• buttercream61 on March 20, 2025

  QUESTION - Why are the recipes not listed with the corresponding page numbers in this cookbook? You can type in a recipe but it doesn't tell you what page to find it on in this almost 900 page book???? Am I missing something here?

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spinach dip with feta, lemon, and oregano

  • Soulkitchenjen on January 28, 2023

    Very easy and delicious. Only difference is I had a pound bag of spinach. Since spinach wilts and dries down to nothing, it didn’t seem to make a difference in the end result. Served with baguette slices and tortilla chips. Perfect thing to take to a party.

• Hummus

  • drussell41 on March 29, 2019

    Great flavor, but texture isn't as oustanding as their recipe in ATK's Quick Family Cookbook.

• Fast tomato salsa

  • saladfiend on May 28, 2014

    Wonderful with Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes and a little extra salt!

• Chinese five-spice almonds

  • Analyze on August 22, 2018

    This is a great base recipe; I just gave it 4 stars because we're not a big enough fan of five-spice powder to want these again (especially my husband). But I did enjoy the nuts. Cook's Illustrated recommends the Frontier brand of five-spice powder.

• Deviled eggs

  • EasyBakeThis on March 15, 2026

    Made this recipe. Pipe using a large star tip.

• Horseradish cocktail sauce

  • Rinshin on November 15, 2014

    Perfect! Love the addition of ancho chile powder.

• Basic vinaigrette

  • Analyze on March 25, 2017

    This is a great vinaigrette! I've tried a few similar recipes and this one is our favorite. I also enjoyed playing around with all of the options they give you in the recipe (we liked white wine vinegar, minced shallot, and fresh basil best, but you can use red wine vinegar, red onion, or fresh/dried tarragon, dill or oregano to coordinate with your meal). We really enjoy eating this with some of the suggested salads in this cookbook: Watercress, Blue Cheese, Pears and Toasted Walnuts; Bibb Lettuce, Green Apples, and Cheddar; and Mesclun, Carrots and Alfalfa Sprouts are all delicious salad combinations that call for this Basic Vinaigrette.

• Balsamic vinaigrette

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 05, 2025

    Very good. I like a little more vinegar to oil.

• Blue cheese dressing

  • twoyolks on January 01, 2021

    The sugar gave it a slightly too sweet note. Otherwise, it was good.

  • senzler on January 19, 2025

    Great Blue cheese dressing.

  • senzler on January 19, 2025

    Great blue cheese dressing. I needed that pinch of sugar to cut the edge of the vinegar.

• Garlic croutons

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 27, 2023

    Very solid recipe. A nice baseline. I’d definitely toss these half way. You can see one side is way more done than the other. Also, I pulled mine at 18. They are toasty all the way through and we’re threatening to burn. Very delicious, though.

• Curried chicken salad

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 03, 2026

    I used 2 rotisserie chicken breasts and it was the perfect amount. The almonds do a lot of work here. I’d at a touch more curry powder next time.

• American potato salad

  • Soulkitchenjen on June 18, 2025

    Tangy and bright. The vinegar really does something.

• German potato salad

  • SilverSage on January 06, 2011

    Excellent! Not overpowering, yet nicely sweet-tart.

  • drussell41 on July 28, 2019

    Apple cider vinegar works fine.

• Macaroni salad

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 08, 2025

    This is my go-to mac salad recipe. Seems a little wet at first, but it soaks in. I use sweet relish instead of chopping. It’s light and bright and delicious.

• Fusilli salad with salami and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette

  • Soulkitchenjen on July 01, 2025

    This is really good. I used an extra tablespoon of red wine vinegar in lieu of the lemon. I used both hot sopressota and a mild red wine vinegar salami. If I was to make again, I’d double the dressing as the pasta soaks it in over time.

• Waldorf salad

  • Pandan on July 24, 2024

    Fast and easy and wasn’t too much mayonnaise. Next time I just wouldn’t make the whole recipe as it makes a lot and I can only eat small portions of this salad.

• Philly cheesesteaks

  • KatGeorge on November 14, 2021

    This is a family favorite! I add a little onion powder while adding the salt and pepper - gives a little depth of flavor without adding onions (but I also like to top with sautéed onions, too)

• Sloppy Joes

  • Jennifer.anglin on March 01, 2026

    This isn’t how the recipe appears in the book

• Potato-leek soup

  • jenmacgregor18 on August 19, 2016

    This was good; but too much garlic for me. Next time, I'll use less or leave it out altogether.

• Moroccan-style chickpea soup

  • Brikl on March 25, 2017

    Pg 106

• All-American beef chili

  • Kestrel on October 25, 2017

    This is my favourite chili recipe, and my standard go-to for chili. I usually add more spices then it calls for to give it bit more kick, and use baked beans in tomato sauce instead of kidney beans (we don't like the texture of kidney beans). This freezes well, and can be made with lighter spices to be more kid-friendly. Serve topped with cheese, and either light biscuits or cornbread.

