This is my version of Mum's 1960s Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (minus the hair and makeup tips). All the basics, but updated and good.

This book's strength doesn't lie in its inventive recipes or earth shattering techniques, it's just a solid reference for American cooking. For example, growing up in an Italian kitchen, I have no need of the array of pasta recipes. I got pasta and sauces. But as a college vegetarian, I am clueless on how to cook a pot roast. Not a Thomas Keller 17-pot and pan pot roast, but a straightforward one with enough direction for me to get it done.

We hit up the pancake and waffle recipes all the time. Bittman has good suggestions for add-ins or substitutions without creating a whole new recipe for pancakes. I like that.