Book Description Review “I’m a sucker for great cookbooks… The best of the bunch not only feed my inner food geek, but also provide me with guidelines (and sometimes recipes) for creating something new and different. And, if a cookbook is really worth its weight, it’s as interesting to read as it is beautiful sitting on the shelf… I’m suspecting that the new America’s Test Kitchen cookbook “Everything Chocolate: A decadent collection of morning pastries, nostalgic sweets and showstopping desserts” might well become one of those books.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Read more About the Author America’s Test Kitchen is well-known for its top-rated television shows with more than 4 million weekly public television viewers, bestselling cookbooks, magazines, websites, and cooking school. The highly reputable and recognizable brands of America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated, and Cook’s Country are the work of over 60 passionate chefs based in Boston, Massachusetts, who put ingredients, cookware, equipment, and recipes through objective, rigorous testing to identify the very best. Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks! Read more Customers Review: I’m all about chocolate. So the whole concept of this book really appealed to me. It has a nice selection of recipes. I’ve tried a few recipes so far and my favorite is The ultimate chocolate cupcakes. They are meant to have a ganache filling But I’ve made them multiple times and the ganache still absorbs into the cupcake. Either way it is one tasty cupcake! The next recipe I have to try is the chocolate shortbread!
I love chocolate, so I was excited when ATK came out with a cookbook featuring one of my favorite every foods. this follows the basic format of ATK recipes: why this recipe works, list of ingredients, instructions. This has pictures of the recipes, plus technique pictures like how to coat/dip chocolateSo many great recipes and tips are in here, including a cheater’s Couverture chocolate , which is very very expensive. It has a thin texture making it perfect for dipping, but ATK gives a recipe for a combination of white chocolate and chocolate that really works and costs a lot less.The beginning talks and explains about different chocolates and when to use them. Cocoa that is dutched or unprocessed, how to store it, what is bloom. Just a bunch of good information.contents:Getting StartedNostalgic TreatsWake Up with ChocolateBakery Case FavoritesCakes from Simple to DecadentSublime SlicesCelebrating the HolidaysDazzling DessertsA Spoonful of HeavenDIY ConfectionsToppings, Sauces, and MoreNutritional Information for Our RecipesConversions and EquivalentsIndexthere are some interesting recipe twists here, NUTELLA AND HAZELNUT CRISPY RICE CEREAL TREATS really add interest to rice krispie treats, which, less face, are great from the recipe on the back of the box. This just elevates them.chocolate turtle cookies are so delicious. I had to send some to Jim’s work so we didn’t eat them all.We have developed a real love of biscotti, but buying them is a bit steep. The hazelnut chocolate biscotti here are so good and easy.there is even chocolate chip panettone, a yeast sweet bread that often has dried fruit. It’s better with chocolate.the index is well laid out, easy to follow, and find recipes.Now, one argument with ATK books are the repeat recipes, and yes, some of these recipes are repeats, but it’s nice to have a book dedicated to one subject matter all in one place, rather than have to dig through my 20 year compilation of recipes.
I may or may not work in a facility ran by a certain company that had these in stock before the release date. I may or may not have paused working for a quick moment to look through. Maybe I wrote a quick note of what cookbook to buy next.To be straight forward, though, I have an insatiable love for chocolate. Alexa, define ‘insatiable.'”The adjective insatiable is usually defined as not satiable, incapable of being satisfied or appeased.”Thanks, Alexa.It was a brisk morning….actually it was in a warehouse, so I don’t know if it were really brisk, but it was a morning and I saw a chocolate cookbook. It couldn’t have stumbled upon a better person. It reminded me of the bus scene in Forrest Gump, but instead of shrimp, it was chocolate. I looked and looked. I wish I had a photographic memory, but I suppose $24 works just as well. Man, I love chocolate.
I’m an intermediate baker, usually making something out of Fanny Farmer or I Hate to Cook, just because they’re so darned reliable. I may not be using those much anymore, because I love, love, love this cookbook. I started tagging the recipes I wanted to try, and realized I was tagging just about every page, so I’m going to have to spend the next year or so baking my way through every recipe. So far, the handful I’ve made have turned out just as expected, with no problems with recipes or instructions. But those are the basic requirements of a cookbook, right?Like other titles from Cook’s Illustrated, the intro paragraph for each recipe has genuinely useful info about techniques and background. That’s done equally well here, but they did a few other things that made this cookbook even better.1. Genuinely useful opening sections on types of chocolate and cocoa, why fat levels matter, how to store chocolate, making and using ganache, and melting/tempering chocolate. There’s also a good section (with photos) of tools one might use and why they chose each one. For example, they give you their recommendation for a vegetable peeler used to make chocolate curls, and a long-bladed, serrated knife for multiple uses. I usually just scan the intro sections in cookbooks, but actually sat down and read this one start to finish.2. Excellent photos. I know some cooks don’t care whether there are photos, but when I’m flipping through to find inspiration, I love having photos of each recipe to speed things along. Not only are there excellent images of the finished desserts, there are useful pictorials for some of the less common steps, like making pate a choux for profiteroles or making crepes for hazelnut-chocolate crepe cake.3. Really everything chocolate I could wish for. They’ve got everything from breakfast muffins and chocolate chip scones to thin mint cookies and homemade ho-hos, besides every chocolate cake, cookie, or pudding variation I’ve ever seen (and several I’ve only seen in restaurants and some that are completely new to me).The organization is solid and straightforward, and the index is actually useful. Overall, they hit every mark with this latest title, and I highly recommend it for any baker or cook who wants anything and everything chocolate. |
25 reviews