• Stuffed cabbage rolls with sweet and sour tomato sauce

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    We did not like this. It was oddly sweet.

• Cauliflower gratin

  • dbuhler on July 06, 2024

    This is a favorite that our whole family enjoys! I don't have an 11x7 dish so I used my small 9x13 dish and it worked just fine. The crumbs didn't brown that much so I may end the cooking next time with the broiler.

• Orange-braised green beans with buttered cashews

  • Pandan on July 17, 2024

    So good and easy to prepare. I used frozen green beans and reduced the cooking time. Used the juice of two oranges, about a tablespoon of “better than bouillon” paste, a pinch of MSG and added Aleppo pepper to the cashews. Also browned the butter a bit.

• Stuffed bell peppers

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 07, 2015

    used 1 # of beef so I didn't have to deal w/ 1/4 # leftover beef. I used mixed red, yellow and green peppers. I chopped up the pepper tops and added them to the stuffing mixture. added 1 tsp Worcestershire and soy sauce. Also lots of Penzey's Turkish seasoning to the beef at the end of browning. the whole family wanted to add them to our Keeper list. Freeze well too.

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 17, 2024

    Very good. Way more stuffing than necessary. Needs…something. I can’t quite place. But very solid.

• Twice-baked potatoes

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 05, 2025

    Sweet mother of mercy, these are good. The only change I made was chives instead of green onions. 10/10 would make again.

• Mashed potatoes

  • jbuchman on January 03, 2012

    Page 162; Sam loves these.

• Roasted red potatoes

  • tara2r on October 06, 2010

    These are wonderful and easy! I've made the rosemary and garlic and the oregano and feta variations and loved them both. They do have a little bit of a "raw" garlic taste to them (the garlic doesn't actually get cooked, just tossed with the cooked potatoes). My super picky son liked them and said they tasted a little like garlic fries.

• Scalloped potatoes

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 19, 2025

    This is a great base recipe. The cheddar makes no sense. Either parm in the sauce or bacon on top would be so much better

  • TanelleB on April 06, 2026

    I made it as the recipe outlined and it had really good flavor. I've never made one where you pre-cook the potatoes on the stove before putting them in the oven. It did cut down on the oven time, so I'll probably try that again. Regretfully, the sauce did not thicken for us, so some tweaking would be required if I tried this recipe again.

• Easy rice pilaf

  • dbuhler on March 19, 2024

    A super easy recipe that makes a great pilaf. I usually use 1.5 cups of chicken broth and 3/4 cup water and I like to add 1 tsp. dried thyme. I've been making this for years, and it's definitely a family favorite.

• Crispy risotto cakes

  • Shewi128 on October 17, 2024

    This is a good way to use up leftover risotto in a creative way. They can be annoying to work with, so I'd recommend forming the risotto cakes with wet hands. They are easy to cook and pretty good, so I'd make them again if I'm in the mood.

• Creamy polenta with butter and Parmesan

  • Rinshin on May 07, 2015

    This makes for very creamy, no-fuss polenta. Great taste with parmesan and butter added. I added 1/2 C cheddar cheese in place of 1/2 C parmesan and 1 1/2 C parmesan. Makes 5 generous main servings with topping of your choice. Topped with ragu of mushrooms and pork.

• Couscous with lemon and herbs

  • Analyze on May 10, 2017

    This is delicious! The only reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that they now have a more recent version of lemon couscous ("Lemon and Parsley Couscous Salad" from Cook's Country August/September 2013 - same company) that is even more delicious! That one has you toast the couscous in butter to deepen its flavor, and it adds toasted almonds and finishes it off with olive oil at the end. Between the two, that one is better, though this is still a great recipe.

  • Pandan on July 19, 2024

    Very fast and easy couscous. Had this with the slow cooker chicken and chickpeas from the same book.

• Boston baked beans

  • psarrett on February 11, 2024

    Really, really good. Perhaps a hint too sweet. Maybe more mustard next time?

• Refried beans

  • Shewi128 on July 19, 2022

    This was a good, decent recipe. I had some canned kidney beans that I needed to use up. I didn't add jalapenos, but it would've made it even better.

• Spanish-style braised lentils with sausage

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 08, 2022

    Delicious and easy. Nicely seasoned.

• Indian-spiced red lentils

  • Shewi128 on November 30, 2022

    This was a decent recipe. Nothing special about it. I've definitely had better spiced lentils. I think it needs more spices. I even increased the garam masala, but I think it may have needed more.

• Roasted red pepper pesto

  • Analyze on June 11, 2017

    This was interesting, but after trying four different roasted red pepper pestos, I'm sure that my husband and I don't like them - lol. Oh well, to each their own. If you did like this recipe, they also have a low-fat version in the same cookbook; I can vouch that we love the basil low-fat recipe. The same company did a Romesco Pesto (Cook's Country June 2011) that uses less of the peppers but adds slivered almonds and red wine vinegar, and a roasted red pepper and pistachio pesto (Cook's Illustrated January 2012) that uses basil instead of the parsley here. So many creative options if you liked this recipe.

