My absolute favorite cookbook of all time. Even if I don't end up using one of his recipes, I get so many good ideas from just browsing this tome.

My only complaint is in the organization of the recipes. In the meat chapters, for instance, the beef chapter begins with about four "fundamental recipes" or favorites. Then comes a section that describes the various cuts of beef and their properties and cooking methods. Finally the rest of the beef recipes follow. I find that I automatically look for hamburgers in the beef section, forgetting that it's one of Mark Bittman's "favorites," and thus appears in a different section of the chapter. Odd, I though.

We call the big yellow book in our house. Contained within are two things: lots of easy, clear recipes; and instructions on everything, from how to boil eggs to making quiche the right way.

I wish I'd bought the CD-ROM version for the electronic recipes, but this has been a great reference nevertheless.

A great basic cookbook. It gives countless variations and ideas on simple recipes, using minimal ingredients. Also great illustrations that show you how to cut, slice, dice, fold, etc. Not where I look for the most exciting and daring recipes, but definitely a reliable weeknight recipe source.

Great cookbook for newbies! I really loved the skills section at the end that had colour photos of all the skills you need to make for a recipe.

Some people consider The Joy of Cooking to be their go-to resource. For me, it's Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". I enjoy the approach he takes to writing a recipe and providing multiple modifications. Pork Chops 8 ways - I think I've done them all. He provides cooks with a foundation to explore.

I am a person who gives books as presents. It's fortunate that my son loves reading as much as everyone else in my family because he's gotten many books as presents over the years. When he was here to see me this summer he expressed an interest in some cookbooks. He's living in a dorm that is set up like an apartment so cooking is a new necessity. I gave me the copy of The Joy of Cooking that my father gave me (this was probably the second or third copy - for awhile there I tended to walk away from various kinds of things, books included). For his birthday, I got him a copy of How to Cook Everything - 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman. I got myself a copy, too, since I'd heard a lot about it, but hadn't had it. Other than Joy of Cooking my family's idea of basic cookbooks was La Gastronomique and The Art of French Cooking - both wonderful and basic in their own ways, but not basic in their recipe writing.

This is a really cool cookbook. I've been working my way through it while watching junk television this Thanksgiving weekend and I'm really impressed with how it puts everything together because, honestly, if you know the cooking techniques and you know the basics of sauces, you can make anything. Cooking is full of endless variations and I really like how he explicates this.

Well, I have a small quibble about the title. How to Cook Everything is a pretty broad statement, and did I indeed find recipes on how to cook EVERYTHING? No. But what I did find was a cookbook that teaches you basic principles of cooking so that you can figure out how to cook almost anything.

I'm not quite done reading it, but already I have found myself wanting to host a party while reading the appetizers, craving more soup during the soup recipes, and itching to bake while reading the bread recipes. I have tried one recipe so far, Kale and Potato Soup, which I enjoyed. It wasn't the most fabulous thing ever, and would have been, as the author said himself, improved with homemade stock. I used store bought. But it was still very tasty on a winter day. I have added this one to my wish list and recommend it as an excellent first cookbook for a beginner, or a handy reference for an experienced cook. I'm making his Easy Tomato Sauce for pasta tomorrow, Chicken Adobo with rice on Wednesday, and the Bitter Chocolate Sorbet as soon as possible.

A wedding gift, possibly the best one we got. I use it constantly and have added risotto, truffles, and homemade pizza to my everyday repetoire.

So much great information here on kitchen equipment, techniques, buying food, what to keep on hand. I've read the entire book now, but have barely scratched the surface of the recipes. All that I have tried are simple and classic. I do get a bit frustrated with the many variations he provides that are VERY different from the original recipe but rather than create a complete recipe, Bittman adds a paragraph explaining the changes to the original. This creates a frustrating back and forth during preparation. Also, I'm a sucker for pretty food pictures and this book only has a few black and white sketches.
Overall, the best cookbook that I own or have come across.

This is worth buying.