Baking Illustrated by Cook's Illustrated Magazine Staff, John Burgoyne (Illustrator), Carl Tremblay (Photographer)

From the Publisher

Have You Ever Devoted a Sunday Afternoon to baking bread only to turn out loaves that are misshapen and dense? Or struggled over piecrust, ending up with a dry and crumbly dough that was impossible to roll out? We have. And that's why we've tested and retested hundreds of recipes to give you the guidance and the confidence to make everything from the perfect zucchini bread -- one that your neighbors will actually want to eat -- to light and flaky croissants that are (almost) as good as what you will find on the streets of Paris. Packed with 350 recipes and 500 illustrations, Baking Illustrated brings you inside America's Test Kitchen, where the test cooks and editors have exhaustively examined every ingredient, technique, and piece of equipment that is critical to your baking success. Have you wondered how long you can keep that can of baking powder in your cabinet or what brand of chocolate will yield the best brownies or flourless chocolate cake? Or puzzled over the key to making pizza crust that is thin and crisp or cookies that bake evenly? The editors at Cook's Illustrated have pulled back the curtain on the seemingly complex world of baking to give you the answers to these and thousands of other questions.

Recipes range from quick breads and yeast breads to pizza, cookies, cakes, pastry, crisps, and cobblers to all manner of pies and tarts. And they feature American home classics (including Southern Cornbread, Pecan Sandies, and Sour Cream Coffeecake) as well as more contemporary favorites (such as Rosemary Focaccia, Orange-Almond Biscotti, and Chocolate Truffle Tart) and European baked goods (such as Brioche, Black Forest Cake, and Tarte Tatin). Every recipe has been exhaustively researched and tested to bring you the "best" recipe (we'll let you be the judge), along with detailed and precise explanations for everything from why you should use unsalted butter to what is the best oven temperature and why it all matters. We've also tested every kind of baking equipment available, from mixers and food processors to the humblest spatulas and loaf pans, and the results of our experiments are described throughout so you can benefit from our trial and error. And because we know that good baking depends on understanding basic techniques, Baking Illustrated features a 16-page, full-color insert that shows you how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls in baking, such as overmixed egg whites, cheesecakes that crack, and bread dough that has overproofed. (We know a lot about mistakes -- we've made them all.)

We don't want you to take the time to bake a layer cake from scratch only to settle for that "homemade" look. The visuals in this insert show you how to do it right. Color photographs demonstrate good results as well as bad, and hand-drawn, step-by-step illustrations help you to perfect your technique for fail-safe baking. Baking Illustrated also gives you handy tutorials on baking basics, including how to stock your pantry and how to store and measure ingredients, cream butter, and roll out pie dough. A master baking class between two covers, Baking Illustrated takes the guesswork out of baking and will expand your repertoire without ever losing sight of your ultimate goal: making family favorites that taste better than ever.

Publishers Weekly

With refreshing wit and patience for the home cook, the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine present their collective wisdom in an easy-to-use format. Whether readers are baking Brownies or Peanut Butter Cookies, or want to try the more advanced Crescent-Shaped Rugelach with Raisin-Walnut Filling or Fallen Chocolate Cake, or if they're in the mood for something savory, such as Soft Pretzels or Buttermilk Biscuits, they'll find everything (and possibly more) here. The criteria are stringent: a brownie "must not be so sweet as to make your teeth ache, and it must certainly have a thin, shiny, papery crust... offering a contrast with the brownie's moist center." Lengthy prologues explain the tests the editors conducted to arrive at each recipe, with humorous characterizations of what not to do (for example, readers learn to avoid the "lean, mean, whole-wheat-flour oatmeal scone"). The testers often start with professional chef recipes, tinkering as they go. Blueberry muffins get an overhaul in the "Blueberry Muffin Hall of Shame," with mug shots of the guilty muffins' characteristics (e.g., mashed, sticky surface, flat top). Even casual readers will appreciate the editors' narrative flair and baking science (e.g., quiche gets cooled on a rack to prevent condensation), and there's a refreshing absence of diet-conscious recipes here. With step-by-step illustrations on everything from how to remove bar cookies so they don't crumble to chopping nuts, and a section on ingredients that goes as far as to recommend specific brands, this is an indispensable, comprehensive baking reference. (Apr.) Forecast: A $100,000 marketing campaign promises to get the word out on this essential tome. The editors will go on a 15-city tour, and the publisher will run ads in the New York Times. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This latest offering from the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine is similar in format to their other outstanding title, The Best Recipe. Test kitchen cooks analyzed brand-name baking ingredients and equipment and here make "best buy" recommendations, with sometimes surprising results. (For example, a panel of pastry chefs was repeatedly unable to tell the difference between pure vanilla and imitation vanilla in a variety of applications!) The test summaries preceding each recipe include both successes and failures; the resulting recipes (more than 350) cover everything from the simplest quick breads to more complex yeast breads and cookies and pastries. Experienced bakers will gain new insights and be inspired to cast off those traditional methods that have been proven unnecessary or less effective than others. In turn, novices have the opportunity to gain an invaluable understanding of the why's of baking. This is the best instructional book on baking this reviewer has seen; highly recommended for most libraries.-Mary Schlueter, Missouri River Regional Lib., Jefferson City, MO Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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