• Fettucine Alfredo

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 191 None of us cared for this recipe. It had an oddly grainy texture and sweet flavor.

  • Analyze on May 16, 2017

    I made this twice; the first time I thought it was okay, but not as good as I thought it could be. The second time, I made it side by side with the Cook's Illustrated Sep/Oct 2005 recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo, and that one is MUCH better. Maybe it's just a better ratio of cheese/cream/butter to pasta, and they also have you reserve a bit of the cream to add towards the end for a fresher flavor. I'd highly recommend that one instead. It's the one that calls for 1.5 cups of cream, 2 Tbsp butter, 9 ounces fresh fettuccine, 1.5 ounces of Parmesan, and 1/8 tsp of nutmeg. I've seen that amazing recipe also re-printed in the America's Test Kitchen Cooking School cookbook and in Best of America's Test Kitchen 2007, so they must think it's their better recipe too :)

• Shrimp fra diavolo

  • mamacrumbcake on March 24, 2019

    Oh my! This has a startling amount of garlic (1/4 cup) but it turned out so very delicious. Don’t be tempted to reduce the garlic because the recipe is perfect as written. Even the cold, leftover noodles taste good the morning after. Don’t ask me how I know. ;) PS, for all you pyromaniacs, you get to flambé the shrimp. Fun!

  • Shewi128 on May 13, 2024

    Ok, so this was our first time flambeeing anything, so that part was less than perfect. But, this recipe was amazing. Very garlicky but also light. I used petite diced tomatoes which fit our texture preferences. I also used a technique that ATK posted online about tossing shrimp with baking soda prior to cooking to keep them from getting rubbery, and it worked great. We rarely eat shrimp, but I'd make this again.

• Baked macaroni and cheese

  • bloncosky on May 22, 2012

    This is a kick butt Mac & Cheese recipe. I am not a big fan of the dense block of cheese and pasta dishes that you get at most pot luck dinners, this recipe is the saucy kind of cheesy macaroni. It does take a bit more work that just grating the cheese and adding butter and macaroni but it is worth it.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 08, 2022

    This is my go to macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s easily my most requested dish. Use 16 Oz sharp cheddar and 8 Oz of Colby or Colby Jack. That’s the only modification that I make.

• Skillet ziti with chicken and broccoli

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 208 Very easy, one pot meal. Lots of flavor - just a bit of spice. The sauce covered the ziti really well and the chicken stayed moist. Next time I'd add the broccoli closer to the end as I like my veggies with more crunch. All my boys ate this but said it wasn't a favorite.

• Skillet turkey tetrazzini

  • BethNH on November 30, 2010

    Good and simple dinner. I left out the mushrooms and it was still yummy.

• Poached eggs

  • Analyze on May 29, 2017

    This recipe works, but it always drove me nuts because my water would boil over (they have you fill a 12-inch skillet nearly to the rim with water, then bring to a boil over high heat), causing a huge mess in the stovepans underneath. I kept using it until they published "Perfect Poached Eggs" in Cook's Illustrated March 2017, which uses a saucepan and has none of the problems of boiling over. Both methods work equally well to poach the eggs as far as the end result, but that one doesn't make a mess :) I realized after trying the new method that this old method could be adapted... as soon as the water boils, the recipe has you reduce the water to a simmer before adding the eggs, so maybe I could have just skipped the boiling and just brought it to a simmer straight away. I also realized that I could time how long the step took and be prepared 30 seconds early to watch the water like a hawk. But if you have access to it, I'd recommend the Perfect Poached Eggs recipe instead.

  • geri_2706bl on March 19, 2026

    Used a sauce pan in the suggestion and worked great.

• Breakfast burritos

  • twoyolks on April 05, 2020

    Easy but very tasty breakfast burritos. They were good but a bit on the blander side. They'd be a bit better with some salsa in them.

• Breakfast strata with sausage, mushrooms, and Monterey Jack

  • senzler on August 10, 2025

    Very good. I would add more sausage

• 24-hour omelet with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella

  • ldholakia on March 22, 2017

    This is so easy and so delicious, a go-to anytime we are going to have people over for brunch and you want to make things ahead the night before to keep the morning from being hectic. The plain version is also good, but the sun-dried tomatoes and basil make this version more distinctive.

• Quiche Lorraine

  • Soulkitchenjen on November 17, 2025

    The custard is so light and perfect. The flavor combo is classic for a reason. Might be the best custard ratio.

• Pancakes

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 232 These are very good buttermilk pancakes. The recipe comes together quickly and is enough for 16 good sized pancakes. As usual, I did not have buttermilk in the house and used sour milk. The pancakes don't rise as much as my boys prefer and they were a little more floppy than they like but they tasted delicious.

