This book is incredibly comprehensive and yet "light" on details. It's more an encyclopedia of different dishes/techniques.

This is the go-to reference in our house when we have a question on basic recipes or an ingredient. Includes great recipes for nearly everything that you can think of, that are clear and simple. Provides a number of options for each dish, so you can easily try new versions. Makes a great gift.

This is the one cookbook I keep on going back to. It's full of great information and can help everyone from the basic cook to the more serious cook. It basically answers every question I have about how to cook something. I particularly love the recipes for sauces; I've learned how to make bechamel and other great sauces from following the simple instructions in this book. A classic!

This is my reference book. Anytime I try a new recipe and it doesn't turn out right I consult this book to see what went wrong and how to improve things for the next time. Easy to read and understand. Great recipes to try too!

This is the cookbook I use all the time. As a good cookbook should be, ours is dog-eared and has remnants of old sauces splattered on it. Mark Bittman is opinionated and writes well, making the cookbook an interesting read in addition to its being a great reference. We have given this book to several others as gifts.

My cookbook also has worn out pages and sauces on many of them. I really like this book because it is laid out in an easy to read fashion, the recipes are straightforward and the author gives you different options/variations on how to cook things. He also gives various preparation methods. To me that is very helpful because I love to cook but do not always have the time nor do I own alot of fancy kitchen equipment. I have changed the way that I cook becasue of this book and have added many new favorites to our families list.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I do. Mr. Bittman is opinionated, but he sure can cook! I have made a lot of these recipes, which is something for me. I usually buy a cookbook and lose interest quickly, but I just keep going back to this one. Good food, good writing. Thanks, Mr. Bittman!

I love this ccokbook! It's a huge staple in my house. I love to cook and bake and I have learned to make so many good recipes using this book. I like the fact that it has illustrations on the how- to's of a recipe. Even though I have had it for a while, there are so many more recipes that I have yet to make.

When I have a strange ingredient or just need some new ideas, this is the first book I pull off the shelf. The recipes are organized by ingredients then have several cross-referenced other ideas so it is easy to find what you need. Or, if I decide I want to make a classic dish like lasagna, I will find a basic recipe here with a few alternatives to try. All the recipes are very simple and basic, but tasty and inventive. It has become our new go-to gift for newlyweds. There is also a vegetarian edition that we added to our library just for more options.

My go-to; I use it all the time. I love that it is very flexible and gives many options for how to tweak a recipe. Love it!

I also use this as a reference book. Have used it countless time when I was stuck on a recipe.

I have this cook book it is great I love it

This book is wonderfulI brough because I needed a few tips and I feel like the tips are great not only did i pick up a few pointers for this years Thankgiving dinner but my turkey and all it's trimming were awesome.

this is a must have book.... what a great purchase I cant say enough good about this cookbook....

This is a must have if you enjoy cooking! I have used this book for years and just got the newest addition! My favorite book on my book shelf!