, 2013

    p799. This is a good method for cooking eggs, along with some suggestions on how to incorporate leftovers. A useful recipe for a light supper or brunch. Takes less than 30 minutes to cook. One variation is given, although the following recipe could also be considered a variation: with tomato, with spinach and with onions and cheese.

• Huevos rancheros

  • lgardner on March 04, 2018

    This recipe is easy and works perfectly. The recipe is for two people, but the next time, I'd plan to halve it or use the recipe as is for four. The quantities are quite generous. I also simmered, then cut and fried some Olympic Provisions chorizo and put it in the oven in the dish with the Huevos Rancheros to reheat. One sausage is plenty for two people.

• Breakfast burritos

  • sturlington on November 13, 2012

    Try substituting bacon or sausage for beans.

• Tomato and cheese frittata

  • sturlington on December 11, 2012

    I cook my frittatas a bit differently (I finish them in the oven), but I do like the suggestions for variations here. Variations include cheese, tomato, sausage, pasta, Mexican and Greek. Can add almost any vegetable or meat: steamed spinach or chard; cooked asparagus, eggplant, zucchini or peppers; sauteed mushrooms; caramelized onions; leftover cooked potatoes; bacon or smoked fish; sun-dried tomatoes. p804

• Frittata with crumbled sausage

  • sturlington on June 01, 2013

    Variation of the basic frittata recipe.

• Herb and cheese soufflé

  • racheljmorgan on April 22, 2022

    I made 12 muffin sized souffles, which cooked for 13 min. Very light and delicate texture. I used every herb on hand, but mint stood out the most. A more assertively flavored cheese would be better than the havarti I subbed in. A nice dish for spring.

• Overnight waffles

  • Rutabaga on October 03, 2015

    These are probably my favorite waffles to make. Light yet substantial, with the overnight rise of the yeasted batter giving the dish a nice complexity. If you plan ahead, they are very easy to make, too, and you can easily add the eggs to the batter and have it ready to go in the time it takes the waffle iron to heat. I use a Belgian style iron.

• Oatmeal or other creamy breakfast cereal

  • sturlington on January 08, 2013

    Basic how-to.

• Blueberry or cranberry muffins

  • racheljmorgan on February 07, 2022

    Not very sweet, but still a reasonable muffin full of soft texture and cranberry flavor. I would probably double the sugar to make them excellent, personally.

• Quick whole wheat and molasses bread

  • Rutabaga on December 12, 2016

    It takes less than ten minutes to mix this bread together and pop it in the oven. Of course, the hour long baking time means you still need to prepare it well before you plan to eat it. The loaf is tender and lightly sweet, and excellent topped with a smear of butter. Unfortunately, it wasn't a favorite of my five-year-old's (although he still ate it), but the adults enjoyed it.

• Banana bread

  • JoBills on December 06, 2014

    Added 1 cup coconut rather than 1/2 c coconut / 1/2 nuts. Cooked in 2 smaller loaf pans. Delicious.

  • Dannausc on August 06, 2020

    I liked it quite a bit, but my Wife found it to be too sweet.

• Brown sugar carrot bread with almonds

  • racheljmorgan on May 01, 2021

    New favorite at our house! It can be made really wonderfully with 100% whole wheat flour. Just add an extra pat of butter and a splash more of water.

• Yogurt or buttermilk biscuits

  • sarahkalsbeek on November 24, 2020

    I had to add a good splash of milk to this to get the dough to come together. Maybe because I used Greek yogurt? They were still delicious! Cut into squarish rectangles instead of circles to avoid re-rolling.

• Drop ("emergency") biscuits

  • Zosia on January 12, 2014

    I made these pseudo biscuits to go with the pseudo/oven-fried chicken on page 657 using cake flour, the highest amount of butter and yogurt. Required 2 extra tbsp of yogurt for the dough to become a "droppable" batter. They were tender and fluffy rather than flaky and didn't have a chance to brown in the short baking time. May be worth repeating if only to get me off the fence about them...