• Buttermilk waffles

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 234 Light, fluffy waffles. Perfect! These require a bit more effort than using a mix as they require whipping egg whites and melting butter but they are SO much better. I used soured milk in place of buttermilk and you couldn't tell the difference. I believe we have discovered our new family waffle recipe.

• Overnight yeasted waffles

  • scparks on November 22, 2012

    I use Cup 4 Cup or King Arthur All-purpose Gluten Free Flour to make this gluten free and it works really well. The overnight part of the recipe is, I think, what makes the difference.

• French toast

  • KatGeorge on September 16, 2025

    My go to recipe for French Toast. Delicious!

• Peanut butter cookies

  • JanetinMaine on February 06, 2012

    Great basic peanut butter cookies. Roll dough balls in sugar before smashing with fork and then baking.

  • genna_je0tbw on March 21, 2026

    Made a double recipe and got a ton of cookies!! It was almost a little too much for my kitchen aid to handle. The cookies were super yummy.

• Slow-cooker Moroccan spiced chicken with apricots

  • Kfaber on December 08, 2013

    Very tasty and comforting dish for a cold day. Used chicken thighs and served it on cous cous.

  • Pandan on July 19, 2024

    I started the recipe too late before dinner, so I made this with the pressure cooker function of my Ninja cooker, not the slow cooker. Cooked it for 15 minutes on high pressure with natural release. Used Ras el hanout and sweet paprika instead of the listed spices and 600 g of skinless and boneless chicken breasts. Thickened it with potato starch after cooking. Turned out really good! Sprinkled it with fresh dill and parsley

• Chicken Divan

  • Analyze on February 12, 2014

    Awesome comfort food! My husband and I both thought this was great.

• One-pot chicken and rice

  • Analyze on February 15, 2014

    we thought this was boring and way too average, but sometimes simple things are good (just depends on your personal taste buds), so I hesitate to give this a low rating.

  • SACarlson on November 01, 2014

    Agree with Analyze that this is quite a simple dish, but it is a good basis for a nice, easy weeknight dinner. I increased the amount of white wine and reduced the amount of stock by 1/2 cup to enrich the flavours of the dish. We also skipped the cheese and just had steamed broccoli on the side. I substituted shallots for the onions and used a mixture of butter and neutral oil to enrich the flavours.

  • mamacrumbcake on August 24, 2017

    The broth for the rice was good and flavorful, but the end result was just not to my taste. It was too cheesy and mushy. I might try it one more time without the cheese. It is a very simple dinner, one which might be considered comfort food for many.

• Pressure-cooker chicken and rice with lemon and scallions

  • themarybaker on September 11, 2014

    Ok. A bit bland in flavor. I would add more lemon flavor. For some reason my chicken breasts were dry.

• Chicken and dumplings

  • themarybaker on September 25, 2014

    I deleted the peas and added mushrooms & rosemary sprig. Very good.

• Pumpkin pie

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 19, 2014

    due to amount of cream, this pie is very, very soft and light in texture. My preference is for a more traditional custard.

• Smothered pork chops

  • BethNH on December 11, 2014

    Although this recipe keeps you in the kitchen near the stove for a bit, it's a simple week night dinner. It's easy enough to prepare the ingredients as other parts of the recipe are cooking. I used boneless pork chops as that's what I had. Pork chops and onions are browned separately before going back in the pan with spices and chicken broth. Bacon is fried in the same pan and a gravy is made from the fat left over. In the end, the reduced sauce is poured over the chops and the bacon is sprinkled on top. I cooked the chops for about 15 rather than 30 minutes and they were cooked perfectly. There was an abundance of sauce which was very flavorful. I'd use less chicken broth next time. The bacon was good, of course, but it didn't really seem like a necessary part of the recipe and I'd probably omit it in the future. The chops were moist and tender and everyone enjoyed this dinner.

• Ultimate oatmeal

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 03, 2015

    delicious. reheats well too. I've found I can use 2% milk. 1% or less impacts the creamy texture.

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 15, 2015

    I've made it with half olive oil & half butter. It still tastes wonderful.

• Grilled shrimp or scallops with spicy garlic paste

  • twoyolks on April 17, 2015

    I made this with scallops and the spice paste completely overwhelmed the flavor of the scallops.

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    I made this with shrimp, and the paste wasn't enough to fully flavor or cover the shrimp. Note: don't use a metal skewer. The shrimp were completely overcooked.

• Coffee frosting

  • Analyze on August 21, 2015

    I thought that this was a good frosting the first time I made it. The second time, I made it side by side with the Cook's Country Old Fashioned Boiled Milk Coffee Frosting, and that one was SO amazing. This one pales in comparison. But if you're looking for a simple/easy basic butter & powdered sugar frosting, this one will do.

• Fast and crunchy baked cod

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 06, 2016

    Ridiculously simple and quick to put together. I used Ritz hint of salt crackers and cut back on Dijon a bit to lower salt content for M. Still good with those changes.

