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| The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book | 
 enlarge | Creator: America's Test Kitchen
Publisher: Boston Common Press
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $21.97
You Save: $12.98 (37%)
New (29) Used (6) from $21.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 1607
Media: Ring-bound
Edition: Lslf
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 552
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.3
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 9.4 x 2.4
ISBN: 1933615222
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.815
EAN: 9781933615226
ASIN: 1933615222
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Another great Test Kitchen book! October 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I love America's Test Kitchen. Their Best Recipes line really does give the most fool-proof recipes around, and I love how they give the science and experimentation background of everything, just as in Cook's Illustrated. All of the recipes I've tried have produced tasty, reliable results. You never have to cross your fingers and hope for the best with their recipes.
This book goes a step further, with excellent sections on baking basics, tools, ingredients, and techniques. They also recommend their best reviewed ingredients and tools (along with prices) to take the guesswork out of shopping. It's really handy to have a tested shopping guide for every imaginable baking tool, and it's doubly cool that the winning tool is often the cheapie model.
The recipes themselves are detailed and include tips, hints & troubleshooting advice. Foolproof recipes are marked as "great for beginners" to help new bakers build confidence. And all of the recipes include beautiful color photos of both the finished product and the steps involved.
Sidebars with variations extend the recipes even farther. One really nice sidebar feature is the "Don't make this mistake!" sidebar, which not only warns you of a common pitfall, but gives you a photograph of the results (e.g., overmixed muffins vs. correctly mixed muffins--you always read "don't overmix" in muffin recipes, but this is the first time I've seen a photograph of the result--which looks exactly like my last batch of unsatisfying muffins!).
The book covers everything from fluffy pancakes to crusty rustic loaves, crackers, cookies, brunch casseroles, plain and fancy cakes, to pies and tarts. There are even a section on shortcut baking, which includes both quickie recipes and easy treats built around mixes and prepared ingredients, and light baking, with slimmed-down versions of coffee cake, cookies, brownies, and muffins.
All types of baked goods are broken down by subcategory (drop cookies, bar cookies, rolled cookies; layer cakes, sheet & cupcakes, bundt/tube cakes--even wedding cakes!). This really helps you quickly select the right recipe.
Even if you didn't make a single recipe, this book is invaluable for its detailed photographs of baking techniques and advice on variations--for instance, the best results making muffins from quick-bread batter, or the different route to take when baking mini loaves vs. full sized loaves.
The book is ring-bound (5 rings for less stress on each hole than a 3-ring) so it can lay flat while you cook. The front inside cover has an emergency substitute chart, and the back inside cover have measuring and weighing equivalents and storage tips. You do have to insert the dividers yourself (but this does keep the book from arriving all crumpled), but insertion points are well-labeled, and the task gives you the opportunity to peruse the book. Each chapter's table of contents is on the divider so it's easy to flip right to the TOC and find your recipe. The cover price is a little steep, but the discounted Amazon price is fantastic, making it a really excellent value.
Splendid, comprehensively photographed all-around baking book, with bonus points for convenient format and all the extra tips & reviews. Yay!
 If you need an excuse to eat cake, here it is! October 21, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
HEHEHEHEE (giddy laughter) excuse me, sugar rush! I'm loving this cookbook, as is my husband and 4 1/2 yr old daughter (granted they aren't using it, but they are sure enjoying my baking). I've never been a huge cook or baker, I recently purchased the Family Cooking book from this series and who knew, I can cook with direction. I have fond memories of baking with my mother and grandmother during the fall and winter months and I know this book will help me recreate those memories with my own daughter.
I adore how the book is sectioned off (yes you do have to put in the dividers yourself but that gives you the fun of reading through the whole thing) the pages are very nicely coated, which is good as I keep drooling over all the included photos... I love how these books include so many great photos as I'm a very visual person. I also love the little tips and gadget recommendations, I've already purchased a number of recommended items from this book and have been very happy with all.
So just in case you need another excuse to eat cake, or cookies, or pie etc here it is! I'd say this would make a great gift too!
Great reference! October 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book is a dream come true.
As soon as I opened the book and saw a tab devoted to "Fancy Cookies"
I knew this was going to be my new favorite kitchen companion. I
love to read cookbooks as a hobby and I specialize in baking goods
from scratch. The getting started tab that showcases the baking
essentials and explains the tools is like window shopping at your
favorite kitchen store. This book will be an excellent tool for the
upcoming holidays. This book would also make a great gift to any cook
or aspiring baker.
The book is nice and sturdy and I like the binder so that the book
opens and the pages are nice and flat. The emergency substitutions on
the inside cover are very helpful along with tips and tricks on the
inside of the back cover.
The tab layout is very detailed separating out the various types of
breads, cakes, pastries and cookies rather than lumping all cakes
under one tab.
I have been searching for a French Macaroon recipe since the local
bakery only makes them as a special order for $2.00 per piece. This
book shows the step by step process for the macaroons with pictures
along with a substitution idea. It suggests that rather than buying
pricey almond flour that you make your own and provides detailed steps
and pictures.
To celebrate a special occasion I made the carrot cake with cream
cheese frosting on page 306 and frosting on page 510. The layer
carrot cake turned out delicious and moist. It was listed as a great
for beginners recipe and it was very easy to mix, bake and frost.
I was also excited to see the various recipes for flavored butters
listed on page 57.
This book is my new favorite cookbook! I have a cookbook collection
of 100 plus, but this contains so much detail and wonderful color
pictures that it is almost as fun to read as it is to use!
The best baking book ever! October 16, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I truly don't know where to begin to talk about this baking book. I have several books on baking, with some of the most well-known names in baking/cooking and this one has them beat, hands down. Any future brides in my family will be getting this book for a shower gift, it's that wonderful.
There are recipes for biscuits and rolls that I had given up on ever mastering and you know what? I tried them and they came out perfect! The step-by-step is fool-proof.
I can't give this book a high enough recommendation - it deserves 10 stars!
Great recipes October 16, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have the regular cooking version of this book too and I love it. I am not as avid a baker but so far this book has impressed me. The recipes are very well thought out, easy to use and there is a lot of good side information along the way. The section dividers make finding a particular type of recipe, fast and easy.
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