Bon Appetit Cookbook Review

My family has used Bon Appetit's web site, Epicurious.com, as a source for recipes for almost a decade.  A handful of their dishes have become staples at our family barbeques and winter dinners.  I myself have used the web site over the past few years when I decided to attempt to cook something like meatloaf or chicken marsala.  Last December, I discovered the Bon Appetit Cookbook on a table at my parents house.  I immediately picked it up and started to look through it.  When my mother and father noticed how interested in the cookbook I was, they told me to take it home.  Seems that Mom bought one for Dad and Dad bought one for Mom.  They were willing to give it to me just to save them the effort involved in returning it.  It was a great post-Christmas bonus!

This cookbook addresses everything from hot/cold appetizers to pizza/pasta to meat to fish/shellfish to vegetables to desserts.  I've used it to make the seafood stew, tequila-lime marinaded beef, Beef Stroganoff, mozzarella pizza with balsamic onions and proscuitto, and 7-layer Mexican dip.  I've also enjoyed other meals served at the parents house like Mahogany Beef and the Sausage, Cheese, and Basil Lasagna. 

What I love about the Bon Appetit Cookbook is the fact that the recipes are easy to follow, even for a cooking novice like myself.  I've successfully prepared everything that I've attempted, thanks to this lovely little cookbook.  Last month my boyfriend actually commented that my dinner-preparation skills seemed to have really improved.

While I love the recipes in this book, I really hate the format.  The ingredients for each item are in lovely, helpful easy-to-read lists.  The problem is that the preparation instructions are written in paragraph-form  It's difficult to use them because the font is so small and the directions are crammed into a couple of sentences.

Another issue that I have with the Bon Appetit Cookbook is that the measurements aren't in any type of uniform system.  Some recipes call for 4 carrots while others ask for a half-pound of carrots and yet others ask for 3 cups of carrots.  I am a novice at this whole cooking thing so I don't really know what to use when the recipes call for anything other than classic cups, tablespoons, etc.  My interpretations of size sometimes are way off of the mark.  Seriously, who knows exactly how much is in a pound of onions?

I really love the Bon Appetit Cookbook because it is full of declicious recipes that are easy enough for a cooking-clueless person like myself to handle.  It's not perfect but it's a fabulous resource for those who are new to the kitchen.