• Chicken-fried steak with cream gravy

  • Rinshin on November 22, 2016

    So retro, so Texan, and so happy. Excellent results with perfectly crunchy surface with tender beef steaks. This makes for such inexpensive meals using cubed steaks, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and asparagus.

• Triple chocolate chunk pecan pie

  • julesamomof2 on November 29, 2016

    Made this for thanksgiving and it was amazing!

• Slow-cooker Texas-style chili con carne

  • Kfaber on December 20, 2016

    Delicious chili recipe that even my kids gobbled up

• Prime rib

  • Analyze on January 04, 2017

    This is an AMAZING prime rib and I'd highly recommend the recipe...but we just liked the Cook's Illustrated Best Prime Rib a little bit more, with it's flavorful crust and tighter texture. It's personal preference as to the texture, I'm sure.

• Pan-seared salmon

  • Analyze on January 13, 2017

    This is a VERY good recipe and it makes a lovely crust, and the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is that it's been bested by Cook's Illustrated's more recent recipe from May 2016 for Pan-Seared Salmon. The latter was even more moist with a slightly better texture, if that's possible, since this America's Test Kitchen recipe is also wonderful.

• Grilled fajitas

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 387 I suppose most folks don't really need a recipe for fajitas but, having never made them before, I thought it might be nice to have a general guideline. I made the Latin American Dry Spice rub (pg. 390) for the flank steak and it was quite good. The flank steak was grilled with the spice rub. Flank steak, sauteed onions and peppers, and flour tortillas - simple and delicious.

• Big and chewy chocolate chip cookies

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 499 Tastes just like a regular Tollhouse cookie only bigger! I was looking for a recipe for large chocolate chip cookies like the ones found in bakeries and this recipe fits the bill. This recipe uses melted butter and additional egg yolks which are designed to ensure a chewy cookie. If you put the cookies in an airtight container soon after they cool the cookies will remain nice and chewy.

  • julesamomof2 on July 14, 2017

    Fabulous=big and chewy, just like the name states. I froze the formed cookies for an hour and baked them at 300 and they were perfection.

  • Soulkitchenjen on May 15, 2023

    This is THE cookie recipe in our house. Use salted butter. You won’t regret it. Pull when you just start to see browning on the edges. Don’t overtake. Consistently awesome.

• Chicken fajitas

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 308 Very fast and easy chicken fajitas! The spices were perfect. Great dinner for those nights when you have almost no time to cook.

• Crunchy pork chops

  • BethNH on January 17, 2017

    p. 367 Everyone in my family is a big fan of pork but I've never really been able to make decent boneless pork chops until now. This recipe is wonderful! All the boys gave it two thumbs up. The coating is made with crushed Melba toasts and spices and the chops are coated with mayonnaise before patting on the coating. It sounds strange and rather 70s but it's amazing. The pork stays very moist and the topping is delightfully crisp. We'll be adding this to the regular rotation.

• Butterscotch pudding

  • Analyze on March 25, 2017

    This is a good recipe, and we really enjoyed it the first two times I made it ("it brings me back to my youth", opined my husband :) .... BUT, then I made it side by side with the more recent "Best Butterscotch Pudding" published by Cook's Illustrated in January 2013, and that one was SO much more flavorful. Because you end up cooking the caramel to a deeper color/flavor, it turns out a better pudding with WAY more intense flavors; it also has more rich ingredients (more butter and cream). This is incredibly mild by comparison (kids might like it better). If you do check it out, I'll add that we also personally preferred the CI recipe without the rum, though it's pretty good with the rum too.

• Smoky orange-chile glaze

  • Analyze on May 16, 2017

    This was good, but simply too spicy for us. If you LOVE the flavor of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, I'd recommend this - that's the prominent flavor. We personally preferred the more mild, sweeter similar recipe that came out in Cook's Illustrated's May 2011 issue for Orange-Chipotle Grilling Sauce for Pork or Chicken, which also has the orange zest, orange juice, and chipotle chile, but just uses a lot less of the latter.

• Grilled kebabs

  • Analyze on May 28, 2017

    This is a very good marinade and recipe, and we enjoyed it with pork, blade steak, and chicken thighs. I'm giving it four stars instead of five only because we liked their Cook's Illustrated Herb-Lemon Marinade for Chicken recipe even more! I made both marinades side by side. They are almost the same except that the CI recipe has more herbs, more garlic, and adds lemon juice and sugar, and was our favorite. It was published in their May/June 2009 issue and I found the recipe in their Entertaining Summer 2011 issue. So that will be my go to version between the two. It's good with so many herbs; I've tried fresh oregano, fresh basil, and half basil/half parsley.

• Pear crisp

  • Analyze on May 30, 2017

    This is a great recipe, but Cook's Illustrated (same company) came up with a more specific pear-version in September 2007 that adds cornstarch to the filling, since pears exude more liquid than apples do. They also use melted butter instead of softened butter, to hold on to the flour in the crisp topping better, as apparently with the liquid-y pears it has a tendency to drop down into the filling and get gummy. They also increased the oven temperature to make a crispier topping. I prefer the CI recipe with these improvements, also because it's slightly less sweet.

