The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

July 4, 2016
It’s hard not to get drawn into Blashford-Snell’s immersive and thoughtfully designed cookbook filled with over 3,000 photographs and 1,000 practical, tasty recipes from around the world. Whether cooks are searching out of desperation or simply looking for inspiration, Blashford-Snell has them covered. Home cooks can search by genre (breakfast, sides, cheese, cold desserts, etc.), use the index, or employ the handy summaries scattered throughout the book, which include a weekend brunch menu, party snack options, and meat-free dishes. It’s an ingenious way to make a daunting list of options fiendishly useful. Blashford-Snell has truly thought of everything. Readers will appreciate step-by-step guides for making omelets, various preparations for potatoes and fish, and tips for getting the most mileage out of leftovers. And every imaginable dish is represented: ceviche, croissants, quinoa tabbouleh, jambalaya, chicken tikka masala, and a pecan and maple tart are just a sampling of the book’s many treasures. Those expecting to open plenty of cans or use shortcuts such as premade pie crusts will be woefully disappointed—everything here is from scratch. The sheer number of options and clear instructions will ensure success no matter the cook’s skill level, and the curated recipes make this a book that cooks of all tastes and skill levels can grow with.

September 1, 2016
Encyclopedic cookbooks for the home cook used to appear regularly on booksellers' tables, but foodies made them seem too ordinary and declasse, and fast food and frozen entrees made them slightly irrelevant. So it's refreshing to see one of these comprehensive books back in fashion, all gussied up with color photographs and distinctly contemporary recipes. This one has British roots, but it has so much mass appeal that U.S. cooks can profit handsomely from its 500-plus pages. Open it, and two pages of soups appear: minestrone, New England clam chowder, French onion, and cock-a-leekiedefinitely a multicultural soup experience. Other sections include tacos, moussaka, Thai curries, couscous, and coq au vin. Each recipe states approximate preparation time, and instructions are generally easy to follow, requiring little specialized technique and rarely unfamiliar ingredients. Desserts and other sweets abound. The index lists dishes by prominent ingredients for fast and easy access to the 1,000 recipes. A definite purchase for most public libraries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)