• Bran and oat sandwich bread

  • Rutabaga on June 26, 2017

    This bread would have been quite good had my yeast worked. I didn't have instant yeast, so I dissolved it in water, and it appeared as though the yeast was starting to bubble (plus, I'd just used this yeast successfully two days earlier to make pita). When I returned home in the evening, the dough was still a solid lump, but I decided to finish it anyway. The flavor of the bread is delicious, nutty and lightly sweet. Even as a dense loaf, it made decent toast, somewhat reminiscent of the dense, whole meal breads of northern Europe (although that style of bread is much better when made from a recipe intended to yield dense results). I would make it again, just with better yeast.

• Stuffed pita

  • Rutabaga on June 22, 2017

    The feta and dill filling is quite tasty, although my six-year-old did not agree (the one-year-old, on the other hand, was happy to eat it). My pitas puffed up significantly in the oven. but were soft and tender. I baked them on a baking steel, and found that they baked best at 450, not 350 as noted in the recipe. Even at 450, they needed 10-15 minutes to really bake thoroughly and get a nice golden crust. For the filling, I used only two eggs but kept the other amounts the same. This kept it from being too eggy for my husband, who dislikes the taste of eggs, and I didn't find this caused any issues.

• Naan

  • Rutabaga on May 20, 2014

    While it doesn't compare to the amazing naan we find at some of our local farmer's markets, this was quite good for being cooked in a home oven. I used my baking steel to great advantage here. If you want fresh baked naan for dinner, just make the dough in the morning, put it in the fridge, then take it out in the evening to rest on the counter a little before you bake it. I found that I had to add an extra quarter cup of flour, however, and the dough was still quite wet. But wet dough tends to make bread with great chew, and these were incredibly quick to roll out when first dusted lightly when flour. Finally, I mixed chopped raw garlic in with the melted butter for a garlic naan topping.

  • racheljmorgan on December 13, 2022

    Very easy recipe, with good results. Had to add several extra tablespoons of flour.

• Real croutons

  • sturlington on October 23, 2013

    This method doesn't get as evenly brown and crispy as I'd like. I prefer a method of drying croutons out in the oven.

• Classic chocolate chip cookies

  • sturlington on September 25, 2015

    These spread. More batches, smaller cookies, bake a little longer than directed, about 12 minutes.

• Brownies

  • Yildiz100 on January 19, 2013

    Far too cakey

  • TrishaCP on February 25, 2013

    I didn't find these to be cakey at all, even with the two eggs. Instead, they were fudgy and delectable. I cooked them at the low end of the recommended baking time (just twenty minutes)- they didn't look quite done in the middle but the residual heat finished the baking process.

• Cream cheese brownies

  • AgusiaH on July 02, 2014

    I added less sugar (350g) and some dried cherries. Cooking time 30 min. Very fudgy.

• Oatmeal cookies

  • elisarose on December 20, 2012

    These are good -- I mean, they are cookies, how bad could they be? but not very exciting. I think I prefer cookies that have more oats and less flour.

• Cocoa meringues

  • Kitty_and_Whit on June 13, 2020

    This recipe won't work as written. It's a variation on the main Vanilla Meringues recipe, and the variation is simply to add the cocoa in place of the vanilla. However, if you add the cocoa in the step where the vanilla will be added, the eggs whites will not whip due to the small amount of fat in the cocoa. I tried it myself, thinking the recipe must have been tested and maybe it wasn't enough fat to make a difference. But sure enough, as soon as I added the cocoa, the meringue fell and could not be whipped back up. It's possible that the cocoa could be successfully folded in at the end, but that's not what the recipe directed.

• Gabrielle's lemon squares

  • krobbins426 on July 05, 2011

    Do not use convection bake for these. Too sweet, not enough lemon flavor and tang.

• Pineapple upside-down cake

  • krobbins426 on June 25, 2011

    Made for FIL's birthday. He loved it. Very simple.

• Chocolate sauce

  • Zosia on March 26, 2014

    Not as thick or rich as a ganache but still a decent topping with good chocolate flavour - especially made with bittersweet chocolate - suitable for a variety of desserts.

• Peach or other stone fruit pie

  • lorloff on August 29, 2020

    I made this with peaches and nectarines. I used ¼ cup light brown sugar and ¼ cup evaporated cane sugar. Used vietnamese cinnamon and all spice and added ? teaspoon ground cardamom. I also blitzed the tapioca in spice grinder so it was really fine powder. Since I needed to make this dairy free, I coated the pie pan with miyoko’s vegan butter and replaced the milk on top with an egg white wash and sprinkled evaporated cane sugar mixed with Vietnamese cinnamon on top.