• Seafood Newburg

  • SilverSage on August 21, 2019

    Hadn't had this dish in decades, and now I remember why. It was over the top rich and heavy. This particular recipe was much too thick. I had to more than double the liquid to keep it from being just a paste instead of a sauce, and I didn't pick up on the sherry/brandy flavor that defines Newburg sauce. It's one of those dishes best left to memory.

• Beef and broccoli stir-fry

  • BethNH on December 12, 2017

    I've been stir frying meat and vegetable for many years but I've never followed a recipe. This recipe was quite easy to pull together using flank steak, broccoli, red peppers, and Asian ingredients for the sauce. Steaming the broccoli briefly did make it better than just stir frying it though I'd steam it for just 30 seconds next time. We all enjoyed the sauce and meal quite a bit.

  • jbuchman on September 06, 2024

    A simple and excellent version of this dish.

• Holiday cookies

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    wonderful. easy to handle dough & tastes great - especially in raspberry jam sandwich cookies.

• Lime-glazed snowball cookies

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    very good.

• Jam sandwiches

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    The ones that make it out of the house don't last long either. With one batch of cookies I took into work, I had one co-worker yelling that another had tasted one of these and then immediately took every single jam sandwich cookie off the tray for herself. :) These are my favorite cookies too.

• Cranberry-orange nut bread

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    I also add 1 packet of True lemon. sometimes use a mango orange juice. really, really good. excellent holiday bread.

• Molasses spice cookies

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    Another cookie we have to make every year at the holidays. A richly spiced dark molasses cookie. Lovely. We still have yet to try the rum glaze. We usually just start eating them right away and skip that step.

• Chocolate-dipped coconut macaroons

  • jenmacgregor18 on November 27, 2019

    I made these some time ago. But remembering they weren't difficult to put together. And I loved them.

• Pressure-cooker Cuban black beans

  • twoyolks on May 28, 2019

    The flavor of the beans was a bit bland and didn't come close to some of the better Cuban black beans I've had. It wasn't clear whether this called for Mexican or Spanish chorizo. I used Mexican which didn't really mess well with the instructions. The spice of the chorizo didn't match what I'd expect of Cuban black beans.

• Crème caramel

  • Analyze on February 01, 2019

    First time I made this (10 years ago), I loved it, and my husband didn't like it at all. This time, the roles were reversed. It's very similar to flan, but with less eggs, if that helps you to decide :) It also reminds me a little bit of tapioca pudding.

• Sweet and cakey northern cornbread

  • Analyze on February 21, 2019

    I LOVE this cornbread! It's substantial (dense is probably not the right word), yet still fluffy, just a wonderful texture! I've made it four times and love the flavor and crumb.

• Pan-seared shrimp

  • Analyze on March 07, 2019

    Simple and delicious! I'd like to try this cooking method with some of the compound butters from this cookbook, too, but you can't go wrong with butter, lemon and parsley :)

• Hearty olive and thyme rustic bread

  • Analyze on April 10, 2018

    This is a really fantastic bread - great texture and flavor. My husband and I aren't big olive people, and even so we still enjoyed eating it, and I've made it twice, though probably wouldn't make it again. But if you like olives, I'm sure you'll love this bread.

• Peach or nectarine upside-down cake

  • Analyze on August 04, 2018

    I prefer the pineapple version. For this version, I liked it best when I added 1/4 tsp almond extract. That was really good with the peaches! I forget where I got the idea; it might have been in another Cook's Illustrated baking book or from a blog.

• Grill-roasted turkey with spice rub

  • Analyze on November 25, 2018

    We liked this but found the breast to be a little dry. The Cook's Country issue for Spice-Rubbed Grill-Roasted Turkey was so moist that I'll use that as my base recipe for grilled turkey from now on.

• Baked chicken with five-spice powder and ginger

  • Analyze on December 08, 2018

    This is a WONDERFUL recipe for baked chicken, which always turns out delicious. My husband isn't personally a fan of five-spice powder, so I won't be making this variation again, but I still highly recommend it (I thought the flavors were great), and all of the chicken recipes in this set of 5.

• Barbecued beef brisket

  • Analyze on January 01, 2019

    We thought that the crust on the Cook's Illustrated July/Aug 2007 recipe (same name) was much better, since it spends the whole time on the grill while this recipe finishes lots of its time in the oven.

• Granola bars

  • Analyze on December 14, 2017

    This is a great recipe for granola bars - very good texture and flavor. I personally don't like granolas with a strong honey flavor, which this one has, but if you like that flavor, these are fresh and delicious! I'd also recommend both variations (granola bars with dried cranberries and ginger, and granola bars with coconut and sesame) - delicious!

• Grilled steaks with marinated tomatoes

  • Analyze on September 21, 2017

    I served these steaks with hummus and pita chips, and to be honest, we liked the marinated tomatoes better with the hummus than served over the steaks. It's a great sauce/salad for hummus!

