290820 Wed Nov 13 12:24:27 -0800 2002 4 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1580090 In the recent thread on cookbooks, some folks posted Cookwise as a good "explanation" cookbook, and others mentioned The Best Recipe. This thread got me intrigued about the gaps in my cookbook collection (what with the holidays around the corner, this would be my chance to try and plug them!). So I poked around on Amazon to read reviews of each book. Naturally, each had their proponents and detractors. I was hoping 'hounds could give me some feedback on which they prefer (or if there is another they like better in this vein) and why? Thanks, Smokey Wed Nov 13 12:24:27 -0800 2002 0 Smokey 1 1580096 I was actually disappointed in "Cookwise" I think Harold McGee's book, On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen, has much better explanations and more information. Wed Nov 13 13:06:54 -0800 2002 1580090 0 Paul H 2 1580103 I think Madeleine Kamman's "The New Making of A Cook" is in a class of its own in this regard. Sometimes I think Cooks Illustrated/Best Recipe is a practical adaptation of the magisterial Mme. Kamman. For Mme. Kamman at her more folksy best, I love "When French Women Cook." She is a great master who can work both sides of the aisle, as it were, in this regard. Wed Nov 13 13:45:32 -0800 2002 1580096 0 Karl S. 2 1580200 Just because "Cookwise" isn't "On Food and Cooking" doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile book. Certainly McGee's book has much more scientific detail than Cookwise, but it's not a cookbook; it's a science book. I think Cookwise is more accessible for the less scientific minded among us, and has the added feature of recipes. I like them both very much, for different reasons. Thu Nov 14 00:36:47 -0800 2002 1580096 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 1 1580188 "Cookwise" is an decent introductory food science reference and a barely mediocre cookbook. McGee's book is a lot more thorough and interesting to read. A lot of the Cookwise recipes are simply tacky--the author can't resist slipping Chamboard into everything. I've made about ten different dishes from Cookwise. Only a few were worth repeating. The shallot mashed potatoes are delicious. The roast chicken is only so-so and very fussy (requires glaze, frequent basting, fiddling with the oven temperature, etc.). The turkey breast with sage and marmalade was flat-out bad. I liked the baguettes with salted butter glaze. Cook's Illustrated's "America's Test Kitchen" is a great book. I also love the magazine. I've made at least 20 CI recipes, and they've all been very good. Their high roast turkey is the best I've ever had. Their pie crust is excellent, too. Wed Nov 13 22:13:21 -0800 2002 1580090 0 Lindsay B.