• Chocolate pudding

  • Dannausc on April 18, 2020

    The pudding didn’t firm up so I froze it. It was still pretty good— reminded me of a pudding pop.

• Butterscotch pudding

  • Yildiz100 on November 04, 2012

    very good but too sweet! also try adding brown butter

• Pear clafouti

  • racheljmorgan on December 12, 2020

    Very tasty. Under no circumstances try to turn this like an upside down cake!

• Chocolate tofu pudding

  • damazinah on December 21, 2015

    For serious dark chocolate lovers! This is extremely rich and intensely chocolaty; you absolutely cannot detect the tofu! I served it with sweetened whipped cream that had a dash of Grand Marnier.

• Mexican chocolate tofu pudding

  • hshubin on February 17, 2012

    This was great, but I told my kids what was in it before they finished. Spoons down, and they walked away!

• Soft-fruit sorbet

  • sturlington on June 23, 2013

    Great recipe, very adaptable, and a nice alternative to ice cream, especially when fruit is in season. I made this with peaches and added some half-and-half using the ice milk variation to create a light and delicious "peaches and cream" dessert.

• Salsa cruda

  • sturlington on September 10, 2013

    Also makes a good topping for bruschetta. Leftovers keep well.

• Whole wheat pizza dough

  • Zosia on March 26, 2014

    Disappointing. It baked up crisp but apart from being very salty, had little flavour and was quite dry.

• Grilled potatoes and sweet potatoes

  • sturlington on September 07, 2013

    The variation works better, I think--parboiling first. Leftovers are good with eggs or in a salad.

• Seared baby bok choy with black vinegar

  • lorloff on July 16, 2020

    We did not have baby bok choy but instead used the bok choy that we got from the farmers market which was much bigger. I cut the stems and leaves separately and the cut the stems in large chunks. In a french carbon steel pan I browned the stems after blanching and drying and when they were done I added the blanched and shocked leaves together with the sauce and let all sit in the pan to cool down to room temperature which we prepared the rest of dinner. I would have been great both hot and at room temperature. Very good dish.

  • Rutabaga on February 22, 2016

    This dish has a really nice flavor, garlicky with a sweet undertone from the black vinegar. It can easily be prepared in under half and hour, and is a fine compliment to meat based stir fries.

  • rpepper on May 22, 2019

    A great way to make bok choy.

• Salted baked potatoes

  • Dannausc on August 06, 2020

    Worked great. Super easy and good!

• Oven-roasted hash browns

  • sturlington on August 31, 2014

    Slow, but good results, and frees up the stovetop for other uses.

• Fresh tomato sauce

  • sturlington on December 02, 2015

    This is a variation of the fast tomato sauce recipe.

• Stir-fried pork with snow peas and ginger

  • Zosia on February 25, 2019

    Despite the generous amounts of garlic and ginger, this dish was lacking in flavour.

• Milk toast

  • mjes on April 26, 2018

    I was reading a culinary mystery in which the sleuth is fed hot milk toast after a traumatic experience. I don't recall having it since my early teens so I got a "hankering" for it as a late night snack. A bread that toasts well, a good cultured butter, warm whole milk, and some fresh ground black pepper. Does life get any better? Is there anything much simpler to add to grandchildren's cooking repertoire?

• Whole wheat pita

  • racheljmorgan on March 21, 2022

    Nice enough, but not very pocket-like. I made these in a cast iron pan, which means they look lovely. However, it is so hot standing over the stove doing a full batch. I wouldn't recommend it.

• Composed salad with grilled chicken

  • sturlington on July 31, 2014

    Not really a recipe, just guidelines for putting together main course salads.

• Kitchn

  The book is unfailingly practical, opting for illustrations over photographs and sharing what Bittman calls “simple, straightforward, unpretentious, and easy food.”

  Full review

• Kitchn

  ...the comprehensive yet handsome manual to wrap up for a young person in your life who just needs a place to start in their journey of feeding themselves well.

  Full review