• New York cheesecake

  • Analyze on June 06, 2017

    This makes such an amazing cheesecake! Obviously that's a matter of taste, but I love the tang from the cream cheese and how incredibly creamy this cheesecake is, but yet not TOO creamy; it's got a suede-like texture. I've tried other crusts (they have a newer version called Easiest-Ever Cheesecake from Cook's Country that uses flour to maintain a crisp crust), but the all graham-cracker version is my favorite. It's key not to bake this past 150, or it won't be quite as creamy. The first time I served it, a guest said that it was the best cheesecake he'd ever had. Highly recommended!

• Pan-seared haddock with warm roasted pepper and basil relish

  • Analyze on August 23, 2017

    This was delicious! The cooking method for the fillets keeps them very moist (I used rockfish fillets). We liked the sauce, which I've tried with basil and parsley, finding the basil a bit more flavorful though we couldn't taste it directly. Very tasty!

• Grilled steaks with chipotle and grilled lime

  • Analyze on April 14, 2024

    My husband LOVED this the first time I made it, not so much the second time. I'm not sure why! I never really cared for it.

• Plum refrigerator jam

  • Analyze on September 16, 2022

    This is a great recipe, but I do think that other flavors are better than plum for jam :)

• Pan-seared steaks with red wine pan sauce

  • PytnPlace on December 14, 2020

    Fabulous! I have prepared many many pan/reduction sauces. Was skeptical about adding brown sugar, however the sugar perfectly balanced the acidity of the wine. Used a good wine. The forward flavor was not sweet. I practically licked my plate!

• Pan-seared chicken breasts with hearty brown ale sauce

  • jluvs2bake on August 05, 2024

    This is one of our favorite go-to meals, and our kids and friends request it. So easy and really good. Bonus — my husband usually makes it! Haha We usually make extra sauce.

  • Wbeitzel on April 14, 2023

    p. 288

  • Wbeitzel on April 14, 2023

    p. 288

• Fast enchilada sauce

  • EasyBakeThis on August 16, 2024

    Too bland. Try Pioneer Woman's recipe next time.

• All-purpose buttery yellow cake

  • jsshrn on September 13, 2017

    Easy cake recipe, produced a very lovely cake that was perfectly moist, and not too sweet - held icing very well, and formed beautiful, well-formed slices..

• Classic bread stuffing with sage and thyme

  • hbakke on November 28, 2020

    Tasted like a homemade Stovetop Stuffing. I halved the recipe and used a loaf of sourdough I had on hand along with all dried herbs. This was tasty and easy. I would make this again for a simple stuffing, but with fresh herbs next time. For me, the best parts were the crispy bread bits on top, so I might use a larger pan next time for more surface area.

• Cranberry sauce with pears and ginger

  • hbakke on November 28, 2019

    Delicious cranberry sauce, maybe my new favorite. This has kind of an applesauce taste from the cinnamon/ginger with the texture from the pear. I would make this again.

• Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler

  • Shewi128 on May 09, 2022

    The filling literally never thickened up.. but the flavor of the soup was good.

• Summer berry pie

  • Shewi128 on September 06, 2022

    Cross-posted: The presentation of this pie is great. It's beautiful when you look at it, with the fresh berries at the top. The dairy-free berry pudding/puree thing also added some interest. However, it all fell apart (literally) when you cut open the pie. The pieces did not hold together, including the graham cracker crust. It would also greatly benefit from whipped cream. All in all, look was good, but the end result was not. I would not make this again. I'm disappointed because I've had this on my "to-bake" list forever.

• Pressure-cooker mashed potatoes

  • Shewi128 on March 25, 2021

    Not the most delicious mashed potatoes, but a very easy way to do them on a weeknight. Make sure you half the liquid and butter. the ratio was way off.

• Mustard and brown sugar glazed salmon

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 27, 2023

    Very tasty! Most of the glaze just runs all over and makes a sticky mess of your pan. The salmon was tender and juicy.

• Stir-fried shrimp and snow peas in coconut curry sauce

  • cheryl_htf5s1 on March 13, 2026

    Sauce was a little thin but great flavor.

• Pan-seared chicken breasts with vermouth and tarragon sauce

  • Wbeitzel on April 14, 2023

    p. 286

• Chicken piccata

  • Fyretigger on February 25, 2021

    Very good and weeknight dinner quick.

• Stuffed chicken breasts with sun-dried tomatoes

  • Wbeitzel on April 14, 2023

    p. 305

• Beef tortilla casserole

  • psarrett on February 11, 2024

    This was much tastier than I expected, possibly because we used fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles (Trader Joe's) instead of diced tomatoes. Really tasty unpretentious food. Great make-ahead dish-- stores well in the freezer. We made and froze a couple of these before our child was born, and they kept us well-fed for days.

