Description
How do you boil pasta? How much water and salt do you need? Should you add oil to the water? How well should you drain it? (Turn to page viii for the answers.)
One part cooking course, one part kitchen reference, and one part foolproof recipes, The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles tells the story of flour and water like no other book on the market. Extensively covering the basics of pasta and noodles, this thoroughly researched and taste-tested guide is dedicated to the home cook who needs practical advice on everything from penne to pad thai. The experts at Cook's Illustrated present their knowledge and techniques in a hands-on way so that each and every step of the cooking process can be understood and easily executed. The authors leave room for interpretation and taste, of course, but you will not walk away from this book without knowing which olive oil to buy, why egg pastas tend to complement cream sauces, or how to mince garlic.
The book is arranged in four sections, exploring first dried semolina pasta, then fresh Italian-style pasta, Mediterranean pasta and European dumplings, and finally, Asian noodles. There are thirteen chapters devoted to sauces alone, and recipes are included with the type of pasta with which they work best -- from the simplest to the complex, but all within reach of the home cook. As a bonus, the book includes excellent photographs of the various pasta and noodle shapes, and impeccable illustrations clearly depict each step of key techniques. Special sections are devoted to such specific topics as "Are Electric Pasta Machines Worth the Money?" and "A Guide to Popular Cheeses."
"Cook's has always been the definitive word on any subject it tackles," says The Post and Courier, and The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles will serve as the definitive reference volume for pasta lovers.
From the Hardcover edition.
Nice Book.
Date: 2010-06-12
Customer Rating:
Would like more info on the job of noodle making and storing etc. itself but a good book otherwise. If you want just noodle and pasta making then this might not be for you. A book that did that and ordered at the same time as this book was never went through. After back ordering for 2 months they finally cancelled the order. No longer published and often hard to track down but it covered commercial noodle making too. So really wanted that one...this one however has some nice recipes on how to use those noodles once you master them.
this is a really super book
Date: 2010-04-16
Customer Rating:
Some great tips and GREAT recipes. I have already made a few. Definitely a keeper.
Title fools you
Date: 2010-03-07
Customer Rating:
I purchased this book to learn how to make pasta and noodles, but the only thing in this book is basicly food recipes that use a pasta, doesnt tell you how to make the different pastas. so the title is misleading.
Thorough, as expected
Date: 2010-02-28
Customer Rating:
This is a great cookbook in general, and really thorough regarding homemade pasta & accompanying sauces. It's just what I expected from the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine (which I'm also a fan of). The recipes are well tested & there's plenty of information regarding how the writers arrived at the given recipes (results sought, different results with different products, etc.). This enables the reader to adjust to taste. Most cookbooks don't offer so much information. Cook's Illustrated, & all its ancillary products, are for cooks who are interested in culinary science as well as the art of cooking. I can't imagine a better pasta book.
This is a must have book for people who like pasta!
Date: 2010-02-08
Customer Rating:
This book is much more than I expected. It is loaded with many recipes and how-to diagrams. If you are looking for a good instructional book this is the one for you. I am happy to have it in my cooking library. I would also like to mention that this item came very quickly as all or most of my purchases from Amazon.com do.