• Slow-cooker weeknight chili

  • Pandan on September 07, 2024

    Easy to throw together in the morning. I only used half the beef and less tomato puree. Added more salt, some MSG and a little bit of sugar. It was a decent chili, although I prefer more red peppers or maybe some corn.

• Rich and tender American dinner rolls

  • geri_2706bl on March 18, 2026

    Excellent texture, rose well and went well with the boiled dinner.

• Basic pizza dough

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 25, 2022

    Never fail pizza dough. Is it life changing? No. Does it work every time? Absolutely.

• Quick pizza sauce

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 25, 2022

    So simple. So good.

• Buttermilk biscuits

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 16, 2026

    This recipe has shortening and butter and cake flour so a few more ingredients than regular biscuits, but they turn out so flaky and tender.?

• Big beautiful muffins

  • HeatherPCooks on February 09, 2026

    These baked up nicely, but the batter is definitely more like a biscuit than a muffin. I wonder if my yogurt was too thick? Followed the instructions. Did the "lemon blueberry" version. Still tasty, just not what I was expecting.

  • Soulkitchenjen on December 11, 2022

    Very nice basic muffin base. I’ve made with blueberries and apple cinnamon. Not terribly sweet. Definitely more muffin than cupcake. One thing of note, if you fill a standard muffin tin 3/4 of the way (like you were probably taught) you don’t get 12 muffins. You get 18-19. I’m not sure what happens if you fill the cups to the top. I’m too afraid of making an absolute mess of my oven while finding out.

• Bran muffins

  • cynthia_lx08f9 on February 07, 2026

    Been making these for years. I love this recipe because I always have wheat bran in hand u like ATKs other brands muffin recipe which calls for all bran cereal.

  • lindygrey on May 10, 2026

    These were very sweet, I think next time I would reduce the sugar. I usually make the bran muffin recipe from Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book which I think is a lot healthier, having a lot less sugar, more bran and whole wheat flour but this was a nice “dessert” style muffin for someone with a sweet tooth. I’ll go back to the laurel’s kitchen recipe for my everyday bran muffin. But keep this one for special occasions or guests.

• Glazed maple-pecan oatmeal scones

  • dbuhler on July 17, 2024

    This is a family favorite that I've been making for about 15 years now! I don't usually hold back any of the oats (I always forget) and then use some raw oats to put on the counter and top the scones. I like to check for doneness around 12 minutes. These are delicious, moist, and hearty while also being tender, and they always receive high praise from anyone I share them with.

• Simple cinnamon streusel coffee cake

  • Soulkitchenjen on November 18, 2024

    Very good and very easy.

• Lemon-blueberry coffee cake

  • cheryl_htf5s1 on April 04, 2026

    I think you can find better recipes. It’s tough—which I note because I saw a comment on another recipe in my book. I had noted that some other mussins were tough. I don’t think it was solely my mistake because I haven’t had this problem with other recipes.

• Banana bread

  • Soulkitchenjen on November 15, 2022

    I finally found a banana bread recipe that works. Takes slightly longer than 55 minutes. Bake to 205 internal temp.

  • KatGeorge on November 14, 2021

    This is my go-to banana bread recipe! I often only have strawberry yogurt - which works just fine (does not add any odd flavor). I do not make it with nuts but very often add one cup of regular chocolate chips for fun (this is after testing with mini chips and different amounts. One cup of regular is the right ratio.)

• Oatmeal-raisin cookies

  • Alexislouisesutter242 on September 03, 2023

    Very delicious, but 2 sticks of butter for 36 cookies is a bit much.

• Snickerdoodles

  • Soulkitchenjen on November 28, 2022

    Taste was good. They came out flat. Not very pretty.

• Mexican wedding cookies

  • dbuhler on February 21, 2025

    This is the best iteration of this cookie that I've ever had! They so easy to make and so tender and delicious! I used a #70 scoop and got exactly 48 cookies. These will be my go-to for this cookie moving forward!

  • Soulkitchenjen on November 28, 2022

    Perfect. Made with pecans.

• Rich chocolate bundt cake

  • dbuhler on February 09, 2025

    An incredibly moist and delicious chocolate Bundt cake that I've been baking for years. I love the velvety texture and deep chocolate flavor. I'm at high altitude and the only change I make is reduce the baking soda to 7/8 tsp.

• Lattice-top peach pie

  • KatGeorge on September 04, 2023

    I have made this multiple times with rave reviews! It is absolutely heavenly. I ordered my potato starch from Amazon - but the first time I made it I pulverized tapioca and it was musta as good (just more work)

• Mango sorbet

  • psarrett on February 11, 2024

    Great texture and flavor-- exactly what you'd expect a mango sorbet to be.

• Cranberry sauce

  • Fyretigger on November 22, 2022

    A good, solid cranberry sauce recipe. It has a good balance of sweetness and tartness. It turns out slightly saucy, not a congealed mass like the commercial versions. I added the zest of 1 orange and a 1" knob of ginger, both julienned and it added the bit of zing I wanted.